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BFH# Chapter 53: Halloween Eve
🕑 Added 2025-01-25 16:19:31 +0000 UTCRon and Harry were discussing their afternoon Charms class. Today's lesson covered the Levitation Charm, a spell that required precise pronunciation. A small misstepâlike turning the âfâ sound into an âsââcould leave you flat on your back with a buffalo stomping on your chest.
Naturally, Hermione, being the star student she was, took it upon herself to correct her classmatesâ mistakes, particularly her partner, Ron.
This, of course, had the opposite effect.
Ron was infuriated.
No one likes a classmate who constantly points out their mistakes. Itâs like trying to learn a foreign language and getting interrupted and corrected after every wordânot about right or wrong, but as if youâre being told youâre not smart enough to get it right on the first try.
But Ron felt slightly better when Hermione stumbled while correcting Harry.
âThatâs true,â Harry recalled. âShe wanted to say my wand movement was off, but before she could finish, I cast the Levitation Charm, and Professor Flitwick gave Gryffindor three points.â
âExactly!â Ron said with a touch of satisfaction. âSheâs not always right, so why does she have to act like she is all the time?â
The two of them muttered to each other at the Gryffindor table, not bothering to keep their voices down. Hermione, sitting a few seats away and chatting with her roommate Parvati Patil, overheard them.
She turned around, nose wrinkled, looking like an angry Pomeranian.
ââŠI was just saying her correction was about the wand movementâŠâ
Hermione marched over, glaring at Ron.
âMy correction was not wrong! Itâs you who got it wrong!â she snapped.
Ron and Harry froze, staring at her.
Hermione rattled off quickly:
âAccording to Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 and Magical Theory, the wand movement for the Levitation Charm requires a slight wrist flick followed by a downward arc of at least two inches. In class, your spellwork only completed half of the movement.â
âAnd as for pronunciation, you shouldnât emphasize the âd.â Instead, you need to elongate the middle syllable and pronounce it clearlyâŠâ
She continued listing everything theyâd done wrong, hands on her hips, before concluding:
âYou only succeeded this afternoon by sheer luck. If you donât adjust your spellcasting, youâll never score an O on your exams.â
Harry retorted, âIt wasnât luck that I succeeded.â
âWere you even listening to me? Your casting method doesnât align with the textbookâŠâ
âJust because itâs not in the textbook doesnât make it wrong!â Harry interrupted again.
He spoke earnestly:
âPlenty of experienced wizards simplify wand movements to cast faster. I read in another book that as long as the core motion is correct, most spells will still work.â
With that, Harry pulled out his wand from his cloak pocket and aimed at a plate on the table.
âWingardium Leviosa!â
He gave a subtle wrist flick and made a brief motion in the air. The plate wobbled slightly before rising a few inches off the table, floating steadily.
Hermione was momentarily speechless.
âSee?â Harry said, turning to her.
She paused for several seconds, then muttered, â...Which book did you read that in? Iâve gone through A History of Magic and Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2, and Iâve never seen such a description.â
âFrom Bloodlines to Hexes,â Harry replied. âItâs a book Professor gave me. Itâs filled with notes on spellcasting. I practiced its techniques all summer, and they worked for most of the spells I tried.â
âWell...okay,â Hermione conceded reluctantly. âBut the textbook method is still the most reliable. I think we should stick to that in class.â
Although she was no longer as confrontational, her tone remained stiff. She left after dropping this remark.
Ron scowled as he watched her retreating figure, rolling his eyes. He muttered to Harry, âWhy does she always have to be such a know-it-all? Even when youâre right, she still clings to the book like itâs the Bible. No wonder everyone avoids her.â
However, as Ron finished his complaint, Hermioneâs footsteps faltered. A moment later, she hurried out of the Great Hall, the heavy door closing behind her with a dull thud.
â...She heard you,â Harry said, glancing after her.
âSo what?â Ron replied, though he looked uneasy. âSheâs probably realized it by now. She doesnât have a single friend in this school.â
But Ron fell silent shortly after, looking uncomfortable. He eventually turned his attention to the pile of chicken on his plate, eating in silence.
Harry glanced toward the doors where Hermione had disappeared but said nothing.
To be honest, he sometimes found Hermione hard to bear too. She had a habit of scolding everyone about potential point deductions, making people avoid her.
The two spent the rest of the feast in a subdued mood.
What they didnât expect was that ten minutes later, the Great Hallâs doors were thrown open with a bang.
It was Quirrell.
His large turban sat askew, and his face was pale with terror. Stumbling into the center of the hall, he gasped:
âTrollâin the dungeonsâI thought you ought to knowââ
Then he collapsed onto the floor in a dead faint.
The hall erupted in chaos.
Students screamed and scrambled. Dumbledore had to fire purple sparks from his wand to restore order.
âPrefects,â he commanded in a low voice, âlead your houses back to the dormitories at once. Professors, follow me.â
As Dumbledore spoke, Harry instinctively glanced at the staff table, noticing several empty seats.
Ten minutes earlierâŠ
Hermione had rushed out of the Great Hall, her eyes brimming with tears. She had, of course, heard Ronâs words.
Sprinting through the empty corridors, she tried to find a quiet place to hide. But in her distraction, she didnât notice where she was going and bumped into someone on the stairs.
âAh!â
The impact sent Hermione stumbling to the ground.
ââŠMiss Granger?â
The voice belonged to Viktor .
When Hermione looked up, still dazed, she saw the black-robed figure standing above her.
