"This kind of knowledge is still a bit early for you, Mr. Potter," Professor Flitwick said with a smile.
"Leonard has already mastered the Levitation Charm—his proficiency is nearly on par with my own. Even so, it took him quite a long time to prepare before he could cast it without a wand or incantation."
He turned to Leonard, his expression inviting confirmation.
"That's right," Leonard agreed. "Even such a simple spell requires a great deal of preparation to cast this way, which makes it rather impractical in most cases."
"Then what's the point of practicing it?" Harry asked curiously.
"It helps strengthen control over one's magic and increases casting speed during normal spellwork," Leonard explained.
"Exactly. The essence of magic lies in how you channel magical energy," Professor Flitwick said, clearly pleased by Leonard's answer. "Once you master that control, learning new spells becomes twice as effective with half the effort."
Twice the result with half the effort?
Harry's eyes lit up—he was a second away from blurting out, Professor, I want to learn that!
Leonard caught that look immediately. But with Harry's shaky fundamentals, there was no way Professor Flitwick would agree to teach him something so advanced. For now, what Harry needed most was a solid grasp of basic spellwork. Magical energy control was advanced theory—learning it now would do him little good.
What Leonard didn't say aloud was that this technique also had another purpose: the element of surprise.
In the current wizarding world, most witches and wizards only guarded themselves against opponents holding wands. They tended to underestimate those who weren't.
And of course, chanting a spell out loud always drew attention.
Take, for instance, the upcoming Quidditch match incident—"Snape chanting a spell to harm Harry." If Snape hadn't been muttering under his breath so quickly, Hermione never would've suspected him of doing anything at all.
Individually, nonverbal casting and wandless magic weren't that difficult—after all, both spells and wands acted as amplifiers to help channel magical energy.
It was like riding a bicycle: letting go of both handlebars was far harder than riding with one hand.
Leonard's success was largely thanks to what Mr. Ollivander had once taught him—the importance of controlling one's magic—and to the experience he'd gained by practicing spells while deliberately limiting his own power through his wand.
Those lessons were key to learning how to guide his magic without relying on a wand or spoken words.
Casting without incantations or a wand was incredibly difficult and offered little real use. But once one grew accustomed to it, casting with just a tiny, nearly imperceptible gesture became much easier—and surprisingly practical.
Leonard snapped his fingers, channeling his magic through that single motion.
The teacup resting on the table rose once more, floating gracefully into the air without the slightest delay.
Harry gawked, his disbelief written all over his face as he looked from the teacup to Professor Flitwick.
Wasn't this technique supposed to be difficult and nearly useless? Look at Leonard—he'd done it effortlessly!
Harry didn't even notice the finger snap, but Professor Flitwick—ever the master of Charms—certainly did.
"You're a genius, Leonard," Professor Flitwick said with admiration. "Your understanding and talent are both exceptional. Your future will be nothing short of extraordinary."
"Thank you for your praise, Professor, though I can't take all the credit. My progress owes much to your teaching," Leonard replied smoothly.
"Hahaha, you're far too modest, Leonard." Professor Flitwick laughed, clearly delighted by the compliment.
Then he turned back to Harry. "As I mentioned before, the key to magic lies in the channeling of magical energy. Spells and wands are merely tools that help guide it."
Harry nodded earnestly to show he was paying attention.
"For Leonard," Flitwick went on, "casting without any aids to channel his magic is still somewhat difficult. But even the smallest, barely noticeable gesture is enough for him to use magic effectively."
"That snap of his fingers?" Harry asked, startled.
"Exactly, Mr. Potter," Professor Flitwick confirmed with a nod. "A snap of the fingers helps guide the flow of magic. While the resulting spell may not be as powerful or precise as one cast with a wand and an incantation, it offers a great advantage in catching opponents off guard. I believe Leonard will become an excellent duelist one day."
Duelist?
The word alone sounded so cool that Harry's eyes practically sparkled with envy.
"All right, Leonard, that's enough practice for today," Professor Flitwick said kindly. "You're still young—there's no need to spend all your time buried in your studies. Go out and have some fun with your friends once in a while. Don't let such a lovely day go to waste."
"Yes, Professor." Leonard nodded, stood up, and patted the absent-minded Harry on the shoulder. "Goodbye, Professor Flitwick."
Harry snapped out of his daydream and quickly added, "Goodbye, Professor!"
The two of them left Flitwick's office together. As they walked down the corridor, Harry was still lost in his imagination, basking in the cool image of being a "duelist."
"Harry? Harry!" Leonard finally had to raise his voice to pull him out of his daze before he started drooling.
"Huh? Ah?" Harry blinked and looked around, flustered at Leonard's exasperated expression. "W-what is it?"
"I should be asking you that," Leonard said helplessly. "What did you need me for?"
"Oh!" Harry suddenly remembered. "I came to invite you to Hagrid's—to see his giant pumpkins."
"What?" Leonard stared at him, as if doubting his own hearing. "See what?"
"The giant pumpkins."
"..." Leonard fell silent for a moment before replying tactfully, "Harry, you know I like to keep my time carefully planned. Unless it's something particularly important, I don't usually have time to spare…"
What he really meant was: Kid, go play on your own—I have better things to do than tag along for something so childish.
"But I think it's pretty important," Harry said earnestly. "Hagrid told me he used a Growth Potion on those pumpkins to make them that big. I figured you'd be interested, so I came to find you."
"Growth Potion? Giant pumpkins?" Leonard hesitated.
"Well, if you're not interested, then never mind." Harry shrugged. "I'll head off then…"
"Wait—" Leonard stopped him and cleared his throat. "On second thought, I don't really have anything urgent right now. I'll come with you."
Harry gave him a puzzled look but didn't question it.
He just thought to himself, Huh. I didn't expect Leonard to be this fickle after all.