The afternoon class was Professor Flitwick's Charms lesson.
The short professor stood on a stack of books.
"Today's lesson is... the Fire-Making Charm."
He deliberately elongated the final syllable, as though trying to keep everyone in suspense, before finally revealing the topic.
"We've already learned that!" several students shouted.
"No, you've only learned its superficial applications. If you want to pass the examination and achieve a high score, you must master it at a much deeper level."
Flitwick's moustache twitched dramatically in response to his expression.
"The Fire-Making Charm is an extremely useful spell. Its powerful light and heat can inflict significant damage on evil creatures such as Inferi."
Whispers spread among the students below the podium.
"I know I've taught you this before, but we didn't explore it in sufficient depth."
"All spells can be combined to produce extremely powerful damage or other effects. Today's lesson is not only about teaching you advanced applications, but also about broadening your thinking."
"For example, combining the Fire-Making Charm with the Aguamenti Charm can create a large area of illusory mist, interfering with an enemy's vision."
To demonstrate, Flitwick conjured an untamed flame from somewhere. At the same time, clear water began pouring from the lampshade on the ceiling.
The two quickly merged, producing a constant hissing sound as smoke filled the air.
In an instant, the entire classroom was enveloped in rising mist.
"Clear it away."
The professor's voice rang out once more.
Soon, a small hurricane swept through the room, dispersing the smoke. The short professor reappeared before the students.
"If combined with sufficiently advanced Transfiguration, it can also be used to conjure powerful beast-like creatures made entirely of flame."
Flitwick merely raised his wand.
A fiery lotus suddenly bloomed in the air above the classroom. From within it, a bright-red raven slowly emerged.
He glanced at the surrounding students with a wise expression.
This was completely different from the silvery-white form of a Patronus.
Their functions were also entirely different.
Patronuses were rarely used in battle. Combat was not their primary purpose.
The raven, engulfed in flames, flapped its wings. Its entire body was composed of fire, and each movement caused waves of flame to ripple through the air.
It circled the classroom several times. Some sparks scattered from its wings, falling through the air and flashing brightly for a moment before vanishing.
Suddenly, the entire raven flew out through the window and disappeared without a trace.
The sight immediately earned praise from the surrounding students.
"However, you are still a long way from mastering these techniques."
"Today's task is to use a Fire-Making Charm to hollow out these iron rods, leaving only their outer shells—in other words, transforming them into tubes."
"You are not allowed to apply Transfiguration directly to the object. That is the rule."
"Tools—fire, in this case—are not subject to this restriction."
One by one, black iron rods of similar length, thickness, and specifications were placed in front of each student.
Malfoy casually picked one up and examined it for a moment.
It was pitch-black, absorbing the light around it.
His thoughts were not focused on the upcoming classroom test, but rather on the changes to Hogwarts' curriculum.
Even Charms now placed an emphasis on practical applications.
This not only tested the caster's skill but also established a threshold. If the temperature was not high enough, even steel could not be melted.
Only after reaching a certain level of mastery could one handle difficult tasks with ease.
The molten iron melted and then quickly solidified again, forming uncontrollably. It became even more chaotic than before, with newly formed lumps of metal tangled together.
It was as though the blade of an already ancient knife had become even duller and rougher.
Neville's forehead was covered in sweat, but his iron rod still showed no signs of melting.
Ron burned straight through his rod, splitting it into two pieces.
Harry stared intently at the object before him, carefully controlling a relatively thick flame and guiding it towards the centre of the iron rod.
In an instant, flames appeared throughout various parts of the classroom.
"Draco? You're finished?"
Pansy looked at Malfoy in surprise. He had already stopped and was now cooling the scorching iron rod.
The flames controlled by Pansy's wand suddenly tilted, almost setting her robes alight. She did not notice.
"Your robes are about to catch fire."
Malfoy had already put away his wand, but he immediately raised it again and sprayed a stream of water towards the robes that were about to ignite.
The flames went out.
"Let's finish this first."
Malfoy shook his head, temporarily ignoring Pansy's suggestion.
"All right."
Pansy stuck out her tongue. She was slightly embarrassed at having nearly burned herself.
It was rare for her to reveal such a vulnerable side.
Not long ago, as a Slytherin Prefect, she had naturally been expected to set a good example at all times.
But Malfoy was back.
The strong barrier she had recently built around her heart had crumbled once more, because she had found someone she could rely on again.
"All right, stop!"
Flitwick waved his wand once more.
The legs of all the tables simultaneously shrank, adjusting to a height suitable for his inspection.
He jumped down from the stack of books and began walking between the students' desks.
"Mr. Longbottom, that's excellent progress. I believe you'll perform well in your future examinations."
He paused at Neville's desk and picked up the pipe. There were still some rough burrs along its inner surface.
Flitwick examined it carefully, then raised it to his eye as though he were looking through a telescope.
"Miss Granger, very good!"
Hermione had finished working on the iron rod in front of her. Its inner surface was now remarkably flat and smooth.
Finally, Flitwick reached Malfoy's desk.
"Perhaps I really did miss a few lessons."
He shook his head as he thought this.
The iron rod had been pierced by a small hole, making it a complete failure. There was no need to examine it any further.
"Tch..."
Ron could not help chuckling.
But Flitwick stopped.
"Exceptional control!"
He seemed to realise that his excitement had shown, so he coughed several times to conceal his emotions.
The other students looked puzzled.
Then he waved his hand lightly.
A gentle breeze passed through the iron rod.
A clear, ethereal whistle rang out.
The thick iron tube transformed into a long iron whistle.
In terms of pure Transfiguration, this was a relatively simple transformation—probably something that could be accomplished by a third-year student.
However, using only fire magic to create such intricate detailing was a challenge that even Flitwick would have to consider carefully.
"Slytherin, ten points."
Flitwick restrained himself. After all, Malfoy had not left a particularly good impression on him since the hostage incident.
In truth, awarding twenty points would not have been unreasonable.
As he raised his hand, his wand spun nimbly between his fingers several times.
The corners of all the tables began to "grow" again, stretching back into their original shapes.
Outside the castle, the clock tower not far away struck twelve.
Flitwick's Charms lesson had ended.
"Could you give it to me?"
After class, Pansy quickly walked over to Malfoy's desk, took the iron whistle in her hands, and played with it.
Her voice carried a slightly coquettish, pleading tone.
"I'll treasure it."
She seemed afraid that he might refuse.
"This is just..."
Malfoy wanted to say something else, but Pansy had already put the whistle away, so he stopped.
"All right."
He nodded.
He simply felt that the whistle was not particularly valuable and was not really suitable as a gift.
"Then I'll modify it a little more."
Pansy reluctantly handed it back.
Faint flames danced across the metal, seemingly transforming into a sharp carving knife. They meticulously engraved the surface.
A lifelike kitten soon appeared.
Its curled body formed the shape of the letter P, and the image was engraved onto the whistle.
"I'm glad you don't mind."
"Of course I don't."
Pansy carefully tucked it against her chest.