The stone walls of the abandoned classroom on the fourth floor offered Arthur something far more valuable than the cheers currently echoing from the Quidditch pitch: silence and peace. While the rest of the school was gripped by the frantic energy of the season's opening match, Arthur was deep in his practice.
He stood by himself in the middle of a room covered in dust, the only light coming from the blue glow of his wand. It was flickering all over the place. He was going through all the usual charms, plus some weird hexes he found in the secret journals in the Restricted Section. What he really wanted to do was cast a spell without chanting out loud, which is really hard to do. He wanted to be able to think about doing something and then just do it, without any delay.
'Interface' he commanded internally.
A blue pannel showed up in his eyes.
[Skill- Magic : Beginner(9.50%)
Spellcasting: Beginner(11.05%)
Verbal casting: Beginner(25.05%)
Non-verbal Casting: Beginner(12.20%)
Wandless Casting: Beginner(0 .001%)
•Mana sense: Beginner(49.85%)
• Lumos: Beginner(56.07%)
• Wingardium Leviosa: Beginner(59.07%)
• Alohamora: Beginner (61.56%)
• Reparo: Beginner(58.62%)
• Spongify: Beginner(79.75%)
• Diffindo: Beginner(51%)
• Disillusionment charm: Beginner(59.1%)
• Imperturbable charm: Beginner(54.07%) ]
...
Later that evening, the castle was celebrating Gryffindor's victory over Hufflepuffs in the match. Arthur remained in his secret workspace, cataloging the day's progress.
Meanwhile in the nearby room,"I'm telling you, Snape is trying to make him help get past the three-headed dog, Fluffy, that's guarding the Stone," Harry whispered.
"So you mean the Stone is only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" Said Hermione in alarm.
"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron.
They tried to think of solutions in silence.
Suddenly, Hermione notices some flashes coming over from the room next to them.
'What is that?Is there someone there beside us?' she thought in alarm.
"Come with me." She said very quietly to the duo; they looked at each other in confusion, still following her.
The classroom door opened slightly enough to peek through,creaking softly as Hermione looked inside, a look of puzzlement etched on her face. Behind her, Harry and Ron lingered, their usual goofy grins replaced by curious expressions.
It was clear that Hermione had caught sight of the strange, rhythmic flashes of light that were illuminating the hallway, and she seemed perplexed by the fact that they weren't accompanied by any audible spells or incantations. Her brow was furrowed in concentration as she tried to make sense of the unusual phenomenon, her eyes scanning the room for some clue as to what was causing it.
They came to a sudden halt, glancing around the room in unison. Arthur remained still, merely lifting his wand in a gentle motion, and to their surprise, a few small stones on the ground began to hover in the air. As he moved his wand from side to side, the stones obediently followed, mirroring his every gesture with an almost magical precision.
"Arthur?" Hermione breathed,Voice hushed her eyes darting between him and the tiny pebbles at the end of the room. "He... is casting non-verbally? All of those? But that's advanced magic."she stared at the boy who was still practicing alone, unbothered by anything.
The realization hit her visibly. While they had been chasing rumors and celebrating games, Arthur had been quietly pulling ahead into a different tier of magic.
A look of sharp anxiety crossed her face—the fear of falling behind. Without a word, she grabbed Ron and Harry by their sleeves, dragging them toward the exit.
"Come on, we have to hit the books," she said, her tone sharp with a mix of excitement and anxiety. "Let's get started; now is the time."
....
The next morning in the library, the trio was back to their usual pattern. Though Granger was trying to focus on her studies, Potter and Weasley passed ideas about Snape and whatnot.
Arthur sat several tables away, revising for the upcoming exams.while studying, he noticed the half-giant in the library and utilized Auris-Vagans to filter the ambient noise. He overheard them whispering about a "dragon" and an invitation from Hagrid to discuss "secrets" at his hut.
He deactivate the spell, closed his books and left the library.
As they made their way to the giant's hut, Arthur followed closely behind, unseen by the others.He kept his distance from the hut, cast his spell, and tuned in to their conversation.
It wasn't long before it dawned on him.The timing was too convenient. The information about the Stone, the dragon, and the meeting these events are too coincidental as if someone was moving behind the scene.
He figured out that what was happening wasn't just a bunch of random things—it was a plan to get these troublemakers to the Forbidden Corridor on the third floor.
Someone was using them to see how strong the Stone's defenses were, like a test.
Arthur turned back toward the castle, his mind already shifting to his studies.
Even If a legendary artifact was being used as bait, all he needed to do was focus in his studies and not bother with these troublemakers.