A Summoner in the Wizarding World

Chapter 6: Charms

Professor Flitwick, unlike the first few movies, is a stout, bespectacled man with a black mustache. As we stepped into his classroom, he was standing on a podium of stacked books, giving off a comical and approachable atmosphere. As the class settled into their seats, the Charms professor announced with a slightly high-pitched voice:

"One of a wizard's most rudimentary skills is levitation, or the ability to make objects fly." Professor Flitwick waved his wand, after which various feathers shot out and landed on students' desks. "Uh, do you have your feathers? Good. Now, the wrist movement! Swish and flick, everyone."

At these words, professor Flitwick demonstrated using his wand, urging all to follow. Soon, the class began imitating the professor's movements, some of the slower students being poked by various wands waving around. The professor went around to correct everyone until he is satisfied before continuing:

"Very good! Wingardium Leviosa is the incantation. Long 'gar' and swift 'o', remember. Repeat after me: WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!"
As every students shouted along, professor Flitwick flicked his wand and lifted every feather in the room. Satisfied, he commanded:
"Off you go then! The first student to correctly perform gets ten for their house and one sugar mice!"

To which, Hermione pumped her fist in determination. I can almost feel her steaming excitement from a mile away.

"Wingardium Leviosa!", I muttered, turning to my own feather, which stayed stationary, mockingly.

Imagining the air blowing it upwards, I repeated the incantation. This time, the feather is lifted for a brief second before falling flat again. Figuring out the trick, I pictured the same image to try over and over.

At the moment the feather stopped touching the table, an announcement sounded in my mind:

"Wingardium Leviosa spell learnt. +20 Wingardium Leviosa. 20/50 to the next level.

Wind Magic learnt. +5 Wind Magic. 5/100 to the next level."

I figured elemental magic like wind, fire and water should be the "pure form", thus the low efficiency. Wingardium Leviosa, a basic spell with limited use, should have a low skill ceiling and would be quicker to master.

It's not that long afterwards that I'm able to perform perfectly, earning both "Ding! The spell Wingardium Leviosa upgraded to Level 2" from the voice and an admiring gaze from Hermione. Just as she is about to announce to professor Flitwick, however, I clamped my hand over her mouth in a hurry.

"I'm not sure, I felt it was a fluke just now. What if Professor Flitwick came and I'm unable to do it again?", I explained.

Seeing a reluctant nod from Hermione, I let go and went back to the feather. She also looked at it, waiting for a confirmation. This time, however, I'll try to cast using my Shadow.

Connecting with my Shadow, I felt my material sense go haywire. Without a wand, I can't straightforwardly command the feather using incantations. However, with my talent in wandless magic, it took the rest of the lesson to lift the feather again.

Wandless control, it seems, is much more intuitive and precise. As it's cast without a medium, any thought is directly transferred to the spell - I can easily make the feather spin in a perfect circle, though not precise enough to write by itself.

By then, the prize was already won by Hermione, who gave me an apologetic gaze and consoled:

"Uhm, Harry? I can share my mice with you so... Join me in the library after class okay?"

"It's alright Hermione," I laughed, "you definitely deserve it more than I do. I'll meet you at 5, and we can go to dinner afterwards?"

Hermione beamed and nodded, though puzzled as to why I didn't agree to go with her after the lesson.
_

Of course, I had to use my precious time to try out the Room of Requirement, which had to remain a secret at least until our third year. If for whatever reason Voldemort found that I knew of the Room's existence, my plan to destroy the Horcruxes would be ruined.

I hurried to the seventh floor to the tapestry of the wizard wrestling a troll and walked back and forth, thinking: 'I need a place to train, I need textbooks and target dummies'.

After the third time, an oaken door materialised in front of the empty wall.

Entering the Room, I found it slightly smaller than Charms class, filled with books of previous students that would make Hermione drool. I grabbed the closest "Standard Book of Spells" for first-years and tried out its Spells in succession.

Of those taught this year, Lumos and Alohomora I have successfully cast by the end of this session, with and without a wand. Lumos, I found, is the representative spell of the Light Magic branch, giving abundant points until I finished the first level. Afterwards, progress stagnated - which probably means I need to find a new use, something like Dumbledore's Deluminator, too complex of a magic for me at the moment.

'Nox', I thought in Shadow form, extinguishing the light as I packed the book to study by myself in the dormitory. Sparing a quick glance to check, I hurried out to meet Hermione at the library, smiling to myself that I might regret not tasting Flitwick's famous Sugar Mice.