Hogwarts Card System Chapter 038

“Protego!”

Ted flicked his wand, and a thin magical shield appeared in front of him before vanishing.

He had finally successfully cast the Shield Charm!

Protego Lv 1 already appeared in his magic bar, indicating the system recognized it.

He also gained 65 experience points for learning a new spell.

However, after testing the Shield Charm’s effect, he felt a bit down.

Initially, he used magic to control a ball flying towards him, but the Shield Charm couldn’t block it.

“Is this ball too powerful?”

Then he controlled a piece of parchment flying towards him, and the Shield Charm still couldn’t block it.

“Ugh, is there an even lighter attack?”

No wonder the original story mentioned that most Ministry of Magic employees couldn’t cast a decent Shield Charm.

It wasn’t enough to just be able to cast it; its effectiveness was key!

Finally, Ted tested the defensive limit of his current Shield Charm… How should he put it?

As thin as a cicada’s wing, easily broken, Okamoto 0.01 ultra-thin, no sensation~

This was literally just cast; it provided no protective effect whatsoever.

It was worse than a bubble!

He was afraid a deep breath would burst it!

But magic was like that; it always required constant refinement and improvement, slowly strengthening and optimizing.

It wasn’t like learning math, where 1+ 1= 2, and you instantly knew it.

It was more like a craft; learning it was just getting started, and then you needed continuous refinement and study.

He had already learned several spells during this time, including the minor hex “Leg-Locker Curse” obtained from solving a puzzle. He already knew “Densaugeo,” which he gained from another adventure.

The former’s incantation was “Locomotor Mortis,” causing the victim’s legs to stiffen like wood, as if glued together.

Its effect wasn’t great, at least not very effective against wizards.

If it could turn hands stiff like wooden sticks, preventing the casting of wands, it might be somewhat useful.

But could this thing be used elsewhere? For example, on the third leg—the “Unfailing Golden Spear Charm”?!

The latter’s incantation was “Densaugeo,” causing the victim’s front teeth to grow excessively long, even propping their mouth open, making it impossible to close. It could indeed restrict the opponent from chanting spells.

After a period of intense study, Ted also needed to relax.

After dinner, he took his old guitar to an empty terrace alone. After tuning, he gently plucked the strings.

A rendition of “Songs from a Secret Garden” echoed in the silent evening, reverberating through the empty corridors, terraces, and towers, flowing freely with the evening breeze and the setting sun.

This song was composed based on William Butler Yeats’ poem of the same name, “Down By the Salley Garden,” which tells the story of a willow garden by a river in Sligo, Western Ireland. Hence, the song also had the name “By the Willow Garden.”

William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet, playwright, and essayist, a famous mystic, and a leader of the “Irish Literary Revival.”

Yeats’ poetry was influenced by Romanticism, Aestheticism, Mysticism, Symbolism, and Metaphysical poetry, evolving into his unique style.

This song was no different, possessing a unique romance and mystery that captivated listeners.

Perhaps some students would inadvertently hear it, stop to listen but couldn’t find the source of the music, or perhaps only the ancient magical castle was listening to Ted’s music.

He immersed himself in the music, relaxing his mind and body, allowing his psychic energy to spread unhindered, enjoying this brief, personal moment of tranquility…

Before long, a paper crane fluttered over unsteadily.

Ted extended his hand, and the paper crane landed in his palm, unfolding into a piece of paper.

It was Hermione, asking where he was. She also said she faintly heard guitar music and wondered if he was playing.

Indeed, although this ancient castle was full of statues and portraits, it lacked any artistic atmosphere. There were hardly any musical instruments.

It was said that a play performance several decades ago caused a fire, and similar activities were canceled afterward.

Ted picked up his guitar and went to find his friends.

Before leaving, he glanced at a wall not far away.

After he left, an opalescent ghost emerged from the wall.

It was a lady, known by the Ravenclaw little eagles as the Grey Lady, Ravenclaw’s resident ghost.

She had been hiding in the wall, listening to Ted play music.

…

After returning the guitar to his dormitory, Ted went to the abandoned classroom where they usually gathered. His friends were already sitting in rows, chatting.

Ted heard Jerry say, “…At Hogwarts, I, the little mouse, can finally eat cheese until I’m full! Long live Hogwarts!”

Since his nickname in Gryffindor was “little mouse,” he had already started referring to himself as such.

Ted sat down and asked, “What are you chatting about? So happy.”

Only then did he realize they were “reminiscing about past hardships and current sweetness.”

They had been living at Hogwarts for almost two months now, and they inadvertently started talking about the huge changes before and after coming here.

Hermione, of course, didn’t need to be mentioned; a door to the magical world slowly opened for her.

