The Prince's Secret

Charms and Enchantments

Soon enough, Leilla realised that not all of her fellow first years had the same relaxed approach to blood status as Daphne. The biggest exception was Draco Malfoy. Anytime Gemma Farley wasn't in his line of sight, he treated everyone to stories about his father's tireless fight against 'Mudbloods' – wizards born into Muggle families.

'Don't worry about him,' Daphne told Leilla at breakfast the next morning. 'His family's nuts... He just repeats what they say.'

It turned out that the boys had already known each other too. They were all childhood friends of Pansy and Daphne's. The only exception was a dark-skinned, rather quiet boy called Blaise Zabini.

As they were eating their exceptionally delicious breakfast at the Great Hall, Daphne looked at their class schedule. 'Would you look at that,' she said with a grin. 'Charms first! Exciting!'

On their way to Professor Flitwick's classroom, they got to marvel at the incredible castle that was Hogwarts. It was the strangest building Leilla had ever seen in her life. It seemed like every time she turned a corner, a new hallway or corridor stretched before her, as though the building was a neverending maze of passages, classrooms and halls.

Adding to the intricacy of the school were its many staircases. They were everywhere – leading up and down, frequently changing their course, or moving right under the student's feet. All around the castle hung countless paintings portraying various wizards and witches. At first glance, they seemed like regular artwork, but when one looked closer, they would notice that the figures on the canvasses moved, as though they were alive. They sometimes observed the passing students politely, and other times they scowled at them for making too much noise.

Professor Flitwick greeted them enthusiastically as they entered his brightly lit classroom. He was so tiny that he had to stand on a stack of books in order to be seen over his desk. He looked delighted to see new faces in his class.

After reading out the list, he beamed at them. 'Charms!' he squeaked joyfully and flicked his wand. It caused a pile of feathers to sore from his desk and distribute themselves neatly to every single student. They had all sat in two rows of desks all facing Professor Flitwick's lecturn. Slytherins shared their class with Ravenclaws, and Leilla saw Terry Boot wave at her from the other side of the room.

'Today we shall practice one of the most essential spells in a wizard's toolbox – a Levitating Charm,' said Professor Flitwick with a wide smile.

'Take out your wands, please – you all have one, of course? Perfect. Now, repeat after me – Win–gar–dium Le–vio–sa! Then, give your wand a flick, and a swish – just like that!'

He flicked, swished, and the pile of books he stood on sored about three feet in the air, causing him to wobble comically. The classroom erupted with laughter and soon echoed with the sound of 'Wingardium Leviosa's', spoken with various degrees of accuracy.

Leilla was one of the first to make her feather fly. After the second attempt at the spell, hers and a Ravenclaw boy's feathers rose, quivering slightly in the air above them.

Professor Flitwick clapped enthusiastically. He hopped off his stack of books and trodded up to them.

'Congratulations, Miss Green!' he cried. 'Fantastic, Mister Goldstein!'

They practised the entire class, and by the end of it, Leilla could tell Charms would be her favourite subject. Professor Flitwick was bubbly and cheerful, and Slytherins got along really well with Ravenclaws. During the second half of the class, Professor Flitwick asked them to divide into groups and try to make their books levitate, once they were done with the feathers.