New Talent

After learning the Reversal Charm from Professor McGonagall, Li Wei hummed a little tune as he headed for the Great Hall for lunch.

Halfway there, however, he was stopped by his little sweetheart.

"Pshoo~"

Nami stood proudly with her hands on her hips, showing Li Wei the territory she had conquered—more than a dozen pet cats of all colors and breeds.

Li Wei even spotted Mrs Norris among them.

She was the pet of Argus Filch, Hogwarts Castle's caretaker, and the students saw her as Filch's accomplice.

"So you came to me for rations!"

Li Wei understood what Nami meant and laughed at her embarrassed expression.

From the pouch enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm, he took out a jar of dried fish.

Ever since he had loaded all his Galleons into the system shop, the pouch had become a bag for carrying all sorts of little tools.

"Come on, come on! Thanks for supporting my Nami! Every kitty gets some, so don't fight!"

Li Wei crouched on the ground and, with his affinity for magical creatures, easily won over the cats.

He fed every cat a piece of dried fish and gave each one a thorough petting, Mrs Norris included.

Sorry, Filch, but your cat was no longer pure! Hehehe!

After petting the cats, Li Wei had Nami lead her army off to play. He found a washroom, washed his hands, and continued toward the Great Hall.

While eating lunch, Li Wei finally saw Headmaster Dumbledore, who had been more or less absent for an entire day.

The old headmaster, whose beard and hair were both white, looked even more haggard.

His wise, aged eyes were hidden behind his spectacles. They were filled with concern, though he still tried his best to conceal a trace of sorrow.

He had not found Grindelwald!

Or rather, even if he had found Grindelwald, Dumbledore had failed to persuade him to return!

The moment Li Wei saw Dumbledore's expression, he guessed most of the situation.

He really did not know what had made Grindelwald choose to break out of prison. The Wizards' Party had long since fallen apart!

Without the support of other wizards, what could even such a powerful wizard do?

Did he really intend to rely on his bewitching rhetoric to start a war between wizards and ordinary people?

Li Wei felt that even Dumbledore probably could not answer those questions.

The wonders of the magical world had dazzled Li Wei, leaving this transmigrator completely unaware that—

The technological development of ordinary people had already opened a narrow mountain path into the magical world's "hidden paradise." The people of Wuling were about to discover them, and the magistrate's army was on its way!

That afternoon's Charms class was shared by Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

Li Wei finally met Ravenclaw's Head of House: Professor Filius Flitwick, a Half-Blood wizard with goblin ancestry who was extremely short—even shorter than Li Wei—but possessed an exceptionally loud voice!

Standing behind the lectern—or rather, standing atop a stack of books behind it—he warmly and cheerfully welcomed the young wizards to his class.

The moment Li Wei heard Professor Flitwick greet them, he received feedback from the Mixed-Blood MOD. He had obtained a new talent, waiting only for him to claim it.

While the professor worked on livening up the classroom, Li Wei opened the Mixed-Blood MOD and saw a new talent appear before him:

The host has obtained the talent: Combat Casting—your combat casting ability is unmatched. You are agile and possess exceptional reflexes, making it easier for you to cast silently and without a wand. Spell Talent increased by one level. (Click to claim)

It was finally complete!

The moment Li Wei saw the Combat Casting talent, he knew that his chance to raise his Spell Talent to the excellent grade had finally arrived!

Having already claimed Hagrid's Giant Physique once before, Li Wei directly chose to claim the talent right there in class.

The next second, Li Wei felt as if his entire state had been refreshed, giving him a wholly new experience of the world from the inside out!

His hearing and vision sharpened, his body became lighter and stronger, and when he focused with all his might, even the world around him seemed to gradually slow down!

Even more remarkably, Li Wei felt that the magic within him had never been so obedient.

It seemed that as long as he wished it, he could effortlessly command this magic and cast any spell!

So this was what excellent-grade Spell Talent felt like!

Li Wei suddenly understood why those great wizards with extraordinary talent were so confident!

With this sensation of being able to control everything, the world was no more than an oil painting that could be painted over at will. Not becoming arrogant and conceited under such circumstances was already a rare virtue!

Having claimed the Combat Casting talent brought by his own Head of House, Li Wei began listening attentively.

Even though he had already learned and mastered the Levitation Charm, listening to a Charms master like Professor Flitwick still granted him a great deal of proficiency with it.

Especially now that his Spell Talent had advanced to the excellent grade, he gained even more proficiency!

Moreover, to accommodate the first-year students, most of Professor Flitwick's lessons focused on Magical Theory, and only rarely did he allow them to practice.

"All right, hand out these feathers, children. Next, we'll practice the spell!"

In a cheerful tone, Professor Flitwick handed every young wizard a huge feather. Holding his wand like an orchestra conductor, he said:

"Swish and flick. That is the correct wand movement.

"And remember, the incantation is 'Wingardium Leviosa.' Don't pronounce the 's' as an 'f,' or I certainly don't want to see a buffalo charging around the classroom!"

Professor Flitwick's joke made several young wizards laugh, reminding them of the example he had explained earlier:

A wizard named Baruffio had accidentally mispronounced the spell, and a buffalo fell from the sky, landed on the floor, and stepped right on his chest!

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

Li Wei recited the incantation. With a swish and flick of his elder-feather wand, the feather before him slowly rose as though lifted by a gentle breeze.

"Beautiful Levitation Charm! Everyone, look! Mr. Wickens succeeded!"

Professor Flitwick was exceptionally generous with praise. Although he had seen this scene countless times, his tone was still as exaggerated as though it were his first time seeing it.

The young wizards of Ravenclaw and Slytherin all turned to look. Seeing Li Wei succeed, quite a few Slytherin students wore dissatisfied expressions.

"For your Levitation Charm, Mr. Wickens, Ravenclaw receives five points!"

Professor Flitwick announced loudly, decisively awarding five points to his own student.

He had noticed recently that during the first two days of term, Ravenclaw's House points had been increasing rather rapidly, even surpassing Slytherin's.

If there were more students like Lee Wickens, then perhaps Ravenclaw might even win the House Cup at the end of this term.

Professor Flitwick thought longingly.

Slytherin had won the House Cup for six consecutive years, which meant Ravenclaw had firmly occupied second place for six straight years!

They were clearly just one step away from the trophy. Even the optimistic and cheerful Professor Flitwick could not help feeling somewhat unwilling to accept it.