Flitwick reluctantly broke off their discussion when Julian reached the Gryffindor table. Harry had saved him a seat, so the tiny professor could only promise that they would continue the conversation another time. With a wide smile still on his face, he padded off to join the other teachers at the staff table.
"It would seem you have discovered the boy's talent for ring making, Filius," Dumbledore remarked in a knowing tone.
"Oh yes," Flitwick said at once, practically alight with enthusiasm. "He is positively bursting with potential, from what I can tell. I would have discovered it much later if I had not caught him rearranging a disused classroom near my office. His use of the Levitation Charm was simply splendid."
"Oh?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Do you not usually start teaching that charm around Halloween?"
Flitwick nodded as he began filling his plate. "Indeed. The boy said he learned the entire first year spell list over the summer, and judging by his proficiency, I believe him," he said before taking a satisfied bite of sausage.
"It would seem the boy is full of surprises," Snape commented in his usual steady voice.
"What makes you say that, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, turning to him with interest.
"In my own class, the boy had the presence of mind to copy my personal Cure for Boils recipe from the board," Snape said. "He then proceeded to improve it successfully on the first attempt. The finished potion was almost one third more potent than my own standard version."
It was a rare expression of praise. Several of the professors looked at him, visibly startled.
"And your class, Pomona?" Dumbledore continued, clearly intent on gathering as much information as he could. "You had him the longest so far."
Professor Sprout shook her head, a little disappointed. "If today is anything to go by, he does not seem to have much affinity for plants. Poor boy looked lost for most of the lesson," she said.
"There is no need to be disheartened," Dumbledore replied calmly. "Very few witches or wizards show strong talent in every subject. However, we should keep a close eye on him, make sure he is not led astray from his own gifts like some of our former students."
His voice darkened slightly at the end, and the other teachers, all except Quirelmort, nodded in agreement.
...
Down at the Gryffindor table, Julian was being peppered with questions from his housemates about what he and Professor Flitwick had been discussing so animatedly.
"We were just talking about different metals and how useful they are in enchanting. Calm down," Julian said, trying to wave off the barrage.
Harry, Ron, and the twins understood how that made sense, but the rest of the first years stared blankly. Dean Thomas, never one to stay confused quietly, spoke up.
"Why in Merlin's saggy robes would you even be talking about that?" he asked, bewildered, and several others nodded along.
"I am a ring maker," Julian answered, holding up his hand so Greed caught the light. "I work with metal, shaping and enchanting it. Professor Flitwick is a master of charms and enchanting, and he is half goblin. That alone gives us plenty to talk about."
He could have shown off Sanar instead, but Greed was far more dramatic to look at, shifting and flowing in that unsettling, fascinating way.
"Before anyone starts begging, I do not work for free," Julian added firmly. "If you want a ring, you will have to pay like everyone else. Ask the twins. They can tell you how it goes."
Most of the hopeful faces around him fell, especially among the girls who had already started imagining glittering trinkets. Fred and George, on the other hand, burst out laughing.
They launched into an explanation of the deal they had struck with Julian and how they were still struggling to fulfill their part. Apparently they had already sent at least a dozen letters trying to find somewhere that could supply the furnace Julian wanted, and not a single person had replied with anything useful yet.
"It does not really matter at the moment anyway," Julian added once they finished. "I am not planning to do any serious work until at least next week, when I formally apply for an empty classroom for my workshop."
That killed off whatever scraps of hope remained for anyone angling to get some free or early bling out of him.
Dinner quieted after that. Conversation settled down as everyone focused on eating, worn out from their first full day of lessons. Most of the house headed up to bed once the meal ended, with only a few lingering behind.
Julian was not one of the stragglers. He wanted to be properly rested for the next day. They had Charms and History of Magic coming up, and he fully intended to be sharp for both.
Ron continued to avoid both Julian and Harry, even when they all ended up in the dormitory together. Neither of them found that particularly troubling.
...
The next morning, Julian woke at dawn and took advantage of the quiet to do some light reading in the fundamentals of magic book.
This particular text explained why nearly all spells seemed to be in Latin or other less commonly spoken languages. According to the book, any language could serve as a spell base. Words were simply structured conduits for will and magic.
However, if a witch or wizard used the language they spoke most often in everyday life as the verbal component of a spell, there was a risk. Over time, as subconscious associations formed, the wand might begin responding to casual phrases and stray thoughts, throwing spells even when the caster did not mean to.
Latin, and other dead or rare languages, were used precisely because they created a safe distance between normal speech and magical activation.
Julian closed the book on that thought, turning the idea over in his mind as the first hints of morning light crept through the dormitory window.