Shield Charm

Nearly half of the students in the school attended Professor Flitwick's lecture, and they all left the classroom at the same time after the lecture, causing visible congestion. The corridor outside the classroom is now packed with people.

The crowd was thronging around them, and seeing that it wouldn't disperse anytime soon, Loren and Hermione decided to stay put. They leaned against the wall, watching the slow flow of the crowd and discussing their recent finds.

Hermione clutched the notebook to her chest with both hands, and said with some annoyance, "This is why I learn spells very quickly, but the effects of my spells are mediocre."

She quickly shook off her frustration, her gaze becoming eager and excited. "Professor Flitwick's words made me realize that I should explore a spellcasting method that suits me, rather than rigidly adhering to the contents of the book."

"It takes too much time to find the right way to do it, and you can't do that for every spell," Loren advised. "Just pick a few spells that work for you."

"I will." Hermione raised her chin, her little face showing an eager expression.

Other young wizards who attended the lecture had similar ideas: to choose one or a few spells that best suited them, and to repeat them persistently, thousands of times, in order to discover the most suitable way to cast spells.

Then, show off properly in front of the other little wizards!

Gryffindor Common Room.

Some older students who hadn't attended the lecture sat around Dean, listening to him recount what they had heard.

Percy listened with great interest to Dean's retelling of the lecture, and said with a touch of emotion, "If I had heard this in my second year, I would have spent all my free time practicing spells."

Dean asked doubtfully, "Can't we start practicing now?"

Percy chuckled softly, putting away the A History of Magic paper he had finished that afternoon, "The Profound Impact of the Goblin Rebellion on the Basic Monetary System," a ten-inch sheet of parchment with a five-inch appendix. This was just one of his many assignments.

In Percy's view, if one wants to enter the Ministry of Magic, gain the trust of superiors, and have a bright future, one needs to obtain as many NEWTs exam certificates as possible.

"When you get to the higher grades, you'll understand that it's not just spells that keep you busy." Percy said with what he thought was a profound smile.

George chuckled and teased, "And you also studied ' How Prefects Gain Power '."

Fred continued, "And dating girls!"

Percy's face darkened, then quickly turned to anger. He reached out to teach his two rude brothers a lesson. The Twins yelled and ran away.

Loren and Hermione climbed in through the entrance to the common room, discussing which spells to focus on practicing. Upon entering, they saw the young wizards sitting in small groups, also discussing spell selection.

"Illumination Charm! I also want the Orb of Light to perform a musical. Professor Flitwick's performance today was so beautiful!" The speaker was a first-year Witch.

"Me too! Me too!" the little Witch next to her agreed.

Ron and Neville were counting the spells they knew on their fingers, seemingly trying to choose one. In this setting, Harry and Seamus, leisurely playing Wizard's Chess to the side, stood out conspicuously.

"Forward." Seamus pointed to the chess piece in front of him, and the white Queen Chess Piece chess piece, no bigger than a finger, stepped down from the throne, picked up the chair, and smashed the black knight's horse.

Hermione was startled, her bewildered expression somewhat adorable.

Loren sat down beside the two. "Have you chosen the spells for focused practice?"

"Do I even need to choose?" Seamus retorted confidently, and seeing the knowing looks on their faces, he nodded with satisfaction. "I've already planned it out. Next time, I'll just ask Professor Flitwick for the Confringo spell. There's no spell more suitable for me."

Upon hearing this, both Loren and Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

"Harry, what about you?" Hermione asked.

"I chose the Disarming Charm," Harry said somewhat embarrassedly. "There's no particular reason, I just felt it suited me, and I found it easy to use."

After running back and forth several times, the Twins finally shook off Percy's pursuit. As they passed by a group of people, they overheard their conversation, then sat down, laughing and catching their breath.

"That's right, Seamus, you're perfect for this."

As they spoke, George and Fred sat down and gave Seamus a series of instructions, turning what was initially a comfortable lead into a tense situation.

Loren asked the Twins curiously, "What about you? Do you have any spells you'd like to focus on practicing?"

The two answered in turn:

"Although Percy was pretending to be mature."

"But he's right, there are many things more important than the curse."

They gave a few more instructions, and as a result, Harry has inexplicably become the one with the advantage.

