Charms class.
The professor teaching this course was the Head of Ravenclaw House—Filius Flitwick.
Professor Flitwick was so short that he had to stand on a stack of books during lessons just so all the students could see him. But don't let his stature fool you—he was a master of Charms and had once been a Dueling Champion in his youth. With his level of skill, he was more than qualified to teach Charms, not to mention lead a Hogwarts house.
Simply put, he was a powerful and highly respected wizard...
Class had just been paired off, and all the young wizards were now sitting in twos.
For reasons unknown, Professor Flitwick always grouped the students randomly during Charms.
This time, Pansy ended up partnered with Draco, which gave her the perfect opportunity to practice spells while whispering quietly to him.
Because of that, Charms quickly became Pansy's favorite class.
"You noticed too, didn't you?"
"Yeah, it's impossible to miss. Gryffindors are terrible at hiding their emotions."
Today's gossip revolved around Hermione's rather miserable situation.
Honestly, it was hard not to notice what was going on with her...
...
Probably due to Ron's abysmal performance in Charms, Professor Flitwick had forcibly paired Ron Weasley with Hermione, likely hoping that the top student could help him catch up.
In fact, if House boundaries hadn't been an issue, Flitwick might've partnered Ron with Draco instead.
Flitwick had definitely heard about Draco's impressive use of the Levitation Charm during flying class.
In any case, putting Hermione and Ron together turned out to be a bad idea...
As a result, Ron was even more irritable than usual.
Hermione, for her part, wore a frosty expression and clearly had no intention of speaking to him.
The tension between them was obvious not only to the Gryffindors, but also to the Slytherins, who kept sneaking glances in their direction.
Naturally, Draco noticed as well.
But...
"Why's she glaring at me? Do I have something on my face?"
Draco, who found himself on the receiving end of Hermione's glare for no apparent reason, gave a puzzled tug at the corner of his mouth and touched his face.
Come on, it was that little—ahem—Professor Flitwick who put you two together. What's it got to do with me...
Fortunately, Hermione, who always took class seriously, quickly pulled herself together. She looked away from Draco and turned her attention back to Professor Flitwick.
She probably didn't even know why she was mad at Draco in the first place.
"Alright, don't forget the subtle wrist movement we've been practicing!"
"One flick, one swish—remember, flick and swish!"
Every time he reached a critical point, Professor Flitwick's voice would sharpen dramatically, as if worried the students' attention might wander.
"Correct pronunciation of spells is just as important!"
"Never forget the wizard Baruffio—he said 'f' instead of 's' and ended up flat on the floor with a wild bull standing on his chest!"
His words didn't draw laughter from the class. Instead, wary eyes turned toward Neville, and his partner looked on the verge of tears.
Because, based on past experience, something like that could very well happen to Neville...
In reality, for students just beginning to learn Charms, casting spells wasn't nearly as simple as they imagined. They had to control their magic while simultaneously managing the wrist movement of their wand—it all took time to master.
So most students failed.
Even Harry Potter's partner managed to set their feather on fire, and Harry had to frantically beat out the flames with his own hat...
"So... it's really not that easy after all."
Looking toward the Slytherin side, Harry murmured to himself, frustration etched on his face.
He suddenly remembered how Draco Malfoy had used this exact charm when saving Neville—and had pulled it off flawlessly.
Harry knew full well there was a massive gap between practice and real-world use.
Still, he was also just a first-year.
And yet, he couldn't even make a feather budge—let alone lift an actual person...
…
If Harry was beginning to question whether he had any talent for magic, then Ron—who had yet to succeed even once—was consumed entirely by frustration and anger.
It didn't help that Hermione, seen by all the professors as the model student, was watching him with a critical look. That only made Ron's mood worse...
"Wingardium Leviosa! Wingardium Leviosa! Wingardium Leviosa!"
The more agitated he became, the less he was able to concentrate, and the worse his spellcasting got. Ron flailed his wand like a windmill, completely unaware that his lack of calm was sabotaging his efforts.
To make matters worse, his old wand kept letting out strange sounds, making Draco seriously doubt whether that thing could perform any spell properly at all.
Hermione, who understood the reason behind Flitwick's pairing choices, felt it was her duty to correct him.
"You're saying it wrong—it's 'Wingardium Leviosa.' You need to draw out the 'gar' clearly. And that's not how you wave your wand either."
Hermione's tone was matter-of-fact, without a hint of arrogance or mockery. She wasn't trying to belittle him.
But that usual air of confidence she carried made it easy for Ron to assume she was flaunting her knowledge, maybe even looking down on him...
"If you're so great, then do it yourself!"
Ron threw down his wand and glared furiously at Hermione Granger, clearly annoyed.
In contrast, Hermione remained unfazed by his outburst. She simply glanced at him, then gave her wand a light, graceful wave.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
That proud little face.
That crisp, clear voice.
That elegant, confident execution of the charm—this was the real brilliance of Hermione...
...
Ron, who had let his anger blind him to Hermione's talent, ended up thoroughly humiliated by her flawless Levitation Charm.
Especially when Professor Flitwick began to shower her with praise.
"Oh, excellent work!"
"Everyone, look—Miss Granger has done it!"
Hermione's feather was now floating gracefully above everyone's heads.
It was clear that, while not quite on Draco's level, Hermione was still well ahead of most of the class.
She didn't say a word, nor did she look at Ron.
But Ron, watching it all, felt his face flush an even deeper red than his fiery hair...