As far as Avada was concerned, the debate over the nature of magic that Flitwick had raised wasn't a problem at all—he'd known from the start that Essentialism was the right answer.
But that was only because of his own unique talent, and he couldn't prove anything to anyone else. He couldn't exactly answer, "Oh, I saw it with my own eyes," when someone asked, "How did you prove Essentialism?"
If he actually tried that, he'd probably get beaten to death.
So during the next Charms class, even though he'd almost completely mastered the material over the summer, he still listened attentively. When Flitwick handed out feathers and told everyone to practice, he even hesitated, wondering whether he should show off and cast a perfect Levitation Charm right away.
While he was still hesitating, the Baron beside him managed to make his feather float after a few failed attempts, earning Slytherin five points.
So he hurriedly cast the charm too, becoming the second person to succeed and earning Hufflepuff two points.
"Wait, did you get it right on your first try just now?"
The Baron suddenly turned his head and looked at him in surprise.
"Cough, lucky guess. Just lucky." Avada realized he'd blown his act and hurriedly laughed it off. The Baron didn't think much of it and went back to waving his wand at the feather, casting the Levitation Charm with increasing ease.
Avada watched for a moment, then suddenly said, "Try turning your wrist outward a little when you flick your wand. Not too much—just a slight turn."
The Baron raised an eyebrow. "Neither the book nor Professor Flitwick said to do that."
"Just give it a try. It's not dangerous." Avada demonstrated the wrist turn, and the feather floated steadily in the air. Seeing this, the Baron nodded and turned his wrist slightly as Avada had suggested, then spoke the incantation for the Levitation Charm.
"Huh?!"
As the spell took effect and the feather rose into the air, a flicker of surprise crossed the Baron's eyes.
"What happened? It suddenly feels so much easier to maintain the spell!" he exclaimed quietly. "How did you figure that out?"
"I just tried it out over the holidays."
Avada lied without a hint of embarrassment. It was actually thanks to his Magic Sense. He could observe how the Baron's spell disturbed the magic around him, then use further calculations to work out the best way to cast it.
The only problem was that his brain wasn't fast enough. Even optimizing the simplest spell, the Levitation Charm, took him ages to observe. More advanced, complicated spells were out of the question.
"I want to ask Professor Flitwick about it." The Baron stared at Avada, his eyes shining.
"Sure."
Avada nodded, and the Baron immediately raised his hand. When Flitwick came over from where he was making the rounds, the Baron demonstrated the optimized version of the Levitation Charm and asked him why it worked.
Flitwick, however, didn't seem very surprised. "You're lucky to have worked out an optimization technique on your own."
"The spells in textbooks are the most standardized and versatile versions. As wizards grow stronger and their understanding of magic deepens, they naturally develop optimizations that suit their own style. Take the Levitation Charm you've just learned, for example. 'Turning your wrist slightly' reduces the effort needed to maintain the spell. And if you let your wand tip dip a little as you wave it, while stressing the 'di' in the incantation, you can greatly strengthen the spell's effect..."
"But don't get too caught up in optimizing your spells. At your stage, you should focus on building a solid foundation and practicing the basic spells until you've mastered them," Flitwick reminded them.
"Understood, Professor," Avada and the Baron replied in unison, nodding.
When the bell rang, Flitwick hopped back onto his stack of books and clapped his hands to stop the students from talking and practicing. "That's all for today. Those of you who haven't mastered the Levitation Charm yet should remember to practice when you get back. If all of you master it within a week, I'll show you something interesting as a bonus."
"There's no homework for this class. You're dismissed."
With that, he hopped lightly down from the platform and left the classroom first. Some students followed him out, while others stayed behind, frowning as they waved their wands at their feathers.
"Our next class is Herbology, with Ravenclaw," the Baron said, checking the timetable. He stood up, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and said goodbye to Avada.
"Our next class is History of Magic. I hear it's the most boring class there is," Avada sighed. "And Hufflepuff has to wait until tomorrow to take a class with our own Head of House."
"Haha, I'm off. See you later."
"Yeah, see you."
Professor Binns was a ghost with an ancient face and the only ghost professor at Hogwarts. Legend had it that one day he'd gotten up to go to class, accidentally leaving his body behind in an armchair in front of the fire in the Staff Room. He hadn't even realized he was dead.
Thanks to being a ghost, he was also the only professor at the school who could withstand a 24/7 work schedule. He was extremely knowledgeable and never forgot anything, making him the ideal History of Magic professor. The only problem was that his lectures were so monotonous and dull that they were incredibly effective at putting people to sleep.
Like right now.
"Few people can appreciate the unique charm of history in all its vastness. Most people treat it as nothing more than ordinary stories, caring only about the gossip and anecdotes surrounding famous figures."
During the first History of Magic class for Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, Professor Binns was following the usual routine for the first lesson: praising the allure of history as best he could, hoping to spark the students' interest. But his completely flat, drawn-out delivery only had the opposite effect.
"Countless people together turn the wheels of history, shaping its course and changing its direction. Now and then, a flash of genius shines through, illuminating a brand-new path... You, I, and everything around us are all part of history. To study history is to study ourselves and society, to learn from the past, draw lessons from it, and anticipate the changes of the times..."
A faint snore sounded in the classroom.
"Strictly speaking, our History of Magic should be divided into two parts: wizarding history and the history of magic. Wizarding history explores how the circumstances of wizards have changed, how magical society was established and improved, and how wizards interacted and clashed with other species. It is also closely connected to Muggle history..."
The snores began to blend together, rising and falling in a steady rhythm.
"The history of magic, meanwhile, recounts the origins of various spells and enchanted objects, analyzing how they shaped the course of history. The invention of the first Flying Broomstick, the first Portkey, Apparition, Aguamenti, the Shield Charm, and other spells all had a tremendous and lasting impact on the development of magical society..."
In class, Avada was forcing himself to stay alert, the only student in the entire classroom listening attentively. He hadn't slept well the night before, and Professor Binns's soporific delivery made staying awake an ordeal.
The one thing that comforted him was that the subject matter was genuinely interesting. Comparing it with what he remembered from the original story gave him a much deeper understanding of the magical world.
After forcing himself through History of Magic, he had Flying Class with Ravenclaw. As expected, Cho Chang displayed an excellent natural talent for flying and earned high praise from Madam Hooch. What surprised Avada was that his roommate, Shabi Nott, also showed impressive flying ability. Madam Hooch said he "had the potential to become a professional Quidditch player."
Avada's own flying ability, however, was nothing special. With the help of Magic Sense, he only had to say "Up" for the broom to fly into his hand, but he lacked the balance, sense of distance, coordination, and other qualities essential for flying.
In the afternoon, they had Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. After Professor McGonagall demonstrated advanced techniques that left Avada's head spinning—turning herself into a cat and transforming the lectern into a lion, among other things—the students eagerly declared that they would study Transfiguration with all their might. Then they began frowning at the matchsticks they were supposed to turn into needles.
After waiting hopefully for twenty minutes, Avada finally couldn't hold back any longer. He waved his wand and became the first person in the classroom to turn a matchstick into a needle, earning Hufflepuff five points.
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