Inside the Charms classroom.
As class time approached, more and more students filed in.
Ravenclaw was the house that loved learning the most, after all. The Eagles mostly waited quietly—some even previewing the textbook ahead of time. If anyone did chat, it was just hushed whispers.
This time, they were sharing the class with Hufflepuff. Those little Badgers saw everyone else keeping it quiet and didn't make a fuss either. They sat politely in their seats, their faces lit up with excitement for Charms.
At Hogwarts, classes were usually shared between two houses.
The four houses were randomly paired up, and students only found out the day before or even on the day itself from their schedules.
According to the school's official line, it was all about fostering connections between the houses and encouraging more interaction among students.
Lucien couldn't agree with that, though.
Each house had its own vibe, and some just clashed more than others.
Yeah, I'm talking about Gryffindor and Slytherin.
Their "interactions" often boiled down to trash-talking, shoving matches, or—at their most civilized—whipping out wands for a proper duel!
Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were way better. One obsessed with knowledge, the other all about peace. The atmosphere was chill, and they got along fine with the other houses too.
"Huff huff—"
With a slightly out-of-breath pant, Terry plopped down right next to Lucien.
Lucien glanced at the clock—only ten minutes till class.
He didn't even need to ask; Terry leaned in, lowering his voice, and started right up:
"Lucien, the stairs in this school are way too weird!"
"Some move on a timer, others you gotta jump up and down three times on 'em before they'll budge, and some..."
"Oh, and hey, isn't the school bell a bit loud?"
"That thing went off and I shot straight up in bed!"
Lucien turned his head away at Terry's griping.
"Maybe the school's just worried about kids being late to class," he said.
Terry scratched his head. "You think? So the school's pretty caring, huh?"
Ding-a-ling-ling—
The bell rang.
Professor Flitwick arrived right on the dot.
This tiny professor needed to stand on a stack of books just to reach the podium.
He pulled out the roll call and started checking names in his high-pitched squeak.
Once that was done, Flitwick launched into his intro:
"You might already know me—I'm Filius Flitwick, Head of Ravenclaw and your first-year Charms professor."
"Charms is one of the most basic parts of magic."
"In this class, we'll be covering common, practical spells."
"Like the Levitation Charm."
With that, Flitwick flicked his wand, and the whole podium floated up into the air—steady as can be, without so much as rattling anything on top.
"Or a simple Colour-Changing Charm."
The podium's wooden shine turned to gleaming gold in an instant, grabbing every little wizard's attention.
"Alright, everyone, grab your wands. Today we're learning the Lumos Charm—it's not tricky. The incantation is 'Lumos'."
Lucien murmured it softly:
"Lumos."
A soft, steady glow bloomed at the tip of his wand.
This was one of the simplest charms, and Lucien had mastered it ages ago—no sweat.
With a quick mental nudge, he tweaked the flow of his magic.
The light shifted from white to blue, and then the orb even detached from his wand tip, circling his head like a playful firefly.
"Mr. Grafton, splendid work!"
Spotting Lucien's spell, Professor Flitwick hurried over.
"That's a variant of the Lumos Charm—Ravenclaw gets three points!"
Seeing Lucien nail it fired up the other young witches and wizards.
Terry, right next to him, was waving his wand like mad, muttering the incantation nonstop.
Lucien watched as white light flickered at Terry's wand tip—super bright, but it kept winking out.
The Lumos Charm was basic, sure, but with good control over your magic output, it could do more than just light the way.
Like cranking up the brightness in a flash to blind an opponent.
Or, if you could make the light orbs last longer and brighter, and maybe multiply them, you could mess with someone's vision and sneak in a spell while they're disoriented. Worth experimenting with.
Lucien let his mind wander like he always did. To him, the simplest stuff often had the most room for creative twists.
He noticed Terry's light was plenty bright, but the stability was still off.
Lucien spoke up gently: "Try picturing a steady candle flame. Keep your wand flick to about a handspan and a half, and use a light touch—like you're gently lifting an egg."
"When you say the incantation, don't rush it. Just normal speaking speed."
Following Lucien's tips, Terry gave it a careful go.
"Got it!"
Terry's light no longer flickered. In fact, it was brighter and steadier than most of the other kids who'd managed it.
"Thanks, Lucien—you nailed the explanation!"
Terry was thrilled, waving his wand around excitedly until he accidentally flashed Professor Flitwick. He sheepishly tucked it away.
Seeing Terry succeed, the kids nearby started using Lucien's method too. One by one, they conjured their own glowing orbs.
Suddenly, that corner of the room was the brightest spot in the whole classroom.
Professor Flitwick, standing not far off, watched the scene with a pleased smile.
His earlier chat with Professor McGonagall had already put Lucien on his radar as a talented young wizard.
Lucien pulling off a Lumos variant wasn't too surprising.
But hearing him give such detailed, spot-on guidance to his classmates? That brought real delight to Flitwick's eyes.
One surefire way to tell if someone's truly grasped something: see if they can explain it clearly to others.
And Lucien had nailed it—explained it brilliantly!
Flitwick had seen plenty of so-called genius students, but most had one big flaw:
They could master a spell in a flash, but couldn't for the life of them describe how they did it.
For a lot of witches and wizards, that might be fine—as long as the spell works.
But Flitwick was a teacher, a master of Charms. He believed every spell, simple or complex, had replicable steps.
Breaking down a skill into its basic building blocks and passing it on to students?
That was what made a proper teacher.
Lucien didn't just get the magic himself—he dissected it finely and taught it patiently to his peers.
To Flitwick, that was the mark of a truly gifted student.
He couldn't help but muse: "Maybe Lucien would make a pretty good teacher himself?"
In the end, the first Charms class wrapped up on a high note.
Of course, Flitwick didn't forget to award Ravenclaw two more points for Lucien's help with his classmates.
As the other kids streamed out, Lucien headed up to the podium:
"Professor Flitwick, I have a few questions about Charms. Could I pick your brain?"
Flitwick beamed. "Oh, absolutely! Got another class right after this?"
"No, Professor."
Flitwick hopped down from his book stack and beckoned to Lucien. "Well then, let's chat in my office."