The Blessing of Natural Magic

Brie pointed his wand at the feather with an air of indifference, ignoring the proper gestures entirely, and whispered the incantation.

Whoosh!

The feather shot out like a bolt, its tip piercing deep into the ceiling, leaving the quill shaft vibrating and emitting a low, buzzing hum.

"Oh!" Professor Flitwick stared intently at Brie, while the Little Snakes behind him collectively gulped, and the Badgers attending the class alongside them gasped in shock.

"Did he fail?" A Badger looked at the feather now resting still in the ceiling above Brie, saying in disbelief, "Oude has never missed before, today..."

Some of the Little Snakes heard this and looked at the Badger as if he were an idiot; they didn't see this as a failure, but rather as a display of intimidation.

The conspiratorial thoughts of the Little Snakes were, however, validated by Professor Flitwick.

"This was not a failure. I suspect it is because Mr. Oude's magic is too potent and he failed to control the output. I believe that is the case, is it not, Mr. Oude? Have you experienced any magical outbursts recently?"

Such power was clearly not something a young wizard should possess, and the magical fluctuations during Brie's casting felt erratic, much like the aftermath of a magical surge. The aura itself felt wrong to Flitwick, but he didn't voice his suspicions, choosing instead to research the matter further before deciding on a course of action.

"Yes, perhaps."

Upon hearing this, Flitwick immediately said, "Then Mr. Oude must go see Madam Pomfrey. Magical outbursts are not a trivial matter; many young wizards find them difficult to control."

"I will go, thank you for your concern, but I believe I can manage it." Brie pursed his lips and nodded at Professor Flitwick. He had intended to offer a smile to appear amiable, but he suddenly felt no desire to feign it. Instead, his eyes held a hint of gratitude as he said earnestly, "I can make it obey me."

Brie extended his wand and cast the spell; the feather embedded in the ceiling was quickly extracted, floating down obediently to hover before him.

"Oh, precise control, though one cannot ignore the power contained within. I believe I should award you points, Mr. Oude, but given that you did not follow the gestures and pronunciation I taught, and considering the previous lapse in control, I think the merits and demerits cancel each other out. I hope you have no objections."

Professor Flitwick added hastily, "Of course, this does not diminish your talent for Charms. Please do not be discouraged."

Seeing Brie lower his head, looking utterly dejected, Flitwick felt a twinge of guilt and scratched his head, offering a word of comfort.

"Perhaps you could gently lift the table in front of you? I can award you 10 points for that."

Brie heard this and immediately picked up his wand, flicking and twitching it while reciting the incantation earnestly, following the pronunciation taught by Professor Flitwick.

The table before him slowly drifted upward, floated steadily toward Professor Flitwick, drifted back, and then settled on the floor without making a sound.

"Very good, 10 points to Slytherin, for our Mr. Oude's mastery of Charms."

"Clap, clap, clap..."

Professor Flitwick led the applause, and the Badgers immediately followed suit. The Little Snakes dared not lag behind, and even Malfoy joined in. The Little Snakes looked at Brie with unreadable expressions, but as they watched him sit down calmly, as if nothing had happened, the fear in their hearts only deepened.

Professor Flitwick's class soon ended. Brie gathered his books, intending to head to lunch; having slept on a hard textbook that morning, his appetite was poor, but the points awarded in Charms class finally lifted his spirits, and his stomach began to grumble in protest.

Receiving praise is not just an honor for Slytherin, but an affirmation of myself. Although Salazar Slytherin founded Slytherin House a thousand years ago, providing the initial glory and conviction, it is undeniable that over the millennia, it is the young wizards who have sustained it all. I believe the young wizards define Slytherin, not the other way around!

Just as Brie was contemplating his current relationship with Slytherin and how he would treat it in the future, a "coo-coo-coo" sound came from nearby—the owls had arrived!

Owls flew in through the windows on both sides of the ceiling, soaring over the heads of the young wizards and dropping letters and packages to each of them.

Brie received a package as well; it was his first one.

There was also a letter:

My dear little Mr. Breeze Order, this is my first time helping a young wizard purchase bedding and daily necessities. Oh no, perhaps many years ago, when my own child went to school, I prepared these things for him too, but I had almost forgotten... I also brought you some sweets that I bought earlier at Hogsmeade Village. I hope you are satisfied, little treasure.

--Yours sincerely, Madam Malkin

Madam Malkin hadn't asked why Brie needed to purchase these items, yet she had fulfilled the request quickly, which moved Brie deeply. He didn't know why he had thought of Madam Malkin first instead of Emmeline, who had wanted to adopt him.

"Look, a Remembrall!"

It was Malfoy's voice. It seemed that because Neville had received a Remembrall, he had started picking on Gryffindor again—perhaps the upcoming Flying Class that afternoon had put him in such a good mood that he needed to be even more exuberant.

Brie finished his lunch and headed toward the Owlery with his package. He ignored the conflict behind him as Potter joined the fray to confront Malfoy. He hadn't made a scene during Charms class; his magic had indeed been acting up, but it likely wasn't anything catastrophic.

However, he was intercepted by the Weasley twins.

"Hey, why the long face again?"

