Arriving at the entrance hall, Karl found Nina and Cho already waiting by the marble staircase.
Perhaps because he was late, Cho was squatting on the ground studying the texture of the marble, while Nina was leaning against the banister, twirling her wand.
"Good morning!"
"I think it's not morning anymore!"
Ignoring Cho's sarcasm, Karl quickly helped them introduce each other.
"Nina Goldstein, Cho Chang, Ravenclaw first years; Cedric Diggory, Summers, Hufflepuff second years."
After they got to know each other, they decided to determine the locations of the seven compulsory classrooms first.
Naturally, Summers led the way, Cedric and Cho walked in the middle, and Karl and Nina followed behind.
Summers: (￣_,￣)
Don't know why, even though there were five people together, he always felt like he was a bit redundant.
...
"Compared to yesterday, you seem a bit different."
Nina looked at Karl carefully, her eyes filled with curiosity and surprise.
"You can tell?"
Karl patted his chest and brought out Fire Treasure to show her, "Let me introduce you to a new friend, my partner."
"Ji?"
Fire Treasure looked at Karl blankly. It was sleeping; why call it out?
"My god! This is simply a miracle! How did you do it?"
Nina's eyes widened instantly, and she froze in place.
"Is it that surprising?"
"Is this a Spirit of Nature? No, that's not right, it's not just the power of nature, there's something else..."
Nina reached out to poke Fire Treasure, making it laugh.
Then, a scene that surprised Karl occurred: Fire Treasure took the initiative to jump into Nina's palm and waved its hands happily.
"Ji~"
Karl understood what Fire Treasure meant; it felt a rich natural aura coming from Nina.
"You..."
"Shh~"
Nina winked at him and handed over a Chocolate Frog card.
Karl took the card and looked at it. The character was Cliodna; he remembered Harry getting this card on the express train.
Cliodna was a famous Irish Druid in the Middle Ages and was also an Animagus who could turn into a seabird.
Wait! Natural aura... Druid...
Friend, do you have to be so mysterious!
"Nina, Karl, what are you doing?" Cho, who had walked quite a distance ahead, shouted at the two of them.
"Coming, let me introduce you to a cute little friend."
Nina held Fire Treasure in one hand and pulled Karl with the other as she chased after them.
So, for the rest of the time, it became Karl, Cedric, and Summers walking in front, while Nina and Cho played with Fire Treasure in the back.
Cedric turned his head to look at Cho from time to time, wanting to say something but unable to, so he could only look at Karl speechlessly.
Karl:...
Don't look at me!
I don't want this either, big brother!
...
On Monday, the Hufflepuff first years had classes in the morning, but not until after eleven o'clock.
So Karl slept until ten-thirty again, then dragged his two roommates to the Great Hall.
Except for weekends and nights, Hufflepuff students didn't go to the kitchen at other times.
Although it was convenient, the enthusiasm of the House-elfs was always overwhelming.
Karl met Cedric and Summers in the Great Hall. They were covered in mud and didn't look like they had just woken up.
"What have you been doing?"
"Just finished Herbology Class, and then helped the Dean tidy up the classroom."
Summers looked at Cedric with disdain and directly exposed his lie.
"We finished class long ago. He insisted on dragging me to wait for the Ravenclaw and Slytherin first years to finish their class."
Karl: (¬_¬)
Cedric's face turned red immediately, and he stammered about respecting teachers and loving labor, which made everyone burst into laughter, and the Great Hall was suddenly filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
After breakfast, Karl, Shabi, and Stebbins rushed out of the Great Hall and headed straight to the Charms Class classroom on the fourth floor of the Castle.
Only Hufflepuff first-year students were in this class, and everyone had arrived.
Professor Flitwick, standing on a stack of books, greeted them enthusiastically, and the class began soon after.
After taking attendance, he read the definitions and classifications of Charms with everyone, and then began to teach the Softening Charm.
This was a very simple spell, and many Little wizards who had practiced during the holidays succeeded in casting it.
After class, Karl stayed in the classroom, looking at Professor Flitwick with anticipation.
"Mr. Karl O'Laughlin, is something the matter?"
"Professor, I have some questions I would like to ask you."
"I would be delighted!"
Karl turned his notebook to the dog-eared page, "Professor, what influence do silent casting and wandless casting have on performing Charms?"
Professor Flitwick smiled immediately; too many Little wizards had asked him this question.
"You want to ask what influence it has on dueling, right?"
Karl scratched his head embarrassedly, "That's right, after all, you are the champion of the Dueling Championship!"
Hearing this, Professor Flitwick immediately perked up, and the more he looked at Karl, the more he liked him.
"Hahaha! That was all in my younger days!"
He looked at Karl with some emotion, recalling the past; he was also eleven years old then...
"Both silent casting and wandless casting represent a Wizard's mastery of Charms reaching a very high level."
"But for dueling, silent casting is more helpful, as it will give you the advantage."
"Of course, except for certain... Charms that have high requirements for emotions and intent."
Karl understood instantly, like Avada Kedavra, Expecto Patronum, or Finite Incantatem—the louder you shout, the better it feels.
"And wandless casting is used more in situations where it is inconvenient in daily life, or in special cases where the wand is not around."
"After all, under normal circumstances, even a powerful Wizard like Headmaster Dumbledore would not choose to fight an enemy empty-handed."
"Karl, do you know the significance of a wand to a Wizard?"
After serious thought, Karl gave his answer: "Better communication and mastery of magic, casting more stable and powerful Charms."
Professor Flitwick slapped the table happily, "Exactly! That's it!"
"When a Wizard uses a suitable wand or certain special wands, it will make the Charms more powerful."
Like the elder wand? Karl remembered this thing seemed to have a great boost for Wizards.
Recalling Professor Flitwick's teaching, Karl summarized: "Usually practicing silent and wandless casting can improve proficiency in Charms, but when dueling, one should still use silent casting with a wand."
"Karl, there is another very important point."
Professor Flitwick asked again: "Do you know what the four main conditions for successfully casting a Charm are?"
Karl remembered this question clearly, "wand movement, incantation, focus, and intent."
"Correct. When dueling, not only must your intent be firm and your focus maintained, but simplifying wand movements is also key."
Professor Flitwick flicked his wand, and the table next to Karl instantly broke into pieces (Diffindo).
Then he pointed lightly again, and the wood scattered on the ground restored back into a table.
"See that? Simplification and silence can speed up casting and improve dueling ability."
Karl leaned back tactically; is this the gold content of a dueling champion and Charms master?
"Thank you, Professor!"
"It's my duty, it's my duty!"
Flitwick waved his hands with a smile, then suddenly changed the subject, his tone full of anticipation.
"I can also tell you about my experience participating in the Dueling Championship back then, do you want to hear it?"
Karl:...
Fine! This is a rare experience from an expert!