Cypher spent the entire noon in silence.
He reflected and adjusted himself.
Charms class was in the afternoon.
Iris's grandfather, Brandt Fergus, was the professor teaching Charms class.
This spirited old man was also the head of Ravenclaw House.
Unsurprisingly, the first chapter of the textbook was about learning the Levitation Charm.
Cypher flipped through the textbook and felt that its contents were largely similar to the practical charms he had read before.
These by-the-book spells posed no difficulty for Cypher whatsoever.
He only needed proper gestures, clear incantations, and a tiny bit of conviction.
The strength of the spell changed according to the amount of magic bestowed upon the wand.
Cypher was very curious. He wanted to know why, after abandoning his wand, he could not produce any effect no matter how he mobilized his magic, made gestures, or chanted incantations.
However, based on the knowledge he had encountered so far, honestly learning the basics and gaining the ability to protect himself were what mattered most.
Skipping past Professor Fergus's explanation of how to cast the spell, it was time for practice.
The young wizards' performance in Charms class was not much different from their overall performance in the morning's Transfiguration Class.
It could even be said that Charms class was more dangerous.
For that reason, this class was attended only by Ravenclaw and Gryffindor first-years.
At worst, a Transfiguration spell would make something explode.
But the Levitation Charm...
Cypher witnessed it with his own eyes, right beside him.
There was a Gryffindor young wizard.
His spell did not make the feather slowly float upward.
Instead, it sent the feather shooting at the wooden blackboard ahead at incredible speed.
Cypher looked closely and discovered that only half of its tail feather remained exposed outside the blackboard.
That white speck amid the black made Cypher break out in a cold sweat.
If that feather had shot toward another young wizard, would Headmaster Fergus have been able to react in time...?
With his heart pounding, Cypher made the feather before him rise tremblingly.
Professor Fergus saw that Cypher had succeeded.
He did not hold back just because Cypher was from his own House, decisively awarding ten points to the first person to succeed.
Iris and Luna, who succeeded next, each received five points.
In this class alone, the three of them had earned twenty points for their House.
By the end of class, there were still very few young wizards who had succeeded.
Had Professor Dumbledore forgotten to give us points?
With a trace of resentment.
Cypher left the Charms classroom.
Charms class did not take up the entire afternoon.
There was still the final class of the day in the afternoon—Herbology class.
The Herbology professor was a kind middle-aged witch.
She always faced every young wizard with a benevolent gaze and a smile.
On the way to the Herbology classroom, Cypher learned the Herbology professor's name from Iris.
Bernice Leslie, who was also the head of Hufflepuff House.
The Herbology textbook's contents were covered in the Fundamentals of Potions.
Therefore, Cypher spent the entire class observing actual herbs.
With Iris's help, he put the rigid knowledge from the book to flexible use.
Herbology was the foundation of potion-making.
But brewing potions required more than just herbs.
For instance, the potion for treating boils required dried nettles, crushed snake fangs, porcupine quills, and boiled horned slugs.
A potions master was basically a walking encyclopedia of the Magical World.
Even though Cypher persisted in studying the Fundamentals of Potions every night...
"...With my guidance and your absurd learning speed, you still won't be able to try brewing the Awakening Draught until the Christmas holiday!"
That was Iris's assessment of Cypher over dinner that night.
Nothing went wrong in Herbology class. Even using improper methods to handle the herbs in these first-year lessons would not cause serious consequences.
The uneventful Herbology class ended just like that.
After dinner, the three of them climbed the stairs back to the common room and went to Cypher's dormitory.
The three of them gathered around a table.
They hurriedly finished the homework assigned in today's classes.
What? Where did the table and chairs come from? That was something to ask Iris and Luna.
Even after attending classes all day.
Cypher did not relax before bed.
He gritted his teeth, took out the thick Fundamentals of Potions, and began checking off his daily task.
Tuesday morning's class was Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
The instructor was a tall, thin man. He was an old acquaintance—the man who had intimidated the new students before the Sorting Ceremony.
From his introduction, Cypher learned that his name was Galatea Mellors.
Cypher greatly admired the old man.
Not only had he served as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for many years, but he had also compiled the Defense Against the Dark Arts textbooks for every year at Hogwarts.
In just the first lesson, he stated the teaching goal for the first half of the first year and hinted at the content of the first-years' midterm assessment.
It was for the young wizards to master and skillfully use the Shield Charm.
"In Defense Against the Dark Arts class, the spells you learn are harder to cast than the spells taught in all your other classes. They are the only abilities that will selflessly protect you after you leave the castle. Even if you can only practice in class, you must keep practicing the wand movement in private! Practice! Practice again! Carve its motion into your bones. Only then, when you are in danger and your minds are completely blank, will you still be able to draw your wands and cast the spell by reflex!"
"So, for the first half of this year, you will practice successfully casting the Shield Charm under all kinds of unexpected circumstances!"
Seeing no objections, Professor Mellors stroked his beard and nodded in satisfaction.
He officially began the lesson, explaining how to cast the Shield Charm more effectively.
"Impedimenta!"
Professor Mellors first had everyone step forward. He cast a Shield Charm on each of them, allowing the young wizards to experience the spell's repelling force.
To personally experience what the spell could do.
Then he began introducing some dark creatures.
Evil Goblins, common venomous insects in the Magical World, and so on.
Then he pointed out their weaknesses and how to use the Shield Charm to protect themselves.
The entire lesson was vivid and engaging. Every young wizard sat upright, eyes shining as they listened to Professor Mellors's explanation.
Many of Professor Mellors's experiences gave Cypher considerable inspiration.
After all, magical creatures were different from Muggle creatures.
He spoke without pause for an hour and a half.
Professor Mellors picked up his cup and took a sip of water, then announced that everyone should take out their wands for practical training.
"Against the dark creatures I just mentioned, you can use the Shield Charm to buy yourselves time to fight back. But! The biggest problem is whether the spells you cast can hit them, not whether your spells can be fired! Remember, they are living, breathing dark creatures!"
Indeed, hitting an irregularly moving target was different from hitting a stationary one.
To curb the young wizards' arrogance and make them settle down to learn and practice only the Shield Charm during this first half of the year.
Professor Mellors took a quill from his robes and tapped it with his wand, turning it into a small bird.
Judging by its shape, it looked like a hummingbird, Cypher thought.
It was so small that hitting it would be difficult.
The little bird spread its wings and beat them at high frequency, flying around Professor Mellors.
"This is a Bone-Etching Hummingbird. If its beak pecks you once, your bones will feel as though they are being scraped by blades."
"Of course, this one is nonvenomous. But if it touches your head, you fail."
"Would anyone like to volunteer to take on the challenge first?"
Professor Mellors's gaze seemed to settle on Cypher.
This young wizard had left a deep impression on him at the start of term, and he thought highly of him.
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