The Wand's Domain

Bouncing kept its promise to Luan.

Even though it loved that glittering trophy, which was far taller than its body, it tried hard to restrain its little paws from reaching toward it.

Luan had complete faith in Bouncing. Rather than watch the fierce mental struggle unfolding on the table, he kept his eyes on the Wizard Bar above McGonagall's head.

Luan had only come up with that name for the bar this morning, because no species other than wizards—not even magical creatures—had one.

When Professor McGonagall drew her wand, Luan noticed that the Wizard Bar above her head had risen by half a segment.

"Very good, Mr. Scarlett. Your friend has passed my test."

When she saw that Bouncing had not approached the trophy and had instead taken a step back, McGonagall finally nodded and made her judgment.

"You did wonderfully, Bouncing."

Luan withdrew his gaze as well and happily lifted Bouncing from the desk.

"Chirp~"

Bouncing let out a soft cry, then climbed onto Luan's shoulder, though its eyes still kept darting regretfully toward the trophy.

"All right, Mr. Scarlett. I hope your friend can keep it up in the future."

Professor McGonagall had already picked up a quill and written out a certificate. Seeing Luan still chatting with the Niffler, she directly interrupted him and handed over the parchment.

Luan took it and quickly scanned it.

Permission is hereby granted for Mr. Mu En Scarlett to keep a Niffler (Bouncing) in Hogwarts Castle until graduation.

Deputy Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall

After thanking Professor McGonagall, Luan happily left the office with Bouncing.

At the entrance to the Common Room, he ran into Neville. The terribly unlucky Young Wizard was staring blankly at the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Neville, why aren't you going in, Dragon Fodder?"

Only after the Common Room door opened did Neville smile in relief.

"I forgot the password just now, so I was waiting to see if anyone came back." As he spoke, Neville looked at Bouncing on Luan's shoulder.

"Hermione told me you went to see Professor McGonagall. They're not going to chase Bouncing away, are they?"

"No. Professor McGonagall agreed to let Bouncing live in the castle." Luan waved the parchment in his hand.

Bouncing happily chirped at Neville as well.

"Chirp!"

"What did it say?" Knowing that Luan could understand Bouncing, Neville turned and asked.

"It said it can keep helping you look for Leif."

"Thank you, Bouncing. Leif actually... Hey, where's Leif? Where did Leif go~"

This search for Leif was quite simple. In the Common Room fireplace, the Golden-backed Toad had come within a hair's breadth of becoming a delicious roast.

After taking an hour-long nap in the dormitory, Luan tidied up and headed to the Herbology classroom at exactly one-thirty in the afternoon.

It was a whole row of Greenhouses behind the castle. They had class together with the Hufflepuff first-years, and outside the Greenhouse, Professor Sprout lectured them for quite a while.

"Under no circumstances are you to touch any plants."

"Under no circumstances are you to fool around in the Greenhouse."

"Under no circumstances are you to sneak into the Greenhouses at the back."

Perhaps Professor Sprout's rules had worked. Though every Young Wizard was extremely curious, not a single one touched the plants in the pots.

"Do you see the plant with white flowers in front of you? This is Daffodil. Its blossoms are beautiful, aren't they?"

Professor Sprout lifted a pot from the wooden rack and began explaining.

"However, only its roots and stems can be used as herbs."

Professor Sprout was extremely knowledgeable about Herbology. She not only explained how to cultivate Daffodil and its medicinal uses, but even told them a Greek Myth about it.

In the Greenhouse, Luan not only learned about Daffodil, but also finally figured out the purpose of the Dragonhide Gloves.

As the most expensive piece of school equipment, they had left a deep impression on him.

"Dragon Hide has extremely strong magic resistance. If you wish to cast a spell on a fire dragon, at least seven or eight wizards must act together for it to have any effect." Professor Sprout raised the Dragon Hide Gloves in her hand and continued.

"So, before coming into contact with unknown things, you'd best put them on—especially in Herbology and Potions Class."

Professor Sprout's lesson was excellent, but some Young Wizards still could not help wanting to go outside, because the Greenhouse really did smell unpleasant.

Luan did not mind. When he worked at the farmstead, he often helped others spread fertilizer. Compared to that, the smell in the Greenhouse was already very mild.

However, that was not why he did not want to leave. He had noticed that Professor Sprout's Wizard Bar had also changed within a short span of time.

When she explained herbological plants, her originally five-segment Wizard Bar instantly rose by half a segment—the same change that had occurred when Professor McGonagall picked up her wand.

"Luan, class is over. Time to go."

"Oh, coming."

At four in the afternoon, the first day of wizarding classes had come to an end. Neither professor assigned much homework, only telling them to preview the next lesson's material.

After dinner, Luan considered his new discovery from that day.

If the Wizard Bar represents a wizard's Magical Strength, and a wand can provide a boost to that strength, then why do Daffodils have the same effect?

Professor Sprout teaches Herbology, which means she is highly accomplished in it. It is very likely her specialty magical domain.

These were only Luan's guesses, but confirming them would be easy. There was another Herbology class tomorrow morning, followed by Charms Class and Transfiguration in the afternoon.

Professor Flitwick, who taught Charms, and Professor McGonagall, who taught Transfiguration, would definitely use their wands to cast the magic they were best at.

Then everything would become clear.

Once he had thought it through, Luan picked up his textbook and headed to the Common Room. His classmates were all there, sharing what they had experienced on their first day.

Ron was teaching Harry how to play another kind of Wizard Chess. The pieces in Wizard Chess were very peculiar: they were all alive, and commanding them felt like commanding a real army.

That was precisely why one had to be more careful when playing Wizard Chess. Whenever you made a wrong move, the pieces would yell at you and might even wave their weapons and stab at you.

"Ah~"

Harry pulled his hand back again. The one that had just stabbed him was a soldier riding a horse.

"Want a game, Luan?"

Ron directly captured Harry's king, then looked eagerly at Luan.

"No, I'll preview the next lesson first."

Luan took his book to the other side of the table, where Hermione was quietly reading.

"Why are you like that too? It's only the first day of school."

Ron watched Luan leave in confusion, then turned hopefully toward Harry again.

"Another game?"

Luan was now certain that the Wizard Bar represented a wizard's Magical Strength, and Hermione was the most unusual among all the first-years.

The only one with half a segment.

It was also from her that Luan had learned one way to increase Magical Strength: reading.

"You're only starting the first chapter now?"

Hermione, sitting opposite him, glanced at the book in Luan's hands. As the only two first-years still reading books, she was somewhat curious about his progress.

"I've already memorized all these books. Of course, I only hope it'll be useful."

"You memorized all of them! Are you sure?"

"That's right. Today, I even borrowed Magical Enlightenment, Research on the Development of Modern Witchcraft, and Major Discoveries in Modern Magic from the library."

Luan could not bear listening any longer. He finally understood why Ron disliked Hermione.

He did not remember a word of what the little witch opposite him said afterward, because all his attention had already focused on the books.