If the other young wizards' Lumos spells lived up to the spell's name, glowing like light sticks, then the Lumos Tris had just cast was more like a high-powered light bulb.
It instantly flooded the already well-lit classroom with dazzling light.
Every young wizard who had been watching him was blinded by the glare.
Tris was no exception. The brilliant light at his wand tip far exceeded his expectations, turning his vision completely white and nearly bringing tears to his eyes.
"Mr. Weasley, extinguish your spell, quickly!" Flitwick's voice reached his ears.
Tris hurriedly used Nox to extinguish Lumos.
The classroom returned to normal, but many of the young wizards still had dark patches swimming across their vision. Staring directly into that intense light had temporarily affected their eyes.
It was like facing a small flashbang head-on.
Perhaps because the system had strengthened his physique, Tris's eyes recovered first. By the time he could see clearly, many of the other young wizards, Zacharias included, were still rubbing their eyes.
Flitwick, however, was fine. Perhaps he had not been looking their way at first, or had used some magic, or perhaps his goblin ancestry meant his eyes were different from most people's.
Whatever the reason, he approached Tris with a look of curiosity. "Tris, what did you just do? Was that Lumos?"
"I... I don't know either, Professor." Tris was rather puzzled himself.
He had simply cast Lumos as usual. Of course, wanting to put Zacharias in his place and show off a little, he had concentrated a bit harder and put slightly more magic into it.
But he had tried casting Lumos before, and even when he concentrated as hard as he could, it had never produced an effect like this.
A well-cast Lumos could certainly work as a flashlight, but using it as a flashbang was a little excessive, wasn't it?
Unless...
"Tris, let me see your wand." Flitwick held out his hand for Tris's wand, then touched the two wands together.
A ball of light emerged where the wands met.
Prior Incantato could reproduce the last spell a wand had cast.
"It was indeed Lumos." Flitwick handed the wand back to Tris, a hint of surprise on his face. "There was nothing wrong with the incantation, so there can only be one explanation. Tris, you poured too much magic into it, making that Lumos produce additional brightness.
"This isn't common, unless..."
Flitwick trailed off, his expression growing a little grave. Tris, who already knew quite a lot about this magic, understood what he had left unsaid.
This was uncommon, and especially unusual in an underage wizard.
Unless it was a magic surge.
A magic surge was an occasional bout of unstable magic that often occurred in underage wizards.
Young wizards frequently produced magic beyond their expectations when their emotions fluctuated. Harry, for instance, had made the glass enclosure around a python at the zoo vanish into thin air, then restored it afterward.
That involved extremely advanced magic. Even by the time Harry graduated, he might not have been able to repeat it deliberately.
Spells capable of making glass disappear were uncommon to begin with. The simplest was an advanced branch of Transfiguration: the Vanishing Spell.
But the prevailing view was that objects erased by the Vanishing Spell disappeared completely. Although there had been occasional cases of vanished objects or creatures reappearing, no complete theoretical model had yet been established.
Nor was there a counter-spell. After all, to restore something, there first had to be something there to cast a spell on.
Yet Harry had made the glass disappear for a while and then restored it. That was quite intriguing.
A magic surge could produce effects far beyond what young wizards, and even many adult wizards, could achieve.
Under normal circumstances, even an adult wizard would struggle to reproduce the Lumos Tris had just cast, unless a wizard with exceptionally powerful magic did it deliberately.
Flitwick, for example, could certainly do it if he wished. But someone a little less capable, even an Auror from the Ministry of Magic, might not be able to achieve anything similar.
Yet Tris had done it.
Flitwick looked troubled. A magic surge was not a good thing, particularly in a young wizard over ten. It meant his magic had not become more restrained and controlled as he grew older.
Magic out of control!
That was extremely dangerous in the wizarding world.
"Everyone, practice on your own. Tris, come with me," Flitwick said gravely.
Tris nodded and followed Flitwick, leaving a buzz of discussion behind him.
"Don't worry, Filius. There is nothing wrong with either Mr. Weasley's body or his magic," Dumbledore told Flitwick with a warm smile in the Headmaster's Office.
"For reasons we don't quite understand, Mr. Weasley's magic seems to have been growing somewhat faster recently, and he hasn't quite adjusted to it. It isn't a serious problem."
A short while earlier, Flitwick had brought Tris to Dumbledore's office.
Uncontrolled magic was no small matter. Even Flitwick did not dare handle it lightly, so he had promptly sought out Dumbledore.
After examining Tris by some unknown means, Dumbledore had reached his conclusion.
Tris's magic had not gone out of control. It remained perfectly obedient. It had simply become very powerful all of a sudden, far beyond what an ordinary young wizard his age should possess.
