https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-25-Bertie-Bott-s-Every-Flavour-Beans/12572123/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-27-Alchemy-and-the-Weasley-Twins/12572133/
Chapter 26: The Hover Charm
Chapter 26: The Hover Charm
For whatever reason, as people spend more time together, their relationships undergo subtle changes. Some grow closer—like Victor and his companions from the SSC; others develop a stronger enmity—a prime example being Potter and Malfoy, whose bickering had become a familiar sight at Hogwarts.
In the evening, Victor and Michael once again returned to the Ravenclaw common room just as curfew was about to start. As soon as they entered, two girls called out to Michael and led him away. It was the eve of Halloween, and the students were excitedly holding a small party in the common room. Michael was one of the few first-years invited. The upperclassmen had stocked up on butterbeer, rum, and whiskey during their Hogsmeade trip over the weekend, and now the common room was filled with a pleasant, intoxicating aroma.
Michael tried to pull Victor along, but he politely declined with a wave of his hand. Victor was not one for such gatherings, and the last time he had witnessed two not-so-familiar people passionately kissing on the sofa after having too much to drink, surrounded by cheering students who were spraying butterbeer everywhere. The whole scene had felt rather hedonistic and indulgent to him.
Despite having lived in the West for eleven years, Victor retained his reserved and modest demeanor. When it came to matters of the heart and physical intimacy, he was far more cautious than his peers.
Making his way up the spiral staircase to the dormitory, Victor found the room as neat and tidy as always. The clothes he had taken off yesterday had been washed, ironed, and neatly folded in the wardrobe.
There was also a pot of hot water on the desk, still emitting wisps of steam. Victor poured himself a cup; the temperature was just right.
The long tables at Hogwarts usually only offered various fruit juices, vegetable juices, or hot chocolate, and the students often drank plain water. Victor wasn't used to this, so he had recently started leaving a note with his dirty laundry, requesting hot water when he returned to the dormitory.
The next morning, he found a pot of steaming hot tea on his desk—the house-elves probably didn't quite understand what he meant by "hot water." Perhaps no one had ever made such a request before.
So Victor added another sentence—[Thank you for the tea. But what I want is hot water made by boiling plain water directly, without any tea leaves.]
From that day on, no matter what time he returned to the dormitory, there was always a pot of water at the perfect temperature waiting for him, and the same was true when he woke up in the morning.
It was undeniable that the house-elves contributed significantly to the comfort of life at Hogwarts.
Before going to bed, Victor placed three miniature pumpkin carriages on the table—he had made them using the Engorgio spell, and each carriage had a tiny lantern the size of a bean, emitting a soft green light, hanging in front of it.
[To: Zoe, Phil, and Habi,
Thank you for your thoughtful service all this time. These are for you as a Halloween gift.
Happy Halloween!]
...
When Victor woke up, it was already Halloween, and the entire castle was filled with the aroma of roasting pumpkins.
The pumpkin carriages on his desk had vanished, replaced by a new pot of hot water, a plate of pumpkin cookies, a bouquet of dewy fresh flowers, and a pile of beautiful pebbles the size of thumbprints.
Victor couldn't help but smile.
He didn't mind that the gifts from the house-elves were inexpensive—after all, the house-elves belonged to Hogwarts, and they owned nothing but the tea towels they wore, which also technically belonged to the school.
It was business as usual on Halloween, with a Charms class first thing in the morning. Professor Flitwick paired the students up to practice the Hover Charm. Ved and Anthony Goldstein were partners.
"Don't forget the subtle wrist movement we've been practicing!" Professor Flitwick squeaked. "Swish and flick! Remember, swish and flick! And it's very important to get the incantation right—don't end up like Wilfred Elphick, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself lying on the floor with a bison on his chest! Now, begin!"
The students started chanting in unison, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather in front of Ved immediately floated up—he had already used this spell numerous times at the umbrella shop, mostly for moving tables and chairs. Hermione and Michael also succeeded in quick succession, earning enthusiastic applause from Professor Flitwick. "Ten points to each of you—everyone!" he exclaimed.
What happened next surprised everyone even more. The feather in front of Neville trembled and wobbled, then floated unsteadily about two feet above him, like a small boat rocking on the waves.
The Gryffindors' eyes nearly popped out of their heads in astonishment. Neville had always been clumsy in every class except Professor Sprout's, and no teacher except her had ever praised him. Moreover, the Hover Charm was challenging for young wizards, and most of the feathers in the classroom were still motionless. So, seeing Neville successfully cast the Hover Charm (albeit not very steadily) was as shocking as seeing a giant dancing ballet.
"Wonderful! Wonderful, Mr. Longbottom!" Professor Flitwick screamed, bouncing with delight. "Five points to Gryffindor!"
"What? Even Longbottom got it?"
Ved heard Anthony's astonished whisper beside him. Anthony continued to cast the spell over and over, but his feather remained stubbornly still.
Anthony was a tall and sturdy boy, and while he had no trouble with the incantation, the delicate and subtle "swish and flick" movement was too difficult for him. He kept practicing, and his movements became increasingly distorted.
"Wait!" Ved grabbed his wrist as he was about to poke the back of the head of the student in front of him. "Try it like this—"
He drew a steep curve resembling a sine wave on a piece of paper, with arrows indicating the direction and annotations for where to speed up. After enlarging it with a spell, he held it up in front of Anthony and said, "Move your wand along this line without going beyond the range."
Anthony didn't question him. As fellow Ravenclaws, they both knew that Ved's Charms skills were arguably the best in their year. The blond boy silently traced the line with his wand a few times, then cast the spell—
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The feather immediately floated up and, at Anthony's command, rose higher and higher until it touched the chandelier above. Anthony stared at it in delighted surprise, almost reluctant to lower his wand.
Terry Boot and Lavender Brown, sitting on either side of them, glanced at each other and simultaneously reached for the parchment. In the end, Lavender's quicker reflexes won out, and she pulled the parchment in front of their group.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
On the right side of the classroom, more and more feathers were floating, naturally attracting Professor Flitwick's attention. Lisa Turpin had just snatched the parchment when a tiny hand reached up from below and took it away. Professor Flitwick glanced at it and smiled. "Oh, very clever guiding spell—"
(End of Chapter)
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