Chapter 32: Raw Strength
During the first week of term, Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall exchanged classes for a time, and Charms was temporarily replaced by Transfiguration.
It was only a single swap on paper, but once different years and different houses were involved, the timetable descended into mild chaos.
It was not until the middle of the term that the Tuesday afternoon Charms lesson, which should have been shared with Ravenclaw, finally returned to normal.
At present, the spacious Charms classroom was in uproar.
Dozens of white feathers flew wildly through the air, accompanied by the uneven chorus of students chanting.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
"Oh, blast it, it fell again!"
Because Tamara had already demonstrated the Levitation Charm perfectly during a previous private session, Professor Flitwick had granted her special permission not to repeat the basic exercises in this lesson.
He had even allowed her to read in class.
As a result, an odd scene had taken shape in the corner by the window.
All around her, students were waving wands, shouting incantations, and sending feathers spinning in every direction.
At the centre of the commotion, Tamara sat in perfect stillness with a brick thick volume open in her hands, The Origins of Medieval Charms.
Her posture was elegant, her expression absorbed, as if the surrounding chaos belonged to another world entirely.
Now and then, a stray feather drifted in front of her face.
She merely tilted her head aside and kept reading, not even bothering to draw her wand.
That display of privilege quickly drew the attention of the Ravenclaws.
"Oi, look at that Slytherin," Terry Boot said, nudging Padma Patil with his elbow. "Why is she not practising? Does Professor Flitwick not care?"
"Maybe she gave up," Padma said, glancing at Tamara with faint contempt. "Everyone says Riddle is brilliant, but I think she is only average. The Levitation Charm needs focus and control. Slytherins are not exactly known for patience."
"Exactly," Michael Corner added.
He had just managed to raise his feather a couple of inches, and success had inflated his confidence nicely.
"They only know crude jinxes. For this sort of delicate work, you need a Ravenclaw."
To show off, Terry lifted his chin, gave his wand a dramatic swish, and shouted in an intentionally loud voice, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
His feather wobbled upward and rose to about head height.
"Look! I did it!"
Several Ravenclaws nearby applauded and cheered.
Terry puffed up further at once. Turning towards the window corner, he called out with a grin, "Hey, Riddle!"
Tamara's finger paused on the page.
She did not look up.
"What is it?" Terry said mockingly. "Can you not do it, so you are pretending to read to hide the embarrassment?"
"If you need help, we Ravenclaws do not mind teaching you how to hold a wand properly. Academic exchange has no house boundaries, does it?"
Laughter broke out around him.
Even a few Slytherins frowned and looked ready to retort, but Tamara raised one hand without lifting her eyes, and they held their tongues.
Then she closed the heavy book.
Clap.
The sound was soft.
Yet in the noisy classroom, it came down with startling clarity.
"Academic exchange?" Tamara repeated.
The corners of her mouth curved into a cold, ironic smile.
[ Ding! Academic authority detected under provocation. ]
[ Mission: The Weight of Knowledge. ]
[ Mission description: There is always a higher mountain and a taller building. One must maintain a humble heart. ]
[ Mission requirement: Demonstrate your strength and patiently guide them. ]
[ Reward: Wisdom +2, Special Reputation unlocked. ]
Tamara rose and smoothed her robes, which had not a crease on them.
"Since you are so eager to see it," she said lightly, drawing her holly wand and turning it once between her slender fingers, "I shall give you a lesson."
"Watch carefully. This is what delicate work looks like."
The instant she finished speaking, she did not chant an incantation.
She only flicked her wand.
In the next second, every Ravenclaw in the room witnessed a scene they would remember for years.
It was not only the feather on Tamara's desk.
It was not only Terry Boot's feather hanging proudly in the air.
Every feather in the entire classroom, on desks, on the floor, even in students' hands, broke free at the same moment.
Gasps erupted at once.
"Hey, my feather!"
"What in Merlin's name is happening?"
The feathers did not scatter.
They shot upward, converged, and began to whirl in precise formation, as if seized by invisible hands and arranged according to a single will.
Tamara lifted her wand slightly.
Dozens of white feathers joined together in the air and formed a long, pale dragon. It circled the ceiling once in a smooth arc, the rush of movement making a unified whispering sound overhead.
Then Tamara brought her wand down.
Whoosh.
The entire flock of feathers stopped dead and hovered in a dense cloud directly above Terry Boot's head.
The room fell silent.
Terry stared upward, mouth open, as cold sweat trickled down his temple.
If even a few of those feathers dropped all at once, he would be buried up to the shoulders in them.
More frightening than that was the control.
This was not a first year Levitation Charm exercise anymore.
This was domination.
Professor Flitwick, balanced atop his stack of books, was trembling with excitement.
"This, this..."
His eyes were enormous behind his spectacles.
"A flawless Mass Levitation Charm! And precise simultaneous control! Merlin above!"
Tamara gave her wand another small wave.
At once, the feathers lost support and drifted down like snow, each one settling neatly back on its owner's desk.
Only Terry's feather landed askew and stuck in his hair.
He looked ridiculous.
Tamara sat down again and reopened The Origins of Medieval Charms.
"This is the academic exchange you wanted," she said without looking up.
Her tone was flat, as if nothing unusual had happened.
"Now, shall we practise quietly?"
No one answered.
The Ravenclaws who had been smirking moments ago now stood with lowered heads and burning faces.
The difference in ability was too obvious to deny.
They were still celebrating making one feather float.
She had just made a room full of them dance.
The bell rang.
Even as students packed their bags in a daze, Professor Flitwick hurried to Tamara's desk, practically glowing.
"Miss Riddle! Miss Riddle!"
The tiny Professor, beaming from ear to ear, looked up at her with the fervour of a man who had just discovered hidden treasure.
"Incredible! That display just now, that control of magical flow, sheer genius!"
"Thank you, Professor," Tamara replied politely.
"I have a small request," Flitwick said, rubbing his hands together, almost bouncing on his toes. "Would you consider joining my Charms Club?"
Several students who were still close enough to hear gasped.
The Charms Club.
One of Hogwarts' most prestigious small groups, and one that usually accepted only older students with exceptional talent.
A first year being invited was unheard of.
"We normally recruit from the upper years," Professor Flitwick said, suddenly looking a little bashful, "but in your case, year restrictions seem rather meaningless. If you are willing, we meet every Friday evening to discuss more advanced charms."
[ Ding! Mission completed: The Weight of Knowledge. ]
[ Reward: Wisdom +2. ]
[ Current Wisdom: 22. ]
Tamara smiled.
It was a small smile, elegant and perfectly controlled.
"It would be my honour, Professor."
.....
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