Tuning out the surrounding drama, Richie used the Magical Practice and House Tutoring period to head straight for the Ravenclaw Head of House's office. He needed Professor Flitwick to point him in the right direction—specifically, he needed book recommendations.
During Charms, Richie had successfully deduced the non-interchangeable relationship between incantations, wand movements, conscious intent, and emotion. But beyond that realization, he was drawing a blank.
What, why, and how?
Those three questions were massive roadblocks. Without a solid theoretical foundation, fumbling around in the dark on his own would just lead him down another mental dead end.
He needed extracurricular reading to build out his knowledge base. And the best way to get that was to ask an experienced professor.
West Tower, just behind the Charms classroom: the Head of Ravenclaw's office.
Richie straightened his robes and knocked on the door.
"Come in!" Professor Flitwick's squeaky voice called out.
With a soft click, the door cracked open. Richie pushed it wide and stepped inside.
"Therefore, you must pay attention to the subtle variations in the incantation to prevent this from happening again," Flitwick was saying.
"Got it. Thank you, Professor."
As Richie walked in, an older student was just finishing up a question. Having gotten the answer he needed, the kid gave Flitwick a happy little bow. Turning around and spotting Richie, the student gave him a friendly nod before slipping out the door.
Seeing this made Richie even more optimistic about his own visit.
Professor Flitwick beamed at his newest student. Just half an hour earlier, he had received a magically enchanted origami crane from Professor McGonagall, detailing exactly what had gone down on the flying pitch.
"Little Richie—if you'll allow me the familiarity," Flitwick started. "Maintaining a clear, objective perspective is an exceptional quality that a Ravenclaw must possess at all times, and you demonstrated that perfectly today."
"As I just told Minerva, you truly are a rising Seven-Pointed Star for Ravenclaw. Your potential is limitless."
Hearing the high praise, Richie rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little sheepish.
Flitwick laced his fingers together and looked at him curiously. "So, what sort of problem brings our Seven-Pointed Star to my office?"
Richie's expression turned serious. "Professor, I feel like my understanding of magic is too superficial. I was hoping you could recommend some advanced reading to help me expand my theoretical foundation."
"Oh! The fundamental understanding of magic... now that is quite a broad topic." Flitwick raised an eyebrow. "Tell me, what spells have you successfully mastered so far?"
"The Levitation Charm, the Wand-Lighting Charm, the Unlocking Charm, the Full Body-Bind Curse, the Summoning Charm..." Richie answered honestly.
He listed over a dozen spells. They were mostly foundational, the kind you could brute-force just by sinking enough time into practice. After two months of relentless grinding, he had at least grasped the basics of all of them. In reality, his list easily covered the entire first-year curriculum, and spells like the Summoning Charm and the Body-Bind Curse were straight out of the second- and third-year textbooks.
Flitwick nodded with deep satisfaction.
"So, by independently studying these spells, you solved the initial problems, only to run into even more complex ones, which triggered a deeper level of critical thinking?"
"Tell me, what is your current understanding of magic?"
Richie organized his thoughts. He explained his breakdown of the Levitation Charm during Potions—specifically, how conscious intent and emotion interacted with incantations and wand movements. He broke down his theory of "pseudo-substitution" and laid out his core hypotheses: Consciousness guides, emotion drives, and that all four elements are equally critical and meant to function in parallel.
As Richie laid out his highly logical analysis, the look of profound appreciation in Flitwick's eyes only deepened. He didn't interrupt once, just listening quietly.
When Richie finally finished, Flitwick spoke up.
"Consciousness and emotion... those are concepts that give even our upper-year students a massive headache. I am incredibly pleased to see you willingly diving into such deep waters."
"This is excellent."
He picked up a quill and began scribbling rapidly on a piece of parchment. A minute later, he handed the list to Richie.
"Based on your theories, I highly recommend these texts. They should prove very useful in your ongoing research."
Richie took the parchment and scanned the recommended reading list: Born of Lies, The Dead Limbs, Magical Tides and Emotional Cycles...
Flitwick had even numbered them to suggest a reading order, specifically highlighting crucial chapters for each. At the very bottom, Flitwick had left a handwritten note:
> To Richie Harland:
> The mediocre view the page as the final destination of knowledge. A true Ravenclaw uses it to chart a star map of wisdom. Past and present, in action and in thought.
> — Filius Flitwick
Richie stared at that last line, lost in thought.
"Off you go. You can find all of those in the library," Flitwick said with a warm smile.
"Thank you, Professor." Snapping back to reality, Richie gave Flitwick a deep, respectful bow before turning and heading out the door.
Watching the boy leave, Flitwick couldn't help but sigh nostalgically.
"I remember when I first started studying magic... I was exactly like that."
---
After getting directions from an older student, Richie finally tracked down the Hogwarts Library.
It was located on the second floor, just through an archway to the right of the grand staircase.
Stepping through the arch, he was greeted by the sight of hundreds of long oak tables, illuminated by thousands of floating candles overhead. To his left stretched an endless row of towering bookshelves that reached all the way to the ceiling.
Not far from the entrance sat the circulation desk. Behind it was a severely thin woman in brown wizarding robes. Through her spectacles, her sharp eyes swept across every corner of the library, remaining on high alert for any potential rule-breaking.
It didn't take long for her to lock onto Richie as he approached the desk.
Richie stepped up and glanced at the nameplate on the desk. "Madam Pince? Hello. I'd like to check out some books. How does the process work here?"
"First time?" Madam Pince looked him up and down, her brow furrowing slightly. She slid a pamphlet across the desk titled Hogwarts Library Rules & Regulations.
Richie took it and read it over carefully.
> WARNING:
> Library rules strictly prohibit loud talking, spellcasting, and eating.
>
> For Standard Collection Books, there are two methods of checkout:
> 1. Locate your desired title in the Hogwarts Library Catalog. Register it at the circulation desk, then retrieve it using the provided shelf location.
> 2. Browse the shelves, locate a book, and bring it to the circulation desk for registration.
>
> Checkout Policies:
> Maximum checkout period: Two weeks. Books may be taken outside the library.
> Restricted Section: Access requires explicit, written permission from a professor.
> Returns: All materials must be returned in pristine condition by their due date. In the event of damage...