Kevin Hawthorne was already awake when the morning sun streamed through the high windows of Ravenclaw Tower. He blinked his gray-blue eyes, adjusting to the light filtering through the gaps in his four-poster bed curtains.
This was his first day of formal classes, with only Charms Class in the morning and Transfiguration in the afternoon on his schedule.
Kevin quietly got out of bed.
His memories as a Harry Potter fan in his previous life made everything about Hogwarts feel familiar, but being truly immersed in it, the aura of Magic still made his heart race.
He could see—or rather, his Eye of Truth could see—the subtle magical currents floating in the air, like countless translucent ribbons dancing in the morning light.
"Wesley, Fabian, Ernesto, time to get up," Kevin called softly, his voice not loud but clear enough.
A rustling sound came from the four-poster beds.
The first to react was Wesley Cruz, the boy from a Muggle family, who slowly fumbled his way out of bed, his hair a mess.
"Oh, God, what time is it..." Wesley mumbled, but when his gaze fell on Kevin's already neatly dressed school uniform, he immediately sobered up a bit. "Oh, damn, today's the first day of class!"
Fabian Bryan sat up from another bed, yawning.
This half-blood boy had healthy bronze skin and curly black hair, and he adapted to new environments with astonishing speed.
"Good morning, Kevin. Do you always get up so early?"
"I'm used to it," Kevin said with a slight smile, turning to the last bed. "Ernesto?"
Ernesto Griffiths, the only pureblood Wizard among them, slowly pulled back his dark green bed curtains.
Unlike the others, his pajamas were made of silk, embroidered with delicate silver patterns.
"I'm awake," he said coolly, his gray eyes sweeping over the other three.
After a quick wash in the bathroom, the four walked down the spiral staircase.
The castle corridors were already bustling with students, and the figures in the portraits on the walls were either still sleeping or already awake, curiously observing the new students.
"Do you know?" Kevin suddenly stopped, pointing to a seemingly dead-end corridor, "There's actually a hidden door there; knocking on the third brick three times will open a shortcut to the third floor."
Wesley's eyes widened: "Really? How do you know?"
"It's mentioned in Hogwarts: A History," Kevin told a small lie; in reality, he learned this from the Harry Potter series in his previous life, "I read a lot of books about the magical world before I started school."
Upon reaching the Great Hall, the four sat down at the Ravenclaw long table and began to enjoy breakfast, which included toast, fried eggs, bacon, grilled tomatoes, and oatmeal, as well as various fruit juices and pumpkin juice.
"Professor Flitwick is the Charms Class Professor, right?" Fabian asked while spreading butter on his bread, "I heard from the upper-year students that he's a great teacher and also our Dean."
"But he's a Goblin hybrid," Ernesto interjected, with a hint of arrogance in his tone, "However, he's said to be highly skilled in dueling."
Kevin noticed Wesley's slightly uneasy expression upon hearing this and immediately said, "Bloodline does not determine a Wizard's ability. Professor Flitwick is not only a Charms Master but also a Dueling Master, which is enough to prove his strength."
Ernesto seemed about to retort but ultimately just shrugged and lowered his head to continue his breakfast.
After breakfast, the four followed the other Ravenclaw new students to the Charms Class classroom.
The classroom was on the seventh floor of the Castle, and when they arrived, the Hufflepuff students were already seated on the left side of the classroom.
"It seems we're having Charms Class with Hufflepuff," Kevin whispered, "Let's find a seat."
They chose the middle seats on the right side.
Kevin noticed that the desks and chairs in the classroom were all shorter than normal, and on the podium was a stack of thick books, which were there to help the short Professor Flitwick reach the podium.
The moment the class bell rang, the classroom door was blown open by a gust of wind, and a small Wizard, less than one meter twenty tall, walked in briskly.
He wore a slightly oversized dark green robe, his gray hair meticulously combed, and his pointed nose and protruding chin showed his partial Goblin ancestry.
