"My goodness, your experience has opened my eyes. It's also made me realize even more that there are no shortcuts on the path of magic. Hard work is bound to pay off." Professor Flitwick was so excited he nearly jumped. Hearing about Anduin's experiences had only strengthened his resolve to study magic.
"I agree, Professor Flitwick. To be honest, I'm not satisfied with where I am now. I sincerely hope you can teach me more. I've more or less mastered the first-year material, and I'd like to take things further." Seeing the professor so excited, Anduin knew he couldn't pass up the chance to get a little something extra.
"Indeed. I won't tell you not to get ahead of yourself. An endless thirst for knowledge is a wizard's greatest motivation." Professor Flitwick nodded in agreement and continued.
"If you'd like to study some advanced Charms, you can go to the Advanced Grade Spell Classroom. There are plenty of old books left behind by former students in the bookcases there. I'll also write up a list of books suitable for you, which you can borrow from the library. And if you have any questions while studying Charms, you can come to me. I'll answer them personally." Professor Flitwick paused to think after finishing, then added,
"I'd like to invite you to join my Spell Learning Club. I've never invited a first-year student before, so you can sit in at first, but I'm sure you'll be able to keep up. Lily did exceptionally well in my Spell Learning Club back in the day." Professor Flitwick was perhaps so excited that he seemed ready to treat Anduin like a student from his own house.
"Thank you very much, Professor Flitwick. I'm grateful for your confidence in me and your kind regard." Anduin was deeply moved. He bowed slightly and thanked the professor sincerely.
"Keep it up, Anduin. Stay persistent and work hard, and your future will be limitless!" Professor Flitwick gazed at the young wizard standing before him, who was taller than he was, and sighed with feeling.
After ending his conversation with Professor Flitwick, Anduin looked at the book list and club invitation in his hands, then left the Spell Classroom in high spirits.
It was hard to imagine getting so much out of his very first day at school.
"I should follow Professor Flitwick's advice and look for some advanced textbooks in the upper-year classrooms first. You have to take things one step at a time; I can't get ahead of myself." Having made up his mind, Anduin headed to the Great Hall, grabbed a quick lunch, and then began making his way around the upper-year classrooms.
"Alohomora." Anduin cast the Unlock Charm at a 5th Grade Spell Classroom.
He had already searched classrooms across several years and had found quite a lot. Each classroom's storage cabinet held a few old textbooks.
Some were incomplete. Anduin even found books that had been burned down to half their original size. He picked out the mostly intact ones first, then skimmed through their contents.
A few books were missing several pages. Anduin guessed some mischievous young wizards had torn them out to make paper planes. The intact books, however, were all different. Some were covered in dense notes, and Anduin found many of them quite insightful. Those books were unquestionably more valuable than the blank ones.
Anduin thoroughly searched the remaining six year-group classrooms and found seven worthwhile textbooks. Why seven? Because two of the sixth-year textbooks were filled with extensive notes. They covered different material, but Anduin found both of them extremely valuable.
He even found Lily Evans's Charms textbook in the 5th Grade Classroom. It contained many of Lily's thoughts on Charms. Most importantly, Anduin discovered extensive notes on Protective Magic. Perhaps Lily had already started thinking about a protective amulet back then.
Anduin treasured the book above all else. After putting away all the books, he realized it was almost time for afternoon classes, so he carried them to the History of Magic classroom.
Anduin had noticed that classrooms at Hogwarts varied greatly from subject to subject. Of the seven core subjects, Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts each had a separate classroom for almost every year group. Herbology was generally taught in the greenhouses, and Astronomy in the Astronomy Tower. Anduin had assumed that History of Magic would also have a classroom for every year, but it turned out there was only one.
Then he understood why: Professor Binns, Cuthbert Binns, who taught History of Magic, was a ghost.
"People say that many years ago, when Professor Binns was still alive, he fell asleep in front of the fire in the Staff Room one day. When he woke up and hurried off to class, he forgot to bring his body with him. He died that night, but that little problem didn't stop him from carrying on with his teaching. There's a rumor that he never even noticed he was dead." Vivian was telling Anduin another rumor she'd heard somewhere, but Anduin thought it was quite possibly true.
As he watched the ghost professor lecturing on the modern history of the Magical World, Anduin pondered.
"So becoming a ghost doesn't mean your memories stop at the moment of your death. The professor is teaching history that clearly happened after he died."
But that was probably the extent of Anduin's interest in this subject. Professor Binns's lessons were unbearably dull, and almost all the young wizards in the classroom were nodding off. Vivian, on the other hand, was listening attentively, full of energy.
So Anduin unabashedly started doing his own thing. He opened one of the second-year textbooks he'd just found and began reading it with great interest.
He made his way down the corridor to the library and found Madam Pince. He borrowed all six books on Professor Flitwick's list, then took them, along with the seven old textbooks, back to his room. He planned to shut himself away for a while and master the material in those books.
Anduin still prioritized the advanced textbooks. Mastering the core material first would give him a stronger foundation. He found that the third- through sixth-year textbooks offered a wealth of material, both in terms of quality and quantity. The seventh-year books contained little, but their material was very advanced. Apparently, seventh-year students could choose to graduate early or take an apprenticeship, while those who remained could sit the Ultimate Wizard Exam. Most of the material in the textbooks was related to it, including lessons on Apparition.
Two days passed. Apart from attending classes, Anduin, who treasured these books, spent nearly all his time studying Charms.
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