Changes

Draco Malfoy, who used to frequently taunt Harry right in front of him, no longer appeared before them as often.

It seemed to be due to the decline of the Malfoy family.

The change in the attitudes of those around him, especially his two cronies, who no longer followed him around all day.

He began to keep to himself.

Only during Potions class, when Snape mocked Harry, would a faint smile appear on his face.

A ray of sunshine seemed to grace his features.

However, what surprised Basil the most was Snape.

Because of the conversation at Hagrid's hut, Harry no longer cared about Snape's taunts.

Instead, he often showed understanding, and even sympathetic expressions.

He also applied himself much more diligently in Potions class.

But Snape still relentlessly roasted Harry with his sharp tongue.

For this, he even abandoned his cold shoulder treatment of Neville.

Quirrell's influence began to spread throughout the entire school.

Ravenclaw students also started mentioning Quirrell's former house.

They had always avoided doing so before.

In this century, Ravenclaw had very few famous outstanding graduates.

Only Lockhart and Rita Skeeter were worth mentioning.

Due to Dumbledore's excellence and the bias in "Hogwarts: A History,"

coupled with the Sorting Hat considering the students' own wishes more, a large number of students who originally fit Ravenclaw ended up in Gryffindor.

Only a small minority who purely admired wisdom, loved reading, and most who considered themselves intelligent and barely met the standards entered Ravenclaw.

Among this minority, some were too naive and enthusiastic, dwelling only in their areas of passion.

They were more like eccentrics.

Researching the magical effects of the Levitation Charm on troll boogers.

They would spend days and nights in a corner of the common room smashing eggs and recording predictions of the future based on how the yolks fell.

The majority of them were not unintelligent.

But they merely met the standard.

With the outstanding students all going to Gryffindor, Ravenclaw's academic performance was not dominant.

This greatly surprised Basil when he learned of it.

Although, this was similar to Hufflepuff taking in all the students who didn't meet the standards, causing their simple little badgers to become mischievous and indiscreet, fond of gossip.

Of course, Basil didn't care much about these things.

He cared more about his own progress and greater world deviation.

Thus, he boldly asked questions in various classes.

And he reaped many rewards for it.

In Transfiguration class, because of his question, Professor McGonagall finally transformed into a cat in front of everyone.

She also answered his most pressing question: "Granger, within the castle, no one can transform or revert. I could because I received permission from Dumbledore. If a wizard who has learned the Animagus transformation, an Animagus, sneaks into the castle, they will remain in their entered state inside the castle. Only upon leaving the castle's perimeter can they change back into a human or an animal."

This disappointed Basil a little.

He had intentionally asked this question, hoping to provoke Scabbers in Ron's pocket to take a risk.

Then he would directly swap space and throw the transformed Scabbers in human form before Dumbledore.

Inside the castle, he was invincible.

In Charms class, Basil perfectly demonstrated the Softening Charm learned in that lesson.

He transformed the contact surface between the hard wooden chair and his posterior into a sofa-like texture.

After receiving praise and extra points from Professor Flitwick, he smoothly posed two questions that other students might have considered radical.

"Professor, I've heard a saying that magical power is like muscle. Ordinary spells only train a part. Only advanced spells can encompass the whole."

"I've also heard that our own magic fields have resistance to charms, like dragon hide against curses. So why can some simple hexes, or even charms, overcome them?"

Upon hearing the questions, Professor Flitwick became so excited that he fell off his pile of books.

Perhaps because his itch was scratched, he became particularly talkative.

"Vivid, imaginative metaphors!"

"But the advanced spells you're referring to, they aren't about exercise, but about changing the nature of the 'muscles'."

"In fact, I personally believe it's more fitting to use our personalities, our thoughts, our equally ethereal hearts as a metaphor for magic, which also exists only as a concept. No, or rather, they are essentially the same thing."

"Frequently using spells with positive emotions will make you a sunny and cheerful person. Frequently using spells with negative emotions will make you gloomy and withdrawn. These two are often referred to as white magic or dark magic. As your personalities change, your magical power also develops a tendency in the eyes of more sensitive wizards. Spells corresponding to your emotions will be more powerful, while the opposite will yield half the results with twice the effort."

"It's like how dark wizards cannot use the Patronus Charm; it will backfire, and they will be devoured by summoned insects."

"And when applied to neutral spells, your spells will also change. A harmless Stupefy, in the hands of a wizard with negative emotions, can take a life. In the eyes of ordinary wizards, this is considered becoming stronger."

"But in reality, as long as you cast a spell, whether ordinary or advanced, the progress they bring is equivalent in terms of magical power. Advanced spells simply help you get used to and become better at using mental energy, and give it a tendency."

"Low-level spells, meaning the conventional ones taught in the first to third years. Once you truly understand them, use them with the appropriate emotions, or directly drive them with your own powerful self, they are equivalent to advanced spells."

"And mental energy is the answer to your second question."

"Magic Fields are also a product of magical power, but they lean more towards the material. Unless you master the technique of injecting mental energy into them, they will partially or completely cancel out simple spells that have no mental energy applied. (Basil: Understood, Magic Fields with infused mental energy are true magic resistance.)"

"And the hexes you mentioned, the prerequisite for casting them is to have a mischievous, trickster's heart within the spell."

Then the class bell rang.

Hogwarts teachers did not have a habit of extending class time. After assigning three inches of homework, Professor Flitwick left the classroom.

Leaving behind an excited Basil, a thoughtful Hermione, and other students who were still confused.

However, to Basil's disappointment, in subsequent Charms classes, Professor Flitwick no longer taught knowledge outside the curriculum.

Especially when he inquired about the title of Archmage, Professor Flitwick directly stated that these were not things he should be understanding yet.

It would not be beneficial for his future magical research and could easily lead to a fixed mindset.

In Defense Against the Dark Arts class, in front of Quirrell, who was equivalent to Voldemort's avatar.

Basil adopted a different attitude.

Direct and bold.

"Professor, what is the key to the Killing Curse?"

"What does it take to curse someone, and what is the best method?"

"Will being bald and having no nose increase one's power?"

"Can you teach us some useful hexes? If you don't mind, even poison curses are fine."

Facing these questions, even Hermione, who was as usual lenient with Basil, couldn't help but advise that he was going a bit too far.

But Quirrell showed no emotional fluctuation.

Nor did he deduct points.

He either avoided these questions.

Or pretended not to understand.

For the final question about recommending hexes, he did offer a recommendation.

A hex popular in the 1970s at Hogwarts.

Much like Aguamenti, named after its incantation, the Tongue-tying Curse.

The incantation is [Tongue-tying].

It sticks a person's tongue to the roof of their mouth, making them unable to speak.

It's very useful for wizards who don't know the Silent Casting Charm.

Better than the Bebbing Charm.

The Bebbing Charm only causes the tongue to curl and speech to become slurred.

To prevent loopholes, just as Apparition cannot be used within the castle, Animagi also cannot switch forms.

["He didn't transform!" Snape roared, his voice very close. "Inside the castle, no one can transform or revert! This matter... it's related to... Potter!"]

The "he" here refers to Sirius.