A Bubble-Head Charm That Caught Everyone's Eye

"Phew... phew..."

By the Black Lake, Andrew shifted from running to brisk walking as he shook his head at the dense crowd gathered along the shore.

It was already November. Wasn't this supposed to be the time for sleeping in?

Why did this group have even more energy than he did?

Since the school had not issued any official denial, the popularity of Magical Legends at Hogwarts had never died down, and each new issue only drove the excitement higher.

While Andrew had been diligently practicing Transfiguration, the other students had not been idle either. Empty classrooms constantly drew wave after wave of students, and the paintings had been pestered beyond endurance by energetic first-years.

Even the castle ghosts had almost stopped showing themselves, but they had finally been freed after the latest issue went on sale—because a rumor had somehow spread, with countless different versions, yet every one of them pointed toward the mysterious Black Lake.

Some said Slytherin's inheritance was here, some said the traces of a great battle lay at the bottom of the lake, and others claimed that the memories Dumbledore had extracted were down there—the result being that this place had been busy from dawn until night these past few days.

Naturally, Andrew had no intention of scheming for anything in the Black Lake. Never mind whether there was anything there at all; even if there was, it would be more reliable to spend his time properly practicing Transfiguration.

Still, there was something he envied. Quite a few of the older students gathered by the lake had transparent bubbles over their heads. After using all sorts of methods to keep warm, they could plunge straight into the lake to search for whatever treasure might exist.

I think I've heard of a similar spell...

Watching those entering the water, he made up his mind to mooch off an older student—there was basically no way such a widely known spell would be kept secret.

"Ah, you mean the Bubble-Head Charm?"

When Andrew found an older student who had just finished class, the other boy looked at him in surprise.

"What do you want that spell for? Don't tell me you believe those stories too?"

"Not really, but I think this spell might have some uses."

"All right... Maybe it could protect you from whatever those little vendors might splash out in a panic?"

The boy shrugged. "I don't know it myself, but wait a moment. I know someone who's studied that spell."

About five or six minutes later, Andrew had finally gained a rough understanding of the Bubble-Head Charm.

The spell was not especially practical. Its effect was to create a transparent bubble covering one's head, allowing a wizard to move about in places where the air was not very good.

A spell with little defensive power, no offensive power, and no curse-related properties, combined with its limited applications, had basically faded from student circulation after only a few days—the previous burst of popularity had only been because Peeves had been throwing things around, and everyone needed something to protect their faces.

"People who occasionally go exploring learn it—but compared with this spell, Human Transfiguration is actually more convenient in harsh environments. There are also corresponding potions. Some smugglers have improved the spell, but those people definitely wouldn't leak their magic."

After giving a simple explanation, the boy handed Andrew a piece of parchment bearing the incantation and wand movements. "It's a spell meant for older students, but take a look if you want to study it. By the time you can cast it, I reckon I'll have graduated..."

"Completely different styles..."

Andrew looked over the spell written on the note. It was absurdly simple—not the incantation itself, but the accompanying explanation.

Unlike lower-year textbooks, which practically broke every spell down piece by piece, this Bubble-Head Charm seemed to assume that the reader already possessed the relevant casting knowledge and had sufficient experience with wand casting and maintaining spells.

Put more simply, casting this spell assumed a foundation in Charms at level 9, wand gestures at level 7, a specialty in maintaining incantations, spell materialization at level 5...

And all those messy prerequisites had to be learned through prior study—only by turning them into instinct and habit through one basic spell after another could someone cast this far-from-simple magic with a simple incantation and gesture.

"This isn't a spell lower-year students can master—no, if someone were willing to study this spell by breaking it down the way lower-year spells are taught, then it wouldn't actually be that difficult..."

"But who would include this in the basics? Just like that older student said, this spell isn't representative, nor does it have much room for development..."

Andrew rolled his eyes—Professor Flitwick definitely would not be willing. With so many people exploring the Black Lake lately, he certainly would not break down and teach a spell that added fuel to the fire to first-year students.

Researching it himself would definitely be hopeless. Although he had put some effort into Charms, he was at most outstanding among first-years. He had not even reached the top level, let alone the point where he could research something like this.

"But I still really want to learn it... Just being able to go underwater would be good enough... Its ability to help one survive accidents and extreme environments is genuinely impressive too..."

He was far too familiar with the traditional survival tactic of hiding underwater—if he could master it after spending some time on it, it would definitely be worth it.

And if I learned it, then even if I had to go underwater to save someone, there definitely wouldn't be any accidents...

With a sigh, he pushed aside the memories that had surfaced in his mind and began thinking rapidly...

Mastering something like the Bubble-Head Charm directly is far too difficult, but if I use knowledge I've already mastered to solve it...

What he currently had to show for himself was his understanding of Transfiguration. The essence of the Bubble-Head Charm is summoning a bubble capable of covering oneself... and it's very tough...

But I could make something equivalent—a transparent cover, something like glass but more form-fitting...

But the difficult part is that the Bubble-Head Charm provides far more than the little bit of air it appears to contain. From what I've heard about its principles, it can allow an ordinary person to travel to the bottom of the Black Lake and back...

So does it compress air? Doesn't seem like it. Or does the Bubble-Head Charm filter it?

If it's the former, could I consider Transfiguring the air itself? No—perhaps multiple Transfigurations... Or use technique to restore the gradually failing Bubble-Head Charm back into air without letting it collapse?

And if it's the latter... that would be difficult...

But where could I find someone willing to help study the Bubble-Head Charm's exact effects?

I can't ask Professor McGonagall... She definitely wouldn't want me spending time on something against the rules like Black Lake exploration.

I've got it!

Something that had happened some time ago suddenly surfaced in his mind—someone had paid people to look up information in the library.

While it was hard to find someone willing to help out of friendship, there was one method of exchange that was efficient and agreeable to the other party.

Ah, let Dumbledore suffer a little... Now there's a way...