"I'm curious about something."
On the way back to the castle, Harley linked arms with Cho and tilted her head to ask.
"What is it?"
"Clearly there's no difference between a swimsuit and underwear, so why is it that when you wear a swimsuit, Cho, you can stand openly in front of Lynn, but you get shy when wearing underwear?"
"Because..." Cho was momentarily at a loss for words. "Because they are two completely different types of clothing. Even if they look similar, they just aren't the same."
"Is that right, Lynn?"
"If it were you, Harley," Lynn spoke without a second thought, "it wouldn't make a difference to me whether you wore anything or not. You have a constitution that gives me absolutely no ideas."
"Pfft~"
Cho couldn't hold it back and burst out laughing.
"Is that so?" Harley nodded, half-understanding. "I think I get it."
"What did you get, Harley?" Cho asked curiously.
"I was wondering before, if one day I turned into the kind of beautiful girl with a big chest and long legs that Lynn likes, would he be unable to control himself or something? Now I guess I can rest easy."
"There are so many pretty girls in the world." Lynn glanced at Harley speechlessly. "I'm not desperate enough to crave you."
"A rabbit doesn't eat the grass by its own burrow?" Cho looked at Lynn. "Or is it because you two are too close?"
"Harley is my best bro. She likes soft, sweet-smelling girls, not a smelly guy like me."
"On the contrary, Cho, you should be careful. Maybe one night you'll find Harley crawling into your blankets."
"I'd be happy with that," Cho hummed, turning her head. "I just like sleeping with Harley. What, are you jealous?"
"I don't eat apples." [Note: Likely a reference to sour grapes or a specific dislike.]
"Lynn, you jerk, don't run! Stop!"
After laboriously climbing stairs for a long while, the three finally parted ways and returned to their respective common rooms. The young wizards and witches, who had their first class that afternoon, were excited, chattering away in the common room about the Charms class they would be attending soon.
Harley, having changed into her school uniform, wasn't as eye-catching as she was in a dress, but her outstanding looks still garnered her a lot of attention.
One benefit of being a girl was probably that people were less likely to stare straight at her forehead, dying to brush aside her hair to see what the lightning scar looked like. If someone actually did that, they would likely be treated as a pervert or a creep, effectively losing their dating rights at Hogwarts.
However, there were still plenty of people stealing glances at her; pretty girls tended to get that treatment wherever they went.
"Why didn't we take that shortcut?"
Walking up the stairs to the classroom side-by-side with Lynn, Harley whispered.
"If a secret passage is discovered, it's not a secret passage anymore, right?"
"That makes sense, but Hogwarts is just too big..."
Under the prefects' reminders, the young wizards left for the classroom at least 40 minutes early. But because they were unfamiliar with the school's layout, even with the enthusiastic help of the portraits, some still took the wrong path.
The students following Lynn were among the first to arrive. Someone who had arrived even earlier than them was Hermione Granger, who had crossed the Black Lake on the boats with them.
"Hermione, I was wondering why I didn't see you in the common room just now."
Harley happily trotted over to Hermione. The two had been assigned to the same dormitory and were now roommates.
"So you were here early."
"I came to the classroom right after lunch to read and preview the textbook content." Hermione closed her book and turned her upper body to chat with Harley. "But I don't think I saw you at lunch?"
"Yeah, Lynn, Cho, and I went to find Hagrid. We had hot pot at his place. Lynn made it, and it was super delicious. I'm stuffed."
"Hot pot?"
"It's where you take sliced meat, vegetables, and things like that and cook them in a fragrant, spicy soup. If we make it again next time, do you want to come along?"
"Is that... convenient?" Hermione looked at Lynn, who was sitting at another table nearby. Seeing the genuine praise on Harley's face, she actually wanted to try it. As the daughter of dentists, Hermione had always been restricted by her parents when it came to food. For example, no matter how much she liked sweet candy, she was only allowed a little bit each day.
"Of course. If you can't eat spicy food, I can try making a tomato broth next time. Cho can't really handle spice either."
"Thank you!" Hermione smiled happily, revealing her two front teeth. While Miss Beaver couldn't be called beautiful, she was still quite cute. Whether it was Hermione or the others, they didn't look exactly like the actors in the movies. Unless they had very specific features—like Hagrid, whose massive size made him easily recognizable—it was hard for Lynn to match names to faces just by hearing them.
After a while, it was time for class. Before the bell rang, Professor Flitwick arrived in the classroom. He stepped onto a stack of hovering books to easily reach the top of the pile on his desk. Only by doing this could he look at the students at the same eye level as the other professors.
