"Albert closed his copy of *A Compendium of Eighteenth-Century Charms* and slipped it back into his bag, reaching out to pat Lee lightly on the shoulder. "You're just over-exerted. How about I take you to the Hospital Wing and have them get you some medicine?"
"I'll pass!" At the mere mention of the Hospital Wing, Lee Jordan wilted instantly, terrified that Albert might actually drag him there.
The twin brothers sitting beside Lee couldn't help laughing. Eating a golden fried egg, Fred suggested, "I'm telling you... beating your legs a few times really hard can massively dull the soreness."
George chimed in, "I can help you, free of charge."
"Are you even human?!" Lee glared at the twins in disgust, then buried his head in his breakfast and ate in silence.
"Stop messing around and eat up. The first class is about to start, and I certainly don't want to be late on my first day," Albert reminded them.
While they were eating, a stout, red-haired young man walked over, sat down next to the twins, and asked with a smile, "Getting used to school life yet?"
"Charlie, the Quidditch team is practicing this early?" George stared at his outfit in disbelief.
"Just a simple warm-up. After all, nobody's touched a broom all summer," Charlie said matter-of-factly. "This year, we're definitely winning the Quidditch Cup."
Hearing this, Albert sitting nearby couldn't help shaking his head. "My boy, you're still far too young. Don't you know that jinxing yourself means dying fast?"
"Oh right, Charlie, does the team need anyone? Can we join the Quidditch team? George and I could be Beaters, you know what our skills are like."
"Don't even think about it. You've only just started, you have to wait until second year to join Quidditch," Charlie said sternly. "If you can pass the tryouts next semester, I'll let you join the team, but not this term."
"There's always an exception, right?" The twins blinked at their second-oldest brother and continued, "First-years can join too, as long as they show enough talent on a broom."
"Says who?" Charlie Weasley retorted, exasperated. Even as Quidditch captain, he couldn't just do whatever he pleased.
After all, the Quidditch captain was responsible for all the Gryffindor students. Losing a match was one thing, but losing miserably out of sheer favoritism would mean he could never hold his head high in the House again.
Suddenly, the twins both turned to look at Albert.
"Why are you looking at me?" Albert asked, baffled.
Charlie followed the twins' gaze to Albert, growing even more bewildered as he had no idea what those two mischievous devils were up to.
"Player selections ended yesterday, you can try joining the team next year. Well, you can act as substitute Beaters this year, but don't expect to play in any matches." Charlie Weasley gave a light cough, making it clear he wouldn't show favoritism in this matter.
In truth, the team's Beaters were graduating next year, so training replacements early on wasn't a bad idea. Charlie also knew George and Fred's skills well; at least they had more foundation than anyone else.
"So we can join the trainings?" The twins' eyes were filled with undisguised excitement.
"Today... you should be free this afternoon, right?" Charlie thought for a moment and said, "This afternoon—let me see—four o'clock at the Quidditch pitch. I'll test your baseline first, and no messing around."
"We know," the twins chorused with nods.
Before the bell for class rang, the four of them hurried out of the Great Hall and headed for the Charm classroom on the fourth floor. Having been there ahead of time the day before, the four of them easily found the Charm classroom this time.
Gryffindor's Charms class was shared with the Hufflepuff students, and when they walked into the classroom, quite a few students had already arrived.
Shanna and Alicia had also arrived early with the others, sitting at the front desks and chatting with people.
The good seats at the front of the classroom had already been taken, so the four of them could only pick seats at random in the back. Albert didn't really care; he sat with Lee Jordan, while the Weasley twins sat right beside them.
Professor Flitwick entered the classroom just as the second bell rang. The Charms professor was indeed unusually short in stature, supposedly possessing a bit of goblin ancestry as rumor had it.
Because he wasn't tall enough, Flitwick had to stand on a pile of books during class just to reach the top of the desk, but nobody minded, and nobody mocked his short stature.
Of course, everyone felt a little bit of curiosity about the professor's height, more or less.
Before class began, Professor Flitwick took out a roll call parchment and began taking attendance, giving Albert a surreal sense of being back in a university lecture.
