The next morning, just after sunrise, Alex was already up and moving.
Thanks to his useless system lacking a basic map function, he'd decided to spend his free morning exploring the labyrinth that was Hogwarts. With so many shifting staircases, secret passages, and vanishing doorways, it wasn't unusual for younger students to spend half the day getting lost just trying to find their class.
By midmorning, he'd at least figured out the main routes to the Charms classroom and the Great Hall. Not bad for a first-year with zero magical GPS.
When he arrived at breakfast, the hall was already filled with students chatting and munching on toast. Alex found an empty seat and began eating quietly. Beef pies and carrot-vegetable soup. Nothing fancy, but enough to keep a growing wizard like him energized.
He couldn't help but sigh, though. Hogwarts' kitchen was efficient, yes — but the food was hopelessly British.
One of these days, he swore he'd sneak down to the kitchens, find the house-elves, and teach them some proper Chinese breakfasts. Youtiao, hot soy milk, savory tofu pudding. If anyone could master the art of making dim sum overnight, it was house-elves.
Honestly, Hogwarts felt less like a school and more like a vacation. As a new first-year, his schedule was light, and he even had Thursdays off entirely. The house-elves kept his room spotless, his clothes clean, and there was food at every turn. Compared to home, this place was a dream.
Lost in thought, he didn't even notice someone approaching until a gentle hand tapped his shoulder.
He looked up to see Cho standing there, with Marietta beside her.
"You didn't wait for me," Cho said with a slight frown, her tone just shy of a pout. "You're still new. It's easy to get lost here."
Alex smiled sheepishly and motioned for them to sit down.
"I got up early, didn't really have anything to do, so I went out and explored a bit. Figured I should learn the staircases before they eat me alive."
"What classes do you have today?" Cho asked, taking her wand out and giving it a light tap. Her breakfast appeared on the table in front of her, hot and ready.
"Charms with Professor Flitwick. Astronomy class later tonight, on the rooftop observatory."
Cho's eyes lit up. "Professor Flitwick's amazing. He's a true master of Charms, and he's really kind to his students."
Marietta added from the side, clearly excited to contribute. "He's also part-goblin, apparently. And rumor has it, he used to be a dueling champion back in the day."
Alex raised a brow at that. He hadn't known that part. Back in his previous life, he never read the books and barely remembered the movies, only the major story beats. Flitwick being a beast in combat had definitely slipped under his radar.
After breakfast, Alex invited Cho for a walk.
They strolled together past the lawns, down a sun-dappled path, until they reached the Black Lake. The breeze rolled across the water, rustling Cho's dark hair like silk ribbons in the wind.
He turned to look at her. Her side profile was calm and elegant — delicate nose, soft lips — and for a second, he forgot everything else. The world fell away.
Cho caught his gaze and looked down, flustered.
Alex gently reached for her hand. She didn't pull away. They walked like that until they found a bench near the water. Sitting down, they stayed close — saying little, simply watching the lake and the dark edges of the Forbidden Forest beyond it. Her shoulder eventually came to rest against his, and he instinctively wrapped an arm around her.
Nothing more happened. Just quiet warmth. A moment of stillness before the storm of classes and spells.
Eventually, Cho had to head off for her class. They walked back together, parted ways at the castle, and Alex, with nothing better to do before his afternoon class, decided to head back to his room and catch up on sleep.
...
By afternoon, Alex made his way to the Charms classroom. Today's lesson was held with the Hufflepuffs, so he didn't spot Harry, Ron, or Hermione around.
He slid into a seat in the back row, next to a boy with neatly combed hair and sharp eyes.
"Afternoon, Anthony."
"Afternoon, Alex."
Anthony Goldstein was a pure-blood wizard whose parents worked for the Department of Magical Transportation. They'd hit it off yesterday on the way back to the common room.
As the last students filed in, the bell rang and Professor Flitwick entered with a spring in his step — quite literally. The diminutive professor climbed onto a stack of books so he could see over the lectern.
He pulled out a roll of parchment and began to call names, taking attendance with meticulous care. Alex couldn't help but feel like he'd been thrown back into university again.
Once everyone was accounted for, Flitwick set the parchment down.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Charms is the very cornerstone of modern magic. With charms, we shape the world around us, bending reality to suit our will."
He glanced around with bright, eager eyes.
"While Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration may seem like separate disciplines, they are all — at their heart — forms of Charms. In this class, we will focus on spells that serve us in daily life. Practical magic. Like the Levitation Charm."
With a flick of his wand, the desk in front of him lifted off the ground and began to pirouette in midair, twirling like it was enchanted by music only it could hear.
"And, of course, the Vanishing Spell."
With a quick motion, he tapped the twirling desk — and it vanished instantly.
The classroom erupted in gasps and whispers.
Flitwick smiled, satisfied by the reaction. Another flick, and the desk reappeared, as still and ordinary as ever.
"Now, let's begin today's lesson. The Wand-Lighting Charm."
"Repeat after me — Lumos. Grip your wand firmly and gesture forward like so…"
He demonstrated the precise movements and intonation, coaching them on rhythm and posture. Then he stepped back.
"Go on, now. Try it yourselves!"
Immediately, the classroom filled with chanting voices.
"Lumos! Lumos! …Lumos!"
Some wands flickered faintly, some didn't react at all. A few students managed to summon a dim glow, but it fizzled quickly.
Alex pulled out his wand, exhaled, and murmured, "Lumos."
A brilliant white light burst from his wand tip. He twisted it slightly, and the light shifted — glowing, pulsing, changing from white to blue to green and back again.
Gasps echoed around him.
Professor Flitwick zipped across the classroom, eyes wide with delight.
"Wonderful! Astounding, Mr. Gunter!"
He sounded almost emotional.
"To not only succeed on your first attempt but to alter the charm's properties on instinct — remarkable!"
Alex offered an awkward smile. "I, uh… just read the textbook early. Tried a few times before class."
He had no idea why Flitwick looked like he was about to cry over a flashlight spell.
Still, it wasn't a bad feeling. First class of the year — and he'd already made an impression.
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