"Rapid magical growth?" Flitwick sounded puzzled. "At eleven?"
It was generally accepted in the wizarding world that magic increased with age, but the growth curve differed at different stages of life.
Before the age of three, young wizards usually possessed only a basic amount of magic, which might not even have manifested. Between three and seven, it increased slightly, and magic surges were particularly likely during this period.
From seven to fifteen, their magic continued to grow, but more slowly than during the previous stage.
Between fifteen and twenty was when a wizard's magic grew fastest. Many wizards reached an initial peak at eighteen or nineteen, after which their magical growth became negligible.
Of course, there were exceptions. The wizarding world placed great importance on something called talent.
Some wizards experienced rapid magical growth from fifteen onward, and it continued for a considerable time. Dumbledore and Flitwick, both present here, were examples.
Of course, Dumbledore was a little different...
"It isn't impossible." Dumbledore nodded earnestly. "It's rare, but it does happen. When I was eleven, for instance, my magic began a period of very rapid growth that lasted until I was fifty. After that, it slowed down a little."
Tris: ...
Flitwick: ...
Esteemed Dumbledore, we all know you're a genius, but you really don't have to rub it in our faces.
Since Dumbledore said nothing was wrong, Flitwick naturally believed him. Dumbledore's reputation was beyond reproach. He therefore took Tris back to the classroom.
The trip there and back had taken some time, and class was nearly over.
Flitwick had all the young wizards try a few more times. Still, fewer than half could actually manage Lumos-that is, make their wands light up even briefly.
"It seems you still haven't quite mastered the incantation and wand movement," Flitwick said. "For this week's homework, then, write an essay analyzing the Lumos incantation. Hmm, two feet should do."
"Ah..." Groans filled the room.
Essays were enough to leave far too many students with lasting dread.
Tris felt nothing in particular. With training in essay writing and the help of his Thought Maze, writing a basic essay like this was ridiculously easy.
He left the classroom and headed for his next lesson, History of Magic. He planned to write his Charms essay during it. Professor Binns ignored you completely as long as you did not dance in class, anyway.
Tris made his way to the History of Magic classroom with practiced ease, found a seat near the back, and took out some parchment. He planned to draft an outline first, then search his mind for material he had read.
If it was not enough, he could visit the library that afternoon to supplement it.
Then Daphne came straight over and sat beside him.
"Greengrass, what's this about?" Tris looked at the pretty little girl in puzzlement.
Daphne tried hard to seem casual. Glancing at the Charms textbook and parchment Tris had laid on his desk, she asked, "Are you planning to write your Charms essay?"
"That's the plan." Tris had no intention of hiding it.
"I just thought I'd watch from here." Daphne continued trying to maintain that casual air.
But the girl's acting was not up to scratch. Tris could tell at a glance that she was actually very nervous.
He did not intend to expose her, either, and nodded to show she was welcome.
Then he began writing and sketching on the parchment.
Daphne was clearly clever. Before long, she caught on. "Is this how you write your essays?"
"Weren't you listening when I explained it before?" Tris was puzzled. He remembered Daphne being there the last time he had explained his essay-writing method.
"I heard some of it, but when I actually tried, I still had trouble working out what was important..." Daphne gazed thoughtfully at the clear, organized outline Tris had written on his parchment.
"Where did you learn this?"
"My brothers taught me," Tris made up on the spot.
"Really?" Daphne clearly did not quite believe him.
"Believe it or not. It's up to you."
Daphne fell silent and did not speak again before class began.
Tris continued refining his essay outline. He thought Daphne would remain quiet for the rest of the lesson.
But when the lesson was nearly halfway through, Daphne suddenly leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "What happened with that Lumos in class earlier? Was it a magic surge?"
"Worried about me?" Tris asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile.
"Who... who's worried about you? I was just... just curious." Daphne's fair little face flushed red. She hurriedly turned away, lowering her head to hide behind her thick History of Magic textbook.
Tris touched his face, feeling rather reflective.
Handsome and good at school. Now this is the life someone who transmigrated should have.
With that smug thought, Tris finished his History of Magic lesson.
The moment class ended, Daphne sprang up as though her backside were on fire and fled the classroom, while Tris rose leisurely.
Hopefully there'll be grilled fish for lunch. Come to think of it, could I discuss the menu with the house-elves?
As Tris walked toward the Great Hall, pondering the all-important question of what to eat for dinner, he rounded a corner and his view suddenly went dark. Quirrell stood blocking his path in black robes, his gray-blue eyes fixed on Tris, an ambiguous smile on his face.