Self-Created Charms?

The Quidditch incident had passed, but at the same time, even more new problems had arisen.

Hermione and Ron were baffled by Damon's blatant casting of spells—for a moment there, they'd almost thought Damon would be stuck with a term's worth of detention.

But right up until Quidditch ended and their group met up with Harry to head to Hagrid's hut, not a single professor came over to ask even one question about what had just happened.

It was almost as if Damon and the professors had reached some kind of unspoken understanding.

Hermione's heart was full of questions, and she wanted to press him for more, but seeing that Damon showed no intention of volunteering anything, she gave up on the idea of asking.

At the same time, a stubborn thought suddenly rose in her mind—since you won't tell me, I'll figure it out myself!

Ron, however, had other things on his mind and couldn't spare the attention for this now.

"It was Snape who did it!" As soon as they sat down in the hut, Ron explained to Harry, "Hermione and I saw him—he was muttering a curse at your broomstick, mumbling under his breath, and staring at you the whole time."

"If Damon hadn't interrupted his incantation with a spell, you would've fallen off that broom!"

"Nonsense," said Hagrid, who seemed slow to react to all of this, "why would Snape do something like that?"

Damon didn't join their conversation.

He patiently used a small knife to cut the rock cake Hagrid had made into small pieces, savoring them with strong tea as he quietly watched the others argue.

Soon enough, Hagrid, who couldn't keep his mouth shut, let slip a huge secret—the Three-Headed Hellhound was his pet, Dumbledore had borrowed it to guard something important, and that something was connected to a man named Nicolas Flamel.

Angry at his own slip, Hagrid bluntly told them they shouldn't have pressed him like that.

The whole conversation ended on a sour note.

Though the trio felt a bit sorry toward Hagrid, a strong sense of responsibility and urgency drove them forward, making them more eager to follow up on the new clue—figuring out who Nicolas Flamel was.

To their surprise, Damon refused to get involved.

"My spell practice has recently reached a very critical stage, and I don't have the energy to look into this for now. Sorry."

Though a little disappointed, the trio actually started comforting Damon instead:

"It's fine, we can figure it out on our own. You focus on your spell practice."

After seeing the strength Damon had just displayed, they had a new appreciation for his talent, and even felt deep down that Damon really didn't need to waste time on this—after all, once they figured it out, they could just tell him later.

And in truth, Damon wasn't lying.

When he'd shot that arrow on the Quidditch pitch earlier, he'd felt a strange calling.

In that instant, he seemed to have vaguely touched some kind of opportunity, but the feeling only lasted a moment before vanishing.

Now, he needed a lot of repeated practice to recreate and memorize that sensation he'd grasped.

Somehow, he could sense that feeling was tied to a powerful offensive spell, one that belonged uniquely to him.

As for the trio, he'd let them explore on their own, letting the plot run along its established track.

For all he knew, Dumbledore was right now waiting to see what the trio could accomplish.

As for him—he wondered what Dumbledore thought of him at this point?

So far, the two hadn't even met face-to-face once.

Earlier, when he'd directly attacked Quirrell from the stands, it had partly been a test of Dumbledore's attitude, but the other party hadn't chosen to meet with him.

Probably, until Dumbledore figured out what kind of person Damon was, he wouldn't rashly make contact.

Right now, Dumbledore was likely pondering how to test him, wasn't he?

But Damon wasn't worried, nor was he eager to meet Dumbledore. Unlike Harry and the others, he had never planned to rely on Dumbledore's power to solve everything from start to finish.

What he needed most right now was to continue his ascetic training, constantly improving his spellcasting until he stood at the peak of this world.

Ever since Harry made his Quidditch debut and won the match, his prestige among the students had been rising daily. The young witches and wizards who had been somewhat disappointed by the Savior's mediocrity had rekindled their enthusiasm for him.

Even just walking down the hall, people would greet Harry and compliment his dashing moves when chasing the Golden Snitch, leaving him flattered and overwhelmed.

This "Savior," who was always lacking in self-confidence, had finally started to show the vitality befitting a child, with smiles appearing on his face far more often.

There was no denying it—Quidditch was an obsessive sport, and almost every witch and wizard was captivated by it, except for Damon, who spent his days practicing spells.

After the Quidditch match ended, Damon went into hiding again, even more extreme than before.

Aside from in class, Harry and the others could hardly find him anywhere.

Hermione used to run into Damon in the library, but she'd noticed that recently he didn't even go there anymore.

Now, the only time they could exchange a few words with him was during breakfast each morning. Once class was over, he'd vanish again.

A month passed, and Damon finally completed Professor Flitwick's last batch of basic spell assignments. At the right moment, after class, he made a request to the professor.

"Professor, I believe I've fully mastered these low-level spells now. I was wondering if I could start learning some higher-level spells with you in advance—like Protego and Expelliarmus?"

"Oh~ of course, Damon," Flitwick said, beaming at him with a gratified smile. "In fact, I thought you would've brought this up with me last month."

"To be honest, at your current level, you've already reached the standard of the O.W.L. exams that fifth-years take, and far exceeded it at that."

"Seeing you have the patience to solidify your foundation, as your professor, I'm proud of you."

Watching Professor Flitwick wave his arms excitedly, Damon smiled in return.

He had wanted to bring it up last month, but at the time, his self-created spell was at a critical stage, so he hadn't wanted to get distracted.

"Then, child, let me test you—what do you know about Protego?"

"Protego, also called the Shield Charm, is cast with the incantation Protego. After casting, an invisible shield appears in the direction the caster's wand points, serving as a protective barrier between oneself and the opponent. The barrier itself does not emit light, but it can deflect other spells while reflecting their glow. It should be noted that the Shield Charm cannot withstand overly powerful spells, such as the Killing Curse and other Unforgivable Curses."

"A very standard answer," Flitwick said, lightly applauding. He never stinted on encouragement for his students. "In that case, why don't we start learning today?"

"Alright, Professor." Damon's face broke into a sincere smile.

O.W.L. (Ordinary Wizarding Level) Charms Mastery Exam Content Written Exam: Levitation Charm, Cheering Charm, Counter-Charm for Hiccups Practical Exam: Make an egg cup perform several sideways flips, Levitation Charm, Color-Change Charm, and Growth Charm