"Thank you, Grey Lady."
Sean thanked her sincerely.
The little wizards behind, confused, saw the ghost drift away and the staircase settle into place, and they surged forward like the tide.
"Sean, how did you do that?"
Amid a flurry of discussion, Michael's voice rang in Sean's ear.
Anthony and Terry perked up their ears as well.
"Hogwarts Castle was built in the tenth century, and the castle's moving staircases were designed by Rowena Ravenclaw…"
Sean paused, and the three of them immediately understood.
But in such a moment of urgency, who would think of that?
More importantly, asking for help from a ghost—Michael thought it was a joke from the prefect.
"But how did you know Grey Lady could influence the moving staircases?"
Michael asked quietly.
"I don't know, but trying is better than doing nothing."
Sean replied.
…
They still made it to the Charms classroom, and the bell rang just after they entered.
Every little wizard took their seat, faces flushed.
The classroom's seating had a unique design:
A central aisle ran down the middle, with four connected rows of seats scattered on each side.
Sean found a nearby seat and sat down next to Hermione, who had her head buried in a book.
Her side had been empty until Sean sat down, followed by Michael, Terry, and Anthony.
"You almost were late."
Hermione's muffled voice came from behind her book.
Sean nodded and cast his eyes toward the stack of books at the end of the aisle.
The professor teaching Charms was a surprisingly small male wizard, Professor Flitwick.
He had just appeared from behind the first row of seats, immediately capturing the attention of every little wizard.
Everyone curiously watched this one-meter-tall professor with his fluffy white hair and beard.
He turned, and step by step, climbed to the top of the book pile.
Eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.
Once he steadied himself, the little wizards couldn't help but laugh.
"All right, all right, laughing isn't a bad thing, is it?" Professor Flitwick seemed entirely unfazed. He adjusted his collar and continued in a relaxed voice, "Charms are a skill every wizard should learn. If a wizard cannot perform charms, what right does he have to be called a wizard?"
As he spoke, he waved his wand, and even without chanting, the books began to fly.
They swayed with the direction of Professor Flitwick's wand, sometimes growing as large as desks, sometimes shrinking to the size of a fingernail.
With a gentle flick, they multiplied into dozens, finally transforming into various animals that ran and jumped around.
Hermione looked curiously at a rabbit that ran to the front of the desk.
Then, with a loud "Bang!" all the animals vanished like fireworks.
"Cool!"
"Wow!"
Excited, surprised shouts rose from the students.
Professor Flitwick nodded with a smile.
The Charms class began in this atmosphere of excitement.
Just as Sean remembered, Professor Flitwick explained the theory of charms in a simple and clear way.
Then he began teaching the simplest charm—the Lumos spell.
"The key to a sparkling light is in the wrist motion. The pause must be decisive…"
Professor Flitwick's voice echoed through the classroom.
Everyone tried with all their effort, and most succeeded.
[You practiced the Lumos spell with Beginner level Skill. Proficiency +3]
[You practiced the Lumos spell with Beginner Level Skill. Proficiency +3]
…
The tip of Sean's wand glowed continuously.
"I did it!"
Michael practiced three times, and the tip of his wand began to shine.
Excited, he turned and happened to see Terry's wand tip emitting light as well.
As for Anthony, he seemed to have learned it beforehand and succeeded on the first try.
"All right," Michael said, pouting a little, and went to another student.
"Sean?"
[You practiced the Lumos spell with Beginner Level Skill. Proficiency +3]
"Sean?"
[You practiced the Lumos spell with experienced Level Skill. Proficiency +10]
"Huh? Didn't you hear me, Sean?"
Michael tilted his head and leaned closer.
But in Sean's mind, only Professor Flitwick's voice remained—
"If you can never release the sparkling light, you should try one method: imagine yourself in darkness, longing for light, ah, you desire light so much…"
"Longing…"
Sean murmured to himself, recalling nights in the orphanage when the power went out early and there wasn't even a candle in the room.
Back then, fugitives still hid in London, and wind and snow battered the drafty windows, making a crackling sound.
Sean lay in his bed; he wasn't afraid, but his yearning for light never left him.
"I have a wand now," Sean said, "Lumos!"
[You practiced the Lumos spell with Master Level Skill. Proficiency +300]
"By Merlin! Everyone, look at Mr. Sean Green!"
Professor Flitwick ran down excitedly from the book pile.
The entire classroom was bathed in a soft glow.
The little wizards held their breath, looking at the light at least ten times larger than normal, and at the small wizard holding his wand, his hair shining silver-white.
"Perfect Lumos! I'm giving Ravenclaw a full ten points!"
The little wizards heard Professor Flitwick say.
…
"Sean, Sean, how did you do that? Teach me, I really want to learn this." Michael chattered at his ear.
"It's emotion," Sean said seriously, "Magic comes naturally from the wizard. Its strength depends on the wizard's emotions or mental power."
"Emotions?"
Michael repeated, and behind him, Anthony, Terry, and Hermione listened in thoughtfully.
The moment they were lost in thought, Sean had already turned into the Great Hall.
Justin, as if equipped with radar, sat down beside him.
He always managed to find Sean.
Sean poked curiously at the steak-and-kidney pudding, wondering what mindset British wizards had when they invented this dish.
He ate while thinking.
Magical Theory repeatedly emphasized mental strength and emotions,
with statements like:
"When you have mastered a spell, to truly unleash its full power, you also need sufficient mental strength."
Sean thought that mental strength was probably a composite, containing both a wizard's mental capacity and emotions.
Mental capacity was likely something like willpower.
Emotions were easier to understand.
Together, these two factors were the key to advancing one's "Thought Force."
Emotions had a significant influence on magic, which was probably the most idealistic aspect of it.
Mrs. Weasley, having lost one child while needing to protect another,
was provoked by Bellatrix with Fred's death during the final battle.
In a fury, she screamed:
"You shall—never—touch—my—child—again!"
Immediately, five silent spells turned the tide and defeated Bellatrix.
At the edge of the Forbidden Forest lake, Harry, to protect Godfather Black,
shouted:
"Ex—pec—to—Pa—tro—num!"
In the next moment, an incredibly powerful Patronus expelled over a hundred Dementors.
These examples made Sean realize how powerful emotions were in magic.
"If the emotion behind Lumos is longing, then what about the Cleaning Charm?"
Sean pondered this as he subconsciously bid farewell to Justin and headed toward the greenhouse.
Huh?
Justin?
Sean turned back to look at Justin once more.