Evening Self-Study?

Evening... Self-Study? That evening, at dinner, Charlie sat beside Albert and told him about some of the Quidditch Match rules while they ate. He also suggested that Albert read Quidditch Through the Ages when he had the time.

"How long did the longest match at Hogwarts last?" Albert asked curiously. If a Quidditch Match only ended after the Golden Snitch was caught, what happened if the Golden Snitch was lost? "Three days, supposedly," Charlie said after thinking for a moment. "In the end, they simply couldn't find the Golden Snitch, so they ended the match early. The side with more points won."

As they chatted about Quidditch, a sudden female voice interrupted them.

"Albert, Professor McGonagall asked me to give this to you." Angelina handed Albert a folded piece of Parchment.

"Thanks, Angelina." Albert took the Parchment and unfolded it, finding the following written on it: Thursday, 7 p.m., Sixth Floor of the Castle, Classroom 21. Remember Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration.

"What's this?" Fred, who had been eating a skin-on potato, dropped his fork and leaned over.

"A notice from Professor McGonagall. The time and place for the next Transfiguration Club gathering." Albert had no intention of hiding it and handed the Parchment directly to Fred.

The Twins and Lee Jordan immediately scrambled to read what was on the Parchment.

"Transfiguration Club? What's that?" Charlie abruptly stopped talking and looked at Albert in confusion.

"A club Professor McGonagall set up," Albert explained.

"What does 'Remember Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration' mean?" George asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Most likely the Password to enter the classroom." Albert thought for a moment and gave his guess.

"Sorry, Charlie. If Quidditch practice conflicts with a Transfiguration Club activity, I'm afraid I'll have to put the Transfiguration Club first."

"Oh, I almost forgot. This happened this afternoon, right?" Lee Jordan remembered it too. The Twins beside him exchanged looks; they knew about it as well.

All four of them could tell that Charlie wanted to train Albert as a Chaser or Seeker, but before it had even begun, it was already over.

None of them knew that Albert had never intended to join the Quidditch team. To him, flying on a Flying Broom was a pleasure. Quidditch Matches might be interesting, but Albert had no desire to undergo strict Quidditch training, much less become a Quidditch player.

As for joining some Quidditch team after graduation—he'd rather not!

Charlie felt a little dumbfounded. What happened to the Secret Weapon?

How had it slipped away without a sound before he'd even had the chance to keep it in his hands?

Charlie decided to find out what was going on first.

"Charlie has always wanted to win Gryffindor another Quidditch Cup before he leaves." Fred shook his head as he watched Charlie's retreating back.

After dinner, the four returned to the Gryffindor Common Room. It was packed with people, and the constant racket made Albert feel as though his head was about to explode.

It was probably because school had just started. Gryffindor's Little Lions had yet to recover from Summer vacation. Let them mess around for a few more days; once piles of homework accumulated, they wouldn't have the time or energy to fool around here.

"Let's go to the Great Hall." After some thought, Albert decided to take a book there to read and practice some magic in his spare time.

There were far fewer people in the Great Hall, so Albert found himself a quiet spot.

When Shanna, who was sitting near the entrance to the Great Hall, noticed Albert, she walked over and began practicing the Lumos Charm beside him.

After watching her try several times without managing to cast the Lumos Charm, Albert reminded her, "You need to have confidence in yourself and focus. When you cast it, imagine your wand lighting up."

Shanna's face turned slightly red from the strain, but she still failed.

"Your mindset is wrong, and it'll affect your chances of casting it successfully. If you keep thinking you can't do it, your chances of failure will increase by at least thirty percent." Albert pointed at the little box beside him. "Want one? Don't worry, they're Chocolate Beans."

"How do you know?" After eating several Chocolate Beans, Shanna couldn't help asking, "I mean, how do you know these things help with casting spells successfully?"

"Would you believe me if I said I guessed?" Albert said with a smile.

"No."

"Well, I came to that conclusion after failing Transfiguration too many times." Albert wasn't lying. Or rather, half of what he said was true. "A wizard's emotions affect their spellcasting."

"I'll try again." The Chocolate Beans tasted a little sweet in Shanna's mouth. She took a deep breath and tried a few more times, finally managing to light her wand. An excited smile appeared on her previously tense little face.

However, the light on Shanna's wand soon went out again.

"You need to focus, and you need more practice. You'll definitely succeed," Albert reassured her.

"I thought you'd be in the library." Lee Jordan sat down beside Albert and looked suspiciously at Shanna, who was practicing spells. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Where did the other two go?"

"I don't know." Seeing Shanna practice the Lumos Charm, George also pulled out his wand to practice. His Lumos Charm was still rather mediocre.

"What's going on with mine?"

"Maybe you're not focused enough!"

"What do you mean, maybe?" Lee Jordan felt a little frustrated, but he still began practicing intently. There was still time before the next Charms Class, but the sooner he mastered the spell, the better.

"What counts as mastering it successfully?"

"If you can keep it lit without focusing your attention on your wand, I think that should count as success." Albert stopped turning the pages of his book and thought for a moment before answering.

After some hard practice, Lee Jordan's Light Spell no longer went out so easily.

Of course, that was when he focused his attention on his wand. Shanna's progress was a little slower, but the results were still quite good.

This proved that as long as one practiced diligently, most spells were not actually that difficult to master.

"Where have you been?"

At around eight-thirty, the Twins finally appeared in the Great Hall, and neither of them looked very happy.

"Filch just confiscated more than half our Dungbombs," Fred said through gritted teeth.

"What happened?" Albert looked at them suspiciously. "Don't tell me you got caught throwing Dungbombs!"

This was what happened... George, who was comparatively calm, gave them a rough account.

Not long ago, the two had been viciously pranked by Peeves. They then went back to the dormitory to get Dungbombs, intending to smash them in Peeves's face. But before they could put their plan into action, Filch caught them and confiscated most of their Dungbombs.

Filch said they were prohibited items and confiscated the Dungbombs they had prepared to use against Peeves.

The Twins were so angry their noses nearly twisted crooked.

After hearing their account, Albert was left speechless.

What kind of ridiculous mess was this?