Chapter 28

Kain didn't know much about Cho, Cedric's future girlfriend and Harry Potter's unrequited love, and he had never interacted with her before.

The only thing he knew was that she was in Ravenclaw.

But now he knew something else about her... she was helpful.

Not every Ravenclaw would actively help others, as they preferred to immerse themselves in their own world, contemplating academic or other matters.

Of course, this wasn't to say that Ravenclaws were cold, just that they had different personalities. They were willing to help if asked.

In short, they were passive but not dismissive.

Cho was talking with a friend, so Kain just glanced at her and then looked away.

"This is just the first class; what will we do later? We can't leave an hour early every time."

Beside him, Mikel was clutching his hair, somewhat despairing, "At this rate, I'll be late one day."

"Don't worry, Hogwarts professors won't expel students just for being late; at most, they'll deduct some points," Kain reassured him, patting his shoulder. "Here, let me show you something nice."

"Something nice?"

Mikel and Ryan leaned in curiously.

Kain spread a map on the table: "Thank Cedric for this; otherwise, you really would be lost for a while."

"Is this... a map of Hogwarts?"

Mikel was still puzzled, but Ryan, who had a wizard father at home, recognized it immediately and exclaimed, "Where did you get this? Can I copy it? I promise to give it back after class."

"Of course, we're roommates!" Kain nodded, then turned to Mikel, "How about you, want to copy it?"

Mikel was tempted but decided against it.

It was his first foray into the wizarding world, and he didn't want to waste any opportunity to learn magic, especially not in a crucial class like Charms.

"Can I copy it after class?" Mikel asked.

"That's fine," Kain replied and then tapped the map with his wand, saying, "Duplicate."

The spell worked instantly, and another identical map appeared on the table.

Kain checked it and, finding no issues, handed it to Mikel.

"Here, this one's for you. The magic on it should last about a week; you can copy it whenever you want."

"???"

Mikel, baffled, took the map and turned to look at Ryan, who was equally stunned.

Ryan was overwhelmed, glancing at Kain and then at the parchment in front of him, feeling a flush of embarrassment just as he was about to speak when a voice suddenly came from in front of them.

"Nicely done with the duplication spell, five points to Hufflepuff!"

Kain, startled, looked up sharply but saw only Cho Chang across from him. On closer inspection, he realized there was someone standing in front of the desk.

The person was quite short, even shorter than the desk, completely obscured when standing there.

"Thank you for the compliment, Professor Flitwick," Kain said.

Professor Flitwick smiled, "I'm just stating the truth, Mr. Jobber, that's your name, right?"

"Yes, Professor," Kain nodded.

"My memory serves me well then," Professor Flitwick continued, then turned to Mikel, "May I see that map?"

Initially, Mikel hadn't recognized the short wizard in front of him, but quickly recalling Kain's earlier address, he hastily handed over the map with both hands.

"Sure...sure, Professor."

"Thank you."

Professor Flitwick held the map, felt its magic briefly, and then returned it to Mikel.

"Oh, the magic is very stable. If nothing goes wrong, this copy should last until noon eight days from now."

Professor Flitwick winked at Kain, with a tone of slight regret, "If the end-of-term exam question was on duplication spells, I'd definitely give you an 'O', but for now, I can only add three more points to Hufflepuff."

"Professor!"

At that moment, a Ravenclaw witch asked, puzzled, "Can't items created with a duplication spell exist permanently?"

"No, Miss Mitral," Professor Flitwick replied. "If duplicates could exist permanently, then Scribbulus Writing Implements wouldn't need so many sheets of parchment in their display window."

"Even Dumbledore can't do it?" another young wizard asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Professor Flitwick shook his head, continuing, "Even the Headmaster can make his creations last a hundred years or more, but they will never last forever."

"Alright, let's leave the topic of duplication spells for now, it's still too early for you all. Let's start today's lesson."

Professor Flitwick turned and walked up to the lectern, facing all the young wizards, "Today we'll learn the Lumos spell, one of the most fundamental spells. The incantation is 'Lumos'. Watch closely..."

Learning the Lumos spell in the first Charms class didn't surprise Kain, as it was one of the simplest and most straightforward spells in the wizarding world.

It didn't require particular attention to wand movements; if you were a wizard with a wand and could speak, you could cast it.

In earlier times, the Lumos spell was even used to distinguish between wizards and squibs with nearly 100% accuracy.

It's safe to say, if someone couldn't perform the Lumos spell, they definitely weren't a wizard.

Given this, Professor Flitwick merely demonstrated the casting of the Lumos spell once, then let the young wizards try it themselves.

Soon, the classroom lit up with flickering lights, big and small, bright and dim...

Although Kain was a bit slow and not the first to succeed, the light from his wand was stable.

It was like an electric bulb continuously emitting a fixed, soft white light.

Unfortunately, there were no extra points this time.

Because he wasn't the only one who could do it; there were seven young wizards from Ravenclaw who could also make their wands emit a steady light.

And on the Hufflepuff side... although there were fewer, only six less than Ravenclaw, the gap wasn't significant.

"Don't forget what I just said, keep steady and don't panic," Professor Flitwick reminded sharply. "You must calm down, just like when you handle everyday objects. It's also crucial to pronounce the incantation correctly, don't mess it up."

Under his guidance, more and more young wizards successfully created their own "electric bulbs."

Kain looked towards his roommates... they were still trying.

(End of Chapter)