"I am very pleased to see everyone present for the first class of the term, with no one getting lost and arriving late."
Professor Flitwick's squeaky voice carried a hint of cheerfulness. He had encountered students being late for the first class far too many times.
Since Neville had followed Lynn to the classroom, he hadn't gotten lost on the way. Otherwise, this year's first class definitely wouldn't have gone so perfectly.
"Now then, let's take roll call so I can memorize each of your faces."
Professor Flitwick went through the names quickly, and the young wizards below raised their hands and answered just as fast.
"Now, everyone, our first Charms class begins. Can anyone tell me, what is magic?"
This question, which wasn't in the textbook at all, made Hermione, who had originally wanted to raise her hand, pause slightly.
"Mr. Lynn, you speak," Professor Flitwick said, calling on him with a beaming smile.
"In my understanding, magic, especially magic spells, is a power akin to making a wish. Magic is the outward expression of a wizard realizing the thoughts in their mind. However, while possessing idealistic power, magic also follows traceable laws. Wizarding spellcasting has evolved from the initial use of Ancient Runes to modern incantations. I believe this represents a fundamental change in the method of casting."
"Wizards found a more convenient way to use magical power, simplifying the difficulty of learning magic. But relatively speaking, the potency, stability, and duration of spells are inferior to ancient runic casting. This is why runic casting is still preserved today, though mostly used within the discipline of Alchemy."
"To summarize, magic is a fairy tale that possesses idealistic power, but it is also a technology with physical reliance, governed by laws that can be summarized and studied."
Whether in depth or breadth of knowledge, Lynn far surpassed the young wizards present. Although what he said was still somewhat one-sided in Professor Flitwick's eyes, it was already unexpectedly satisfying.
"I very much like the description that magic is a fairy tale. Because whether it is charms or other magic, that elusive power originating from our hearts brings us tremendous help. Emotions, feelings, convictions—these seemingly illusory things can tangibly affect magic."
"But there is a difference between magic and fairy tales. Magic has infinite uses, but it is not an omnipotent power. It does not allow us to 'get' simply because we 'want.' Learning magic is a long process, and any success gained within it requires us to put in effort."
"Very good." Professor Flitwick was in an excellent mood. "Three points to Gryffindor. An excellent answer, Mr. Lynn."
The Gryffindor students let out low cheers. Getting points in the very first class was something that made them very happy.
"Now, everyone, please take out your Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1. In today's lesson, we are going to learn our first spell, the Wand-Lighting Charm."
"Everyone, draw your wands, watch me, and then repeat the incantation after me. Do not be afraid of failure. Learning magic requires you to be bold yet careful in your practice and attempts."
"Lumos."
Professor Flitwick started them off, and the young wizards chanted along with him: "Lumos."
Quite a few wand tips lit up. As the first spell for learning magic, the Wand-Lighting Charm was very low in difficulty but very practical.
The Charms class, combining practice with theory, left a deep impression on the young wizards, so much so that even after class ended, they were still discussing it excitedly.
Lynn stayed behind after the class. Monday afternoon consisted only of Charms.
"Is there something you didn't understand clearly, Lynn?"
Professor Flitwick sat atop his pile of books, looking at Lynn with a smile.
"There is a problem that has been troubling me for a long time. I discovered it when I first tried casting spells during the holidays."
"Oh? What is it?"
Professor Flitwick had great tolerance for students who loved learning and thinking.
"I found that I am very clumsy when it comes to learning charms. You could even say my talent in this area is very, very poor."
"The Wand-Lighting Charm we learned in class today—when I taught myself during the holidays, it took me almost an entire day to light up my wand. But also while learning magic, when I studied Transfiguration and turned a match into a needle, I succeeded completely after only two tries."
Lynn fished a piece of grass he had pulled earlier out of his pocket. After sitting there for hours, the grass was wilted.
But with a point of Lynn's wand, the leaf immediately transformed into a gleaming needle—sharp, keen, and shining with a metallic silver luster.
"I consider my control over magical power to be quite good, yet charms leave me somewhat helpless. It's as if they dislike me and actively keep their distance."
"Your control over magic is excellent." Professor Flitwick hooked his finger, making the needle float before his eyes. "Perfect shape, nature change, luster, weight, and appearance. I can't even nitpick. If Professor McGonagall saw your technique, she would certainly be proud of you."
Professor Flitwick affirmed Lynn's Transfiguration skills, sparing no praise.
"The problem you have encountered is, honestly, quite rare. I haven't met anyone like this before. Generally speaking, the difficulty of learning Transfiguration is much higher than learning Charms. Transfiguration itself is a type of spellwork; it is an important branch of Charms, an advanced category of basic spellwork."
