King of Lightning [HP FANFIC]

That evening, Anduin got dressed and prepared to head out; he had to attend Professor Flitwick's Charms Club.

Following the address on Professor Flitwick's invitation, Anduin arrived in front of a mural on the eighth floor of the main tower. It was said that the meeting place had been arranged there mainly because it was close to the Ravenclaw Head's office.

"Password!" the knight in the mural exclaimed, looking at Anduin, who was standing before him.

"Unicorn" Anduin read aloud from the invitation.

"As you wish" the knight nodded and opened the door.

The room was furnished like a typical classroom, but the walls on either side were lined with shelves, giving it the appearance of a library with its dense collection of books. There were over a dozen velvet-covered tables and chairs, and the blue carpet and curtains gave the place a very distinct Ravenclaw atmosphere.

Many people were already inside, speaking quietly among themselves.

"Anduin, what are you doing here?" Vanessa was clearly surprised to see him show up. She had been invited to join the Club in her third year and was very proud of it, as no one had ever joined in their first year, and almost none in their second. Being invited by Professor Flitwick in third year was already considered a great honor.

"This isn't a place you can just walk into. Before the Professor arrives, you should hurry and leave, so he doesn't get angry later," she thought for a moment that Anduin had mistakenly followed a member in and quickly warned him.

Anduin was slightly puzzled to see Vanessa, but then he smiled and said, "Prefect Greengrass, you're mistaken. Professor Flitwick invited me to join the Charms Club."

He smiled and pulled out the invitation Professor Flitwick had given him, waving it gently in front of her.

Vanessa saw that Anduin did indeed have an invitation, but she still felt something was off. First and second-year students were typically focused on foundational studies, so how could someone who had just enrolled be joining this Club?

She then leaned in and said softly, "Perhaps Professor Flitwick has a special reason, but this isn't an easy class where you just sit and listen. Here, you have to complete research tasks assigned by the Professor. Sometimes you'll even need to take part in academic discussions and assist him with certain research projects."

"Don't worry, upperclassman," Anduin interrupted calmly, "The Professor already explained the Club's details to me beforehand. I believe I won't be a burden."

Anduin had already spoken with Professor Flitwick about the Charms Club in advance. It was, in essence, a small research group, and the relationship between the students and the Professor resembled that of graduate students with their advisor. The teaching and research structure was divided into three levels.

The first level involved the content studied by ordinary students. The second level was for students who had achieved an E or O in their fifth year and had been admitted to advanced Charms class by Professor Flitwick — a structure also present in other subjects. The third level was the Charms Club he had personally founded. Those who attended were typically students whose talent in Charms had been highly recognized by the Professor, and they were expected to explore and develop material beyond the standard curriculum.

Vanessa could tell Anduin was perfectly composed, so she said no more and simply led him to a seat to wait.

Shortly after, Professor Flitwick entered the room. When he saw that Anduin had arrived on time, he smiled and said, "Anduin, I'm so glad to see you. Our conversation the other day gave me a lot of inspiration and new ideas."

Everyone in the room grew curious upon hearing the Professor speak so warmly to a younger student as soon as he walked in, and they all turned to look at Anduin.

Anduin had never liked drawing too much attention to himself, especially when surrounded by upper-year students at least two grades above him. But seeing Professor Flitwick so enthusiastic, he had no choice but to stand and greet him: "Hello, Professor. It's an honor. Your guidance also helped clear up many of my doubts."

Flitwick smiled and nodded, then walked to the podium at the front of the room, sat in his specially designed tall chair, looked around, and said, "It seems everyone's arrived on time. Now, let's begin our first Charms Club meeting of the academic year."

"First, let's welcome our new member, Shirley Lenster, a fourth-year student from Hufflepuff."

Shirley, upon hearing her name, stood up and nodded slightly to everyone, and welcoming applause filled the room.

"Next is Quirrell, a fifth-year student from Ravenclaw."

Quirrell looked visibly nervous, rubbing his thighs with both hands in an uneasy motion. He stood up rather stiffly to greet the group, who offered encouraging applause.

"And lastly, I'd like to introduce Anduin Wilson, a first-year student from Slytherin."

After hearing the previous two introductions, Anduin finally understood why Vanessa had thought it impossible for him to be there. Two students from the fourth and fifth year had just been introduced . . . but there was no point dwelling on it now. He simply stood and nodded at the others.

Everyone around him stared at Anduin in surprise. A first-year student? Hadn't he just been admitted a few days ago?

For a moment, the upper-year students were stunned, even forgetting to applaud. It was Professor Flitwick who began clapping first, and only then did the others join in, suppressing their curiosity.

Once introductions were over, Professor Flitwick got straight to work without further explanation. He cleared his throat and addressed everyone, "Today is the first meeting of this academic year. I hope our new young wizards can adjust quickly. Now, I'll announce the research topics for this year."

He then drew his wand and tapped it gently in the air. Writing appeared quickly on the whiteboard next to him.

Silent Spells – research direction: techniques and methods for mastering silent spellcasting.

Wandless Magic – how to develop wandless spellcasting from the ground up.

Development and Research of Temperature-Control Spells.

Development concepts and application paths for soundwave spells.

Decoding spell formation through Ancient Runes and tracing the evolution of multinational spells.

Sourcing high-quality materials and critical data for the Undetectable Extension Charm (ongoing research from previous years; current optimal material is goblin urim steel, with 37 secondary high-quality materials).

Quantification and improvement techniques for magic sensitivity.