Chapter 29: The Professor of Life-Doubting Charms

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Ryan was faring slightly better. He had transitioned from flickering to a more stable flashing light, and the frequency was decreasing. It seemed like success was just around the corner for him.

However, things were quite different for Mikkel. The glow from his wand was extremely unstable. At its brightest, it was blinding like a searchlight; at its dimmest, it could barely rival a firefly, and it seemed like it might go out at any moment.

The more anxious he became, the more he lost control, creating a vicious cycle.

"Um, you..."

Kyle wanted to help, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he saw Mikkel suddenly take a deep breath and jerk his hand, lifting his wand abruptly.

Out of nowhere, a terrible feeling surged through Kyle's heart, as if something awful was about to happen.

The feeling came so suddenly that Kyle had no time to think. Almost instinctively, he turned, ducked, and closed his eyes.

At nearly the same moment, a blinding flash, like an exploding flashbang, engulfed the entire Charms classroom.

Although the intense light disappeared after just one second, the damage was already done.

Many young wizards, caught completely off guard, were blinded by the flash. The next second, cries of pain echoed from all sides. Wizards clutched their eyes, screaming, shoving, and trying desperately to flee, throwing the classroom into complete chaos.

Even Professor Flitwick was caught in the blast. But being an experienced professor who had weathered many storms, he didn't panic like the young wizards. Though clearly uncomfortable, he did his best to reassure everyone in his high-pitched voice.

"It's alright! Don't panic! Stay calm, and you'll be able to see again in a moment."

Despite Professor Flitwick's best efforts, his words had little effect. The classroom remained in utter disarray.

To an outsider, it might have looked as though Voldemort had just stormed Hogwarts.

To make matters worse, Professor Flitwick had been facing the wrong way the entire time, shouting at the wall behind him.

The four wizards in the portrait hanging there were extremely annoyed. Although they had also been startled by the flash, being mere portraits, they weren't affected beyond the initial shock.

To them, Flitwick's actions were as foolish as a blundering Erumpent with a dented horn.

...

In the Charms classroom, the only ones who had managed to keep their composure were Kyle, who had instinctively avoided the blast, and a few lucky students.

But there wasn't much they could do. They tried to comfort their panicked classmates and helped those who had fallen to prevent a stampede.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that the lingering effects of the flash began to fade, and the young wizards regained their sight.

"Oh, Merlin's beard, what a disaster," Professor Flitwick muttered as he rubbed his eyes, shakily climbing down from behind the lectern.

He had tried to come down earlier to calm the students, but in his confusion, he hadn't noticed he was facing the wrong way and ended up stepping off the edge and falling.

Now, Professor Flitwick was fuming.

He had been teaching for decades and had encountered countless unexpected situations. A Summoning Charm accidentally hitting someone, a Levitation Charm bringing in a stray cow, or a Unlocking Charm that blew up a lock—he'd seen it all and wasn't surprised by any of it.

These things were within his expectations. After all, first-years were bound to struggle with magic.

But never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that a simple, harmless spell like the Wand-Lighting Charm could go so disastrously wrong.

With a mixture of frustration and curiosity, Professor Flitwick and the young wizards approached the culprit.

Mikkel was slumped over his desk, completely still. Professor Flitwick called his name several times, but Mikkel didn't respond at all, lying peacefully in place.

Sensing something amiss, Flitwick quickly moved to check on him, and soon reached a conclusion.

"He's alive. It seems he passed out from magical exhaustion..."

Hearing this, Kyle finally let out a sigh of relief.

Here, "magical exhaustion" doesn't mean running out of mana like in a game. It's more like a regular person going two days and nights without sleep, completely drained.

...

Professor Flitwick's gaze became somewhat vacant.

Magical exhaustion? From a Wand-Lighting Charm?

In just a few short minutes, this was the second time he had started doubting his life choices. He even began to wonder if he'd been at Hogwarts for too long and had grown out of touch.

After all, in the thousand-year history of the wizarding world, he'd never heard of anyone passing out from casting a simple Wand-Lighting Charm.

"Professor, should I take him to Madam Pomfrey?" Kyle asked cautiously, seeing that Flitwick was standing frozen in place. "He can't just stay slumped like this. It'd be better to get him checked out."

"Yes… you're right. Take him there quickly," Flitwick said, snapping out of his daze.

...

With Flitwick's permission, Kyle promptly cast a Levitation Charm on Mikkel and hurriedly left the classroom with him.

Normally, given Flitwick's temperament, he would have awarded points for quick thinking like this, but right now... well, as long as no points were deducted, Kyle considered himself lucky enough. No need to ask for extra credit.

...

Not long after leaving the classroom, Kyle turned a corner and came face to face with a crouching cat... not a cat-girl, but a real cat, its amber eyes fixed intently on him without blinking.

"Mrs. Norris? Perfect!"

Kyle quickly said, "A student's been hurt, and I need to take him to Madam Pomfrey, but I'm not sure how to get there. Can you show me the way?"

Though Cedric had marked the hospital wing on his map, Kyle had never been there and wasn't familiar with the route.

But Mrs. Norris was a different story. She had spent years trailing after Filch, so she knew Hogwarts like the back of her paw and would definitely know the fastest way.

If she was willing to help, it'd be a great relief.

Mrs. Norris tilted her head, glanced at Kyle and the floating Mikkel behind him, and then silently stood up, heading toward the staircase on the right.

Does that mean she agreed?

Kyle hurriedly followed her.

The pair, along with the levitating Mikkel, wove through several staircases and even took a hidden passage behind a statue to cut the distance. In just a few minutes, they arrived at a courtyard outside the Great Hall.

In this courtyard stood a large pendulum clock, which was why the place was called the Clock Tower Courtyard.

When Kyle arrived, Mrs. Norris was already sitting by the clock, pointing her tail towards the stairs behind her, indicating he should go up.

"Thanks! I'll bring you some fish snacks!" Kyle said with a smile.

He reached out to give Mrs. Norris a pat on the head, but she dodged it nimbly.

Mrs. Norris folded back her ears and glared at Kyle with a warning look before turning around and disappearing.

"Heh, such a tsundere."

Kyle shook his head with a sigh, reluctantly lowering his hand, and continued up the stairs with Mikkel.

As long as he followed this path, he would reach the hospital wing. Luckily, the staircase here was fixed, so there was no need to worry about it shifting midway.

...

(End of Chapter)