Go Be the Director

Go Be the Director

Before he realized it, Charles discovered that a "node" in his "memories" had arrived. The pumpkin on the dining table reminded him of it.

He glanced at Ron, who was wolfing down his food, then at Hermione, who was eating breakfast while reading. These two children probably won't start fighting, will they?

In Spell Class, Professor Flitwick indeed began teaching everyone the Levitation Charm.

After Rolf flew wildly around the classroom, Professor Flitwick divided the students into pairs for practice and handed everyone a feather. As he walked around, he said, "All right, don't forget that delicate wrist movement we've been practicing! A swish and flick, remember, a swish and flick. Pronouncing the spell correctly is also very important—never forget the wizard Baruffio. He said 'f' instead of 's' and found himself lying on the floor with a..."

"Bang!"

The first student in the class to get his feather off the table was someone who looked as though he came from Africa. He had simply made rather too much noise.

Seeing that it was Seamus, Professor Flitwick shook his head helplessly and continued, "A buffalo standing on his chest."

Charles watched half a feather slowly drift down from the ceiling and shook his head as well. "I don't think that was the Levitation Charm."

Seamus asked him smugly, "You tell me, did the feather fly or not?"

Hermione, sitting in front of them, was startled. She turned around and said sternly to Seamus, "That isn't the attitude you should have toward learning spells. You won't learn properly if you don't take it seriously."

Seamus replied absentmindedly, "Yes, yes, I know. It's not like the fire wasn't bigger when I burned the grass that day. Do you really have to be so petty? Everyone makes mistakes."

Hermione was furious. She gave a huff and turned back around.

"Excellent!" Professor Flitwick suddenly cried happily. "Lumbardon, that was perfect! Your grandmother would be proud of you. Gryffindor, three points!"

In front of Neville, a feather floated steadily one meter above the table, remaining perfectly still as though an invisible hand were holding it up.

Professor Flitwick asked Neville to demonstrate at the front of the classroom, and he performed flawlessly.

It was the first time Neville had ever been able to demonstrate in class. He was so excited that his face flushed, and he seemed to float a little himself as he returned to his seat.

Charles said to Seamus, "Later, I'll make a game like Bludger to help us practice the Levitation Charm. Don't cry if you lose to Neville then."

As soon as he heard that there would be another game, Seamus began taking things seriously.

Charles corrected some details of his movements, telling him to use less force and reduce the output so that the magic could remain under control.

"Bang..."

This time, although the feather was blasted into the air, it managed to hover a palm's breadth above the table. It finally looked somewhat like the real thing.

In front of them, Ron weakly waved his wand. "Wingardium Leviosa..."

The feather lay quietly on the tabletop without moving at all.

"Your movement is wrong!" Hermione immediately told him. "You're waving too slowly, and the flick is too small."

Ron had been undergoing Physical Training from Harry in the dormitory these past few days, and both his arms were still sore. That made it difficult for him to swing his wand properly. Her criticism irritated him, and he snapped back with a string of "you can, you do it" remarks.

Hermione felt that her good intentions had gone unrewarded. Pouting angrily, she cast the spell with her wand, and the feather slowly rose into the air and floated there.

But Hermione did not receive praise from Professor Flitwick, because the professor was seriously watching Charles explain the movements and incantation of the Levitation Charm to Seamus step by step, emphasizing at which stage he should draw in his magic to prevent an explosion.

Seamus felt that he understood and cast the spell at the small half-feather.

This time, there was no explosion. The feather slowly rose two fingers' breadth into the air and finally stopped there.

"Very good, very good!" Professor Flitwick said to Charles. "You have a deep understanding of the Levitation Charm. With some more effort, you'll soon be able to use Silent Casting."

He paused, then continued, "The Levitation Charm has many applications. In magical combat, there is an ancient school that begins by casting the Levitation Charm at an enemy, leaving them unable to move in midair before attacking at leisure."

The boys were clearly more interested in this. Neville and Harry, sitting in the back, both leaned their heads over to listen to the discussion of combat.

At that moment, Dumbledore suddenly appeared and called Charles away.

"I don't want to interrupt your class either," Dumbledore told Charles on the way back to his office, "but our Minister for Magic, Mr. Fudge, and Mr. Scamander, the director of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, insist on seeing you now. Once this matter is settled, we can all enjoy a pleasant Christmas."

Charles understood the situation as soon as he heard that. Apart from sending him to Azkaban, the Ministry of Magic only had business with him concerning the Centaur Liaison Office.

Fudge had brought the director of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures with him. The Centaur Liaison Office was under that department, and since Fudge had not brought any Aurors, this clearly was not about arresting him and sending him to Azkaban.

"You're Charles Smith?" Fudge sized up the person Dumbledore had mentioned. "Are you really on good terms with the Centaurs?"

Mr. Scamander also said to Charles, "Mr. Smith, please describe in detail how you communicated with the Centaurs, so that the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures can make a judgment on the matter."

Charles immediately said, "No problem, Minister, Director. I've known my Centaur friends for some time now..."

He repeated the excuse he had used for meeting the Centaurs, described some of the details of their trade, and also mentioned the threat posed by the Acromantulas.

The technical matters fell under Director Scamander's responsibility. He was one of Newt Scamander's sons and had conducted extensive research into Magical Creatures.

Charles also "remembered" that he was Luna's father-in-law.

Mr. Scamander always managed to seize on some of the details Charles had concealed, such as whether the Centaur girls wore clothes.

"It isn't proper for a gentleman to ask such a question." Charles put on an angry expression. "Centaur customs are different from ours. We should treat them with an open mind, not look at them with vulgar eyes!"

Mr. Scamander replied awkwardly, "I only wanted to confirm whether you had really met them."

Charles said to him, "If you still have any doubts, I can arrange for you to meet the Great Elder."

Mr. Scamander immediately shook his head. He seemed somewhat afraid of meeting the Great Elder, and he secretly glanced at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore merely watched him with an amused smile. Charles understood as well. It seemed that this leader had not been a particularly well-behaved student during his time at Hogwarts.

Mr. Scamander said to Fudge, "Minister, I believe Mr. Smith is capable of serving as director of the Centaur Liaison Office. He may be able to help the Ministry communicate with the Centaurs more effectively."

Fudge glanced at Dumbledore and said indifferently, "All right, all right. Then it's settled."

Then he said to Charles, "Once the Ministry makes the decision official, Mr. Scamander will notify you. You may recruit three assistants. Once you've found them, report their names to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."

"The salary... won't be low, at least."

In Fudge's eyes, this was Dumbledore using the Ministry to cultivate a personal connection, so the process merely needed to be completed. After all, the Centaur Liaison Office had never done anything worthwhile in all these years.

Mr. Scamander, however, did not see it that way. He believed that Charles's ability to build a good relationship with the Centaurs at such a young age showed that he had great potential. With some cultivation, he might even become an expert in the field of Magical Creatures.

Fudge left, but Mr. Scamander stayed behind and discussed many topics concerning Magical Creatures with Charles. Their conversation did not end until dinner was about to begin.