"Good morning, Young Wizards, and welcome to your first Charms Class!" Professor Flitwick's voice was surprisingly loud; he lightly hopped onto the stack of books so that his head could be above the podium.
"I am Filius Flitwick, and you can call me Professor Flitwick. For the next seven years, I will be teaching you one of the cornerstones of Magic—Charms!"
Kevin's Eye of Truth immediately captured the active magical currents around Professor Flitwick. Those translucent ribbons formed a nearly visible halo around him, and while not as vast and profound as Dumbledore's, they were much brighter and more complex than those on other students.
"Today, we will be learning a very basic but extremely important spell—the Levitation Charm, also known as Wingardium Leviosa," Professor Flitwick waved his wand, and a feather floated out of a box on the podium, gracefully dancing around the classroom.
"This spell may seem simple, but it contains the basic principles of Charms: correct pronunciation, precise wand movements, and most importantly, concentration of will."
Kevin intently observed the trajectory of the magical currents as Professor Flitwick cast the spell. In his Eye of Truth, those magical ribbons flowed from the tip of the wand, forming a specific spiral pattern that enveloped the feather. And he could see the subtle changes in the magical flow; when Professor Flitwick gave a slight flick of his wrist, the magical trajectory adjusted accordingly, making the spell's effect even more perfect.
"Now, everyone, please take out your wands, pair up, and try to make the feather in front of you float," Professor Flitwick announced, "Remember: 'Wingardium Leviosa,' the gesture is a swish and a flick, and the wrist movement should be like drawing an 'S' shape."
Kevin and Wesley were paired together, and Fabian and Ernesto were paired.
Wesley nervously gripped his wand, his hand trembling slightly.
"I... I've never tried real Magic," Wesley whispered, "Except for that time at Ollivander's."
"Relax," Kevin comforted, "Remember what Professor Flitwick said, the key is the wrist movement and pronunciation. Watch me demonstrate once."
Kevin raised his wand; he had already learned this spell during the holidays, but after seeing the magical trajectory of Professor Flitwick's casting just now, he adjusted his wrist angle, mimicking that perfect spiral pattern.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
As Kevin uttered the incantation, a wisp of silver-blue Magic flowed from the tip of his wand, precisely following the trajectory he observed. The white feather before him trembled gently, then steadily rose into the air, hovering about a foot above the desk.
Kevin could distinctly feel that this was much smoother than his previous attempts at home.
"Merlin!" Fabian exclaimed, "You succeeded on your first try!"
Nearby classmates turned their heads, and even Professor Flitwick was drawn over.
The small Professor jumped down from his stack of books and quickly walked to Kevin's side.
"Excellent, Mr. Hawthorne!" Professor Flitwick said happily, "I rarely see a first-year Young Wizard perform the Levitation Charm so perfectly on their first attempt, and your wrist movement is especially standard. Ravenclaw gets three points!"
"Thank you, Professor," Kevin replied politely, noticing Ernesto Griffiths' surprised gaze.
On the other side of the classroom, Ernesto Griffiths had also successfully made his feather float, but its height wasn't as stable as Kevin's.
"How did you do it?" Wesley asked eagerly, "My wand feels like an ordinary stick."
Kevin pondered how to explain the flow of Magic he saw.
"Try to imagine the Magic flowing out from the tip of your wand," he finally said. "It's not just a simple flick of the wand, but feeling the Magic flow like water, with a softer wrist movement, and a slight upward flick on the 'Leviosa' part."
Wesley tried again according to Kevin's suggestion; this time, his feather trembled, rose a few inches from the desk, and then fell back down.
"Progress!" Kevin encouraged, "Try again, and this time, make the final wrist flick a bit larger."
On his third attempt, Wesley's feather finally wobbled up into the air, and although not as stable as Kevin's, it did float.
"I did it!" Wesley shouted excitedly, almost jumping, which immediately caused his feather to fall back onto the desk.
"Concentrate," Kevin reminded him, "The spell requires continuous willpower to maintain."
On the other side of the classroom, Fabian was frustratedly looking at his unmoving feather.
