He hesitated before adding, "I don't suppose failing to cast a proper Patronus would get me labeled as a natural Dark wizard?"
"Hmm? What spell?" Professor Flitwick's curiosity was piqued.
"The Patronus Charm."
Ian's words brought an abrupt silence.
"You're learning which charm?" Professor Flitwick blinked in astonishment, momentarily unsure if he had misheard.
"The Patronus Charm," Ian repeated matter-of-factly.
Professor Flitwick remained speechless.
After a beat, he cleared his throat. "Is this about the rumors regarding a Dementor being kept within the castle? Are you feeling unsafe?" He clearly thought he had deduced Ian's motivation.
Ian shook his head. "Professor, I'm not actually worried about the Dementor. I'm just frustrated that I can't manifest a corporeal Patronus."
"????"
Professor Flitwick had initially assumed Ian was merely dabbling in theory. But… could someone please explain what he meant by "frustrated that I can't manifest a corporeal Patronus"?
You're a first-year!
Unlike Severus Snape, Flitwick lacked the composure to mask his astonishment. He gawked at Ian, quickly setting his books aside as he pressed for clarification.
"Are you telling me you can already cast the Patronus Charm?"
His mind reeled at the sheer improbability of it.
In response, Ian merely raised his wand and, without hesitation, incanted, "Expecto Patronum!"
His pronunciation was flawless, his wand movement textbook-perfect. Before the silver light had even fully materialized, Professor Flitwick had already drawn in a sharp breath.
In the well-lit classroom, a burst of dazzling silver erupted from Ian's wand, sending radiant tendrils sweeping outward. Instantly, the entire space was suffused with shimmering brilliance.
The air rippled as though touched by an unseen force, mirroring the first light of dawn reflecting across a still lake. Ancient stone walls gleamed under the glow, as the sheer power of the spell transformed the room into an ethereal sanctuary of silvery light.
This radiance was like the mist at dawn, both ethereal and enigmatic. It drifted gently, brushing over every inch of space, casting a soft silver glow in every corner of the classroom. Desks, chairs, bookshelves, the blackboard, and even the floating dust motes, were bathed in this shimmering light.
"Professor, as you can see, my spellcasting is successful, but I can't seem to produce a corporeal Patronus. An… elder once told me that I'm missing a soul form."
Ian hoped that gathering different perspectives might help him uncover the truth.
"Given my limited knowledge, I can't speak to your elder's theory. However, I can say this: your Patronus charm does seem to lack something crucial."
Professor Flitwick regarded Ian carefully, his voice tinged with both wonder and thoughtfulness.
"Your technique is flawless, truly remarkable for a wizard of your age. But the spell isn't behaving as it should… I can sense some irregularities in your magic."
He hesitated, taking in the strange, radiant mist that was rapidly filling the room. A flicker of astonishment crossed his usually composed features.
By Merlin, such magical powers!
Could Ravenclaw be on the verge of producing another Dumbledore?
"Irregularities?"
Ian was about to end the spell when Professor Flitwick raised a hand to stop him. The tiny professor swiftly drew his wand and cast a series of intricate spells, reinforcing and sealing the classroom before continuing.
"Your difficulty with conjuring a corporeal Patronus seems connected to this anomaly. Every spell draws upon structured magical nodes, each corresponding to an underlying mystery. Even a minute variation, a misaligned syllable, or an unstable magical flow, can send a spell veering into unknown territory. Your incantation is perfect, yet your magic responds… unpredictably."
"Some witches and wizards with unique bloodlines, or those with inherent magical irregularities, experience similar disruptions. When they cast spells, the results are often unstable."
"Unexpected explosions, freezing effects, bizarre magical phenomena… Even now, we don't fully understand why this happens." Professor Flitwick's keen eyes remained fixed on the shifting silver mist, his expression a mixture of curiosity and intrigue. "Still, the anomaly in your Patronus charm is the most peculiar I've ever encountered."
"Within the erratic response of your magic, I detect traces of a summoning charm's structure, yet it does not align with any known summoning spell, nor does it fully match the nature of the Patronus charm."
He turned his gaze back to Ian, his concern evident. "Are you managing, child?"
