The next morning, Alvin woke up early.
The system didn't have a map function, so to avoid being late for class in the future, he decided to take advantage of the morning to familiarize himself with Hogwarts.
Throughout Hogwarts, there are countless stairs and passages, many of which can move. It's not uncommon for young wizards to get lost in the shifting staircases.
After a morning of exploration, Alvin finally figured out the stairs leading to the Charms classroom and the Great Hall for the afternoon. When he arrived at the Great Hall for breakfast, there were already many people inside.
Alvin found an empty seat and sat down to enjoy his breakfast.
Beef patties, carrot and vegetable soup—not luxurious, but enough to fill a young wizard's stomach.
If he remembered correctly, the Hogwarts kitchen was next to the Hufflepuff common room. He planned to visit the elves someday to teach them some Huaxia breakfast recipes.
Even after so many years, Alvin still missed Huaxia breakfast, with fried dough sticks, soy milk, and savory tofu pudding. With the house-elves' abilities, he believed they would learn quickly.
Honestly, Alvin felt that coming to Hogwarts was a blessing.
As a young wizard who had just entered school, there weren't many classes each day, and he didn't even have a class scheduled for Thursdays.
With house-elves cleaning the place daily, it was more comfortable than home.
While Alvin was lost in thought, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Cho and Marietta standing beside him.
"Why didn't you wait for me? You're still unfamiliar with this place, and it's easy to get lost," Cho said with a slightly resentful tone. Alvin smiled and motioned for Cho and Marietta to sit.
"I got up early, and I had nothing to do, so I went out for a walk to familiarize myself with the stairs."
"What's your class today?" Cho asked, nodding in understanding.
She then took out her wand and lightly tapped it, and a breakfast appeared on her table.
"Professor Flitwick's Charms class, and I have Astronomy on the top floor tonight," Alvin answered.
"Professor Flitwick is a master of charms, and he's very kind to his students," Cho shared with Alvin.
Marietta added, "It's said that Professor Flitwick has goblin blood and was the dueling champion in his time."
Speaking of such gossip, Marietta seemed quite excited, constantly sharing tidbits from who knows where.
Alvin was also very interested. In his previous life, he hadn't read the original books, and it had been years since he'd seen the movies. He only remembered some main storylines and knew what the yearly challenges were.
He hadn't expected Professor Flitwick to be so strong. He didn't have many scenes in the movies.
After breakfast, Alvin invited Cho for a walk. They strolled across the grass, walked along the tree-lined path, and eventually reached the Black Lake.
Alvin turned slightly to look at the girl beside him. The breeze by the lake blew her hair gently, revealing her beautiful profile.
With her upturned nose and rosy lips, Alvin found himself momentarily lost in admiration.
Cho noticed his gaze and felt shy.
Alvin gently took Cho's hand, led her to a bench, and the two sat down.
Looking at the calm Black Lake and the Forbidden Forest in the distance, and enjoying the fragrance of the girl beside him carried by the breeze, was very comforting.
Cho liked this quiet feeling too, and gradually leaned on Alvin's shoulder.
Alvin felt her head on his shoulder and gently hugged her.
Going further was not necessary.
After a while, Cho had to go to class, so the two returned to the castle.
Cho went to her class, and with nothing else to do, Alvin went back to his dormitory for a nap.
...
In the afternoon, Alvin went to the Charms classroom. This Charms class was with Hufflepuff, so he didn't see the trio from the other houses.
Some students were already seated in the front row, so Alvin went to the back and sat next to a boy.
"Good afternoon, Anthony."
The boy next to him, Anthony Goldstein, was a pure-blood wizard whose parents worked in the Department of Magical Transportation. They had a good chat on the way to the common room the previous day.
"Good afternoon, Alvin."
After the two exchanged greetings, the bell for class rang.
Professor Flitwick walked in briskly. Due to his short stature, he had to stand on a stack of books to teach the class normally.
Pulling out a roster, Professor Flitwick began the roll call. It gave Alvin the illusion of being back in college when teachers would check attendance.
The roll call was completed successfully, with no students late. Professor Flitwick put away the roster.
"Gentlemen and ladies, charms are the most fundamental part of modern magic. Wizards use spells to achieve their goals."
"Although the school has a Defense Against the Dark Arts class and a Transfiguration class, essentially, they are also part of the spell."
"Of course, the main content of our Charms class is practical spells for everyday life. For example, the Levitation Charm."
Professor Flitwick waved his hand, and the desk in front of him floated up, dancing gracefully with the movement of his wand.
"Another example, the Vanishing Spell." Professor Flitwick pointed with his wand, and the dancing lectern disappeared again.
The little wizards in the audience were very excited, eager to start learning.
Seeing that his demonstration successfully aroused the interest of the little wizards, Flitwick nodded in satisfaction. With a little tap, the disappearing desk reappeared, back to its original state.
"Next, we're going to start our first lesson, the Wand-Lighting Charm."
"The incantation for the Wand-Lighting Charm is 'Lumos.' When casting the spell, hold the wand a little tighter and then move it forward."
Professor Flitwick explained the rhythm of chanting spells and the changes in gestures when casting spells. Then, he let the little wizards begin practicing.
All the little wizards couldn't wait to start practicing. For a while, the sound of chanting spells filled the classroom.
However, many wands didn't respond, and some who progressed quickly managed to create a faint glow at the tip of their wands, but it disappeared quickly.
Alvin took out his wand and said softly, "Lumos!"
Instantly, a bright white light appeared at the tip of his wand. With a thought, the light changed, constantly shifting colors.
"Excellent, Mr. Gaunt."
Professor Flitwick walked over quickly, his tone filled with excitement.
"Mr. Gaunt, I didn't expect you to succeed on your first try and also master the variant release of the Wand-Lighting Charm."
After speaking, Professor Flitwick wiped the corners of his eyes, where there seemed to be some moisture.
"You gave a great lecture. I just read the textbook in advance and tried it a few times."
Alvin was speechless. A Wand-Lighting Charm had made the professor tear up with excitement. He wondered what kind of students Flitwick had taught in the past.