Chapter 19: Charms Class
The Charms classroom was on the seventh floor of the castle, windows facing east. When morning light slanted in, you could see dust motes drifting through the air.
Regulus sat in the second row of the Slytherin section. Avery Cuthbert was to his right; Alex Rosier sat one empty seat to his left.
The latter was nervously flipping through "The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1," muttering the pronunciation of the Levitation Charm under his breath.
"Relax, Rosier," Avery said with a sidelong glance, lightly mocking. "Professor Flitwick isn't going to eat you."
"I just... want to make sure the pronunciation's right," Alex said quietly.
The classroom door creaked open, and Professor Filius Flitwick practically floated in — he was so small that he needed to stand on a stack of thick books just to see over the lectern.
But the moment he settled, those bright eyes sweeping the room, everyone went quiet.
"Good morning, children!" Flitwick's voice was high-pitched but clear. "Today we shall learn the most fundamental of charms — the Levitation Charm! A spell that appears simple, yet contains the very essence of magic!"
He flicked his wand and a white feather drifted out of a box on the desk, hovering in the center of the classroom.