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The sound of spells echoed through the empty classroom as Hodge tried to keep everyone's performance in view, hoping for good news.
His gaze swept over Anthony, Padma, and Hermione— in his mind, these three were the most likely to succeed.
But his expression shifted when Lisa Turpin's goblet suddenly leaped into the air, shrinking under the spell's influence into a tiny, acorn-sized version of itself. Lisa stared, stunned, before hesitantly picking up the miniature goblet.
"I— I did it! Look!" Lisa exclaimed, her excitement dawning belatedly.
At her words, the others turned to look. Those who knew her were incredulous— Lisa, usually so scatterbrained, was the last person they'd expected to succeed first. And—
"It actually worked?" Michael Corner's friend Bradley muttered under his breath.
Michael had dragged Bradley and Chandace along, despite Bradley's skepticism. He hadn't believed a first-year, barely a month into Hogwarts, could teach him anything magical.
Anthony Goldstein's face was a mix of confusion and defiance. He was silently fuming— before Hodge arrived, he had been the top first-year in their house. But Hodge kept earning professors' praise right under his nose, and Anthony wasn't about to fall too far behind.
"Lisa's the first to succeed— let's see who's next!" Hodge called out, unable to hide his excitement as he clenched his fist.
He hurried over to Lisa, encouraging her, "You did amazing! Try it a few more times." Straightening up, he rallied the group, "Keep at it, everyone! You've all succeeded before— come on, while the feeling's still there!"
I've definitely succeeded before, Anthony thought rebelliously, though something felt off. He flicked his wand instinctively. "Reducio!" A flash of light followed, and his golden goblet rolled across the floor, landing with a clatter before lying still.
Hermione succeeded next, after three attempts. Hodge wasn't sure if she'd truly mastered the spell on her own.
The string of successes left Penelope stunned, not to mention the others. They began waving their wands with renewed fervor. Hodge wove through the crowd, mimicking a professor's tone as he offered pointers: "Stephen, watch your pronunciation— it's Reh-DOO-see-oh."
"Parvati— or Padma, sorry? You need to sync the last syllable with the wand's curved arc."
"Terry, you're flicking too fast— Ron, same problem."
"Bradley, don't rush!"
Harry was starting to get the hang of it. He tried twice, but each time he cast the spell, the goblet only hopped in place. If he'd been learning a Goblet-Jumping Charm, he'd have nailed it. He racked his brain for past successes, but the effort made him more nervous, and those memories slipped away like someone had installed a valve in his head. He was seriously starting to doubt Hodge's improved Calming Draught.
When second-year Chandace successfully cast the spell, a restless tension filled the classroom, as if it had replaced the smoke from the scented candles. Hodge clapped his hands decisively to pause the session.
"Time for round two! Those who've succeeded, stay quiet!"
This time, no one slacked off. Everyone closed their eyes, following Hodge's instructions.
"Take a deep breath. Focus on your body. One, two, three— feel your magic from head to toe… Now, picture stepping onto the Hogwarts Express. Who did you meet? What did you talk about? When the trolley came, what food did you pick? How did it taste? Then you arrived at school— recall your first class in detail…"
"And then, time flies…"
Harry tried to visualize it. The memories were vivid— Mrs. Weasley guiding him through the platform wall, Fred and George helping with his luggage, the train starting… Mrs. Weasley and Ginny waving as it pulled away. Then he met Ron, and they hit it off, chatting happily as time flew by… Yes, time flew. The trolley arrived, and he and Ron shared snacks. It was the first time Harry had ever shared food with someone— Chocolate Frogs… and, of course, the Chocolate Frog cards… the cards…
Harry snapped awake. He finally realized who Nicolas Flamel was.
He couldn't wait to tell Ron and Hermione. At that moment, he was beyond glad he'd come.
Harry glanced around. Ron's eyes were squeezed shut, his face flushed red, faint creases forming on his nose. He looked at Hermione, who shot him a fierce glare, silently scolding him to focus.
But Harry's mind was elsewhere. When Hodge called for another attempt, he leaned toward Hermione and whispered. Her eyes widened after a moment.
Meanwhile, Hodge paced with a piece of parchment, jotting down notes while reflecting. Of the four who'd succeeded so far, Chandace was a year above them, and Anthony and Hermione were already exceptional. That made Lisa Turpin, who was unremarkable in regular classes, an intriguing case to study.
Soon, more students succeeded.
"Nice one, Parvati! I saw your house badge."
"Terry, that incantation was spot-on!"
"Ron, your Shrinking Charm is as good as your Halloween Levitation Charm."
Ron beamed at the praise. "Thanks! Did you see— oi, Harry?" Harry was whispering with Hermione. Ron walked over, grumbling, "You two have no idea what you're missing—"
Harry yanked him over like he was a Golden Snitch.
When Hodge declared the session a success and everyone filed out of the classroom, the trio let loose, eagerly discussing their discovery. Harry and Ron's faces were flushed with excitement. Hermione, who hadn't taken the draught, laughed openly at their red cheeks, looking like a fox that had stolen a chicken.
"I can't believe it!" Harry said. "We actually figured it out."
"Nicolas Flamel's on a Chocolate Frog card. I've got, like, five hundred of them," Ron said, realization dawning. "But all we know is he's tied to Dumbledore and maybe does some alchemy. That's not much help, right— Hermione, stop laughing."
"Ahem," Hermione stifled her giggles, turning serious. "It's a huge help! We can dig into Dumbledore's life and alchemy achievements. That's two solid leads! I'm heading to the library now." She jogged off.
Harry and Ron exchanged looks. "I bet she just didn't want to keep looking at our monkey faces," Ron said, convinced he'd cracked the case.
They shifted to talking about the club. "It's pretty cool, even if I didn't get it," Harry admitted. "Maybe we should tell Neville about it. Hope Hodge is still taking people."
"Good call," Ron agreed. "Neville's a wreck in Potions. That old bat… Though Neville might need more than a couple drops of that draught."
As they chatted, a shadow loomed over them— Snape.
Oh, great, Harry thought.
Meanwhile, Hodge was oblivious to the brewing trouble and its potential fallout. He gathered his scattered parchment, cheerfully bidding everyone goodbye.
"Fourteen people, minus you and me— only Potter and Bradley didn't manage it," Penelope noted, lingering behind.
"Bradley's too impatient," Hodge said, shaking his head. As for Harry, he seemed distracted by something else.
"Either way, your findings could easily earn you a published paper. It'll stir up some buzz, especially with Waffling's theory as a hook," Penelope said, half-amazed, half-admiring. "I can't believe you managed to weave his ideas into this."
"Not yet," Hodge mumbled.
"Why not?" she asked, puzzled.
"Because I used a lot of aids for teaching. I want to simplify the process before publishing anything," Hodge said vaguely. Penelope glanced at the still-burning candles, the mirror by the cushions, the Calming Draught vials, and recalled the voice-amplifying charm he'd used earlier. She chalked it up to his perfectionism.
"Fair enough. Just a suggestion."
Hodge's good mood carried him all the way to his Potions tutoring session.
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