A new chapter is up.
Come in, get comfortable, and let’s see what kind of trouble waits this time ❤️ ✦ The next morning, Edmund woke early.
Unfortunately, his useless system did not have a map function.
To avoid being late to class in the future, he decided to use a free morning to familiarize himself with Hogwarts.
The castle contained countless staircases and corridors, many of which moved.
Young witches and wizards were often stranded among shifting stairs, completely losing their sense of direction.
After spending the morning exploring, Edmund finally understood the routes to the Charms classroom and the Great Hall.
When he arrived for breakfast, several students were already inside.
Edmund found an empty seat at random and began eating.
Toast, eggs, sausages, porridge, and tea were not extravagant, but they were more than enough to fill a first-year’s stomach.
If he remembered correctly, the Hogwarts kitchens were near the Hufflepuff common room.
One of these days, he would have to find the house-elves and teach them a few breakfast favorites from his previous life: proper pancakes, crisp bacon rolls, fried eggs, and coffee strong enough to wake the dead.
With house-elves as capable as they were, he believed they would learn quickly.
Honestly, Edmund felt that attending Hogwarts was almost a luxury.
As a new student, his daily schedule was not heavy, and he even had no classes on Thursday.
House-elves cleaned the dormitories every day.
In some ways, it was more comfortable than home.
While Edmund was thinking idly, someone tapped his shoulder.
He looked up.
Cho stood there with Marietta beside her.
“Why didn’t you wait for me?
You’re new here.
It’s easy to get lost.” Cho’s tone carried a hint of reproach.
Edmund smiled and gestured for her and Marietta to sit.
“I woke up early.
Since I had nothing to do, I decided to walk around and learn the staircases.” Cho heard that and did not scold him further.
She nodded to show she understood, then lightly tapped the table with her wand.
A plate of breakfast slid neatly into place before her.
“What classes do you have today?” “Professor Flitwick’s Charms this afternoon,” Edmund said.
“Astronomy tonight, up in the tower.” “Professor Flitwick is a true Charms master,” Cho said, sharing what she knew.
“And he is very kind to students.” Marietta added from the side, “I heard Professor Flitwick has goblin ancestry, and that he was once a duelling champion.” Whenever gossip appeared, Marietta became noticeably more energetic.
She kept sharing little stories of uncertain origin.
Edmund was rather interested.
In his previous life, he had never read the original books, and the films had been something he watched many years ago.
He remembered the broad strokes and the yearly dangers, but not every detail.
He truly had not expected Professor Flitwick to be so formidable.
The films had not given him much presence.
After breakfast, Edmund invited Cho to walk with him.
They crossed the grass near the entrance, followed a shaded path, and slowly reached the edge of the Black Lake.
Edmund turned his head slightly and looked at the girl beside him.
A breeze from the lake lifted strands of her hair.
Her profile appeared before him: clear, graceful, and soft in the morning light.
Her small nose, her rosy lips, the quiet line of her cheek – for a moment, he was almost dazed.
Cho noticed his gaze and blushed.
Edmund gently took her hand and led her to a bench, where they sat together.
They looked out over the calm Black Lake and the distant Forbidden Forest.
The breeze carried her clean, faint scent toward him.
It was deeply pleasant.
Cho seemed to like the quiet as well.
Gradually, she leaned her head against his shoulder.
Edmund felt the contact and smiled faintly, then lightly put an arm around her.
He did not push the moment further.
‘Tempting.
But not yet.’ After a while, Cho had to go to class, so the two of them returned to the castle.
Cho left, and Edmund had nothing pressing to do.
He returned to his dormitory and took a nap.
That afternoon, Edmund went to the Charms classroom.
This year’s Charms class was shared with Hufflepuff, so he did not see the Gryffindor trio.
The front row already had students seated, so Edmund went to the back and sat beside a boy.
“Good afternoon, Anthony.” The boy beside him was Anthony Goldstein, a Ravenclaw from a wizarding family.
Both his parents worked in the Department of Magical Transportation.
He and Edmund had spoken on the way to the common room the previous night and had got along well enough.
“Good afternoon, Edmund.” After they exchanged greetings, the bell rang.
Professor Flitwick entered with brisk little steps.
Because of his height, he had to stand on a stack of books to teach properly.
He took out a register and began roll call.
For a moment, Edmund had the uncanny feeling of being back at university while a professor checked attendance.
Roll call ended smoothly.
No young wizard was late.
Professor Flitwick put the register away.
“Ladies and gentlemen, charms are one of the foundations of modern magic.
Through charms, witches and wizards achieve their purposes in practical, precise ways.” “Although Hogwarts separates Defence Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration into their own courses, they are, in essence, connected to the broader study of spellwork.” “Of course, our Charms lessons will focus mainly on useful everyday spells.
For example, the Levitation Charm.” With a wave of his hand, the desk in front of him floated into the air.
As his wand moved, it spun lightly as if dancing.
“And, for another example, a simple Cleaning Charm.” He pointed his wand, and every trace of chalk dust and old ink vanished from the lectern.
The young witches and wizards below were instantly excited.
They could hardly wait to begin learning.
Seeing that his demonstration had successfully drawn their interest, Flitwick nodded with satisfaction.
With another light tap, the lectern settled exactly where it belonged.
“Now, we will begin with today’s first lesson: the Wand-Lighting Charm.” “The incantation is Lumos.
When casting, hold your wand a little more firmly and point forward.” Professor Flitwick explained the rhythm of the incantation and the small movement of the wrist several times.
Then he allowed the students to begin practicing.
All the young witches and wizards started at once.
For a time, the classroom filled with overlapping voices chanting the spell.
Most wands showed no response at all.
A few of the faster students managed faint halos of light, but those quickly faded.
Edmund drew his own wand and said softly, “Lumos.” In an instant, bright white light appeared at his wand tip.
With a shift of intent, the glow began to change, moving smoothly through different colors.
“Excellent, Mr.
Gaunt!” Professor Flitwick hurried over, his voice filled with excitement.
“Mr.
Gaunt, you succeeded on the first attempt and even managed a variation of the Wand-Lighting Charm.” As he spoke, Flitwick’s eyes shone with delighted pride.
“You praise me too much, Professor.
I only read ahead and practiced a few times.” Edmund was speechless.
If one Wand-Lighting Charm could move a professor nearly to tears, he had to wonder what sort of students Flitwick had been teaching before this.
CREATORS’ THOUGHTS AuroraVale Thank you for reading.
I hope this chapter pulled you a little deeper into the story.
Stay close, because things are only getting more interesting.