Ancient Magic: Improved Summoning Charm

The girl sat down. Penelope and Cho Chang stopped practicing magic and turned to study Vizet and the girl.

"Oh! I tried a few spells at home too." The girl seemed rather excited. "Just simple practice. I thought I already knew all the magic we were going to learn this year."

"A lot of strange things happened while I was growing up. It wasn't until I received my Admission Letter that I realized it was magic. As far as I know, Hogwarts is the finest Magic School!"

"I mean... I've memorized all this year's textbooks, but I've never seen a spell like yours. Oh, right! I'm Hermione Granger. What are your names?"

After rattling all that off, Hermione looked somewhat awkwardly at the others in the compartment.

"She's Cho Chang, and I'm Penelope Clearwater," Penelope introduced them. "Did you see Vizet casting a spell just now?"

"Yes!" Hermione nodded repeatedly, her eyes especially bright. "He shouted, 'Accio Chocolate Frog!' Then the Chocolate Frog flew from the seat into his hand!"

Penelope asked incredulously, "You learned the Summoning Charm?"

"I tried it a few times. Just now was my first success." Vizet nodded lightly, thinking back on what had happened.

He had been deeply absorbed in his magic practice. He had subconsciously wanted to tidy up the seat, then habitually recited the incantation.

For some reason, he thought of what Luna had once told him: when Wizards cast magic, they always needed a wish. Only then would their magic become docile...

Penelope leaned closer. "Can you try it again?"

"I'll give it a try!" Vizet did not refuse. He pointed his Wand at the notebook in Cho Chang's hands.

Following Penelope's notes, he first memorized the notebook's appearance, imagining its specific details as clearly as possible.

Once a distinct image of the notebook formed in his mind, he added the insight Luna had given him—giving it a wish. He wanted to take the notebook from Cho Chang's hands.

"Accio notebook!"

Whoosh!

The notebook in Cho Chang's hands shot through the air like an arrow loosed from a bow, tracing a hard, straight line before plunging into Vizet's hand.

"Merlin's beard! That's fourth-year magic..." Penelope said blankly. "Is there something wrong with my Magical Ability?"

"That's fourth-year magic?" Hermione pressed eagerly. "Did you buy fourth-year textbooks early? Have you mastered all the previous textbooks?"

Vizet shook his head lightly. "They were practicing over there, so I just listened in..."

"Just listened in?" Penelope covered her cheeks, her voice full of frustration. "He's a new student, yet he's already mastered fourth-year magic. Meanwhile, I still fail even when reviewing..."

Cho Chang did not know whether to laugh or cry. She could only comfort her as gently as possible. "You received a Prefect Badge. That is the school's recognition of you, and Professor Flitwick's recognition of you..."

"Could it be that you're too anxious?" Drawing on his own experiences before major exams in his previous life, Vizet offered his advice. "After all, the big exam is approaching."

"Feeling unsettled and the like is perfectly normal... Miss Clearwater, after patrolling the train, did you have lunch?"

"No." Penelope shook her head. "I came to find Cho as soon as I finished my patrol."

"That's the reason!" Cho Chang's eyes lit up. "How about eating something first? My grandfather once told me, 'People need food just as iron needs steel; skip one meal and you'll be starving.'"

"Miss Clearwater, have this." Vizet handed her a box of Chocolate Frogs. "Some sugar might help ease depression and anxiety too."

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with your notes. Otherwise, I couldn't have learned the Summoning Charm in a single afternoon. I practiced step by step according to your notes."

"I don't think it's your problem. Your current state simply isn't good enough, so you need to make a few adjustments—at least get back to your usual level."

"Is that so? Thank you..." Though Penelope was somewhat doubtful, she obediently ate a Chocolate Frog.

"How did you do that?" Hermione asked in confusion. "Why did she listen to you? None of my classmates listen to me."

"Did I do anything?" Vizet shrugged. "I only told her to have some sugar. She just lacked a little peace of mind."

"She said she has to face the O.W.L. Exam this academic year. Pre-exam anxiety is perfectly normal, but school has only just started... What will she do later on?"

"Were you a Muggle too? Why are you so familiar with exams?" Hermione asked. "I read in books that, in order to stay hidden, Wizards teach their children themselves instead of sending them to school."

Only then did she truly study Vizet.

He had a refined, handsome face, with an air of steadiness between his brows.

"You're Vizet? The Obscurial who appeared in The Daily Prophet? I'm not saying I'm afraid... It's just that I've only recently come into contact with the Magical World... You know what I mean, right?"

Once again, she spoke like a barrage of bullets. Vizet could only nod helplessly. "Perhaps you don't need to explain so much. Sometimes, the more you say, the more mistakes you make, and the easier it is to cause misunderstandings."

"Is that so?" Hermione frowned tightly, as though recalling some unpleasant experience. "Maybe that really is the case?"

"Accio notebook!" Penelope suddenly shouted, far more forcefully than before.

The notebook broke free from Vizet's hand and flew back to its owner.

"It feels completely different from before! I succeeded on the first try!" she said excitedly, placing the notebook back in Cho Chang's hands. "Accio notebook!"

The notebook returned to her hand once more.

"This is how it's supposed to feel! I could do this before. How could I suddenly start failing?"

Revived, Penelope looked at Hermione and asked curiously, "Miss Granger, I remember you were looking for something just now?"

"Oh, right! I need to help Neville find his toad!" Hermione came to her senses, looking annoyed with herself. "It's Neville's pet. I read that wizards in the past all liked keeping toads."

"I can't stand them, anyway." Penelope shuddered. "Hogwarts itself keeps some Toads. If you want to practice magic or test potions, you can apply to the school."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Test potions? You use pets for testing?"

Having recovered her spirits, Penelope became quite talkative. "At least during the middle ages, toads were wizards' preferred pets. They were very convenient for all kinds of tests."

"I remember a passage in History of Magic about Muggles' misunderstandings of Wizards. They believed Wizards would persecute Muggles, then turn them into Toads."

"Magic can indeed do that, but it requires tremendous Magical Ability. Later, the Ministry of Magic banned the abuse of Toads, so fewer and fewer people kept them."

"Miss Clearwater, thank you! I learned so much from you, but I promised Neville that I would help him find his toad." As Hermione spoke, she stood up and prepared to leave the compartment.

Vizet spoke up to stop her. "Miss Granger, perhaps I can help."

While Penelope had been discussing the history of Toads, he had tried fusing the Summoning Charm with Improved Magic, obtaining a new page:

"Ancient Magic: Improved Summoning Charm (Basic Creature Capture)": Guides Ancient Magic to cast the Summoning Charm, enhancing its power and allowing it to affect creatures.