Ernesto Griffiths stood beside him, his expression somewhat hesitant.
"Do you need help?" Ernesto Griffiths finally asked, his tone softer than usual.
Fabian nodded: "I seem to have done something wrong; my wand doesn't feel very responsive."
Ernesto Griffiths picked up his wand and demonstrated once; his feather floated again.
"See, the wrist movement should be like this..."
Fabian tried to imitate, but with little success.
Kevin walked over and observed Fabian's casting method for a while.
"Your problem is with the pronunciation," Kevin pointed out, "You're saying 'Levi/osa' instead of 'Levio/sa.' Professor Flitwick just said the emphasis should be on the second syllable. And the wand movement needs to be smoother, like this..."
Kevin demonstrated again, this time deliberately slowing down so Fabian could see every detail.
In his Eye of Truth, the trajectory of the Magic flow was clearly visible, and he adjusted his movements to be even more precise.
Fabian tried again according to Kevin's guidance: "Wingardium Leviosa!"
This time, his feather successfully floated up, though it swayed considerably, it did suspend in the air.
"Excellent, Mr. Brian!" Professor Flitwick applauded, "It seems Mr. Hawthorne has a great talent for teaching. Ravenclaw gets two points!"
Ernesto Griffiths watched this scene with a complex expression.
When Kevin returned to his side, he asked in a low voice: "How did you notice his problem?"
Kevin hesitated, then replied half-truthfully: "I observed Professor Flitwick's casting movements and the casting processes of other classmates, and I found that when the pronunciation was accurate, the feather floated more stably."
Ernesto Griffiths' tone rose slightly: "Your observational skills are indeed admirable!"
Kevin did not deny it, just smiled slightly: "Everyone has their own areas of expertise."
These words seemed to touch Ernesto Griffiths.
In the subsequent class practice, he no longer kept his distance, but actively helped Wesley and Fabian improve their spells.
When Wesley was finally able to stably suspend his feather for ten seconds, Ernesto Griffiths even patted his shoulder in congratulation.
When the dismissal bell rang, most students had made progress, at least briefly moving their feathers.
Professor Flitwick stood at the door, nodding and smiling at the departing students.
"Mr. Hawthorne, could you stay for a moment?" Professor Flitwick called out as Kevin passed by.
Kevin let his roommates go ahead and stayed behind.
Only he and Professor Flitwick remained in the classroom.
"Professor?"
Professor Flitwick looked up at Kevin; despite standing on his stack of books, his height still only reached Kevin's shoulder, and his large eyes sparkled with wisdom.
"Mr. Hawthorne, your performance is very unusual. Not only did you successfully cast the Levitation Charm on your first try, but you can also accurately point out the mistakes of other classmates... This is not something a new Young Wizard just from the Muggle world can do."
Kevin's heart quickened, but he remained calm.
"I did a lot of preparation during the holidays, Professor."
"It seems your talent is exceptional; even some Young Wizards from pure-blood families, with guidance, still don't perform as well as you."
Professor Flitwick nodded, "By the way, if you have a special interest in Charms Class, my office is always open for discussion. Now, hurry off to lunch; you have Transfiguration class this afternoon."
Kevin bid farewell to the Professor and left the classroom.
In the corridor, his three roommates were waiting for him.
"What did Professor Flitwick want?" Wesley asked curiously.
"He just asked if I had studied Magic before," Kevin replied casually. "He was a bit surprised by my performance."
"We are all surprised by your performance," Fabian said with a smile, "You're practically like a third-year student!"
Ernesto Griffiths walked at the back, looking thoughtfully at Kevin's retreating figure.
When Kevin looked back at him, he quickly averted his gaze.
The four walked towards the Great Hall, ready for lunch.
Kevin knew that this was just his first day in his long study career at Hogwarts, but it had already gone more smoothly than he expected.
More importantly, he confirmed the immense value of his Eye of Truth in Magic learning.
In the afternoon's Transfiguration class, he looked forward to observing Professor McGonagall's Magic flow, which would surely be even more exquisite and complex.