Brie looked at the two of them with an expressionless face. They wouldn't come to find him unless they needed something. According to them, Brie was a little snake who hid himself and only came out to bite when necessary.

Unlike them, two little lions who caused trouble every day.

George pulled a notebook from his robes and handed it to Brie.

"We found this in a hidden compartment behind a cabinet in the Gryffindor common room. It's a notebook of prank spells left by someone before us. Maybe it can help you."

Very well, Brie forgave them for their unflattering assessment of him.

"Thanks, though I think I have enough spells to defend myself."

Fred shook his head and said, "No, no, no. There are some very interesting spells in here, like this one—Levicorpus. It can hang someone upside down. With just a little force and the right angle, you can flip their robes up to reveal their patterned underwear. Very convenient..."

Brie's face darkened, though he thought that if he had used this spell on those Slytherins yesterday, it would have been quite amusing. Of course, this was limited to the boys; Brie didn't want to be labeled a pervert.

After saying goodbye to the Weasley brothers, Brie took the book and returned to the Owlery.

When Faner watched Brie use his wand to channel that natural magic once more, he looked a bit nervous, but it seemed Brie was controlling it well.

Can you hear my thoughts, using this magic to lower my guard? Brie couldn't help but think, yet he could only accept it silently. This power was reversible; Brie could hide it away again, or even discard it, but he no longer wished to do so.

If I find a body for you in the future, will you stop possessing me... Brie still didn't trust An Qing's memories, and he made another concession.

How about an alchemical body? I can't possibly kill an innocent person for you. I have my own bottom line. If it's someone who isn't innocent to me, I might consider it...

"It's settled then, An Qing."

Breeze tried to channel a sliver of natural magic to follow his own, then chanted, "Accio Faner!"

The Summoning Charm was a relatively advanced spell that Breeze had been unable to perform before, but with his own magic augmented by natural magic, he could cast it with ease.

"It feels like a form of empowerment."

Holding the warm Faner snake in his hand, Breeze tapped its unhappy cheek with his wand and said, "Undying Flame!"

Instantly, the surrounding light and darkness were drawn in, pouring into the wick inside Faner to replenish its lamp oil, though this time, the oil felt somewhat different.

"How is it, Faner? Do you feel anything?"

"Mmm... so comfortable!" Faner writhed in Breeze's hand. Breeze tossed it onto the table in disgust, only to watch as Faner spat out a beautiful firework and let out a satisfied burp.

"Breeze..." Faner stared with greasy, oil-filled yellow slit pupils and said, "I discovered I can spit out pretty fireworks now!"

"Got it, got it. Anything else?"

"Yes, my wick is emitting a vibrant, lively state. I can shine even brighter!"

Breeze smiled. Very well, his natural magic was currently just an empowering force, not something that altered the fundamental essence of things. He didn't dwell on it, picked up his parcel, and walked toward the bedroom.

"I bought a bed and some daily necessities. It seems I'll need to live here from now on; Slytherin probably won't welcome me anymore."

"Oh, that's wonderful, Breeze! I'll tidy up the room for you every day!"

Breeze placed the parcel on the bedroom floor and pulled the binding rope. A burst of magic erupted, and the small parcel expanded and burst open. When Breeze looked again, a four-poster bed covered in silver-green bedding appeared before his eyes.

Beside it stood a desk with an integrated bookshelf, along with a matching chair. Some daily necessities were arranged on the desk, and a box of sweets sat on the bed.

Madam Malkin was very thoughtful.

The parcel had been sent using Reducio; it would restore to its original size once opened. Reducio was a difficult spell, though Breeze hadn't tried it before. He could experiment with it later; he remembered the incantation was Reducio, and the corresponding enlargement spell was Engorgio.

"Oh, it's so soft!" Without a word, Faner leaped up and pounced onto the bed, seemingly reminiscing as it said, "That guy never let me on his bedding, not even in winter. I could only lie there for a moment when he left. This is so comfortable."

Breeze frowned and said, "Don't get lamp oil on the quilt. Perhaps I should buy you a nest later."

"Oh, I'm not a pet, I don't want a nest. But Breeze, if you decide to live here, you'd better seal the windows, or it won't be this comfortable in winter."

True, Breeze did need to consider that. But what to seal them with... He had it: a close relative of the Devil's Snare, the Four-Leaf Vine.

This vine possessed the same self-stretching ability as the Devil's Snare and also generated a magical barrier that shielded the outside world. The magical net acted like transparent glass, designed to protect its seedlings. Furthermore, as the name suggested, it had four types of leaves that changed according to the four seasons.

He hoped Professor Sprout would have this vine, and Breeze would also need to learn the Growth Charm, though an ordinary Growth Charm could not enlarge magical plants.

However, Breeze had seen an enhanced version of the Growth Charm in the notes he found in The Owlery. It allowed one to rely on magic to make magical plants grow temporarily; as long as the magic did not fade, they would not return to their original state. Although such magical plants had no medicinal value, they could find suitable uses in other areas, such as combat.

The notes recorded that this spell had been passed down from a plant wizard from a thousand years ago. That wizard had somehow been able to control plants and gained great fame for it, though the specifics were unknown. In any case, he hadn't left much of a legacy, and it had since died out; this enhanced Growth Charm was merely one of the basic spells among them.