In the very first Charms class, the short professor demonstrated the magical wonders of charms. He made several books on the desks dance a joyful tap-dance, then jump higher and higher, forming a row in front of everyone and dancing rhythmically, missing only a lovely piece of music.
Just as everyone's attention was captured by the dancing books in mid-air, the books returned to normal, dropping neatly back onto the desk in front of Professor Flitwick.
Enthusiastic applause immediately erupted. The students were utterly captivated by this magical spectacle, wishing they could start learning charms right then and there.
"You have a great deal to learn before you can achieve this level," Professor Flitwick said after the applause died down. "Now, open your books to page three. You need to master some charm theory first, which will help you better grasp and use charms later on."
For the majority of the time that followed, Professor Flitwick lectured on charm theory and had the students copy down a massive stack of complex, difficult notes. He also repeatedly emphasized the importance of wand movements and correct spell pronunciation.
As Albert was concentrating on taking notes, he felt Lee Jordan nudge him a few times with his elbow.
"What is it?" Albert turned his head helplessly and asked in a low voice.
Lee pointed to the twins at the neighboring desk, who were both gesturing toward Albert's quill.
Needless to say, Albert already knew what they meant.
Those two idiots hadn't even brought a quill to class. He really had to hand it to them.
Albert placed his quill on the desk and softly murmured a duplication charm.
"Gimme one too, while you're at it," Lee Jordan said, scratching the back of his head.
"You didn't bring one either? Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Lee chuckled. "I figured I shouldn't disturb your note-taking. Once you're done, you can just lend me a copy."
Not only did the corners of Albert's mouth twitch, but even Alicia and Angelina in front of them cast strange looks their way.
Of course, Professor Flitwick at the podium noticed as well, but he didn't say much, continuing to explain parts of the charm theory not found in the textbook.
Chapter 38: Summoning
Professor Flitwick had a wealth of teaching experience and knew that most students had limited patience. After teaching charm theory for a while, he began showing everyone how to use magic, with the Wand-Lighting Charm being the very first spell the first-years would learn.
The Wand-Lighting Charm was one of the greatest pieces of magic invented in the eighteenth century, and it was practically one of the simplest and most practical charms of all.
"Now, repeat after me, *Lumos*!" Professor Flitwick taught them like he was reading to kindergarteners.
"Lumos," the class chimed in unison.
"Splendid. Just raise your wand, give it a gentle tap, and speak the incantation, *Lumos*." Professor Flitwick gave a practical demonstration to the entire class, repeating, "Remember, the wand movement and the correct pronunciation of the spell are very important."
"Now, why not give it a try?"
The classroom immediately erupted into a chorus of chanting. Naturally, Albert went through the motions of practicing the Wand-Lighting Charm; even though he had already mastered it, he couldn't just stand around watching while everyone else practiced—that would make him look far too unsociable!
"Look here, everyone, Mr. Anderson has already succeeded! He has successfully mastered the spell," Professor Flitwick announced. "Splendid, five points to Gryffindor."
Everyone turned their heads in unison. Being stared at by so many gazes made Albert slightly uncomfortable, and he turned his head to glare at Lee Jordan, who was vigorously patting him on the shoulder.
In truth, quite a few students managed to light their wands immediately, they just couldn't maintain it for long before the light flickered out.
The twins and Lee Jordan still hadn't fully mastered the spell before the end of class, while Diggory had successfully lit his wand too, though it went out shortly after.
Of course, a minor accident did occur in the Charms classroom: a Hufflepuff student waved his wand too hard, causing sparks to shoot out from the tip and set the robes of the unlucky bloke in front of him on fire.
That fellow was punished by Professor Flitwick with lines: *I am a wizard, not a baboon waving a stick around.*
Shanna, who had chatted with Albert that morning, wasn't doing well either. She tried several times without success, and her wand actually started emitting choking black smoke, requiring Professor Flitwick to use magic to blow the smoke out of the classroom.
"I just can't get it," Shanna looked utterly despairing.
"Don't worry, everyone still has time to master this magic," Professor Flitwick comforted the students who hadn't managed to light their wands, adding, "You need to keep a clear mind and concentrate."
Before class ended, Professor Flitwick left them with homework.
"Your homework is to practice the Wand-Lighting Charm. Next class, we will continue learning this spell, as well as its counter-curse."