Ian's magic had rapidly saturated the entire classroom. The silver glow, unable to expand any further, simply condensed, thickening, swirling like liquid moonlight. The room darkened under its luminous weight, as though night had fallen within its walls.
Professor Flitwick stepped closer, studying the young wizard intently.
"Such extraordinary magical power."
Despite the tremor of astonishment in his voice, there was unmistakable excitement as well. "If we can decipher the nature of these mysterious magical nodes, you may well be on the cusp of creating an entirely new spell, one that no wizard has ever cast before."
The diminutive professor practically vibrated with enthusiasm.
"I just want my Patronus," Ian muttered, frustration creeping into his voice. Though he wasn't magically drained, the whole ordeal left him feeling deeply vexed.
The wand in his grasp shuddered, its silver glow flickering erratically as if reaching some invisible threshold. Then, suddenly, something shifted.
Threads of silver magic, impossibly fine, began weaving together.
Ian didn't guide them.
He didn't need to.
The luminous threads moved of their own accord, intertwining with an almost sentient grace, like a master weaver spinning an unseen tapestry of the cosmos.
Slowly,
A vision unfolded before Ian's widening eyes.
An ancient forest emerged from the silver mist. Towering trees stretched skyward, their boughs casting dappled light. Sunbeams filtered through the canopy, dancing on the ground.
A brook murmured softly in the distance, its crystalline waters winding through a meadow strewn with unseen blossoms. The air was filled with the scent of phantom flowers.
Everything remained in the silver hues of the Patronus charm, yet the details were vivid, as though this place truly existed in some unknown realm.
"Just a projection of a forest? That shouldn't be…"
Professor Flitwick observed the changes in the silver radiance, his brow furrowed tightly as he tugged at his beard, his face, covered more in hair than skin, filled with confusion.
"You…"
Professor Flitwick was about to turn and ask something.
However.
He noticed that Ian, standing beside him, looked rather pale.
"Can't hold on anymore? Then stop immediately!"
Professor Flitwick quickly interrupted Ian's spellcasting, which was exactly what Ian had intended to do. The silver threads that had woven the vivid scene began to dissolve and disappear.
The silver radiance faded.
All that remained was the lingering warmth in the air.
"It shouldn't be like this; you should be summoning something, not just projecting an image…" Professor Flitwick seemed to have hit a knowledge blind spot, much like Grindelwald.
"How could it be like this!"
With a look of uncertainty, Ian collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, just as the scene was about to fully form, the burden of his magical power had suddenly peaked.
In the scene woven from silver threads, every detail was vividly depicted, from the gently swaying leaves to the shimmering light on the surface of the stream. These were all things Ian was very familiar with, especially near the lake, where he could vaguely see a boy teaching a girl to practice swordsmanship.
This scene belonged to a place Ian visited periodically, Twilight Hollow. However, its appearance wasn't the reason for Ian's sudden overwhelming burden.
"Summoning charm… summoning charm…" Ian lay on the ground, sweat dripping from his forehead, not just from magical exhaustion, but because he knew Professor Flitwick wasn't wrong.
"Are you alright?"
Professor Flitwick noticed Ian hadn't recovered for a long time and hurried over to check on him. "It's my fault for being too curious!"
He felt a bit regretful and guilty, tapping his head.
"It's my own desire to try that caused this; it's not your fault…" Ian was helped to his feet, and after taking a couple of sips from the potion Professor Flitwick handed him, he gradually regained some strength. The magical exhaustion would still last for a while, making it easy to lose control when casting magic during this period.
"I will help you solve this problem; don't worry, it just needs some time." Professor Flitwick felt he should give this diligent student some proper compensation. He had just taken a handcrafted wand pouch from his waist when Ian shook his head and didn't take it.
"Professor, I might be the kind of person you mentioned, with a bloodline defect!" Ian suddenly sighed, his attitude completely opposite to his earlier eagerness to learn the Patronus charm.
"Ah?"
Professor Flitwick was stunned.
"Sorry for interrupting your rest."
Ian bowed deeply.
He truly didn't want Professor Flitwick to delve deeper.
After all, as the spellcaster, he was well aware that what had pushed him to the limit of magical power during that dreamlike moment wasn't the projection of Twilight Hollow.
But rather, the classroom around him seemed to be on the verge of being replaced by that scene…
(End of Chapter)
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