Miss Malfoy, Are You Inviting Me?

"Lumos."

A ball of white light lit up at the tip of his wand.

Harry raised his wrist and looked toward the other end of the empty classroom.

The cupboard that had been hidden in shadow, the old desks by the wall, and even the chalk marks that had not been fully wiped off the blackboard all became much clearer.

It was no longer the little point of light that could only illuminate a small patch in front of him when he first started school.

He lowered his head and glanced at the Status Panel.

[Lumos: Proficient (911/1000).]

He was only a little short of mastery.

In the blink of an eye, it was already late October.

The castle corridors were growing colder, pumpkins were gradually appearing in the Great Hall, and even Peeves had found a pointed hat somewhere and spent all day hanging upside down to frighten people.

Harry's days, meanwhile, were quite full.

He went to classes, practiced spells, attended the training Wood arranged, and found time to leaf through the book Draco had sent him.

Of course, the five hundred Galleons were still safely put away.

Not wanting to work hard had been his thought at the time. Once he actually opened the book, he only felt that there seemed to be even more things he needed to practice.

Harry opened Detailed Explanation of Charms and Spellcasting Notes to the page marked with a slip of paper.

This section discussed controlling magic while sustaining a spell.

A few days earlier, he had followed its instructions to make some adjustments, and the light at his wand tip had become considerably steadier.

Now, he wanted to try something else.

"If I concentrate the light..."

Facing an empty corner, Harry slowly adjusted his magical output.

The light spreading out in all directions from his wand tip gradually narrowed, and a very bright spot appeared on the wall.

He tried strengthening it a little more. The white light suddenly flared, and Harry instinctively squinted before reining in his magic.

The corner darkened again, but a whitish afterimage still lingered before his eyes.

Harry rubbed the corner of his eye and looked back at his wand.

As his proficiency increased, this thing really could serve as a flashbang.

The more Harry thought about it, the more useful it seemed. He picked up his quill and noted the changes he had just made on his draft paper.

Mastery was right before him, and he had been looking forward to Nonverbal Spellcasting for a long time.

As for just how bright Lumos could become, that now seemed well worth looking forward to as well.

Besides, there happened to be a suitable opportunity to practice in the next few days.

During Charms that morning, Professor Flitwick had announced that the school would hold a Magical Lighting Display before the Halloween Feast.

Students could sign up freely in groups of two or three, and the professor had specifically encouraged students from different houses to work together.

Outstanding entries would be displayed in the Great Hall and earn house points.

"Light sources, colors, and simple movement effects all make excellent practice." The little professor stood on a stack of books, sounding very cheerful. "Of course, beautiful creations will require you to put your minds to work."

Harry had been rather tempted at the time.

He could practice spells, make something interesting along the way, and even ask the professor for guidance.

With house points on top of that, it was certainly worth entering.

The only question was, how did one make a lamp?

He could hardly stick a wand into a pumpkin and tell Professor Flitwick that this was his entry.

Then the professor would probably only be able to praise him for providing ample illumination.

Elsewhere, Malfoy was staring at a registration form.

Her own name was already written down.

As for the other name, the girl paused with her quill in hand, then wrote it down after all.

Harry Potter.

Once she finished, she shifted the paper aside to keep Goyle and Crabbe from seeing it too clearly.

Unfortunately, the two girls had already seen it.

"Miss, are we going to find Potter now?"

Malfoy's quill tip suddenly stopped.

She immediately remembered her mother's letter: a new friend, a nice child.

To correct that misunderstanding, she had deliberately written an entire page explaining in detail just how annoying Potter was.

And now, how much time had passed before she was going to find him again?

Watching her young lady's face gradually tighten, Goyle could not help lowering her voice.

"To register, we need his signature..."

"I know." Draco put down her quill and raised her chin. "I simply remember that his Lumos is quite good. Since we're making a lamp, we need someone who can get the light right."

The two girls nodded at the same time.

That reason certainly sounded reasonable.

The girl picked up the registration form, took just two steps, then suddenly turned around again, sweeping her gaze across their faces.

"You're not allowed to put this in another letter to Mother!"

Goyle hastily nodded. Crabbe nodded along too, then could not resist glancing at the form.

Her young lady had already written Potter's name for him.

If she was only looking for an assistant, wasn't she a little too thoroughly prepared?

Of course, she did not dare ask that question.

When the empty classroom's door was pushed open, Harry was slipping his draft paper into the book.

Familiar long platinum-blond hair appeared in the doorway. Malfoy stood there, holding several sheets of paper.

Goyle and Crabbe, meanwhile, considerately stopped outside.

The girl's gaze moved from Harry's new robes to the dark-green-covered book on the desk.

The corners of her mouth lifted a little, but she quickly pressed them back down.

