l!
Char's eyes fell upon the parchment Lucius Malfoy had given him. A single spell was detailed on its surface.
"Serpensortia…" he whispered, recognizing the name. "The Snake-Summoning Charm."
He immediately recalled the stories from Harry's second year, from the Dueling Club. This was the spell Draco Malfoy had used, the one that had conjured a massive black snake from the tip of his wand. If not for Harry's timely use of Parseltongue, it would have been a difficult spell for any second-year to handle. A strange thought occurred to him: he was now learning one of the Malfoy family's signature spells before Draco himself.
Just then, Professor Sprout leaned over, her voice laced with concern. "Char, what did Lucius Malfoy give you? Not everything from that man is a proper gift."
Char had nothing to hide. He handed the parchment to his aunt. "It's a spell called Serpensortia, Aunt. It summons poisonous snakes."
She took the parchment and frowned. "Isn't this considered an entry-level dark magic? In my opinion, Char, you should wait until your second year at least before you start learning it—"
Before she could finish, a voice no one expected cut in. "Pomona, I don't think you need to be so conservative. Based on what I know of Char's magical attainments, this spell should not have to wait until his second year."
Professor Sprout turned to the speaker, her eyes wide with surprise. "Dumbledore?" She never would have expected him to support Char learning what was, by all accounts, a dark spell.
Seeing her expression, Dumbledore smiled. "The Snake-Summoning Charm, yes, I know it well. Due to its aggressive nature, it is indeed classified by some as introductory dark magic. But in truth, it does not require negative emotions to power it. On the contrary, it is a very classic example of Transfiguration, one that Char is perfectly positioned to learn from." He paused, his eyes twinkling. "Besides, I think if Char had malicious intentions toward someone, his bat is far more useful than his wand."
His words seemed to reassure Professor Sprout. She relaxed and returned the parchment to Char.
Char himself looked at the spell with new interest. He had initially been uninterested; as Dumbledore had pointed out, his brute strength and the hidden power of his Shadowless Curse were more than enough to deal with most opponents. But Dumbledore's endorsement meant this spell was more than it seemed. It had to be helpful for his Transfiguration practice.
Thinking more deeply, he realized Lucius Malfoy, a core Death Eater, would never arm his precious son with a trivial spell. It had to have more potential. His mind suddenly flashed to the legendary duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort at the Ministry of Magic. Hadn't Voldemort conjured a massive, fiery serpent to attack Dumbledore? Could that have been an ultimate application of Serpensortia? In Voldemort's hands, the spell had been used to an unimaginable degree, conjured without a single word, creating not one snake, but what seemed like hundreds.
Perhaps this very spell was a reward from Voldemort to Lucius. And if that were true, what did it mean that Lucius had given it to him, right here, right in front of Dumbledore? A slight chill ran down his spine. The Malfoy family, for all their bluster and incompetence in direct confrontations, had always managed to land on their feet, surviving multiple shifts in power. That kind of survival required a certain skill, a certain cunning.
But a moment later, Char pushed the thoughts aside. The twists and turns and undercurrents of the great political game were over for now. He was just a first-year student. Unless someone directly threatened his plants or his aunt, these shadowy calculations had nothing to do with him. His path is clear. Farming and practicing magic—those were the only things that mattered.
At that moment, Dumbledore waved his wand, and an invisible, shimmering barrier of magic appeared, enclosing the small greenhouse.
"Alright," Dumbledore announced, his voice formal once more. "Before this magical barrier disappears, nothing can enter or leave, except for food, water, and the resources necessary to keep the greenhouse running. Char, you will stay in there and serve your confinement."
Char felt a surge of relief. With a barrier cast by Dumbledore himself, this greenhouse was now the safest place in Hogwarts. He would have no distractions, no interruptions, no safety concerns. As for the boredom and dullness of a three-week solitary confinement… a slow smile played on his lips.
"Boring and dull," he thought to himself, a thrill of anticipation running through him. "I like that best. Being bored means being able to focus on one thing, and one thing only. Being bored means striving for perfection through thousands of repetitions. If you want to make progress, boredom and dullness are your greatest partners."
Without the slightest hesitation, he took a step forward and walked through the magical barrier. As the door of the small greenhouse closed behind him, the outside world was completely cut off. The world around him shrank, leaving only him, the plants in his fields, and the burning ambition in his heart. The last of the agitated emotions from the day's events washed away, replaced by a profound sense of calm.
His gaze fell back to the parchment in his hand. The description of Serpensortia came into view. A thoughtful look appeared in his eyes. His lips moved, murmuring the incantation softly, his wand tracing the movements subconsciously. His brow furrowed in concentration, then relaxed as a piece of the theory clicked into place. The entire world faded away, and he was immersed in the pure, intricate world of magic.
On his system panel, a new line of text began to shimmer into existence: [Serpensortia].