🤗 Please if you find any incorrect names let me know in comments so I can fix themÂ
Ever since the details of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class on Monday afternoon were widely circulated, for the next few days, both inside and outside the castle, there was only one topic: Amostas Brain.
According to Cho Chang of Ravenclaw, during dinner that day, Professor Flitwick, after hearing Professor Brain's demonstration of the Levitation Charm, went straight to Professor Brain's office without a word and stayed there for a full four hours before coming out.
Fred and George also confirmed the reliability of this news. It was past one in the morning, and the two were adventuring in the castle. As they passed the third floor, they coincidentally saw Professor Flitwick, dragging his tired body, panting as he left Professor Brain's office, a satisfied smile still lingering on his rosy cheeks.
"Swish!"
Ron stood on the common room sofa, controlling a feather he had picked out of the sofa cushion, continuously making strange growling sounds,
"Let me show you my 'Object-Manipulating Charm'!"
Saying this, he rapidly shook his mended wand, just like Professor Brain that day, pointing his wand straight up. Then, everyone nearby saw the feather floating above Ron's head, wobbling as it crawled towards the ceiling at a speed not much faster than a snail's, finally disappearing into the splendid candlelight.
Harry, sitting to the side and holding the copy of Flying with the Cannons that Ron had given him for Christmas, giggled uncontrollably after seeing this scene.
Ever since Professor Brain repaired Ron's wand in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class and also gave Ron the first house point of the term, Ron completely forgot his displeasure with Professor Brain's mysterious alchemical device monitoring all the young wizards and became his loyal fan.
Honestly, Ron's current foolish antics had occurred many times in the castle. Malfoy once even reviewed the Levitation Charm in Transfiguration class, aiming a wooden skewer, hoping it would fly over and stab Harry's eyes. Then, he was deducted twenty points by an enraged Professor McGonagall.
It has to be said, Professor Brain's display in class was truly incredibly cool. Even Harry himself secretly practiced with his wand in the dormitory when no one was around.
"If I master Professor Brain's technique!"
Ron jumped off the sofa cushion. He stared at the chandelier above, murmuring in a dreamy voice,
"Hmph hmph, let's see who dares to look down on me now. First, I'll stab a thousand needle holes in Percy's butt with a feather, and then I'll poke two big holes in Malfoy's face."
"If you really want to do all that, Ron—"
Hermione, who was hunched over a desk writing, said in an impatient tone,
"Then you should sit down with me and seriously study the spell model for this 'Object-Manipulating Charm,' instead of just waving your wand around aimlessly!"
"Oh, how annoying. Why can't you say something I can do, Hermione?"
Ron, who had fallen from his dream back to reality, immediately pouted in dissatisfaction.
"Facing difficulties, Hermione!"
Harry asked, his emerald eyes twinkling and a mischievous grin on his face. In days without Chamber of Secrets attacks or Lockhart, he seemed happy every day.
"Harder than any time before, Harry. You simply cannot imagine what Professor Brain did to the Levitation Charm. Honestly, I even thought it was homework for advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts!"
Harry and Ron exchanged glances. Since knowing Hermione, this was the first time they had heard Hermione so clearly express dissatisfaction with homework for any class.
"...I spent a full four days figuring out that 'Canreide Leviosa's' 'Canre' comes from the ancient Runic word 'Curliard Canre'—Blade of the Titans. In this spell, it represents 'sharpness' and 'indestructibility'!"
"Ancient Runes... but, that's not a third-year course, is it?"
Neville, who had been eavesdropping, turned his head uneasily upon hearing this.
"Well said, Neville!"
Hermione angrily hugged her arms, but her gaze didn't leave the parchment spread on the desk, the messy spell model.
"And the 'um' sound, in the Levitation Charm's spell model, is a circular structure. Its purpose is to weaken the spell's effect by limiting magic input. So, Professor Brain removed it!"
"This means!"
Ron's eyes lit up as he leaned closer to Hermione, pretending he could understand the complex spell model on the paper,
"You can use the 'Object-Manipulating Charm'?!"
"Not that simple, Ron!"
Hermione took her wand and rapped it on the desk.
"I've only figured out Professor Brain's thought process when he modified this spell, but that doesn't mean I have the ability to use it. I don't have enough magical control to properly control a powerful combined spell, cleverly grafted from two parts, while increasing the magic input!"
Harry, Ron, and Neville looked at each other. They suddenly felt like their past two years of magic education had been a waste!
"Hermione..."
Looking at the anxious Hermione, Harry hesitated to comfort her. "Even if you can't use it, it's okay. You've always been the best in first and second year. So far, no one has been able to understand Professor Brain's 'Object-Manipulating Charm'!"
"It doesn't matter if I can't use it... What are you talking about, Harry!"
Hermione looked at Harry in surprise, as if Harry had said something as shocking as "getting expelled from school doesn't matter." "This is our homework!"
"But—"
Neville's two plump hands rubbed together, making him seem even more anxious. "Professor Brain's exact words were—you can try to study this spell. If anyone succeeds, I'll give them twenty points."
"Oh, Neville!" Hermione looked displeased. "We can't be lazy just because Professor Brain's words have a loophole!"
"Don't mind her, Neville. Our Miss Perfect has a great dream of becoming a 'Saint'!"
Fred and George, who had just been selling Dungbombs in the crowd, walked over arm in arm, bringing along their good friend—the slightly hip-hop Quidditch commentator, Lee Jordan.
Hermione immediately angrily hugged a stack of reference books to her chest, grabbed her research results, and stormed off to the girls' dormitory without looking back.
"You shouldn't have provoked her—"
Ron looked at his two brothers, who shrugged innocently. "You guys made Harry and me have to do our Potions homework by ourselves—"
"Oh, sorry, are you okay?"
Hermione, running on the spiral staircase, accidentally bumped into someone due to her high speed, knocking them to the ground. The books in her arms also scattered.
"N-no, I'm fine!"
Pale-faced Ginny, clutching her bulging pocket tightly, climbed up from the ground without much concern for who had bumped into her. She quickly ran away with her head down, leaving Hermione alone at the top of the stairs, frowning as she watched Ginny's panicked back.
In the dimly lit dormitory, Parvati and Lavender were secretly giggling on a bed, staring at Lockhart's signed photo. Soon after, they began discussing who was more handsome between Professor Brain and Professor Lockhart, and which second-year witches had already received love letters.
Hermione listened secretly for a while, feeling extremely bored.
The magic lamp by the bed cast Hermione's slender shadow on the wall opposite the bed. Hermione quietly looked at the shadow on the wall, recalling the Weasley twins' joke and Ron's indifferent attitude when he left. For some reason, she suddenly felt that the early spring night was colder than mid-winter.
Hermione wrapped herself tighter in her blanket. A thin mist covered her beautiful brown eyes.
"The strong will always be lonely—"
Gazing at the dim starlight outside the window, this inexplicable thought rippled through the lonely young witch's heart.
My daughter has a high fever again. It's endless.
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