That was Charlie's plan now: learn one practical dueling spell, specialize and strengthen it with Wish Dust, then do the same for Alice.
"Charlie, you don't need to be nervous. The Halloween troll was a one-time fluke."
Professor Flitwick thought the boy might still be shaken by the incident. It reminded him of himself at that age, of Severus, and of far too many talented young witches and wizards who, because of outside pressure, threw themselves into intense private study far too early, hoping the magic they learned could solve their problems.
Most of them usually turned to the Dark Arts.
But Charlie only wanted to learn a dueling charm and had come to a teacher for proper guidance.
"Very well. I can give you some advice."
Flitwick nodded, his tone serious, hands clasped behind his back.
"Charlie, I don't know how you feel about Mr. Potter defeating that troll, but I don't want you chasing after heroic glory. I want you thinking about how to handle danger, not blindly dreaming of fighting trolls, charging into peril, or winning applause under the spotlight."
Charlie nodded gravely. "Professor, handling danger is exactly what I'm thinking about. That's what I need."
"Good."
Flitwick seemed to breathe a small sigh of relief.
"My suggestion is the Impediment Jinx—Impedimenta!
It's not lethal. It's not cruel. It doesn't aim to injure.
Its purpose is to slow down or even stop anything trying to attack you.
It's the perfect defensive and controlling spell for younger students—the one every smart, cautious witch or wizard who doesn't want to resort to violence should master first!"
He turned to Charlie. "Go on, do something to me. Attack me."
"Right now?"
"Right—"
Whoosh!
Almost the instant Flitwick nodded, Charlie's hand shot up and hurled a dark object straight at the professor.
The throw was lightning fast. The small projectile flew toward Flitwick like a bullet.
But in that split second, Flitwick's eyebrows lifted with pleasant surprise. Charlie's speed and decisive action showed the shadow of a top-tier duelist.
Then the professor gave a tiny flick of his finger in mid-air.
The flying object suddenly slowed dramatically, as if someone had hit slow-motion.
Flitwick finally saw what it was: a small square wrapped in brown greaseproof paper.
It slowed… slowed… until it hung completely still in the air.
"Professor, it's chocolate."
Flitwick raised his hand and gave a gentle hook with one finger. The chocolate drifted smoothly into his palm.
He smiled. "And about that question you always ask…"
"The question I always ask?"
Charlie blinked, then realized what he meant.
The very first question he usually asked in class was: when a spell reaches the absolute peak of proficiency and mastery, what does its performance actually look like?
"Then let me show you, Charlie."
The moment he finished speaking, Flitwick pointed his wand at Charlie and cast the Impediment Jinx again.
Instantly, the air around Charlie turned thick and sticky, like he had sunk into swamp tar.
Every movement met endless resistance. Even speaking or raising his wand took every ounce of strength.
No—more than that.
Once he saw that Charlie had felt the full effect, Flitwick promptly canceled the spell.
The moment it lifted, Charlie staggered and dropped to the floor, coughing hard.
"Cough! Cough cough!"
It took him a while to catch his breath and look up again. "Professor… even my breathing slowed down?"
Flitwick didn't answer directly. He simply kept smiling.
Charlie's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Professor, I want to learn this one!"
Flitwick nodded. "I'm glad you like my suggestion."
Charlie didn't leave the office. Instead, Flitwick gave him a private lesson right there.
Half an hour later, Charlie stood in the center of the room after roughly mastering the incantation and wand movement. He gripped his wand tightly, ready.
Behind the desk, Flitwick leaned back casually, holding a small ball.
Without any warning, he suddenly hurled it at Charlie.
Charlie focused hard, eyes locked on the incoming ball. In that instant he slipped into a flow state, the knowledge Flitwick had just taught him flashing through his mind.
His hand moved with the wand.
The wand movement was a high-low-high-pause-high pattern, and the incantation that matched the rhythm was:
"Impedimenta!"
A sudden flash of insight rose in his chest.
The next moment—
Thump!
"Ouch!"
The ball traced a graceful arc through the air and smacked Charlie square in the forehead.
Failure. Everything that had felt so perfect a second ago vanished like an illusion.
Charlie rubbed his forehead while Flitwick gave a light flick of his finger. The ball rolling on the floor flew back into his hand.
"Not bad."
Contrary to what Charlie expected, Flitwick actually praised him.
That deserves praise?
Seeing the confusion in Charlie's eyes, the professor explained, "The desire behind this spell is simple: you just need to apply the impediment to the ball that's about to hit your face. You don't have to build any extra need for yourself.
But it's also very difficult.
Most people's first reaction when they see a ball flying at them is to dodge sideways.
You didn't even think about dodging. That's very good."
Charlie felt a little embarrassed. He hadn't overcome any instinctive urge to dodge—he simply hadn't thought of it at all. He'd been completely convinced he was going to cast the spell successfully.
Rubbing his forehead, he gathered his focus again and gripped his wand tighter. "One more time, Professor."
The ball flew at him without warning, just like when Charlie had suddenly thrown the chocolate at Flitwick.
Thump!
"Hiss—"
"Again!"
Thump!
"Professor, I refuse to believe this!"
Thump! Thump! Thump!
By dinnertime, when Harry and Ron spotted Charlie in the Great Hall, his entire forehead was bright red.
"What happened to you?" Ron asked in surprise.
"Practicing spells."
Charlie shook his head helplessly, but a spark of delight flashed in his eyes.
Just before he left Flitwick's office, on the very last attempt, he had finally succeeded in standing still and casting half an Impediment Jinx on the incoming ball.
The ball suddenly hit something mid-flight, veered sharply, and sailed past his shoulder to smash into the wall behind him.
That was the most basic effect of the Impediment Jinx: making objects get inexplicably blocked, or causing people to trip suddenly.
The lowest-level version only lasted a moment and created only limited hindrance.
But it still counted as success, didn't it?
Of course, it had only been a lucky one-off. He hadn't truly mastered the spell yet.
Still, Charlie was very satisfied with the result. As for the bright red mark on his forehead? That was nothing.
"Alright, never mind then," Ron said, nodding. "Want to hang out later?"
"No thanks."
Charlie turned him down. He couldn't wait to get back to the dormitory and organize everything he had learned that afternoon.
Plus, he needed a good rest. After midnight tonight, he still had to get up and observe the blood moon to collect its pure essence.