Seamus, his face contorted in pain from the ordeal, angrily slapped away the two men's hands that were trying to distract him and took back command...

Over the next few days, the young wizards enthusiastically discussed the merits and demerits of various spells, imagining what it would be like to fully master them. Professor Flitwick sparked a wave of spell practice; Magic Power light shone everywhere—in the corners of the Common Room, in Abandoned Classroom, and by the Black Lake.

On the advice of a seasoned individual, Hermione chose the Shield Charm as the spell to focus on practicing. It lacked flashy, dazzling effects and powerful magic; instead, it offered a profound sense of security.

Loren also focused on practicing the Shield Charm, but he wasn't looking for the most suitable casting method for himself—his cheat-like Golden Finger had already done that for him. He hoped that through long practice, the Shield Charm would undergo some kind of sublimation, similar to how [Colloportus] could be sublimated into [Piercing Bolt].

The Fighting Practice Room in the Fantasy Book.

Flamel plays a duel opponent who is a cold-faced, elegant Pure-blood wizard. His every move retains the manners of a nobleman, and he wears a polite but cold smile.

A slight smile played on Flamel's lips as he pointed his wand to the right, "[Sectumsempra]"

A dangerous aura of magical light shot out.

"[Protego] " Loren skillfully deflected the spell back and moved to the left.

The two continued to fight, the light of the spells ricocheting in all directions as they collided, striking the classroom walls.

"[Stupefy]"

"[Protego]"

Cast a spell, then deflect the attack.

"[Sectumsempra] "

"[Protego]"

Cast a spell, then deflect the attack.

This kind of scenario plays out repeatedly.

Flamel, playing the dark wizard, continued to fulfill his duties and maintain his aristocratic demeanor. However, his brow was slightly furrowed, indicating some dissatisfaction.

During summer duel practice, Flamel explicitly pointed out that Loren's obsession with parrying was a bad habit. This habit lessened considerably in subsequent encounters, but now it seems the old problem has resurfaced.

To correct Loren's habit, Flamel stopped strictly playing the role of a noble black wizard and adjusted his respectful and courteous tactics. He returned to the previous rhythm of attacking and suppressing, applying pressure, and forcing Loren to make mistakes.

As long as Loren became obsessed with parrying, he would be overwhelmed by the endless waves of attacks and eventually make a mistake. And now, the result of that mistake was no longer Repelling Charm or Binding Charm, but Shattering Curse!

"[Sectumsempra] [Sectumsempra] [Sectumsempra] " Flamel launched three consecutive attacks, advancing towards the opponent in a triangular formation.

"[Protego] " Loren dodged two of the spells by sidestepping and deflected one with Shield Charm Spell.

Seeing that the two spells were about to miss, he used [Apparition] to teleport in the path of the spells and then conjured an Shield Charm to block one of them. He then repeated the above operation once more, using the Shield Charm to block all three Shattering Curse.

That's absolutely outrageous! Flamel was so angry that he couldn't maintain his disguise. A burst of light emanated from his body, revealing his true form.

He pointed at Loren and yelled, "What kind of weird fetish do you have? You could have dodged all those attacks with a single Apparition, but you insisted on using the Shield Charm to catch them!"

"Don't you think you're amazing?"

"In a real battle, how many chances do you think you have to catch an opponent's spell? Huh?"

"What if the Shattering Curse were replaced by the Killing Curse..."

Loren lowered his head and silently accepted all the scolding. He deserved to be scolded for being so reckless in the actual combat training.

After Flamel had vented his anger and calmed down, Loren explained in detail why he was practicing the Shield Charm: he wanted to elevate the Shield Charm to a higher level in actual combat.

Flamel's eyebrows twitched slightly as he listened... He actually thought he could forcefully deduce a spell based on his talent? Who does he think he is, Merlin?

But then I thought about how this person had a history of success, and that exceptional talent that comes along only once in centuries...

Flamel was even more troubled. He sighed and said, "Did I tell you before that the creation and invention of spells should be based on your understanding of the principles of spells, and then deduced in the direction you envision?"

Loren lowered his head, staring at his shoes, and remained silent.

