A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 196: The Enigma of the Shrinking Charm

On the first weekend of the new school year, Felix Harp found himself incredibly busy.

With the first Dueling class approaching, he had to swiftly finalize the choice for the third permanent professor. In private, he sought the opinions of Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick.

Professor McGonagall politely declined, stating that she was also holding the position of Deputy Headmistress, and the school's numerous trivial matters demanded her attention.

"If it's an occasional participation once or twice, I would be quite willing," she told Felix.

On the other hand, progress on the other front was going remarkably well. Almost as soon as Felix broached the subject, Professor Flitwick eagerly accepted the invitation, as if he had been waiting for this day.

From a neutral perspective, Felix also agreed that Professor Flitwick was the most suitable candidate.

As the head of the Dueling class, he had to consider the difficulty and learnability of the spells taught, as he was dealing with students from all seven years of the school.

And as an experienced professor of Charms, Professor Flitwick undoubtedly possessed numerous techniques to simplify the learning process of spells.

In contrast, Transfiguration appeared to be more challenging—using Transfiguration skillfully in a duel wasn't an easy task. It demanded wizards to cast nonverbal spells rapidly and possess a vivid imagination for dueling.

Even among the older students at Hogwarts, performing complex biological transfigurations silently was a daunting feat, not to mention in a combat scenario.

"Transfiguration is the realm of geniuses, representing the boundless possibilities of magic," wrote a Dueling grandmaster skilled in Transfiguration in a magical scroll. Felix partly agreed with his perspective.

Headmaster Ravenclaw's Office.

After resolving the invitation matter, Felix and Professor Flitwick spent nearly a day discussing improvements to the "Reducing Charm."

"The performance of the Reducing Charm on magical creatures isn't impressive. Of course, it might be because the current test subject is only the Flobberworm, which isn't representative," Felix extracted a set of test data from a ring and handed it to Professor Flitwick.

The Flobberworm was a ten-inch-long worm, generally brownish in color, and it liked to dwell in damp environments. Its presence could be observed in the shaded areas of the Forbidden Forest.

Although the slime of Flobberworms could thicken magical potions, they were not highly regarded due to their commonness, akin to kneazles. They served as a food source for other magical creatures within the Forbidden Forest, positioned at the bottom of the entire biological chain.

Therefore, Felix carried out tests on Flobberworms without any psychological burden, as there were no legal concerns. However, the results were often far from splendid. Pustules grew on the already ugly worms, rendering them quite fearsome.

And crucially, he still couldn't identify the issue.

Professor Flitwick sat on a chair with blue cushions, his feet suspended in the air, examining the data and pondering carefully. "Could it be related to the imbalance of magic?"

"Imbalance?" Felix inquired.

"Yes, I revisited this spell recently. The Shrinking Charm was, in fact, something I pieced together based on modern magical theories, making it a composite spell. Therefore, there might be instances of magical inconsistency at the junctures," Professor Flitwick explained.

Felix pondered for a moment before saying, "I have considered this as well, but during the casting process, I didn't sense anything unusual, nor did I experience any hesitation."

"We can try it out!" Professor Flitwick jumped off the chair. "One person handles one part of the work. You cast the spell, and I will perceive it."

Felix understood his point. "You want to use other magic to amplify your senses and perceive the formation and flow of the spell? It's indeed worth a try. I don't have this capability alone."

Professor Flitwick smiled, "Isn't this the essence of collaboration?"

He pointed his wand at himself and whispered, "Enhanced perception... keen senses... magic unveiled... the voice of Adimo..." Magical lights shimmered over Professor Flitwick.

Felix Harp admired the scene with wonder. Few could achieve this; simply solving the puzzle of multiple spells interacting with each other would confound ninety-nine percent of wizards.

Soon, Professor Flitwick completed his task. He looked strange, with his ears elongated into bronze-colored trumpets, his eyes a hazy gray, resembling a fairy's face, flashing with various colored lights like colorful bulbs.

Professor Flitwick's expression was peculiar. Struggling to maintain the spell, he squeezed out a few words through his teeth, "Hurry... can't last much longer..."

Felix's expression turned solemn. He deliberately mobilized his magical power, making them more active. A pale blue light continuously gathered, then burst into a dazzling beam.

His incantation struck a quill, causing it to emit a crackling sound as it swiftly expanded. In the blink of an eye, it transformed from the size of a dagger into a slightly curved spear, still in the process of changing.

When the quill extended to occupy almost half the office, it finally couldn't withstand Felix's magic and exploded with a bang, releasing a massive shockwave that spread out.

The entire office became chaotic as if a whirlwind had passed through, leaving a mess in its wake.

Felix, shielded by an Ironclad Charm, stepped back two paces. Professor Flitwick, due to the strain of maintaining the spell, was blown away. His petite figure tumbled through the air, and he quickly pointed his wand at himself, then floated down leisurely.

Suspended midair, Professor Flitwick stared at the blue powder falling like sparkling stardust, a brilliant blue galaxy descending. He couldn't contain his excitement, "Felix, your magical power is too strong. You've completely altered the quill's structure."

Once calm, he cautioned, "Until this magic is thoroughly perfected, never use it on a person."

Felix nodded, saying, "That's exactly what I was thinking. Philius, did you discover anything just now?"

"Goodness, it's truly miraculous... I did uncover some intriguing details." Professor Flitwick waved his wand, restoring the room's arrangement, then flicked his wand to release a cloud of bronze-colored smoke.

The smoke constantly shifted its form, conjuring a phantom wizard casting a spell. Felix recognized it as the scene of his own incantation.

"Here, here, and here... there are extremely subtle imbalances in these three positions." Professor Flitwick used the smoky figure to illustrate what he had seen.

Felix gazed at the image and murmured, "I hadn't noticed any of this before."

Professor Flitwick laughed heartily, "It's difficult to notice when you're researching alone, but in any case, we have a new direction."

Leaving the office, Felix paid another visit to the Potions Master's office. He discussed the teaching content for the new school year with Snape and informed him about inviting Professor Flitwick.

Snape looked at him skeptically, "I thought you might invite that Lupon fellow."

Felix stared at him without saying a word. Isn't the reason obvious?

Perhaps his gaze was too direct, as it left Snape somewhat irritated. "I have things to attend to. If you don't mind, Felix..."

...

In the evening, Felix was in his office organizing materials for the Runes Club. It wasn't until Hermione knocked on the door to receive her Runes training that he realized he had missed dinner.

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