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That afternoon Charlie headed straight to the fourth floor.
Professor Chambers wasn't in. The owl pinned to his office door told him the professor had already gone home for the holidays.
Guess not every teacher sticks around the castle.
He found Professors McGonagall and Sprout in the staff lounge, along with Professor Sinistra and the History of Magic ghost, Professor Binns. Charlie wished them all a Merry Christmas, kept the visit short, and left.
Eighth floor. Professor Flitwick's office.
"Come in," the squeaky voice called.
Charlie pushed the door open.
Before he could even scan the room, a dark shape hurtled straight at him.
In the next heartbeat his hand flicked up—his wand already gripped tight.
"Impedimenta!"
The black object slammed into an invisible wall, bounced sideways, smashed against the far wall, then crashed to the floor and rolled a few times.
"Absolutely brilliant," Flitwick said from behind the desk, eyes wide with genuine shock.
Charlie lowered his wand and patted his still-racing heart. "It was okay, Professor. You threw it pretty slow."
Flitwick blinked, then let out a soft laugh. "Yes, well… I didn't expect you to draw that fast."
He hopped down from his chair and walked around the desk. "How did you do that?"
"Magic trick," Charlie said with a grin.
He raised his right hand, gave a casual downward flick, and the wand slid smoothly into his sleeve and vanished.
Flitwick stepped closer, watching.
Charlie snapped his fingers, flipped his palm, and produced a chocolate between his thumb and middle finger.
"Street magic, Professor."
Flitwick chuckled and took the chocolate. "Clever. One more question—do you carry chocolate on you every single day?"
"When you think I don't have any, I definitely do. When you think I must have some, I might not."
Flitwick tilted his head. "What does that mean?"
Charlie smiled. "That's the whole point of the trick."
"Fascinating. Do it again—this time with the wand."
Charlie nodded. He gave his right arm a light downward swing. The wand snapped back into his fingers.
"Any chance of flinging it across the room?"
"Only when I first started practicing," Charlie admitted. "That's why I spent the whole holiday practicing over my bed. I didn't want to keep slamming my only wand onto the stone floor."
Flitwick nodded. "Everyone has their own way."
He rested his hand on his hip like a gunslinger, then whipped it up in one lightning-fast motion. His wand was already pointing straight at Charlie.
"Some keep it at the waist," he said, twirling the wand once before sliding it back into place. "Others prefer the left side of the chest."
Charlie glanced at Flitwick's trousers. They weren't exactly baggy.
"Did you put an Undetectable Extension Charm in your pocket?"
"No," Flitwick said. He reached in and pulled out a small leather sheath no bigger than a thumb. The opening was tiny, yet he slid most of his wand inside, leaving only the handle sticking out.
"It's a wand holster. Putting an Extension Charm on every single set of robes would cost a fortune."
Charlie nodded. Like a gun holster. Smart.
Right now he kept his wand in an inner sleeve pocket with an Extension Charm, but the pocket stayed open for instant access. That meant he had to be careful not to let anything slide out when he dropped his arm.
Maybe I could rig something like an Assassin's Creed hidden blade…
"Professor, how good would keeping the wand in the sleeve be for actual dueling?"
"Extremely good—possibly the best I've ever seen. Of course, there's a learning curve. But if you can draw it fast and clean, it's perfect. I prefer the hip draw. Some wizards favor the left chest."
He demonstrated, sliding his hand smoothly inside his left robe. "If you ever see a wizard walking with his hand raised like this, assume his wand is right there at his chest."
"Like Professor Snape?" Charlie asked. He couldn't remember ever seeing Snape swing his arms while walking. The man always kept his hands in front of him, slightly raised.
"Bingo!" Flitwick said, delighted. "You've noticed the little tells. It's part posture, part dueling habit."
"So that's why you always keep one hand up," Flitwick added. "You're making sure nothing falls out of your sleeve."
"Street magician's discipline," Charlie replied with a small smile.
Flitwick clapped his hands. "All right, enough chatter. Let's get to today's practice. That Impediment Jinx you just cast was flawless, by the way. But since you're already here, I'm not sending you away."
Charlie nodded. "Professor, I spent all last night wondering—if something truly dangerous came flying at me, could I still cast that calmly?"
"Exactly," Flitwick said. "That's why we're going to push this further today. But first, Charlie, I have one question."
"Ask away."
"Are you afraid of pain?"
Charlie looked surprised for half a second, then grinned, eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Not even a little, Professor."
Flitwick studied his face, calm and searching. He'd only meant to rattle the boy a bit, to create real fear so the Impediment Jinx practice would actually matter.
But the kid wasn't rattled at all.
"Very well, Mr. Wonka." A slightly unsettling smile curved Flitwick's lips. "Let's see if you're truly fearless… or just putting on a brave face."
Charlie's expression didn't change. "I'll show you with results, Professor."
The next instant Flitwick's wand slashed upward.
"Behind you—Accio trophy!"
Charlie spun, wrist flicking, wand already aimed at the dark shape hurtling toward his back.