"I understand. He won't give up until he's hit a brick wall and is bleeding profusely." Flamel thought it wouldn't hurt to let him try, "Even if you want to rely on talent, if you don't have a clear direction, how can the spell evolve?"

"Do you remember the experience of unintentionally creating [Piercing Bolt]? The underlying nature of the Opening Spell, combined with your long-term expectation of explosion, ultimately triggered this long-term accumulation when you tried to break through the giant's defenses, creating this spell that combines the characteristics of explosion and piercing."

Flamel asked, "For the Shield Charm to be elevated, you must have expectations for its effects. Loren, do you have expectations for the Shield Charm like an explosion?"

These words were like a ray of light illuminating Loren's heart, completely dispelling his doubts.

Not just the Open Door Charm and the Shield Charm, Loren had practiced many spells, especially the Patronus Charm Hermione had taught him to practice hundreds of times during the summer. But none of these spells had achieved the same level of elevation as "Colloportus," because Loren had no expectation of these spells—no expectation strong enough to trigger change.

Loren grasped a glimmer of inspiration, but to turn that inspiration into reality, he needed to put it aside for now. He needed to prepare for something more important.

Hogwarts started on September 1st, and it's already the third week—an ordinary yet extraordinary week.

Preparing a birthday gift for someone is a wonderful thing. If it's just a regular friend, you can simply pick a book or a pen. If you want to be even more casual, you can buy a special birthday gift box from Honeydukes.

But if you're close to a friend whose birthday is approaching, choosing a gift becomes more difficult. A simple gift seems insincere, while books and quill pens are too ordinary. A thoughtful gift that's both unique and shows genuine care requires some thought.

Friday night.

When Loren found the Twins brothers in a corner of the Common Room, they were staring blankly at a box of toffee with a faint Magic Power.

"I'm absolutely certain that what we accidentally mixed together with several swelling Potions and toffee is a wonderful concoction," George said in a low voice.

Fred continued with a distressed expression, "But apart from the product we made by chance the first time, none of the subsequent formulations had the same effect."

"Is blindly trying the only option?"

"That cost would be an Astronomy figure."

The two exchanged a glance and sighed in unison, "Sigh~"

Loren walked lightly behind the two, squatted down and looked at the toffee that was shimmering with a faint Magic Power light, and asked in confusion, "Fat Tongue Toffee?"

The Twins' eyes lit up. "Great name! It's like it was tailor-made for us!"

"But!" Fred's voice rang out.

They turned around and stretched out their arms to hook around Loren's shoulders.

George asked, "We haven't used this product to prank anyone yet, how do you know it works?"

Loren spread his little hands and explained, "Potions. Different Potions have different properties. I can tell that there are several swelling agents on this toffee that target the tongue, so I can guess what they do."

George's first reaction wasn't that he had found a solution to the recipe, but rather he said with a look of regret, "Potions knowledge has cursed you; you will never be able to experience the wonderful candies we make again."

Fred nodded in deep agreement. It was a pity that they would never be able to trick Loren into eating candy again.

"Ron warned everyone in his first year that they shouldn't eat anything you give them," Loren said, indicating that their credibility was already in the negative.

George and Fred, unwilling to dwell on the misunderstandings people have about them, steered the conversation back on track.

Fred asked hopefully, "Loren, can you help us analyze the content of several Potions in the toffee?"

George said with a serious expression, "This is extremely important to us."

"No need for finished medicine, just use Fly Agaric and the pulp of Horned Nightshade picked in July..." Loren read out the simplified formula.

Even without his help, the Twins would try several of the main materials of the expansion agent to save on experimental costs, and they would be able to make it after a few tries.

The Twins wrote the recipe down in their notebook, their expressions excited, as if they had found a priceless treasure.

"Once we start mass-producing Fat Tongue Toffee, we'll make as much as you want, as much as you want!" George said gratefully.

You repay kindness with enmity, thank you...

"No need, I'd like to borrow your Marauder's Map," Loren said, revealing his purpose for seeking them out.

Fred readily pulled an old, badly worn piece of parchment from his pocket. It was neatly folded, showing how much the two cherished it.

"Although it's unclear how you know the Marauder's Map, you're one of us, and George and Fred are willing to trust you."

"Now repeat after us—"

"I solemnly swear that I will not do good deeds."