[Note: Read up to Chapter - 118 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
.
.
.
.
Aris and his friends spent almost the entire weekend holed up in the Room of Requirement, buried in their experiments.
Even throughout the following week, both Cho and Hermione popped in whenever they had a spare moment.
Their sudden obsession didn't go unnoticed. By now, even the professors were beginning to pick up on their odd behaviour.
In Charms class, Professor Flitwick was in the middle of explaining the finer points of casting the Sand and Rock Curse.
"You've got to flick your wand with precision," he said, pacing in front of the class. "And if you haven't mastered silent casting yet, make sure you pronounce the incantation clearly—every syllable matters."
Ever since Aris had pulled off a silent Levitation Charm in class, Professor Flitwick had taken to slipping in the phrase "if you haven't learned silent spells yet" during lectures, almost as if it reassured him of his own authority.
"Now, don't go trying to flatten anyone with this charm—it's more of a duelling spell," he added with a chuckle.
"Though, if you've got enough power behind it and fancy giving a troublesome classmate a bit of a wallop, it's certainly effective…"
Because the spell produced such a racket, a chunk of the classroom had been cleared to serve as a practice zone, complete with a human-shaped target to aim at.
As Flitwick scanned the room, most of the students were diligently mimicking the wand movements he'd demonstrated.
That is, all except one.
His gaze settled on Cho, who was clearly off in her own world, staring blankly ahead as if the class didn't exist.
"Miss Chang, is something the matter?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.
Professor Flitwick had been keeping a close eye on her lately. Over the past few days, the sharp little Ravenclaw had seemed oddly distracted—and that was saying something, especially in his own House.
Ravenclaws were known for being eager to learn, and as Head of House, Flitwick had always taken special pride in their focus and enthusiasm. So when one of his brightest seemed this out of sorts, it was impossible to ignore.
Normally, the little eagles were dead serious when it came to their spell work.
Cho, in particular, had always been proactive and full of drive. So, Professor Flitwick was understandably baffled by her sudden change in behaviour over the past few days.
"Sorry, Professor! I'm alright," Cho said quickly, as though jolted from a daydream.
"Oh? So you've already mastered this spell, then?" Flitwick raised a brow, clearly not planning to let the matter slide so easily.
"Maybe... I think so," Cho hesitated, then nodded with as much confidence as she could muster.
"Well then, let's see it!" Flitwick gestured for the rest of the class to pause their practice. "Come on, Ms. Chang!"
"Alright, go on then!"
"Show the Professor what you've got!"
"You can do it, Cho!"
The classroom quickly erupted with friendly banter as the students turned to watch, many clearly doubting she'd pull it off.
To be fair, no one had managed the Sand and Rock Curse yet—it was the newest spell on the curriculum, and a proper tricky one at that. It demanded precise control and a good deal of magical power.
So far, not a single second-year had gotten it quite right.
"Don't worry, just relax and focus on the spell work," Flitwick encouraged gently as Cho stepped forward, looking only slightly uneasy.
But then she gave a soft smile, lifted her wand, and said the incantation clearly.
A blue flash burst from the tip of her wand.
In the blink of an eye, a whirlwind of sand and debris tore through the demonstration area. The humanoid target standing there was flung backwards with shocking force, crashing straight into the back wall.
As Cho calmly lowered her wand, a hush fell over the room.
"She actually did it…" Someone whispered.
"I can't believe she actually pulled it off!"
"Cho, you were brilliant!"
Marietta threw her arms around Cho right there on the spot, like she'd only just discovered how amazing her best mate really was.
Caught off guard by the sudden burst of affection, Cho gave an awkward smile, a little flushed in the cheeks.
"That was lovely work, really well done!"
Even Professor Flitwick looked thoroughly impressed, watching her with genuine surprise. He had expected most students to need at least a few days before getting close to mastering this spell.
"Come on now, Ms. Chang," he said cheerfully. "Be honest—have you practised this spell before?"
In his mind, no one could perform the Flying Sand and Rock Curse that smoothly on their very first try.
Cho hesitated for a moment but chose to be honest.
"No, Professor," she admitted softly.
She hadn't practised it—not once. But that didn't mean she hadn't been thinking deeply about it.
Ever since Aris explained her wind affinity, she had come to understand just how attuned she was to spells involving that element. Magic tied to wind came naturally to her—it was like breathing.
