Slytherin Academy

That evening, Anduin dressed and prepared to leave. He was on his way to Professor Flitwick's Spell Club.

Following the address on Professor Flitwick's invitation, Anduin arrived at a mural on the eighth floor of the main tower. Apparently, the meeting place had been arranged there mainly because it was close to Ravenclaw Head of House's office.

"Password!" The knight in the mural looked at Anduin and called out.

"Unicorn." Anduin read the password from the invitation.

"As you wish." The knight nodded and stepped aside, opening the entrance.

The room was laid out like an ordinary classroom, but bookshelves lined both walls. The sheer number of books made it look more like a library. A dozen or so tables and chairs upholstered in velvet stood inside, while the blue carpet and curtains gave the room a distinctly Ravenclaw feel.

Quite a few people were already waiting inside, chatting quietly among themselves.

"Anduin, what are you doing here?" Vanessa was astonished to see him. She had been invited to join the club in her third year and was very proud of it. No one had ever joined in their first year, and hardly anyone had joined in their second. Being invited by Professor Flitwick in her third year already meant she was highly regarded.

"This isn't somewhere you can just walk into. You'd better leave before the professor arrives, or you might get him angry, and then you'll be in trouble." Vanessa assumed Anduin had accidentally wandered in behind one of the members, so she hurried to warn him.

When Anduin saw that it was Vanessa, he froze for a moment, but quickly smiled. "Prefect Greengrass, you've got it wrong. Professor Flitwick invited me to join the Charms Club."

Anduin smiled and took out the club invitation Professor Flitwick had given him, waving it in front of Vanessa.

Vanessa saw that Anduin really did have an invitation, but something still felt off. First- and second-years were usually still learning the basics. How could anyone join the club only a few days after starting school?

Then Vanessa said quietly, "Maybe Professor Flitwick has a special reason for inviting you, but this isn't an easy class where all you have to do is listen. You'll have to complete assignments set by the professor, take part in academic discussions, and sometimes even help him with his research."

"Don't worry, Vanessa." Anduin gently interrupted her. "The professor already explained how the club works. I won't hold you all back."

Anduin had asked Professor Flitwick about the Spell Club beforehand. It was essentially a small research group, where the relationship between students and professor was much like that between graduate students and their advisor. Professor Flitwick's teaching and research fell into three levels.

The first level covered what ordinary students learned. The second was Advanced Spell Class, which Professor Flitwick offered to students who earned an E or O in their fifth year. Other subjects had similar classes. The third level was the Spell Club he had founded. Those who attended were generally students whose talent for charms had earned the professor's strong approval, and they often studied and researched topics beyond the school curriculum.

Vanessa could see that Anduin was perfectly composed, so she said no more. She simply found him a seat, and they waited.

Before long, Professor Flitwick entered the room. Seeing that Anduin had arrived on time, he smiled at him. "Anduin, I'm very glad to see you. Our conversation the other day gave me a great deal to think about and inspired me."

Everyone in the room was surprised to see the professor enter and immediately speak so warmly to a young wizard. They all turned to look at Anduin.

Anduin had never liked attracting attention, especially when everyone around him was at least two years older. But seeing how warmly Professor Flitwick greeted him, he could only stand and return the greeting. "Hello, Professor. It's an honor. Your guidance also cleared up a lot of questions I had."

Flitwick nodded with a smile, then walked to the lectern at the front of the room and climbed onto his own specially made high stool. He looked around and said, "It seems everyone's here on time. Let's begin the Spell Club's first meeting of the school year."

"First, let's welcome our new member, Shirley Lenster, a fourth-year from Hufflepuff House." Shirley stood and gave everyone a slight nod. The others responded with welcoming applause.

"Next, Quirinus Quirrell, a fifth-year from Ravenclaw." Quirrell was clearly a little nervous. He rubbed his thighs uneasily with both hands, then stood up stiffly and greeted his fellow students. They gave him an encouraging round of applause.

"And finally, Anduin Wilson, a first-year from Slytherin Academy."

After hearing the first two introductions, Anduin finally understood why Vanessa had thought he couldn't possibly be there. Fourth- and fifth-year students had only just been invited to join. But there was no point thinking about it now, so he stood and nodded to everyone.

Everyone around him stared at Anduin in astonishment. A first-year? Hadn't he only started school a few days ago? Was he Professor Flitwick's son or something?

For a moment, the older students froze, so surprised that they even forgot to applaud. Professor Flitwick was the first to start clapping. Only then did the others come to their senses, push aside their curiosity, and join in.

After the introductions, Professor Flitwick quickly got down to business. He didn't explain anything to the group. Instead, he cleared his throat and said, "This is our first meeting of the school year. I hope our new students can settle in quickly. Now, I'll announce this year's research topics."

Then the professor took out his wand and gave a light tap in the air. Words quickly appeared on the whiteboard beside his seat.

First: Silent Spell—techniques or methods for quickly mastering silent spells

Second: Wandless Spellcasting—how to develop wandless spellcasting from scratch

Third: The development and study of Temperature Control Spells

Fourth: Approaches to developing Sonic Spells and their potential applications

Fifth: Deciphering the origins of spell incantations through Ancient Runes; the evolution of spells across different countries

Sixth: Finding high-quality materials capable of bearing the Extension Charm and testing their limits (ongoing research carried over from previous years; current best material: Goblin Urim Steel, with 37 other high-quality materials ranked below it)

Seventh: Quantifying Magic Sensitivity and techniques for improving it