Of course, for Albert, his homework was already finished.
After class, Albert deliberately hung back at the end of the line, intending to ask Professor Flitwick a few questions.
Well, regarding the magic of how to use a wand to conjure an umbrella.
"Mr. Anderson, your Duplication Charm is quite good." Professor Flitwick smiled as he looked at the student before him. "You have a great talent for charms."
"Thank you for the praise, Professor Flitwick." Albert accepted the compliment gracefully. "I'd like to ask you about a piece of magic."
"What magic?"
"How can I conjure an umbrella from my wand?" Albert posed his question, planning to use this opportunity to learn that spell.
"Conjure an umbrella?" Professor Flitwick was perplexed. "Why would you want to conjure an umbrella from your wand?"
"Ahem, well, it's been raining the past two days, and I thought at the time that if I could conjure an umbrella, I wouldn't have to worry about getting soaked in the rain!" Albert said with a straight face.
Professor Flitwick couldn't help laughing. Some people studied charms purely to save themselves trouble, and the Mr. Anderson before him was undoubtedly one such person.
"Mr. Anderson, do you know what a charm is?" Professor Flitwick asked with a smile.
"A charm is a spell that adds specific properties to a certain object or creature," Albert recited the charm theory he had just learned in class. In other words, conjuring an umbrella from a wand didn't fall under Charms?
"It seems you already understand." Professor Flitwick nodded and said, "What you described—conjuring an umbrella from a wand—actually belongs to a branch of Transfiguration known as Conjuration."
"Conjuration?" Albert had only ever heard of the Accio Charm.
Flitwick raised his wand and conjured a flower out of thin air.
"This is Conjuration. This spell doesn't conjure things out of nothing—no one can conjure things out of thin air." Flitwick handed the unfamiliar flower to Albert and continued, "I merely summoned the flower from somewhere else."
"Ah, I roughly understand. Just like the Scouring Charm, it merely relocates things? It doesn't truly vanish them in the real sense, it just makes them disappear from our sight."
"Correct. It seems you've been reviewing your books diligently." Flitwick was very pleased that Albert understood. He continued: "Conjuration is O.W.L. level knowledge, and its counterpart is the Vanishing Spell, which is somewhat simpler. If you wish to understand this knowledge further, I suggest you ask Professor McGonagall; she would certainly be delighted to have you consult her on these matters."
"Of course, if you have any difficulties with charms, you are welcome to come to me." Flitwick raised a finger to point at the three people waiting by the door and said, "You have another class shortly, don't be late."
"Professor, I have one more question."
Professor Flitwick didn't speak, waiting for Albert to continue.
"Can we store the light source of the Wand-Lighting Charm? I mean, so we can take it out and use it when magic isn't suitable." Albert threw out another question, which he suspected might be related to the principles behind Dumbledore's Deluminator.
"A very interesting thought. As far as I know, it should be possible, but it's still a bit difficult for you, as this involves a great many things." Professor Flitwick was amazed that Albert would pose such a question. "I'm curious, why did you come up with such an idea?"
"In the Muggle world, there is a thing called a flashlight. A flashlight is like the Wand-Lighting Charm; you can turn it on or off at will."
At this point, Albert paused mid-sentence because he noticed a new quest had appeared on his panel.
*Inventor of the Magical Lamp.*
*As a youth, you seem to have inadvertently touched upon a new field. Why not carry your ideas forward and make them a reality?*
*Research and manufacture a magical lamp.*
*Reward: 3,000 experience points, Wand-Lighting Charm level +1, Deluminator level +1, Title: Inventor of the Magical Lamp.*
As Albert walked out of the classroom, George hurried forward and asked curiously, "What were you asking Flitwick about?"
"What question? How to use a wand to conjure an umbrella, of course."
"And the result?"
"Professor Flitwick said that's O.W.L. Transfiguration knowledge." Albert felt a bit dejected; he wondered if he should figure out a way to learn Conjuration.
"Looks like you won't be conjuring an umbrella anytime soon," Fred couldn't help laughing.
The four of them walked together toward the History of Magic classroom on the second floor.
Chapter 39: Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?
Gryffindor's second class for the first-years was History of Magic, undoubtedly the most boring subject at Hogwarts—bar none.
