The Addition of the Traceless Stretch, A Small Beginning

Professor Flitwick's office was right next to the Charms classroom.

In fact, many of Hogwarts's classrooms and offices were arranged like this. It made things convenient for the teachers, allowing them to reach their classrooms quickly without having to cross a great number of shifting staircases.

Lucien and Professor Flitwick walked only a few steps before arriving at the office, then sat down on opposite sides of the desk.

A teapot flew up on its own and poured black tea into the cups in front of them.

Lucien picked up his teacup, blew away the steam, and took a light sip.

Whoa. Genuine Fortnum & Mason black tea. That flavor was truly authentic.

Professor Flitwick waved a hand, and the desk drawer opened by itself.

Small, delicate pocket cakes flew out of a tin, bouncing as they landed on the dessert stand.

Seeing that bit of magic, Lucien recalled Cho's assessment: Professor Flitwick was an especially kind person.

According to that upper-year student, if a young wizard came to this Head of House when they were in a bad mood, he would even make these little cakes dance the cowboy dance to cheer them up.

No wonder Professor Flitwick had such a good reputation among the students.

Who wouldn't like a teacher who was learned, excellent at teaching, and cared about his students?

"Mr. Grafton, what question did you want to ask?"

With a thirst for knowledge in his eyes, Lucien asked very seriously, "Professor, you can just call me Lucien."

"It's about the Undetectable Extension Charm. There are a few things I don't understand, and I'd like to ask you to explain them."

Lucien's question made Flitwick raise an eyebrow. He had not expected him to start with such advanced magic right away.

But Flitwick still said gently, "You're interested in this magic and want to try learning it?"

To his surprise, Lucien shook his head.

"No, Professor. I've already learned the basics of the Undetectable Extension Charm."

"I wanted to ask how to attach other magic to an object that has had the Undetectable Extension Charm cast on it, such as daily-use charms like the Warming Charm, Water-Repelling Charm, or Cleaning Charm."

"And also how to make a container expanded by the Undetectable Extension Charm able to hold living creatures inside."

To avoid wasting time, and to make Professor Flitwick believe that he had already learned the Undetectable Extension Charm, Lucien explained while taking an empty teacup.

He took out his wand and flicked his wrist.

"Spatium Extendere"

Several complex patterns instantly appeared on the inner wall of the teacup, extending and tangling with one another before quickly vanishing.

Lucien set the teacup down and used the Levitation Charm to control the teapot, beginning to pour water into the cup.

Professor Flitwick stared unblinkingly at the teacup. The tea in the pot kept pouring out, yet not a single drop of black tea overflowed from the rim.

It was only when the last drop of tea fell from the spout and rippled in the cup, that Flitwick finally reacted. He looked up at Lucien in astonishment.

The Undetectable Extension Charm was a charm that upper-year students preparing for their N.E.W.T.s would only then come into contact with, and even among them, most ultimately could not master it.

But now, a first-year young wizard, after only one day—no, one class—had successfully cast the Undetectable Extension Charm?

Who had he learned it from?

To be sure, in Flitwick's eyes, Lucien's use of the Undetectable Extension Charm was not yet perfect or refined enough, and there was still room for improvement.

But he had truly cast it. Right here in front of him, a Charms professor, he had properly succeeded in casting the spell!

Seeing that Professor Flitwick had not spoken for quite a while, Lucien asked tentatively, "Professor, is what I'm imagining impossible to achieve? Or would doing that violate the rules?"

"If it puts you in a difficult position, we can skip this question."

Lucien's words snapped Flitwick back to his senses at once. He picked up the black tea in front of him, trying to calm the shock in his heart.

But the hand holding the cup was still trembling slightly.

"Oh no, your idea is entirely feasible."

"Er, as for violating rules..."

"No. Learning magic at school doesn't violate any rules."

Flitwick drank the tea in his cup in one go, slightly moistening his dry mouth and tongue.

He was just about to pour another cup when he remembered that there was not a single drop left in the pot.

So Flitwick waved his hand awkwardly, and fresh tea leaves and hot water flew into the pot again.

"Ahem, Lucien, your idea is excellent."

"And your talent is... very good."

Flitwick wanted to praise Lucien, but after thinking it over, he felt those compliments seemed feeble, not nearly enough to describe him. In the end, he only let out one word: "Good."

"Let us first discuss the part about adding other spells to objects with an Undetectable Extension Charm."

Taking out his wand, Flitwick cast the Undetectable Extension Charm on another empty cup.

"Unlike the layering of other spells, because undetectable extension involves the expansion of space..."

"While casting, you must adjust the points where the spell takes effect, the layers..."

As he listened to Professor Flitwick's careful guidance, Lucien imitated him and practiced.

And the more Flitwick taught, the more alarmed he became.

Lucien's progress was too fast. Some standard spells seemed to have been mastered by him long ago.

As for spells he had never learned, Lucien only needed to watch once, without even requiring an overly detailed explanation, and after practicing once or twice he could successfully cast them.

As the number of times he cast them increased, his proficiency in these spells also rose rapidly.

And from Lucien's perspective, the system panel was constantly updating:

[Loan: Water-Repelling Charm, Proficient (Daily Loan)]

[Task: Cast the Water-Repelling Charm five times]

[Loan completed]

[Loan: Cleaning Charm, Proficient (Daily Loan)]

[Task: Cast the Cleaning Charm five times]

[Loan completed]

[...]

[Loan completed]

Daily loans had the lowest interest among magic loans, and the rewards were average. They only helped Lucien quickly get started with certain spells, but the required tasks were also very simple—he only needed to practice them repeatedly.

The key point was that Lucien could actively customize the items for daily loans, down to the specific spell skill.

Unlike weekly loans, monthly loans, and yearly loans, which all tried to fit his needs as much as possible, but might not fully satisfy them.

After quickly completing the basic preparations, Professor Flitwick began explaining the specific techniques and points to note when adding spells.

Only when they reached this step did Lucien's speed gradually slow down.

Along the way, Lucien asked the system whether there were any weekly or monthly loans for the relevant knowledge.

But after taking a look, he found that they were all too broad and general, or only touched on this area slightly.

All right, the system was not omnipotent either. He still could not slack off when it came to relying on his own reading and practice to acquire knowledge.

Lucien confirmed once more that he would go to the library today to borrow advanced books.

As teacher taught and student learned, Lucien eventually completed a simple added spell.

On the teacup used for demonstration, which had been cast with an Undetectable Extension Charm, he successfully added a Temperature-Control Charm, a Heating Charm, and a Water-Repelling Charm.

What had originally been an ordinary teacup now possessed the ability to automatically regulate the temperature of the tea, keeping it at a temperature that was slightly hot yet just right to drink, while also isolating the temperature inside and outside the cup so that it did not feel scalding to the touch.

In truth, for Lucien, in the era before he crossed over, this kind of function could be achieved by any number of technological products.

But the special effects of this teacup had all been created by Lucien with his own hands.

It was equivalent to someone from that era relying purely on himself, accumulating everything completely from scratch, and handcrafting a piece of outrageous tech.

This was an experience only magic could bring, the embodiment of knowledge being power.

A tiny teacup was only the beginning. In this magical world, I will learn more, master more, create more...