Harry looked at her and smiled.

"Practicing spells today?"

"Potter, I heard your Lumos is quite good."

"So?"

The girl walked into the classroom and placed the papers on the desk.

"I can allow you to join my group."

Harry glanced down. It was the registration form for the Magical Lighting Display. Farther down, two names were written very neatly.

He raised his eyebrows slightly and looked up at the girl before him.

"Miss Malfoy, are you inviting me?"

"Who's inviting you?!"

The girl answered even faster than he had expected. She raised her chin and pointed at the registration form.

"I merely need a suitable assistant. Haven't you been practicing Lumos all this time? This happens to give you a chance to put it to use."

Harry looked at her, then at the name that was already written down.

With the opportunity prepared to this extent, refusing now would seem a little ungracious.

"All right." Harry picked up his quill. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Miss Malfoy."

Watching him sign his name, Draco could not help letting the corners of her lips lift a little.

At least he knows what's good for him. He hasn't made me come all this way for nothing.

But just then, Harry looked up again.

"Still, what exactly am I responsible for as your assistant?"

"The light source."

The girl immediately unfolded the other two sheets.

A lamp was drawn on them, with several diagrams of its separate parts beside it: a lampshade, thin lenses, and cutout designs to go inside.

Harry sat up a little straighter. This did not look like something casually sketched at the last minute.

"You've already prepared everything?"

"My family makes lighting decorations every year. I've seen plenty, so of course I know how to make them."

Draco pointed to one of the drawings.

The designs inside the lampshade could use the lenses to enlarge the projected shadows.

Then, by making the designs inside move slowly, the shadows projected onto the wall would move along with them.

She had clearly marked the shape, colors, and placement of every part.

"But the light can't wobble." The girl looked at Harry. "Otherwise, the shadows will be crooked. If it's too dim, they won't be clear either."

Harry nodded and picked up his wand.

"I can give that a try."

He recited the incantation again, and white light shone at his wand tip.

Then, using the method he had just practiced, he slowly concentrated the light on the blackboard.

Draco's gaze followed it.

So bright!

Malfoy instinctively narrowed her eyes.

Wait... wasn't something wrong here?

The girl stared blankly at Harry's wand, then looked around the brightly illuminated classroom.

Was this really Lumos?

That wasn't right! It wasn't as though she had never learned this spell!

Didn't ordinary Lumos just produce a ball of light at the wand tip for illumination?

But Potter's...

Why was it as bright as a little sun?!

Surprise that was difficult to conceal gradually appeared in the girl's gray-green eyes.

This fellow... just how many times had he secretly practiced lately?!

Could he actually be practicing spells even in his sleep?

Harry sustained it for a moment, then extinguished the light.

"Will that work?"

"...It's passable."

The girl gave a soft huff and straightened the drawings again. Had she known, she should not have chosen such a detailed book.

Still, this way, their lamp would look better than everyone else's too.

At that thought, Malfoy's mood eased again.

Harry lowered his head to study the drawings, but his gaze stopped on the design right in the middle.

A silver-green snake had its tail coiled and its head raised, and even the colors to be used were carefully marked beside it.

"Miss Malfoy."

"What?"

"Is this lamp going to hang in the Slytherin Common Room?"

"The Great Hall, of course."

"Then what about my house?"

The girl looked at him. Harry had already taken a sheet of draft paper and drawn a little lion beside the snake. It was golden, with a somewhat untidy mane.

Malfoy immediately frowned.

"Potter, what is that thing?"

"A lion."

"I can see that!" The girl pointed at the messy clump of mane. "I mean, you're planning to put it in my lamp looking like that?"

Harry looked down at it. It did seem rather lacking in majesty.

"Then I'll have to trouble you to tidy it up."

Draco stared at him for two seconds before finally taking the quill.

This fellow couldn't even draw a lion properly, yet he actually wanted to put it in her lamp!

Watching her bend over to revise the drawing, Harry slowly smiled.

The girl altered the mane and added a few more strokes. The little lion, which had looked rather listless before, finally began to look somewhat like Gryffindor.

She pushed the paper back.

"There. If you draw any more messy things, they aren't going in."

"Understood."

Harry placed the two drawings together. A silver-green snake and a golden lion-if they merely stayed still, something seemed to be missing.

"How about making them move together?"

Draco looked at the drawings, then at him.

"You mean..."

"Chasing each other in the light. The lion runs past, and the snake circles back."

The girl's eyes slowly brightened. That was quite a good idea.

She picked up the quill and drew two winding routes beside the animals, then carefully adjusted the positions of the lenses.

"Fine. But my snake has to look the best."

Harry smiled and nodded.

"All right."

A silver-green snake and a golden lion had finally found their respective places.

As for who was chasing whom...

That was the question~