She wasn't entirely sure whether the Flying Sand and Rock Curse was technically wind-based, but she'd sensed something in it, right before casting.
That brief moment she'd appeared "dazed" earlier? She was actually focusing—trying to read the elemental nature of the spell.
Thanks to her time training with Aris, her grasp on magic control had improved a fair bit. That included sensing magical properties, even in spells she hadn't formally learned.
And just as the spell began to form, she'd clearly felt the gathering of wind elements.
So when Professor Flitwick called her up for a demo, she hadn't panicked. She knew she could do it.
"You mean to say you managed it in one go, without a single bit of practice?" Flitwick blinked, clearly stunned.
Around the room, her classmates sat bolt upright, jaws hanging open.
Every pair of eyes turned towards Cho—and suddenly, everyone was seeing her in a very different light.
Right then, most of them were probably thinking, 'Blimey, have we had a top student in our midst all along?'
Cho had gone and left them all in the dust—clearly she'd been putting in the graft behind the scenes!
"It's not like I haven't practised at all…" Cho muttered, a little embarrassed by all the attention.
Truth be told, over the past few weeks, aside from pouring her magic into crystals, the thing she'd done most at Aris's place was tune in to the wind element—properly connect with it.
That had made her especially sensitive to the flow and pulse of wind magic.
Which is exactly how she'd managed to pull off the Flying Sand and Rock Curse so cleanly in one go.
So, saying she hadn't practised wasn't quite right.
Her practice had just looked a bit different from everyone else's.
In that moment, Cho truly grasped what Aris meant when he said that forming a bond with an element makes spell work a doddle—especially when the spell's element aligns with your own.
Soon enough, class came to an end.
Just as Cho was heading for the door, she heard Professor Flitwick call out behind her.
"Ms. Chang, a word if you don't mind?"
She paused, half-zipping her bag, and turned with a puzzled look.
"Of course, Professor!"
She quickly stuffed the last of her things away and walked over to the front of the classroom.
Professor Flitwick hopped down from the lectern and gave a quick flick of his wand.
The textbooks on his desk began to stack and sort themselves neatly—ready for him to take with him.
"You've not quite been yourself lately, have you?" he said gently, turning his gaze back to Cho.
"No, Professor… I was just… thinking about something…"
Cho mumbled, eyes downcast, unable to meet Flitwick's gaze.
"Oh?" the professor prompted gently. "Thinking about how to cast the Charm, perhaps?"
He gave her a small, encouraging smile.
"Your performance today was brilliant—truly! You caught me off guard, in the best possible way. But even so… it's clear you're not quite yourself lately."
Flitwick's tone grew more serious, tinged with concern.
"If something's troubling you, I do hope you'll confide in me. As both your professor and your Head of House, it's my duty—and privilege—to help you however I can."
By now, Cho had lifted her head. Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, her heart clenched a little. She bit her lip, hesitating.
But in the end, she shook her head and forced a smile.
"I really am fine, Professor. Thank you."
She couldn't tell him about the lab. Aris had made it clear—it was best not to let the professors in on things just yet. No telling how they'd react to their research. Might shut it all down before they'd even scratched the surface.
Over the past few days, Cho had started to understand elemental magic far better. She truly believed in its potential—just like Aris did. If they could revive and spread this lost system, it could change everything.
She didn't want to lose that chance. She didn't want to be banned from working with Aris or have their secret lab taken away.
So she kept quiet.
"Well… if you say so," Flitwick sighed, clearly not entirely convinced.
"But do remember—should anything ever come up, you can always come to me. Or any of the staff, for that matter. You're not alone."
His voice was gentle, but there was a hint of resignation in it. Pressing her further now wouldn't do any good. All he could do was leave the door open—and hope she'd walk through it when the time came.
"Thank you, Professor!"
"Goodbye!"
The moment the professor stopped speaking, Cho felt like she'd been granted a full pardon. She snatched up her backpack and made a swift exit from the classroom.
Behind her, Professor Flitwick remained standing, quietly watching her retreating figure.
After a long pause, he muttered to himself,
"I reckon I'll need to keep a closer eye on that one…"
For a while after that, life at Hogwarts returned to a state of calm.
Aris continued to spend most of his free time in the Room of Requirement, buried in research.
Whenever Cho and Hermione could spare a moment, they joined him—throwing themselves into their magical experiments with impressive dedication.
