Chapter 22: Halloween Eve
Chapter 22: Halloween Eve
These days, Liam has been busy enhancing his strength by studying various types of knowledge.
What made him the happiest was finding the correct way to apply the knowledge from the Winter Home Industrial Manual. This book contains a wealth of information on various materials, which can clearly be very helpful for Transfiguration. As is well known, the three key elements of Transfiguration are magic power, understanding of magic, and knowledge of material properties. The information on materials in the manual has greatly improved Liam's grasp of material properties, which has helped him earn many points for Gryffindor in Transfiguration class.
Perhaps because he has been so busy—besides homework for all his classes, he also needs to find time to practice the new knowledge he gained from the Multiverse General Store—Liam was surprised to realize that he had already written nine letters to his family, one every Saturday.
One morning, Liam woke up to the smell of roasted pumpkin wafting through the castle. He knew Halloween was approaching.
(Trolls are about to be on the loose. I should be more cautious in the next few days.) As he thought about how to deal with the possible Troll incident, Liam clutched his textbooks and headed to the Charms classroom.
Professor Flitwick seemed particularly happy today, likely due to the approaching holiday and the growing festive atmosphere.
After class started, the professor announced that he believed they were ready to start making objects fly. The students had been eagerly waiting to try this skill ever since they saw Professor Flitwick make Neville's toad fly around the classroom.
Professor Flitwick divided the class into pairs for the training. Harry was paired with Seamus Finnigan, while Ron was paired with Hermione Granger.
Harry looked pleased, as Neville had been hoping to switch partners with Seamus. Liam, on the other hand, felt a bit down, as anyone would dislike having a partner who tends to cause accidents.
Ron and Hermione Granger both looked annoyed. Hermione had been ignoring them ever since Harry's broomstick arrived. Before, they might have just disliked each other, but they would still nod in acknowledgment when they met. Now, they treated each other as if the other didn't exist.
This situation made Liam and Hermione feel awkward whenever they encountered Harry or Ron after studying in the Library and returning to the Common Room.
"Alright, don't forget the delicate wrist movement we've been practicing!" Professor Flitwick said in his high-pitched voice, standing on his stack of books. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. Pronouncing the incantation correctly is also crucial—don't forget Baruffio the Wizard, who said 's' instead of 'f' and ended up with a buffalo standing on his chest while he lay on the floor."
Magic can't create food, but it can create a buffalo. Could a wizard first create a buffalo and then turn it into roast beef? Liam thought about asking Professor Flitwick about this after class as he took out his wand to start practicing.
Having practiced privately for a long time, Liam managed to make the feather fly on his first try.
"Oh, look, Mr. Liam has succeeded. And by the way, for that excellent Levitation Charm you performed in the last flying lesson, I'll award Gryffindor five points", Professor Flitwick called out in his high-pitched voice.
After that, Liam began helping Neville master the spell. In reality, as long as he didn't panic and added a bit of confidence, Neville's magical abilities weren't so bad. After repeatedly reciting the incantation and practicing the wand movements by watching Liam's demonstrations, Neville finally managed to cast the spell. Although the feather only rose a fraction of an inch off the table, it was still a start.
Without the right learning methods, most young wizards found magic quite challenging.
Harry and Seamus waved and flicked their wands repeatedly, but the feather that should have soared into the air remained stubbornly on the table. In the end, the frustrated Seamus poked the feather with his wand, and it burst into flames with a whoosh.
Fortunately, Harry acted quickly to extinguish the small fire, but this still left the surrounding students waving their hands to dispel the acrid smell of burnt feathers.
On the other side of the classroom, Ron's progress was no better.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his arms like a windmill.
"You got it wrong", Hermione said bluntly, "it's Wingardium Levio—sa. You need to draw out the 'gar' and make it clear."
Hermione had seen Liam perform this spell, so she had practiced with him before class and had already mastered it.
"Well, if you're so clever, why don't you give it a try?" Ron growled.
Hermione rolled up her sleeves, waved her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!" The feather rose from the table and floated about four feet above their heads.
"Oh, well done!" Professor Flitwick chirped, "Everyone, look! Miss Granger has succeeded! This spell isn't as difficult as you might think. Just be careful, and you can do it too."
After class, Liam ran up to the podium to ask about the buffalo. Professor Flitwick replied, "Baruffio the Wizard didn't conjure a buffalo out of thin air; he simply summoned one from elsewhere. Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration states that food cannot be conjured out of thin air, but you can summon food that already exists elsewhere."
After thanking Professor Flitwick for the clarification, Liam ran out of the classroom.
The corridor was crowded with students, making it difficult to move. Everyone could only inch forward slowly.
Liam heard Ron's voice from ahead, "No wonder everyone can't stand her. Honestly, she's like a nightmare."
Just as he finished speaking, Liam saw a brown-haired girl holding a stack of books, her head down, walk past Ron and Harry. She bumped into Harry as she passed.
The girl was Hermione, and it seemed she had been crying.
Liam squeezed his way to Harry and Ron, and he heard Ron say to Harry, "She must have noticed. Apart from Liam, who is from the same place, she doesn't have any new friends."
Liam shook his head and patted both of them on the shoulder.
"You scared me, popping up like that", Ron said.
"I think it's lacking in gentlemanly spirit to gossip about a girl behind her back", Liam said.
Harry lowered his head, looking a bit ashamed. Ron, however, asked, "What's gentlemanly spirit?"
It was then that Liam realized that magic had leveled the physical differences between men and women. As a result, the wizarding world in Britain was one of the most gender-equal places, which meant that many traditional British customs, such as gentlemanly spirit, were not as prevalent.
"Okay, what I mean is, gossiping about someone behind their back is always immoral. I think you should apologize to Hermione."
Harry and Ron nodded. Liam heard Ron mutter, "I'll apologize for your sake, but I'm really curious how you can tolerate Hermione as a friend?"
The three of them then went to their next class together.
(End of Chapter)
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