Hermione seized the opportunity to raise her hand.
Professor Flitwick gestured to her, "Please speak to Miss Granger."
Hermione's clear voice rang out in the classroom. "Professor, can the Finite Incantatem stop the Lumos?"
Professor Flitwick's eyes lit up instantly, and he exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, " Merlin's fattest briefs! Of course! ' Finite Incantatem ' will definitely work!"
He excitedly tiptoed, as if Hermione had solved a crucial puzzle, "Five extra points for your application of knowledge! Miss Granger!"
Hermione's eyes sparkled with a genuine smile, and she nodded slightly.
"Since we're on the topic of Finite Incantatem, I'll add a little something," Professor Flitwick said, his excitement somewhat subdued.
"This is a universal stopping spell, but it's ineffective against offensive spells, such as Expelliarmus, and it also doesn't work against some special spells. However, it's extremely useful for everyday situations!"
Having said that, he returned to the main point, raising his wand to demonstrate. "Back to our Lumos, the correct gesture is a slight flick of the wrist—yes, like this! Not a swing, but a flick!"
His wrist trembled slightly, the movement crisp and clean. "The pronunciation is fluorescent—flickering, the 'flicker' sound must be clear and forceful!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he demonstrated it in its entirety. A bright and steady white light burst from the tip of his wand, illuminating his small face.
"See that? Stable and controllable! That's the goal! Okay, demonstration over, it's your turn! Pick up your wands, I hope everyone can learn it before get out of class ends!"
The students rushed to touch the wands on the table. Hermione's movements were astonishingly quick; the professor had barely finished speaking when she gripped her wand and chanted, " Lumos!"
As the clear, resonant sound rang out, a steady white light immediately shone from the tip of her cane.
Professor Flitwick had been heading towards Harry, immediately changed direction, strode over to Hermione's desk, and clapped his hands happily.
"Oh, well done, Miss Granger! Ten points for Gryffindor!"
"Thank you, Professor. I just did as you said," Hermione said softly.
"You should all learn from Miss Granger!" Professor Flitwick shouted to the students around him before continuing to walk towards Harry.
Draco was already used to Hermione's success, but the other Gryffindor were completely stunned.
Some people hadn't even picked up their wands yet, some had just gripped the staff, and Hermione already knew how to do it—it was a devastating blow to the minds of beginners.
Hermione, however, paid no attention and focused solely on practicing repeatedly, her fingertips trembling slightly, the white light flashing and fading, determined to reach the most perfect state.
After Hermione's little incident, Professor Flitwick's focus returned to Harry. His intense gaze made Harry a little uneasy, but he still gritted his teeth and tried.
After some fiddling, his wand finally lit up, albeit with a faint glimmer. Professor Flitwick immediately encouraged him, "Very good, Mr Potter! Relax your wrist a little more, that's perfect!"
Ron, standing beside him, was so nervous by the spectacle that his tongue got tied while chanting the spell, and his wand only produced a few tiny sparks.
Professor Flitwick immediately and patiently corrected him. "It's 'blink,' Mr. Weasley, curl your tongue up a little."
Ron nodded hurriedly, slowed down his speech and read it again, desperately trying to withstand the pressure of the professor's gaze.
Suddenly, a soft sound came from behind him. Seamus's wand first flashed with light, like a burnt light bulb, for a moment and then went out, leaving a slightly burnt smell.
The surrounding students hurriedly moved aside, Draco thought to himself, "As expected, it's the explosive maniac Seamus."
"Uh... very passionate, Mr. Finnigan!" Professor Flitwick adjusted his glasses. "Next time, perhaps a little... gentler."
"Professor, my control over magic seems a bit unstable," Seamus said, scratching his head.
"You're absolutely right. It seems you've already realized that. Now, let's work towards that goal."
"Thank you, Professor."
Draco gripped his wand, its tip glowing with a steady white light.
He leaned back in his chair, looking utterly bored, like a student who had finished his homework early, finding the flustered chaos around him amusing.
Professor Flitwick went through the questions of each Gryffindor student before heading to the Ravenclaw seating area.
The eaglets didn't care whether the professor came or not. Most of them had already mastered the Lumos and were huddled together discussing in hushed tones, barely noticing the professor approaching.
"Why is my light pale blue, while yours is warm yellow? Does it have anything to do with the wand core? Unicorn Hair or Phoenix Feather?" a girl asked her deskmate, pointing to her wand.
Professor Flitwick happened to overhear this and immediately smiled, replying, "That's right, you're absolutely right, Miss Turpin! You're very good at thinking about problems!"
The Ravenclaw students looked up at the sound, then continued their discussion about the relationship between the color and brightness of light and the wand's wood and core.
