[Third Person POV]
While Harry and his group of friends joined Hagrid in his hut for tea and a small celebration, Arthur and his friends decided to hold their own feast inside the Room of Requirement.
The magical room had transformed itself into a cozy dining hall that rivaled the Gryffindor common room. A long wooden table stretched before them, laden with steaming dishes of roasted meats, trays of pies, bowls of mashed potatoes, and pitchers of pumpkin juice.
Gwyneth, her cheeks adorably puffed out from being filled with food, glanced at Arthur between bites. She chewed, swallowed halfway, and then asked through a muffled voice, "Shouldn't you be with your teammates celebrating your win right now?"
Arthur, who was feeding scraps of meat to Cosmo and Sylvia as they sat obediently at his side, shook his head. "Not really. From what Fred and George told me, we celebrate however we want after a match. Their exact words were, 'No one knows the best way to reward yourself after a victory better than yourself.'" He smirked faintly.
"Besides, most of the team stayed behind with Alicia after we visited her in the hospital wing. They were worried about her. So in the end, we were told to do our own thing."
Lance leaned forward, raising an eyebrow curiously. "So this… this right here is how you want to celebrate your victory? A private feast with us?"
Arthur gave him a look that was both sincere and a little teasing. "Why not? I've got good food and friends who actually want to celebrate with me. What more could I possibly need or want?"
Lance and Gwyneth both turned slightly red at that, exchanging shy smiles with one another, while Merlin dramatically rolled her eyes as if the sweetness of the moment was physically painful.
"To Arthur and his victory!" Gwyneth suddenly exclaimed, lifting her golden cup with both hands. Her smile bright.
Lance chuckled and raised his goblet as well. "To Arthur and his victory!"
Merlin sighed, but she lifted her drink too, smirking. "To Arthur."
Arthur covered his face with one hand, embarrassed, his cheeks flushed pink. "Okay, now you're all just trying to embarrass me."
The others laughed, their voices echoing cheerfully through the warm glow of the magical hall.
---
The next day, after classes had finished, the group once again gathered inside the Room of Requirement. This time, however, it was noticeably emptier.
The long table had been cleared of food, replaced instead with desks and parchment.
But Harry, Hermione, and Ron were nowhere to be seen.
"Where are the other three?" Lance asked, glancing around the room with a frown. It felt strange with only their smaller group present, before it was expected but now it was strange to see them.
Arthur was already seated, idly shuffling through sheets of parchment. "They couldn't make it today. They're buried in the library researching something." He gave a small shake of his head. "So I suppose that means you two are my only students today."
Merlin leaned closer, lowering her voice as though sharing a secret. "Aren't you going to help them? You know exactly who they're trying to find—not to mention you know him personally."
Arthur gave a nonchalant shrug, then snapped his fingers with a faint popping sound. "Nope. They didn't ask me, so I'm not about to volunteer the answer. Besides…" He leaned back in his chair, smirking mischievously. "…it'll be much sweeter once they realize they've spent days—maybe weeks—searching, only to discover the answer was standing right in front of them the whole time. The adopted grandson of their target, no less."
Merlin clapped a hand over her mouth, giggling. "Hehehe, I like it. Their reaction is going to be priceless~."
Gwyneth and Lance exchanged looks, both blinking at the way Arthur and Merlin were huddled together, chuckling like conspirators. Gwyneth raised her hand hesitantly, as though in class. "Question—if Ron and Harry aren't here today, doesn't that mean they've already lost the wager you made with them?"
"Not necessarily." Arthur shook his head, spreading several parchment sheets across the desk in front of them. Merlin waved her wand, summoning bottles of ink and setting quills upright beside them.
"The wager was that if they learned something, anything, it would count as their victory. They don't have to attend every session for that. Most of what I've been teaching them has been about runic language—something they can learn on their own if they put the effort in. Hermione's already taken an interest and I spoke with her briefly—she'll keep them on track."
"I see… and what are these for?" Gwyneth asked, eyeing the neat stack of blank sheets like they were about to betray her.
"Believe it or not," Arthur began with a grin, "you two are the most advanced in our little class. Lance, because you had lessons from your mother, and you, Gwyneth, because you had lessons from Mer-lynn. So we're moving into the practical side—creating magic circles."
Gwyneth blinked at him, cheeks puffing. "Arthur… I've only been learning from Merlin for, what, two months? Do you seriously think I understand runes enough to make a magic circle of my own?"
Arthur tilted his head innocently. "You can't? But… Mer-lynn's your teacher."
"So?!" Gwyneth squeaked, throwing her hands up. "I only recognize a few symbols here and there, I'm nowhere near close!"
Merlin pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh. "Arthur, you really need to understand not everyone picks things up like you. Gwyneth is talented—very talented, actually—and a quick learner by normal standards. But you? You're a monster. You can't expect everyone to keep pace with you."
Arthur shifted uncomfortably, scratching the back of his neck. "Ah… my bad. Didn't really consider that."
He cleared his throat and straightened, trying to look serious again. "Alright then, change of plan. What you two need most is hands-on experience. So instead of building one from scratch, you'll copy one."
He wheeled over the movable chalkboard, chalk flying across it as he quickly sketched out a complex circle. "This is a Tier 2 magic circle. Your task is to replicate it exactly. Doesn't matter if you don't understand the runes yet—if you reproduce it perfectly, it'll work. Precision is today's lesson."
Lance raised a hand, skeptical. "And what does it do? Will we be finding out the hard way?"
"Nope, I'll show you." Arthur smirked, turning toward them with one palm extended. A circle identical to the one on the board shimmered into existence in his hand.
[2nd Tier Magic: Smokescreen]
A thick cloud of white smoke exploded outward, swallowing him in seconds. The silhouette of his body warped into shadow, then vanished completely into the fog.
"If you copy it perfectly, this should—" his voice echoed faintly from within, "—be your result. So! Get to work, my precious students, you have much to learn—Cough! Cough! Too much smoke! Cough! Mer-lynn, Cough!! help!"
Arthur was hacking and waving his arms uselessly, trying to clear the smoke. Merlin rolled her eyes but swished her wand, clearing the room in an instant.
The students sat frozen, lips twitching as they tried not to laugh.
Arthur straightened, brushed off his robes like nothing happened, and flashed his most professorly smile. "And that, of course, is the proper effect of your magic circle."
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