Alan had thrown himself into researching magical materials capable of carrying "rune programs," his mind palace running calculations without pause. He was completely absorbed in the tedious analysis of the energy conductivity of various ores, woods, and even the remains of magical creatures, becoming almost oblivious to everything in the outside world.
It was a Wednesday afternoon, and the charms classroom was filled with the dry scent of parchment mixed with old books.
Alan sat alone in a corner, not with a charms textbook, but with the Transfiguration textbook for next semester spread before him. His mind raced—not in preparation for the complex Transfiguration spells themselves, but in breaking down the internal logic of Transfiguration into basic instructions his "rune program" could understand.
"Bang—"
The classroom door was flung open with immense force.
The loud crash shattered the quiet of the afternoon, and every student looked up in surprise.
Professor Flitwick's small figure shot into the room like a firework ignited. His tiny body radiated a disproportionate amount of energy, and in a few bounding steps, he was atop the podium. His usually gentle, smiling face was now flushed bright red, and his breathing came in quick bursts.
In his hands, he clutched a brand-new magazine so tightly that his knuckles were white.
"Alan Scott!"
Flitwick's voice was unusually sharp, almost breaking, and even edged with excitement that made him deliberately use the formal "Mr. Harris."
"Look! Look at this!"
Alan's thoughts were interrupted. He looked up, a bit bewildered, his gaze passing over a sea of equally confused faces, and finally resting on the professor acting so unusually at the podium.
Flitwick held the magazine high, with a formal and forceful gesture, as if presenting a priceless treasure.
The cover, bathed in afternoon sunlight, reflected an elegant matte sheen. It was The Journal of Contemporary Charms, the most authoritative academic journal in the wizarding world, the one every researcher in charms dreamed of appearing in.
But what truly froze the classroom in its tracks was the content on the cover.
The latest issue's cover, printed in the largest, most attention-grabbing, gilded letters that even shimmered with magical glow, didn't announce a new Ministry decree or a discovery by a famous wizard.
It was the title of a paper.
"On the Modular Combination and Automated Implementation of Charms"
Below the title:
By Alan Scott (Hogwarts, First Year)
Dead silence.
It was as if someone had pressed the pause button on time.
The next second, a wave of gasps and suppressed exclamations erupted from every corner of the classroom. Every student stared at the figure in the corner with the same awe reserved for witnessing an unknown creature.
Even Alan was stunned; his mind experienced a brief, unprecedented freeze.
"But that's not all!"
Flitwick's voice rang out again. Excitedly, he flipped to the first page and began reading the editor's note, each word painstakingly pronounced despite trembling fingers:
"This issue, we are honored beyond measure to present to the wizarding world a paper that is certain to leave a deep mark on the history of magical theory—a truly revolutionary work.
Mr. Alan Scott, a first-year student at Hogwarts, with his profound foresight far beyond his years and his chillingly precise logical reasoning, has revealed to us an entirely new potential: treating magic as something programmable, combinable, and infinitely extensible.
This is without doubt, since the systematic deciphering of ancient runes, the boldest and most significant theoretical proposal in the field of magic!"
With every line Flitwick read, the air in the classroom seemed to thicken. The students' expressions shifted from initial shock to blank astonishment.
"We have no doubt that we are witnessing the rise of a future giant in magical theory. Therefore, we are pleased to, perhaps prematurely, but with full confidence, bestow upon him the recognition he so clearly deserves—"
Flitwick paused, drew a deep breath, and fixed his blazing gaze on Alan, shouting the final line with every ounce of energy:
"The youngest and boldest magical theorist in Hogwarts' history!"
The moment the words fell, the entire classroom fell into absolute silence.
Even the drop of a pin could be heard.
All the students, including those proud upperclassmen, seemed as if petrified, staring blankly at the figure in the corner—Alan Scott, whose face still carried a faint trace of disbelief.
The news hit like an uncontrollable spell. Its ripples of energy spread throughout the castle in less than an hour, triggering a fierce "academic earthquake."
In the Gryffindor common room, as the news reached them, all students reading, playing chess, or chatting immediately stopped what they were doing. After a brief silence, someone stood first, beginning to clap. Then a second, a third… and soon, every student in the room rose to their feet, offering the most enthusiastic and sincere applause for their house's first-year "theorist."
This was not just Alan's personal glory—it was a triumph for the entire Gryffindor House. From that moment on, Alan became a new idol for all Gryffindors who held wisdom and knowledge as their highest ideals.
In the common rooms of other houses, especially where upper-year students gathered, the atmosphere was completely different.
"What kind of joke is this?" a seventh-year Hufflepuff prefect exclaimed, snatching the copy of The Journal of Contemporary Charms from a friend. "A first-year? On the cover? A research paper? Have the editors gone mad?"
"This is ten thousand times stranger than Harry Potter catching the Golden Snitch with his mouth!" a Slytherin student shouted. "That's The Journal of Contemporary Charms! My uncle worked at the Ministry for twenty years, and not a single one of his papers ever made the cover!"
Jealousy, doubt, disbelief, and even absurdity fermented in the air throughout the castle.
A first-year student?
Outshining all professors and Ministry researchers in the field of magical theory? And crowned with a title so exaggerated it bordered on flattery?
No matter how turbulent the outside discussion became, from this day forward, the weight of the name Alan Scott was completely rewritten.
He was no longer merely a "mathematical prodigy" in others' eyes or "the lucky guy who caught Snape off guard."
He had been firmly stamped with a brand new label—one of academic prestige that even surpassed that of most professors.
All of Hogwarts, and indeed the entire British wizarding world, was swept up in an unprecedented discussion about the "future of magic," all sparked by the name of this first-year student.
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