"Because of Transfiguration's inherent complexity and independence, it is listed as a separate subject for study and research."
"But if analyzed carefully, there is a difference between Charms and Transfiguration."
Professor Flitwick pondered for a moment and said, "Transfiguration casting focuses on 'Imagination,' 'Focus,' 'Construction,' and 'Infusion.' It is magic where a wizard uses magical power to change the form of matter, transforming it into the object they envision. It is 'You must do this' magic."
"Do you understand my explanation?"
Professor Flitwick looked at Lynn. Seeing him nod, Professor Flitwick continued:
"But what Charms focuses on is 'Will,' 'Need,' and 'Emotion or Sentiment.' Among these, Will and Need are the core of Charms. We provide magical power, output magical power, and then ask the magical power to do something for us. Charms is 'I need you to do this' magic."
"Can you see the difference between the two?"
Professor Flitwick liked to pose questions to let students arrive at answers through their own thinking, rather than directly telling them they should do this or must do that. Coming from Ravenclaw, he enjoyed guiding others to think proactively.
"You mean that the core of casting Transfiguration is a 'Command'—making the magic complete a specific task based on direct orders. The quality of the effect depends on the clarity and completeness of that command. Whereas the core of casting Charms is 'Communication'—through one's own description, getting the magic to do its best to achieve something for you. Because the effects Charms produce are mostly abstract, it is difficult for a wizard to give a completely precise, command-style instruction."
"Excellent understanding. You've answered the question correctly."
Professor Flitwick nodded with satisfaction. "The difference lies right there. You are talented in Transfiguration because you can issue precise instructions to the magic, and it simply needs to obey. Your control over magic is strong, which makes the Transfiguration effects even better."
"But your deficiency in Charms is because you are 'not good at communication.' Actually, this kind of thing is rare in young wizards because conversing with magic is often easier the younger the child is. Wizards all over the world almost universally choose to let children start learning magic at age 11, because at this age stage, the magical power within a young wizard tends to stabilize and won't easily riot, and their affinity with magic is at its strongest."
"Older wizards often encounter difficulties when learning new magic, but these difficulties are significantly weakened in children."
Hearing this, Lynn suddenly thought of the Patronus Charm. This powerful and difficult magic was something many adult wizards could not master, yet under Harry's teaching and training, the members of D.A. all learned it. If mastering this spell were truly that easy, it wouldn't be called difficult.
"It might be because your early experiences forced you to grow up and mature quickly." Professor Flitwick knew of Lynn's "background." Because of Harley's anomaly, Dumbledore had gathered the professors to discuss the matter, and Lynn, being with Harley, was naturally included on their list for investigation.
But Lynn's background was atrociously clean. Before age 8, he was a sensible, obedient, good child in the orphanage. After leaving the orphanage, during his wandering period at Oxford University, he showed the side of being eager to learn, intelligent, hardworking, and polite. One could find absolutely no flaws. All the professors thought he was a good child; even Snape had given a not-low evaluation at the time.
"But that premature maturity may have affected your dialogue with magic. As you said, magic is a fairy tale. Compared to adults, children are obviously closer to fairy tales."
"Perhaps you should play more with your classmates, spend more time with peers, communicate and interact with them more. I believe this will be helpful to you. Remember, magic is a power that comes from deep within the heart; your thoughts will cause tangible changes to it."
"Thank you, Professor." Lynn thanked Professor Flitwick gratefully. He was sincerely thankful to have such a good teacher. "You have helped me a great deal. Thank you."
"You're welcome, my boy." Professor Flitwick beamed. "Can I have this needle? I'm going to take it to show off to Minerva right now—that a little genius in Transfiguration was discovered by me first."
Professor Flitwick, whose personality was still somewhat child-like, had a very youthful mindset. That was probably why he had gone so far in the field of Charms.
"Of course. Please give my regards to Professor McGonagall."
"Off you go then, good child. Your friend is waiting for you at the door."
Turning around, he saw Harley waiting for him by the door. When he looked over, Harley waved with a grin.
"Sorry for the wait, Harley."
Lynn shouldered his bag and walked toward the door.
"Lynn!"
Harley giggled, stood on tiptoes, and gave him a hug. "Does Professor Flitwick mean that you need to ask people for hugs more often?"
Before Lynn could answer, a cold shout came from the other end of the corridor.
"What. Are. You. Doing!"
The words, oozing with icy killing intent, were squeezed out through clenched teeth. Lynn didn't even need to turn around to know who was speaking.
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