Hogwarts curriculum was quite relaxed. First-year students never had more than three classes per day. On Thursday, Ravenclaw had three different classes: Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration.
For Charms, a power with immediate positive feedback, within just a few days of enrollment, the young wizards had shown different progress. Most young wizards had mastered the Wand-Lighting Charm but could only emit weak glimmers of light. Some young wizards were still waving their wands, pausing at each point, loudly reciting incantations, but still couldn't make their wand tips produce light.
And what about Shawn? His Lumos practice had already reached Proficient level. The light he produced was not only brighter than other young wizards' but also more stable.
The logic of learning magic could always be explained this way: First is understanding. When you don't understand a spell, you can't use it. Therefore, without considering other conditions, the more spells you know, the stronger the wizard.
And after you understand a spell, you need to constantly practice to make it more proficient. This is the second logic of wizards becoming stronger—the more proficient with spells, the stronger the wizard. There are many examples of this, such as Professor Gilderoy Lockhart arriving next year. His specialized Memory Charm could even make powerful wizards who weren't afraid of vampires, werewolves, or trolls fail miserably.
So continuous practice is definitely the path to the essence of magic. After Lumos reached Entry level, Shawn clearly perceived his understanding of this spell deepening. Previously stiff gestures became smooth, and pronunciation was no longer vague but clear and powerful. Shawn guessed that when his proficiency with spells reached a certain level, he might not need to speak the incantation aloud, only silently recite it in his mind.
The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1, mentioned this was the nonverbal spell commonly used by advanced wizards. As for the principle, Magical Theory had a clear explanation: silent recitation is equally effective, which determines it can be used without vocalization. This point would also be mentioned in Professor Snape's sixth-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
"Very good! Very good! Notable progress—many people have learned the Wand-Lighting Charm. For young wizards who just learned Lumos, continuous practice is very important. But for some exceptional students..." Professor Flitwick's voice was high-pitched. When saying this, he winked at Shawn, Hermione, and a few others.
"I will teach them another spell in advance. Come on, those who learned Lumos last time can gather around. As for those who haven't learned it yet, don't worry. Remember my words—flick and pause, long for light..." Professor Flitwick was easy to underestimate, but he was precise when teaching spells.
A few young wizards with excellent performance began practicing another spell under his guidance. That was the Levitation Charm. Practicing until class ended, Shawn's Levitation Charm increased by a full thirty proficiency points under the professor's guidance, reaching (34/300). Shawn contentedly walked out of the Charms classroom through the long corridor. The young wizards had ten minutes to get to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
This time wasn't much, so everyone walked quickly. Until they encountered an unwelcome visitor.
"Aha! First-year brats!" Just as the young wizards were about to open a door, a ghost suddenly burst out from behind it, giving everyone a big fright. It stuck a wastebasket on Seamus's head. Seamus shouted, "My head! Oh no! My eyes! Is it dark?"
And this ghost's pranks obviously didn't stop there. It suddenly pulled away the carpet under the young wizards' feet. Even Michael fell. Just as he was about to get up, his nose suddenly tightened—it was that ghost. It grabbed Michael's nose and shrieked loudly, "Got your nose!"
Anthony and Terry subconsciously stepped back, then steeled themselves and moved toward Michael. Shawn moved fastest. He shouted loudly, "Peeves! The Bloody Baron is coming!"
The ghost immediately shrieked and ran away like smoke. Shawn and the other two immediately helped the shaken Michael up. The surrounding young wizards looked at Shawn with admiration.
"Oh, thank you, Shawn. That was a big help. And you guys..." Michael's face reddened. He looked around carefully, confirming Peeves had left. Then he quietly moved toward Shawn. "Shawn, how did you know Peeves is afraid of the Bloody Baron?"
"Gryffindor Prefect Percy said so." Shawn wasn't lying. Percy had indeed said this, but how Shawn knew was another matter.
On the rotating staircase, the frightened young wizards all quickened their pace to leave. Only when firelight appeared in the corridor did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
Peeves was named very aptly. He was mischievous and always screamed through Hogwarts corridors, playing all kinds of pranks. Although he had no physical form, could pass through walls, and was semi-transparent like ghosts, he actually wasn't a ghost. Shawn learned this when flipping through The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
Poltergeists are psychic energy rather than marks left by the dead. Hogwarts ghosts all acknowledge Peeves isn't one of them. Theorists generally believe poltergeists are spirits caused by subconscious behavior—especially the subconscious behavior of the oppressed. Over a thousand years, Hogwarts students have endured considerable pressure. It's no wonder Peeves emerged as such a spirit.
This was the first time Shawn saw such an explanation. He thoughtfully continued reading: Green Sparks, Red Sparks, Knockback Jinx, Smokescreen Spell, and Wand-Lighting Charm.
Shawn carefully read this section, keeping the first four spells in mind. Learning these four spells, his Defense Against the Dark Arts should achieve Outstanding. As for how to learn them, Shawn glanced at the stuttering, mumbling Professor Quirrell. He sighed deeply and temporarily shelved the plan in his notebook.
He had to face that question that made his heart surge yet filled him with concerns—practicing potion brewing in that dungeon dubbed forbidden ground, guarded by Professor Snape.