The Wand-Lighting Charm

As Cedric's future girlfriend and Harry Potter's unattainable first love, Cho Chang was someone Kyle knew very little about. He had never met her, either.

The only thing he knew was that she was in Ravenclaw.

But now he knew one more thing... she was helpful.

After all, not every Ravenclaw would go out of their way to help someone. They preferred to lose themselves in their own worlds, thinking about their studies or other things.

Of course, that wasn't to say all Ravenclaws were cold and indifferent. They simply had different personalities. If someone asked them for help, Ravenclaws were quite willing to provide it.

In short, they wouldn't offer, but they wouldn't refuse.

Cho Chang was talking to a friend beside her, so Kyle only glanced her way before turning his attention back.

"This is only the first class. What are we going to do from now on? We can't leave an hour early every time."

Beside him, Mikel ran a hand through his hair and said in despair, "At this rate, I'm bound to be late one day."

"Don't worry. The professors at Hogwarts won't expel students just for being late. At most, they'll take off a few points." Kyle patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. "By the way, I've got something cool to show you."

"Something cool?"

Mikel and Ryan leaned over with curious expressions.

Kyle took out the map and spread it across the desk. "You should thank Cedric. Otherwise, you'd really be lost for a while."

"This is... a map of Hogwarts?"

Mikel was still wondering what it was, but Ryan, whose father was a wizard, recognized it at once. He asked excitedly, "Where did you get this? Could I copy it? I promise I'll give it back as soon as class is over."

"Of course. We're roommates!" Kyle nodded, then turned to Mikel. "What about you? Do you want to copy it?"

Mikel was tempted, but after thinking it over, he shook his head.

As someone who had only just entered the Wizarding World, he didn't want to waste any opportunity to learn magic, let alone an essential class like Charms.

"Could I copy it after class?" Mikel asked.

"Sure, no problem."

Kyle nodded, then lightly tapped his wand against the map. "Geminio."

As soon as he finished the incantation, an identical map appeared on the desk.

Kyle picked it up and gave it a quick look. Once he was sure it was fine, he handed it to Mikel.

"Here. The magic on it should last about a week, so you can copy it whenever you like."

"???"

Mikel took the map, utterly bewildered, then instinctively turned to look at Ryan, who was just as bewildered.

Ryan was completely dumbfounded. He looked at Kyle, then at the blank parchment in front of him, feeling his face grow hot. He was just about to say something when a voice suddenly came from in front of them.

"Excellent copying charm! Five points to Hufflepuff!"

Kyle jumped and looked up. At first, he only saw Cho Chang opposite him. Then he looked more closely and realized someone was standing in front of the desk.

The person was so short that he didn't even reach the top of the desk. Standing there, he was completely hidden from view.

"Thank you for the praise, Professor Flitwick," Kyle said.

Flitwick smiled. "I'm only telling the truth, Mr. Chopper. That's your name, isn't it?"

Kyle nodded. "Yes, Professor."

"Seems my memory is still quite good." After speaking, Professor Flitwick turned to Mikel. "Could I have a look at that map?"

Mikel hadn't recognized the short wizard at first, but then he remembered what Kyle had just called him. He hurriedly handed over the map with both hands.

"Y-yes, Professor."

"Thank you."

Flitwick took the map, examined its magic carefully, and then handed it back to Mikel.

"Oh, the magic is very stable. If nothing unexpected happens, this copy should last until noon eight days from now."

Professor Flitwick winked at Kyle and said with a hint of regret, "If the end-of-term exam were on the Gemino Curse, I'd give you an O. As it is, I can only award Hufflepuff another three points."

"Professor!"

A young Ravenclaw witch asked in confusion, "Can objects created with the Gemino Curse not exist forever?"

"They cannot, Miss Mittal," Flitwick said. "If copies could exist forever, there wouldn't be so much parchment in the display windows at Scribbulus Writing Implements."

"Not even Dumbledore?" another young wizard asked.

"I'm afraid not." Professor Flitwick shook his head and continued, "Even if the headmaster could make his copies last a hundred years or even longer, that still wouldn't mean they lasted forever."

"Right, that's enough about the Gemino Curse for now. It's still too advanced for you. Let's begin the lesson."

Professor Flitwick turned and walked up to the lectern. Facing all the young wizards, he said, "Today we'll be learning the Wand-Lighting Charm, one of the most basic spells. The incantation is 'Lumos.' Watch closely..."

Kyle wasn't surprised that their first Charms lesson was the Wand-Lighting Charm. It was one of the simplest and most straightforward spells in the Wizarding World.

There was no need to worry about the wand movement. As long as you were a wizard, had a wand, and could speak, you could cast it.

Long ago, the Wand-Lighting Charm had even been used to distinguish wizards from Squibs, with an extremely high success rate—almost one hundred percent.

Put simply, if someone couldn't even cast the Wand-Lighting Charm, they definitely weren't a wizard.

Under the circumstances, Professor Flitwick gave only a brief demonstration of how to cast the Wand-Lighting Charm before having the young wizards try it for themselves.

Soon, pinpricks of light appeared throughout the classroom, some large and some small, some bright and some dim...

Kyle was a little slow. He wasn't the first to succeed, but the light on his wand was steady.

It was like a light bulb plugged into a socket, constantly giving off an even, gentle white glow.

Unfortunately, there were no points this time.

He wasn't the only one who could do it. Across from him, seven young wizards in Ravenclaw House could make their wands glow steadily too.

As for Hufflepuff... there weren't many, but they had only six fewer than the other house. The gap wasn't big.

"Remember what I said: stay steady and don't panic," Professor Flitwick reminded them in his shrill voice. "You must calm yourselves, just as you would when picking something up. Getting the incantation right is also very important. Don't mispronounce it."

At his reminder, more and more young wizards met the requirements and produced steady "light bulbs."

Kyle looked at his two roommates... They were still working at it.