The classroom was filled with the soft murmur of discussion, mixed with the occasional " Lumos " and the faint crackling of sparks.
Hermione was still practicing repeatedly, the white light on her fingertips as steady as a small star.
Draco glanced sideways, a slight smile playing on his lips, and with a flick of his wrist, adjusted the light on the tip of his staff to match hers perfectly.
He then leaned close to her ear and whispered, " Miss Granger, it seems your 'professional level' is barely enough to be my bodyguard."
Hermione paused, turning her head to give Draco a cold glance.
She didn't reply, but simply lowered her wrist, uttered the word "Nox," and the white light instantly went out, then immediately lit up again. She didn't even glance at Draco again, clearly too lazy to bother with him.
Draco didn't care.
Professor Flitwick quickly finished instructing most of the students who had problems, then stood up again, leaning on his rickety stack of books, and called out:
"Alright kids, I see you've all successfully cast the Lumos. Now let's have a little competition—let's see whose Lumos lasts the longest!"
Upon hearing this, everyone raised their hands and uttered the name of Nox. The white light at the tip of the staff instantly went out, and the classroom returned to its original brightness, leaving only a slight, barely suppressed commotion.
Professor Flitwick wiggled his short legs and shouted, "Alright, I'll count to three and start! Three, two, one!"
" Lumos!"
The classroom was instantly filled with the sound of incantations rising and falling. Countless wands were raised in unison, and red, blue, and warm yellow lights lit up one after another. The scattered clusters of light illuminated the entire classroom, making it quite a beautiful sight.
Just a few seconds later, Draco gently loosened his wrist, and the light at the tip of his staff went out.
Mainly, holding his hand up is tiring, so there's no need to waste time on it; winning or losing is meaningless to him anyway.
Hermione, standing beside her, caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye, but without even turning her head, she coldly remarked, "How did you manage to wipe them out so quickly?"
Draco lazily placed his wand on the table, propped his chin up with his elbow, and casually made up an excuse:
"I spent too much time and energy figuring out the incantation, and my magic power couldn't keep up, so I couldn't last long."
Neville, standing nearby, leaned in and knowingly exposed him. " Draco, you're doing this again. You're doing it on purpose, aren't you?"
Draco glanced at him. " Neville, don't be too smart, you know?"
Neville chuckled and shook his head, saying, "I knew you were faking it!"
Hermione didn't bother to reply; her attention was entirely focused on her wand, her knuckles turning slightly white as she gripped it, the white light remaining perfectly still without the slightest tremor.
She has always been a strong-willed person, so she naturally wouldn't admit defeat easily.
Time ticked by, and the competition intensified.
Ron, like Draco, had given up long ago, rubbing his aching arms and sighing.
Many young wizards couldn't take it anymore; their hands were too numb to hold their wands, or their arms ached so much they couldn't lift them.
One by one, they put down their hands, looking at those who were still persisting with regret.
Ultimately, it was magic and stamina that couldn't hold on any longer.
In the end, only a few wizards remained in the classroom, barely holding on. On the Gryffindor side, there were Harry, Hermione, and two girls who were usually very diligent.
The Ravenclaw on the other side had about the same number of people, including Padma, whose pale blue orb at the tip of her staff remained stable.
Professor Flitwick stood on the book, his eyes sparkling, nodding repeatedly in praise, "Beautiful! Harry, Miss Granger, your stability is superb, your control of magic is impeccable!"
Then, turning to Ravenclaw, he called out, " Miss Patil, stay calm! Control your breathing, follow your magic, don't overexert yourself!"
With the bell about to ring, the young wizards who were still persevering learned their lesson and cleverly propped their elbows on the table, using the table's support to prop up their arms, leaving only their wrists to hold their wands steadily.
They're a bunch of really competitive kids, always determined to prove themselves.
After holding on for a few more moments, Professor Flitwick raised his hand to steady himself, and said with a smile, "Put it down, children! I can see that you all have perseverance and you can definitely hold on until the end of class, but our time is up. Consider this a draw!"
Once the professor spoke, the few who were still persisting finally relaxed, recited Nox, and lowered their arms.
"Ugh..." Hermione had just put her hand down when she leaned back in her chair, a feeling of relief washing over her.
Immediately following was an overwhelming wave of soreness and stiffness in her arms and wrists, causing her to let out a soft moan.
The others weren't much better off; Harry rubbed his sore shoulders, and Padma stretched her stiff wrists.
The classroom was filled with sighs of relief, mixed with the sounds of people rubbing their arms and wrists.
Draco watched Hermione rubbing her wrist with a frown, then gently pressed down on her arm and whispered, "Don't move."