Just as Professor Flitwick had said, the Wand-Lighting Charm was a very basic spell.
Once the students learned the incantation and the proper wand movement—along with a few tips from Flitwick—they quickly got the hang of it.
The classroom sparkled with points of starlight, flickering here and there. To make the effect more visible, the professor even thoughtfully drew the curtains.
A bright orb of light shone steadily from the tip of Wayne's wand—moderately bright, with a stable glow.
It didn't flicker like the other young wizards' lights.
"Very good, Mr. Lawrence. Hufflepuff, two points," Professor Flitwick said as he walked over, offering praise.
But he didn't seem too excited.
After all, the Wand-Lighting Charm was incredibly simple. With just a bit of practice, anyone could master it. Flitwick merely noted Wayne's light was large, round, and long-lasting, so he awarded a couple of points as encouragement.
Hermione shot Wayne a sideways glance, raised her chin, and gave a cold "hmph" before chanting the spell herself.
Her wand lit up—but the light wasn't as large or steady as Wayne's. It was overly bright, almost glaring.
When the little witch tried to tone down the brightness, her lack of magical control caused the spell to fizzle out entirely.
Pffft.
Wayne couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you laughing at? So what if you're a little more practiced than me?" Hermione huffed, annoyed, and tried the spell again.
But this time, her result was even worse. Her wand only flashed once before going dark.
"Stay calm. Only with a steady mind can you cast steady spells," Wayne said wisely. Then, with a small smile: "So, Miss Granger, care to explain what I did to make you mad?"
Hermione replied sourly, "Why do you care what I do? Go find your Ravenclaw senior girl."
Wayne was full of question marks.
First off, he'd only exchanged a few words with Cho, and somehow Hermione had witnessed that. What were the odds?
Second… what was with her tone? Little witch, we don't even have anything going on yet.
"Wait…" Hermione quickly realized her tone had been off and tried to explain:
"The first time we met, all you wanted was to scam money out of me. But with that Ravenclaw girl, you…"
"What do you mean scam money?" Wayne looked around and saw Professor Flitwick had walked off to the far end of the room. He breathed a little easier. "I was doing a good deed!"
"Knowledge is priceless. You got to read a week's worth of books for just two Sickles—tell me that's not a bargain."
"It was… quite a bargain," Hermione admitted instinctively with a nod.
But something still felt off to her.
"Exactly," Wayne said. "I lent you those books only because I saw how much you love learning—cost me dearly."
"I can promise you, if Cho had asked to borrow them, I wouldn't have lent her a thing."
With another wave of smooth talk, Hermione unconsciously began to smile—completely unaware that Wayne had just casually referred to Cho by her first name.
Throughout the whole double period, the young witches and wizards were busy practicing their spells. Toby came over with a look of frustration.
"Wayne, do you have any idea how I can make the light steady? Mine's flickering like a police siren—it's blinding me."
"Well…" Wayne thought for a second. "Just imagine that what you're holding isn't a wand, but a torch. Focus on that thought."
Toby nodded thoughtfully and went back to his seat.
"What did Wayne say?" Norman asked.
The two had the same problem: constantly flashing lights—one looked like a police car, the other like an ambulance.
"He said to imagine that you're holding a torch instead of a wand. Just focus on that."
"Alright, I'll give it a go," Norman said, raising his wand high with great determination and shouting:
"Lumos!"
BOOM!
Light appeared—firelight.
A long snake of flame burst from the tip of his wand, startling Professor Flitwick, who hurriedly summoned a stream of water to put it out.
A genius.
Wayne was awestruck. His roommate was definitely no ordinary student. Chanting Lumos and somehow casting a fire spell instead?
In a battle scenario, this guy would be an absolute menace.
"Mr. Sherlock, Mr. Lawrence's advice was correct," said a still-shaken Professor Flitwick. "But don't get too excited—it's holding a torch, not throwing one!"
Even the professor had been rattled by the sudden inferno. Fortunately, the wand had been pointing upward.
If he had aimed at a person, Madam Pomfrey in the infirmary would've started complaining again.
After giving a couple more reminders, Professor Flitwick resumed patrolling the classroom, helping the young wizards master the spell.
He had thought Norman was already bad enough—who would've guessed worse was yet to come?
"Mr. Finnigan, loosen your grip a little—your wand is about to snap."
"When chanting the spell, you need to pause. Lumos~~Maxima. Remember that rhythm."
No wonder Professor Flitwick had won "Hogwarts' Most Popular Professor" for sixteen consecutive years.
He was patient, had a great temperament, and gave students plenty of hands-on practice. Of course everyone liked him.
Seamus, who had been nervous moments ago, relaxed significantly under Flitwick's calm guidance.
With renewed confidence, he raised his chin and waved his wand like a conductor's baton, drawing an elegant arc.
His desk mate Neville watched with anticipation, and even Professor Flitwick gave him an encouraging nod.
"Seamus…"
Wayne's brows furrowed. A sense of dread crept into his chest.
Oh no, wasn't this the explosive genius?
He and Hermione were only one desk away from Seamus and Neville, with Norman and Toby seated between. The moment he heard Seamus start chanting, Wayne's bad feeling intensified.
"Lumos~~Maxima!"
"Duck!!"
Without thinking, Wayne grabbed Hermione, yanking her down. The small witch lost her balance and tumbled right into his arms.
Almost simultaneously—
BOOM!
A deafening roar exploded in everyone's ears as a massive blast engulfed the Charms classroom.
More than a dozen girls shrieked in terror, their screams nearly rupturing eardrums.
At the epicenter of the blast, Seamus and Neville's faces were covered in soot, their hair puffed out like explosive afros. Professor Flitwick, thanks to his short stature, miraculously escaped serious harm.
However, being closest to the explosion, his ears were temporarily deafened.
Hiccup~!
Seamus hiccupped and puffed out two smoke rings. His eyes sparkled with excitement, completely unaware of his own condition.
"Professor, did you see that? It lit up just now!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Professor Flitwick shouted.
"I SAID—IT—LIT—UP!"
Flitwick stumbled backward and nearly fell.
"Very good," he said dryly. "Just… don't say it again."