"Welcome, welcome!" Flitwick chirped, bouncing slightly. "Today, we begin our journey into the magical art of Charms!"
Lucan took a seat beside Darius, who was half-listening and half-dozing.
"Now," Flitwick continued, "before we begin practicing, let's see who's done their reading. Can anyone tell me the wand movement for the Levitation Charm, Wingardium Leviosa?"
Lucan's hand rose without hesitation.
"Yes, Mr…?"
"Hale. Lucan Hale."
"Go ahead, Mr. Hale."
"It's a swish and flick motion," Lucan said. "Emphasis on the flick at the end to direct the magical energy upward."
"Excellent!" Flitwick said, beaming. "Five points to Slytherin!"
They spent the next half hour practicing the wand movement. Most of them failed spectacularly.
Lucan focused, his grip tight on his wand. The redwood wand felt warm in his hand, thestral hair core pulsing faintly as he whispered, "Wingardium Leviosa."
The feather shuddered, wobbled… and rose a few inches into the air before dropping.
"Very good effort, Mr. Hale!" Flitwick called. "Keep at it!"
The moment Charms class ended, the room filled with the soft scrape of chairs being pushed back and the shuffle of students gathering their things.
Professor Flitwick gave them a bright smile and waved them off with a cheery, "Excellent work, everyone! Practice your wand movement!"
Lucan stuffed his notes into his bag, still mulling over the lesson. He hadn't done too badly, his wand had at least flicked in the right direction during the Feather Levitation Charm. Compared to some of the other first-years, especially the ones who couldn't even pronounce the incantation, he figured he wasn't hopeless. Still, it bugged him to be belowaverage.
He left the classroom with Darius. They parted ways in the corridor, Darius heading back to the dorm for a break. Lucan, however, turned down a different hallway, making his way to the library. The scent of parchment and polish hit him the second he stepped through the tall doors.
Lucan approached the front desk, where a woman with square glasses and tightly tied grey hair looked up from her ledger. Her name came to him quickly: Madam Pince.
"Yes?" she said curtly.
"I was wondering if you have anything on basic alchemy?" Lucan asked, trying to sound polite and scholarly.
She narrowed her eyes further but turned without a word, gliding through the shelves. Lucan followed her until she stopped and gestured to a lower section of books.
"Beginner texts. Don't damage them."
Wouldn't dream of it," Lucan said under his breath, earning a sharper look from her.
He picked out a leather-bound volume titled "Foundations of Magical Alchemy: Principles and Safe Practices" and found a table near the back of the library. Sitting down, he flipped through the chapters, eyes dancing over symbols, formulas, and ancient alchemical diagrams. It was dense, but fascinating. This would be important, especially once he began experimenting with more advanced forms of magic.
He made a few quick notes before the bell rang for lunch, the echoing chimes reminding him his stomach had been empty for far too long.
he slipped out toward the castle grounds once lunch ended, finding a quiet corner near the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He drew his wand, breathing slowly.
It was the first real time he could use it freely. Redwood, thestral hair. Powerful, if he could learn to control it.
"Lumos," he whispered.
The wand sparked once, dimly.
He tried again. "Lumos!"
This time, it flared to life, faint but steady. He grinned.
He practiced quietly for nearly an hour, trying simple charms and spells. Most were clumsy, a few didn't work at all. But with each repetition, he felt the wand respond more easily. It was like building a conversation with it. Testing trust.
By the time he returned inside, the sun had started sinking, and he was sweating slightly from the focus.
His hand tingled from the magical feedback.
Back in the common room, he opened the alchemy book again and flipped to a section on basic transmutations and magical properties of metals, topics that might help him get a head start in Potions.
He took notes until the other first-years began trickling in for the night.