Chapter 52: Peeves the Poltergeist

The courses at Hogwarts were very relaxed; first-year little wizards had no more than three classes a day.

On Thursday, Ravenclaw had three different classes: Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration.

For a power like Charms that has immediate positive feedback,

within a few days of enrollment, the little wizards showed different progress.

Most little wizards had mastered Lumos, but could only emit some faint light.

Some little wizards were still waving their wands, one flick and one stop, chanting loudly,

but they could never make the tip of their wand emit light.

And Sean?

His Lumos practice had reached the 【Skilled】 level.

The light emitted was not only brighter than other little wizards but also more stable.

The learning logic of magic can always be explained like this:

First is understanding.

When you don't understand a spell, you cannot use it.

Therefore, without considering other conditions, the more spells you know, the stronger the wizard.

And when you understand a spell, you still need to practice constantly to make the spell more proficient.

This is the second logic of a wizard becoming stronger—

the more proficient the spell used, the stronger the wizard.

There are many examples of this, such as Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, who will arrive next year.

His specialized Memory Charm can even make powerful wizards who don't fear vampires, werewolves, or trolls fall into the gutter.

Therefore, constant practice must be the road to the origin of magic.

After Lumos reached the Novice level, Sean clearly perceived that his understanding of this spell was deeper.

The previously stiff gestures became fluid, and the pronunciation was no longer blurred but clear and powerful.

Sean guessed that when his proficiency in a spell reached a certain level,

he might not need to say the incantation out loud.

He would only need to recite it silently in his heart.

"The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 1" mentions that this is the silent spell commonly used by high-level wizards.

As for the principle,

"Magical Theory" has a clear explanation:

【Since incantations are specific words or phrases used to trigger or invoke magic,

silent recitation is equally effective, which determines that it can be used under silent conditions.】

This point will also be mentioned in Professor Professor Professor Sineipu's Defense Against the Dark Arts class in the sixth year.

"Very good! Very good! Significant progress. Many people have learned Lumos.

For little wizards who have just learned Lumos, constant practice is very important.

But for a few extra little ones..."

Professor Flitwick's voice was shrill. When saying this, he winked at Sean, Hermione, and a few others.

"I will teach them another spell in advance. Come on, the little ones who learned Lumos last time can gather around.

As for those who haven't learned it yet, don't worry, remember my words: one flick and one stop, crave the light..."

Professor Flitwick is easy to "underestimate," but he doesn't hesitate when chanting spells.

A few outstanding little wizards, under his guidance, began practicing another spell.

That was the Levitation Charm.

Practicing until the end of class, Sean's Levitation Charm, under the professor's guidance, increased by a full 30 points of proficiency.

Reaching (34/300).

Sean walked out of the Charms classroom from the long corridor, satisfied. The little wizards had ten minutes to head to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

This time wasn't much, so everyone walked quickly in a rush.

Until they met an uninvited guest.

"Aha! First-year brats!"

Just as the little wizards were about to open a door, a ghost suddenly jumped out from behind the door, giving everyone a big fright.

It put a wastepaper basket on Seamus's head, and Seamus shouted:

"My head! Oh no! It's my eyes! Has it turned dark?"

And this ghost's prank obviously didn't stop there. It suddenly pulled away the carpet under the little wizards' feet.

Even Michael fell down. Just as he was about to get up, his nose suddenly tightened. It turned out to be that ghost.

It grabbed Michael's nose and screamed loudly:

"Got your nose!"

Anthony and Terry subconsciously took a step back, then braced themselves and moved toward Michael.

Sean was the quickest; he shouted loudly:

"Peeves! The Bloody Baron is coming!"

That ghost immediately screamed and ran away in a flash.

The three of them immediately helped the shaken Michael up.

The surrounding little wizards looked at Sean with admiration.

"Oh, thank you, Sean, that was a huge help, and you guys..."

Michael's face turned red. He looked around to confirm Peeves had left.

He then quietly moved closer to Sean.

"Sean, how did you know Peeves was afraid of the Bloody Baron?"

"It was said by Percy, the Gryffindor prefect."

Sean didn't lie; Percy had indeed said this, but how Sean knew was another matter.

On the spiral staircase, the frightened little wizards all quickened their pace to leave.

Not until the firelight appeared in the corridor did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

Peeves was aptly named; he was mischievous and always used to fly through the corridors of Hogwarts screaming, pulling all sorts of pranks.

Although he had no physical form, could pass through walls, and was translucent like a ghost,

he actually wasn't a ghost.

Sean learned this when he was flipping through "Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection" in Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

【In Hogwarts, Peeves is very noisy, but he is not a ghost; he is a poltergeist, also known as a prank ghost.

A poltergeist is a psychological energy rather than a mark left by the dead.

The ghosts of Hogwarts all admit that Peeves is not one of them.

Theorists generally believe that a poltergeist is a spiritual entity caused by subconscious behavior—especially the subconscious behavior of the oppressed.

For thousands of years, Hogwarts students have been under considerable pressure, so it is not surprising that Peeves is such a spiritual entity born at the right moment.】

Sean saw such an explanation for the first time. He continued to flip through it thoughtfully:

【I advocate that little wizards should at least learn the following spells to deal with the darkest part of magical power.

Green Sparks;

Red Sparks;

Knockback Jinx;

Smokescreen Spell;

Wand-Lighting Charm】

Sean read this part seriously and kept the first four spells in his heart.

Learning these four spells, his Defense Against the Dark Arts class should be able to reach excellent.

As for how to learn, Sean glanced at Professor Quirrell, who was stuttering and speaking vaguely.

He sighed deeply and temporarily shelved the plan in his notebook.

He had to face that problem that made his heart surge with excitement and yet full of concerns—

practicing potion brewing,

in that dungeon known as the forbidden zone, guarded by Professor Professor Professor Sineipu. ===== CHAPTER 53 =====