She was so diligent and eager to learn, not just for grades or to compete; she genuinely enjoyed the fun the magical world brought.

Even what others found extremely dry, like the History of Magic, seemed like quirky fairy tales to her.

So, the best talent is interest!

Wasn’t the bald cape hero driven by interest also the strongest hero?!

Ron and Harry, though from wizarding families and exposed to magic since childhood, probably didn’t learn much because the wizarding world believed children shouldn’t be exposed to magic too early to prevent them from losing control.

Harry had learned a lot from Sirius, but it was very fragmented.

Ron, on the other hand, hadn’t cast any magic before enrolling.

Because wizards often lived quite dispersed, sometimes with only one wizard family within dozens of miles, young wizards rarely had playmates at home.

The only young wizard Harry frequently interacted with as a child was Malfoy—can you believe that?!

Yet, it was true.

It made sense; old Malfoy must have been impacted after Voldemort’s downfall.

At that time, the equally ancient, wealthy, and prestigious Black family, who were also relatives, became particularly important.

Although Sirius disliked him and mocked him whenever they met, old Malfoy could indeed borrow a lot of family connections and prestige that Sirius didn’t use.

Hmm, so Malfoy got punched by Harry since childhood! That was the price!

Gryffindor’s Boxing Champion was no joke!

Ron was the other extreme; with seven children in his family, he was the sixth, and the least favored.

Who would favor the sixth child~ You old sixth!

Although parental love for children should theoretically be the same, in real life, the differences were quite significant.

Bill, the eldest Weasley child, was the firstborn and a top student, naturally highly valued by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

The third child was now Paige, the first girl in the family, and she had a good personality and was also a top student, so she was very much loved.

If there was anything new in the family, it was usually bought for Paige, then passed down layer by layer.

But it usually stopped at Ron because Ginny, the youngest girl, the baby, naturally received affection.

Although Ron’s parents loved him equally, with many children, their energy was limited, and being ignored to some extent was inevitable.

The two older brothers had a large age gap, creating a generation gap.

For those closer in age, what common interests and topics could a little sister have?

The twins’ emotional expression was a bit different from normal people; they often played pranks on him.

Only the third sister, Paige, often cared for her youngest brother.

After enrolling, he finally made true friends, and there were five of them.

Neville, who was a bit honest and dull but reliable, the Savior; Jerry, the clever, lively, and positive little mouse; Harry, the bold and leading big sister; Ted, who let him copy homework and guided him on how to find information for essays; and Hermione, who always complained about their lack of effort but was thoughtful and always noticed her friends’ feelings…

Although Ron didn’t say it just now, he truly valued these friends.

But then he thought, was he the only one who was unremarkable? Ah~ why was it always like this?!

Neville was almost the one among them who appreciated Hogwarts the most.

What kind of life did he lead at home? He felt immense pressure on his shoulders almost from the moment he woke up.

He worried about disappointing his grandmother and family, worried about disappointing the wizards who yearned for the Boy Who Lived to “defeat” the mysterious person, worried about not living up to his parents’ sacrifice…

Under such pressure, Neville didn’t turn dark, which only proved he was a true warrior.

After enrolling, he could finally relax.

No one mentioned the Boy Who Lived anymore, and his friends didn’t look at him with curiosity.

Even when he clumsily made mistakes in potions, he could get timely corrections.

When he was tearing his hair out over homework, someone would help him find reference books.

When he was bullied by Slytherins, his friends were the first to rush up and beat them up…

Here, he also had his favorite Herbology and a Herbology professor who appreciated him.

This was heaven!

Neville was now so grateful that Hermione had come to his compartment that day, allowing him and his friends to meet.

And Jerry!

His situation was even more special.

His mother accidentally arrived in this world after the second celestial convergence. And then she discovered she was already pregnant!

She, who originally had a happy family, suddenly became a single mother.

At that time, the wizarding world’s attitude towards intelligent races from other worlds had not yet been determined.

Many wizards were very unfriendly, and some dark wizards would secretly capture intelligent humanoid beings from other worlds for experiments or to create dark magic items.

Even after the Ministry of Magic recognized them as “people,” their treatment in private remained problematic.

Jerry’s childhood was not good; as he said, it was after receiving his acceptance letter, becoming a wizard, and enrolling at Hogwarts that he achieved cheese freedom.

Looking at his friends’ innocent yet sincere faces, and their eyes that seemed to glow, Ted smiled and recounted his joy at receiving the Hogwarts letter in the orphanage, and his thoughts while working in Diagon Alley…

Today, the friends didn’t play games or do other activities, but this heart-to-heart talk made their bond even stronger.

This kind of innocent friendship, unblemished by any self-interest, was precious.

Because once you realize this fact, you have already left that state and can no longer obtain such a friendship…