Harry Potter: Is It Normal for a Hogwarts Professor to Be a Dark Lord?

As the words left his mouth, the students could no longer contain themselves, erupting in loud cheers, their faces flushed either from excitement or the cold.

"However, I must be frank; you are currently far from capable of achieving this."

Their spirits, which had been high as if lifted by the snow itself, suddenly faltered.

Fortunately, Tver provided an explanation.

"To reach the level of Professor Flitwick, you need to enhance your understanding of spells, gestures, and the release of magical power. It's not something you can achieve now, at least not yet."

Seeing some disheartened students, Tver smiled and posed a question: "So, who among you can make magic linger? Like this—"

He flicked his wand.

"Stupefy."

A red beam shot out but, to the students' amazement, it didn't continue forward but hovered in mid-air like a tiny red snitch!

"This is control over magic. You can think of it like the light emitted by the Lumos spell, the only difference being that achieving this effect with other spells is much more challenging."

For now, Tver could only manage this effect with some basic spells.

"I don't understand," Ron interjected, "Isn't Lumos supposed to just light up at the tip of the wand? What does the professor mean by 'a ball of light'?"

This time, not even Hermione needed to respond, as Harry, having been immersed in the magical environment, could explain.

"The light from the Lumos spell can fall off from the tip of the wand and move to any visible spot according to the caster's will."

"Doesn't that mean we could save on electric bills?" Ron exclaimed, thrilled.

The students in the class were equally baffled, though about different things. They quietly tried to replicate the spell, but, predictably, they failed. Even Percy, who had been dissecting spells recently, could only manage to make the spell stutter momentarily.

In the end, they had to grudgingly accept the fact that their skills were not yet up to the task.

"Don't worry," he reassured the students, "I've already realized this, so I'm going to give you a little help."

He waved his wand towards the surrounding snow, and like boiling water, nearly a hundred snowballs the size of fists emerged, floating to hover two feet above each student's head, stopping precisely.

Only then did they notice that the snowballs had a small opening, revealing their hollow interiors.

"See?" Tver retracted his wand, drawing the students' attention to him. "You can think of the spell you cast as a balloon; the magic effect is like the skin outside, and the magical power you output is like the air inside. Now, I've prepared a tougher outer layer for you, so you don't need to worry about making the magic stay. Next, you need to release your magic precisely into the snowballs, allowing them to contain an effective spell."

Watching the eager students, Tver raised his voice to ensure clarity.

"Remember, you need to maintain a continuous and stable output of magical power to prevent your spells from collapsing. Too little will cause the magic to dissipate due to insufficient power, while too much will burst the original spell. Use any spell you like, but I recommend you choose the most advanced offensive spells you've mastered, such as the Stunning Spells, Disarming Charms, and Petrification Spells. As for the amount of magical power to output, that's for you to judge."

The students didn't really heed the professor's advice; once they heard that the snowballs could contain magic, they were all too eager to show off the most spectacular spells they knew.

They wanted to prove to the professor that they, the upperclassmen, were not like the lowerclassmen who only played with light balls!

Compared to the excited students inside the golden membrane, the younger wizards outside could only watch and hope the academically gifted would offer some insights to sate their curiosity.

This time, Hermione couldn't add much. After all, as a first-year student, her understanding that the roll-call magic was noteworthy was already quite exceptional.

But Cedric next to her was different. Having attended the professor's private lessons for so long and discreetly observed Percy's spell dissection, combined with his own extensive knowledge, he was well-prepared.

He cleared his throat, drawing the attention of those around him, especially a certain Ravenclaw underclassman.

Noticing this, he quickly averted his gaze, pridefully stating, "Take a close look at that golden membrane. It's actually a powerful Shield Charm!"

"Yeah, right."

Students had already researched this, and now everyone knew it was a Shield Charm.

Cedric ignored the disdainful looks and raised a finger, mysteriously saying, "But there's something you definitely don't know."

"What is it?" Cho Chang asked immediately.

His cheeks reddened slightly, embarrassed to show off further.

"Actually, the snowballs are also a type of Shield Charm. It seems the professor has modified this Shield Charm to be gentle yet tough, and it blocks magic without dissipating it."

"That can't be right, a Shield Charm is supposed to just block magic, how can it not dissipate?" Cho Chang said, her mouth agape in surprise.

"Who knows? After all the lessons we've had with the professor, my biggest takeaway is that he's turned the Shield Charm into an art form," Cedric shrugged.

"I'm not so concerned about the Shield Charm, the key is we also have snow, but how can we play with it like they do..."

Ron watched enviously as the students inside the golden membrane reveled in their magical exercises. They were casting spells of vibrant colors at the snowballs hovering above their heads, quickly forgetting Tver's reminders to control their magical power and use spells proficiently. Despite their enthusiasm, few managed to accurately hit the hollow openings of the snowballs. Most missed entirely, with spells either whizzing past or veering off wildly.

Indeed, even those who did hit the snowballs made no difference—the enhanced Shield Charm was not something their spells could breach. Some students, perhaps out of clumsiness or maybe due to private grievances, even managed to hit their classmates instead of the snowballs. With the snowballs intentionally placed above their heads, it was hard to tell whether these misses were personal or simply poor aim.

The chaos inside the shield elicited laughs of envy from the younger wizards outside. They too wished to join such playful magic lessons.

Tver, however, was caught between laughter and tears. After reviving several students who had been accidentally struck, he had to wave his wand and infuse his own magical power into the ghosts assisting each student. Instantly, the ghosts seemed to come to life, their expressions becoming animated and their movements almost human-like. And they didn't hold back their comments.

"Come on, Flint, you're a wizard, not a troll. You're supposed to be using that wand to cast spells, not swinging it like a club!"

"Mr. Percy, Professor Fawley wants me to tell you that you're the best in the field," one ghost praised Percy, who beamed in response. However, the ghost quickly added, "But also the most off-topic. The professor asked for offensive spells, did you not? hear! him?"

"Miss Penelope, I hear you're a candidate for Ravenclaw prefect?" the ghost turned to another student, catching her off guard with its friendly tone.

"Yes," Penelope lifted her head proudly, smiling, "Professor Flitwick has already told me in secret!"

The ghost shook its head, "Ah, it seems this year's Ravenclaw students aren't up to much, are they~"

Penelope: "…"