Meanwhile, in Professor Flitwick's office.
Warm sunlight slanted across the bookshelves, bathing even the worn spines in a warm golden glow.
The professor was reading the notes Harry had brought, his movements slowing the further he read.
"Spell results, changes in wand movements, and magic consumption..." He adjusted his glasses. "You even recorded the reasons for your failures?"
"I could only make rough judgments about some of them, Professor," Harry answered. "But once I've written them down, it's a little easier to spot the same problems when they come up again."
Flitwick nodded in satisfaction.
Beside them, Malfoy also glanced at the sheets of parchment covered in writing.
She had seen Potter practicing, but put together, his records had actually piled up this much.
While the professor turned a page, Harry summoned the status panel in his mind.
[Innate talent: Advanced Magic Perception] [Lumos: Proficient (120/5000)] [Levitation Charm: Skilled (286/1000)] [Disarming Charm: Skilled (124/1000)] [Flying: Skilled (78/1000)] [Transfiguration · Match to needle: Skilled (36/1000)] [Scourgify: Beginner (64/100)] [Cure for Boils brewing: Beginner (42/100)]
All that practice had finally yielded some respectable results.
The Levitation Charm and Disarming Charm now came readily to him, and his Flying had improved steadily with training.
But against a Troll, these abilities still fell a little short.
"So, Mr. Potter, what problem would you most like to solve today?" Flitwick closed the notes.
"The Shield Charm and the Stunning Spell, Professor." Harry opened the book. "I've already read about the Shield Charm, but I always feel something's still missing."
"As for the Stunning Spell, I came across it in a spellbook in the library and made a point of studying the essentials of casting it."
"Very practical choices." Flitwick glanced at the two of them. "After going through something like that, wanting to learn to protect yourselves is a good thing. But let's start with defense."
The professor waved his wand, moving the desk and chairs aside, then summoned two practice dummies from beside the wall.
Malfoy took a firm grip on her wand and stood beside Harry.
Today, she had no intention of watching Potter steal the spotlight the whole time.
"Protego!"
As the professor demonstrated, a faint light spread out before him.
Then a cork flew from beside the desk, struck it, and bounced lightly back into a nearby box.
"First, decide where you want to protect, and let your magic form a stable defense. Don't rush to expand its range." Flitwick slowed his movements and demonstrated again. "Miss Malfoy, you can try first."
The girl immediately raised her wand.
She had heard explanations at home and had been carefully comparing the professor's movements just now.
"Protego!"
A thin silver light spread out before her, like a swath of moonlight not yet fully solidified.
Though its edges still trembled gently, a curved shield surface was already visible.
"Very good!" Flitwick's voice immediately rose a little. "Hold it, and lower your wand tip slightly. Yes, right there!"
Malfoy followed his instructions, and the curtain of light finally steadied a little.
She turned toward Harry, her eyebrows already raised.
See that, Potter?
This time, I was the first to succeed!
"Beautiful." Harry's praise was entirely sincere.
The few boasts the girl had prepared suddenly failed to come out.
She gave a soft huff and looked forward again, but her wand hand was steadier now.
When Harry's turn came, things did not go so smoothly.
Only a layer of scattered light shone at his wand tip, extending a little before quickly disappearing.
[Uneven magic distribution. Defensive surface not formed.]
"Don't just think about sending your magic out." Flitwick stepped closer and pointed out his movement. "After waving your wand, you pushed your wrist forward again. Hold it steady first, then try again."
Harry checked the diagram in the book and finally realized that he always added an extra movement at the end.
He steadied his stance again and stopped his wrist as the professor instructed, letting his magic spread along the area he had just defined.
"Protego!"
A thin layer of light finally joined into a curved surface before him.
[First successful cast!] [Shield Charm: Beginner (1/100)]
"Very good. Hold on to that feeling." Flitwick raised his wand. "Next, I'll test it with a very gentle push."
A faint light flew toward him and struck the shield with a soft, crisp sound.
Harry's wrist dipped, the curtain of light scattered, and he shifted half a step back.
But the spell had not landed on him after all.
I blocked it!
Harry glanced at his wand and immediately raised it again. "Professor, I'd like to try again."
Over the next few rounds of practice, the two received different guidance.
Harry needed to make his shield more stable, while Malfoy began adjusting the angle of her defense.
When Flitwick sent a cork toward her from the side, she failed to block it the first time.
On the second attempt, the girl turned her wrist in advance, changing the shield's orientation. The cork bounced off at an angle and landed squarely in the box.