Thanks to Moss and the Elemental Magic Theory, Aris's research into elemental magic and rune circles had finally found its footing.
Elsewhere in the castle, things were oddly quiet.
Harry and Ronald were still sneaking about, investigating whatever it was on the fourth-floor corridor.
Even Malfoy and the Weasley twins had toned things down a bit, though it was hard to say whether it was genuine or if they were just wary of how tense the professors seemed lately.
It was one evening, a few days before Halloween, during supper in the Great Hall.
Professor McGonagall sat at the staff table, enjoying a warm, hearty meal.
Her sharp eyes, however, kept drifting towards the Ravenclaw table, as though she were keeping tabs on someone.
Just then, Professor Flitwick plopped down beside her.
"Watching them, too, are you?" he asked with a knowing smile.
McGonagall blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the interruption.
Upon seeing it was Flitwick, she composed herself and replied cautiously,
"I'm not quite sure what you're referring to, Professor Flitwick."
Flitwick chuckled, his eyes twinkling.
"Come now, Minerva. Ms. Cho Chang and Ms. Hermione Granger—you've noticed it as well, haven't you?"
McGonagall leaned in slightly, lowering her voice.
"So… you've seen it too?"
Flitwick nodded. "Oh, I've been watching them for weeks."
"Well, it's been going on for quite a while now," Flitwick said, his tone growing more serious. "I thought it might sort itself out with time, but clearly not. If anything, it's only gotten worse."
"Miss Granger's been drifting off in my lessons," he added with a sigh. "No clue what she's daydreaming about… And as for Cho, I've tried asking her directly, but she refuses to say a word."
After exchanging their thoughts, both professors fell into a moment of quiet.
Then, Professor McGonagall spoke again, her voice thoughtful. "Those two seem rather close to Mr. Shafiq, don't they?"
"Absolutely. Ms. Chang's practically glued to the boy," Flitwick replied, then gave McGonagall a sideways glance, a mischievous spark in his eyes. "You reckon it's a classic love triangle situation?"
"Don't be ridiculous!" McGonagall snapped, clearly caught off guard. "They're only eleven or twelve! You're letting your imagination run wild!"
"Then how do you explain their behaviour lately?" Flitwick asked, rubbing his temple wearily. "It's not exactly normal."
"I still believe this has something to do with Aris," McGonagall said, her voice taking on a firmer edge. "Has he come to you for any additional tutoring lately?"
"Not once," Flitwick answered immediately. "Has he spoken to you?"
McGonagall shook her head slowly. "Not a peep. Which is strange, isn't it?"
The two professors locked eyes, the same thought crossing both their minds.
Just what exactly has Aris been up to?
Though Dumbledore had granted him special privileges to excuse him from regular classes, and his one-on-one tutoring sessions were scheduled only when he requested them—
Neither of them had seen him for quite some time.
But this lad can't just do whatever he likes!
How's it been so long without a single tutoring session?
It's downright reckless!
"No, we need to have a proper word with those two girls— and with Mr. Shafiq!" Professor McGonagall said, teeth clenched.
"We have to get to the bottom of what he's been up to lately! If no one keeps an eye on him, he's bound to land himself in serious trouble!"
Professor Flitwick, recalling Aris's "achievements" earlier in the school year, nodded grimly.
"I'll go and have another chat with Ms. Chang…"
"And I'll speak to Miss Granger," McGonagall added.
Neither of them bothered finishing their meals. With purpose in their steps, they descended from the staff table and made their way straight towards the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables.
Meanwhile, Cho and Hermione were sitting quietly, whispering about their latest findings in the Room of Requirement. The conversation had turned to elemental theory, which they were both clearly enjoying.
Luckily, there were no other students nearby, so the chatter hadn't drawn unwanted attention—until now.
"Oh no," Cho whispered, her face stiffening slightly, "Professor Flitwick's headed this way again…"
He'd already approached her several times recently, and although she'd managed to brush him off before, this time both professors were coming, and their faces didn't look particularly cheerful.
Hermione's eyes widened. "Professor McGonagall's been keeping an eye on me, too. I've barely dared to set foot in the Room of Requirement."
She sighed, already dreading what was coming. "Looks like we're about to get grilled…"
"What do we do now?" Cho muttered, her voice low and tense.
The two young witches exchanged anxious glances as the professors closed in.
.
.
.
.
Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 118 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]