The History of Magic classroom was located on the second floor of Hogwarts Castle, and the Gryffindor first-years had a twenty-minute break after their first class ended.
However, because Albert had chatted with Professor Flitwick for so long, the four of them had no time to waste and had to quicken their pace to the History of Magic classroom.
When the four of them rushed into the History of Magic classroom, the caretaker, Argus Filch, had already arrived early to open the door, since Professor Binns, being a ghost, couldn't open doors for anyone.
Gryffindor's History of Magic class was shared with Ravenclaw, and before class started, everyone sat in their respective seats chatting idly.
Ignoring the twin brothers messing around nearby, Albert pulled a box of Every Flavor Beans from his pocket, plucked a blue bean, and tossed it into his mouth. After chewing, he realized it was blueberry flavored.
"Not bad luck," Albert muttered. As he pulled *A History of Magic* from his school bag, he also took out *A Compendium of Eighteenth-Century Charms*. Using the book as cover, he flipped through his skill list.
After finishing Charms class, Albert discovered he had acquired a new skill: Charm Theory.
In Albert's memory, basic skills like this were very useful, so he immediately upgraded Charm Theory to Level 1. He carefully recalled the newly acquired knowledge of charm theory in his head, but couldn't help frowning; upgrading it by only 1 level didn't seem to have much effect.
How should he put it?
His charm theory had indeed improved, but Albert had a feeling of "is that it?". Most of the knowledge, once pointed out, wasn't hard to understand at all, which was why he gave rise to that mediocre illusion.
While pondering the knowledge of the Wand-Lighting Charm, Albert grabbed another Every Flavor Bean and tossed it into his mouth, acting just as if he were eating chocolate beans.
The next moment, he reached out to cover his mouth as a fiery, spicy sensation spread inside.
Damn it, the one he had just eaten was a chili-flavored Every Flavor Bean. Albert was burning up and vowed never to eat these things while daydreaming ever again.
"What's wrong with you?" Fred noticed Albert's change in expression.
"Every Flavor Bean, chili flavor." Albert pointed to the small box on the desk; the beans he'd bought on the train last time were still not finished.
"Every bite is the experience of a grand adventure." Fred laughed gloatingly, not forgetting to mock Albert by quoting the bean's advertising slogan.
Albert glared fiercely at the bloke in front of him, fished a piece of toffee from his pocket, and shoved it into his mouth to soothe the spicy heat, casually passing the box of beans to Fred.
"You have to be extra careful when eating Every Flavor Beans." Fred pinched one, tossed it into his mouth, and chewed. "Spinach flavor."
"Mine's strawberry," George announced cheerfully.
"I'm great at these..." Lee Jordan sauntered over too, picked one, and popped it into his mouth.
"Every Flavor Beans, anyone want some?" Albert shook the box toward the others.
Just as his voice trailed off, Lee Jordan's voice rang out nearby.
"Rotten-egg flavor, so gross." The Black boy's face twisted almost out of shape as he spat the chewed bean straight onto the floor.
A Ravenclaw girl nearby shot Lee a look of utter disgust.
Noticing her expression, Lee's face flushed awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Scourgify." Albert raised his wand, pointed it at Lee Jordan's vomit, and casually tossed the lad a fruit drop.
"I'm never eating Every Flavor Beans again," Lee swore.
"You've said that more than once," George teased. "He just ate another one a second ago, it was marmalade flavor."
After the incident with Lee Jordan, everyone kept a wide berth from Albert's little box of beans; none of them wanted to taste anything weird.
"What magic did you just use?" The Ravenclaw girl introduced herself, saying, "I'm Katrina McDougal."
"Hello Katrina, I'm Albert Anderson." Albert shoved another piece of chocolate into his mouth, and only after chewing did the fiery taste gradually recede. "That was just the Scourgify, a very practical piece of magic."
"Most first-years aren't as proficient at magic as you, even if they have family teaching them in advance. Plus..." Katrina glanced at the copy of *A Compendium of Eighteenth-Century Charms* Albert was perusing. "I bet the Sorting Hat put you in the wrong house."
"Gryffindor isn't bad at all," Albert said, unbothered by her remark. "And... I come from a Muggle family."