"Very good, Miss Malfoy!" The professor clapped in satisfaction. "You're already starting to judge where attacks are coming from."
Malfoy lifted her chin and could not resist glancing at Harry again.
After the two had rested briefly, Flitwick moved a practice dummy to the center of the cleared space.
The dummy had a circular target painted on its chest, and its arms could swing slowly.
"It has been enchanted specifically for training and will react to spells that land effective hits. Today, you'll start by practicing accurate casting."
The professor raised his wand. "Stupefy!"
Red light struck the target. The dummy's arms immediately dropped, its knees buckled, and it fell onto the mat.
Flitwick stood it up again, then slowly broke down the pronunciation and movements.
Harry carefully noted them down, then took his place to practice.
"Stupefy!"
His wand tip flashed, and a thin, weak streak of red light grazed the dummy's shoulder.
The dummy swayed, still swinging its arms with plenty of vigor.
[Final syllable prolonged. Magic release delayed.]
"Your movement has finished, but you haven't finished saying the incantation," Flitwick reminded him. "Make them work together. Don't rush. You're already very close."
Harry quietly adjusted his pronunciation twice, then practiced the wand movement once without casting.
Only when that awkward pause disappeared did he look back at the target.
"Stupefy!"
Red light shot straight out, striking the dummy squarely in the chest.
Those swinging wooden arms finally dropped, and the whole dummy toppled backward, landing solidly on the mat.
[First successful cast!] [Stunning Spell: Beginner (1/100)]
The corners of Harry's mouth immediately lifted.
Good. When trouble comes along in the future, I'll finally have another way to deal with it.
Malfoy soon found the right timing for casting as well.
When the professor set the dummy moving slowly, her first streak of red light skimmed past the target, but she did not rush to continue.
The girl watched it for a moment.
Every time the dummy went around a chair leg, its shoulder tilted to one side first, turning the circular target on its chest toward her.
That was the moment she was waiting for.
"Stupefy!"
The red light struck, and the dummy fell. Only then did Malfoy lower her wand, the corners of her lips rising little by little.
"Excellent judgment!" Flitwick was delighted. "You're observing your target's movements. That's very important!"
Harry glanced at the dummy on the floor, then looked at her. "Lesson learned, Miss Malfoy."
"I told you long ago." The girl immediately recovered her familiar tone. "Targets won't just stand there waiting for you."
She spoke haughtily, but she was in an exceptionally good mood.
After a few more rounds of practice, Flitwick finally called a halt. Harry lowered his slightly aching arm and looked at the status panel again.
[Shield Charm: Beginner (6/100)] [Stunning Spell: Beginner (4/100)]
Attack and defense. Two spells he had truly learned and could cast had successfully been added to the panel.
Harry put away his book and notes. When he looked at the professor, his smile was even more sincere than when he had entered.
"Thank you, Professor. There were several parts in the book that I hadn't been able to understand."
"One session of guidance, two advanced spells..." Flitwick adjusted his glasses, his tone still holding a measure of amazement as he looked at Harry. "Mr. Potter, the speed at which you correct your mistakes is truly astonishing."
He turned to Malfoy. "And you, Miss Malfoy."
"A solid grounding in magic, excellent judgment in the moment, and dueling awareness far beyond your peers."
"Beautifully done!"
Malfoy's eyes immediately lit up.
The girl straightened at once, even unconsciously raising her chin a little higher.
"Thank you for your praise, Professor."
She tried hard to maintain the reserve expected of a young noblewoman.
Unfortunately, the ever-rising corners of her mouth had already betrayed her completely.
Professor Flitwick watched the two with a chuckle and nodded in satisfaction.
"It seems both Gryffindor and Slytherin have welcomed some quite outstanding students this year!"
"I'm already looking forward to seeing just how far you'll grow."
"Keep it up, both of you." The professor closed the notes. "Talent is something to be happy about, but you must keep practicing diligently too."
The professor waved his wand to put away the equipment, then made a point of adding, "And don't go testing the Stunning Spell on other students in private."
"Of course, Professor," Harry answered very obediently.
Malfoy glanced at him and gave a soft huff. "I would never do anything so foolish."
"It looks like we'll have to agree on which spells we can use before our next duel."
"Potter, I never said I was afraid of you!"
Flitwick could not help laughing aloud.
Malfoy swept her long hair back over her shoulder and picked up her textbooks, clearly in a very good mood as well.
Yet just as they were about to leave, Harry suddenly stopped.
"Professor."
Flitwick looked up. "What is it, Mr. Potter?"
Harry's smile faded, and he looked at him earnestly. "Perhaps... we could speak alone."
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