Harry Potter: I am the Legend

Sleeping at Hogwarts was much better than the restless nights spent wandering outside. The next morning, when Hoffa woke up, his entire body ached, as if he had been beaten with a stick while pinned to his bed. Of course, that wasn't the case—it was simply the lactic acid from muscle fatigue.

The schedule for the first day was already placed by his bedside.

Relieved after glancing at it, Hoffa saw that today's classes were Charms and Astronomy. Tomorrow would feature Defense Against the Dark Arts and Ancient Runes, and the day after that, the first Transfiguration class. If possible, he hoped to avoid Transfiguration entirely this year.

During breakfast, flocks of owls swooped into the school through the skylight, delivering letters and packages to the students.

A chestnut-colored owl circled briefly before dropping a newspaper in front of Miranda. It took a piece of toast as payment and flew off.

As soon as Miranda opened the paper, she let out a startled exclamation.

Other students with newspapers began murmuring as well.

Curious, Hoffa leaned in and saw the headline without surprise:

Germany's Blitzkrieg Against Poland; Stern Warnings from Britain and France

The Daily Prophet rarely reported on Muggle affairs, but this time, it made the front page—a clear indication of the gravity of the situation.

Aglaia leaned closer and snatched the paper from Miranda, reading it word by word. Her face turned pale as she asked, "Will there be war?"

"Let's hope not," Miranda murmured. "The British Muggles are quite—"

"Impossible," Hoffa interrupted with a sigh. "Britain and France will declare war by tomorrow."

"How do you know that?"

Both friends looked at him in shock.

Hoffa didn't reply. Absentmindedly, he spread jam on his bread. When the reality of war arrived, no one could predict that it would escalate into the most terrifying slaughter in history. At that moment, he wasn't in the mood to talk.

After breakfast, the trio headed to the Charms classroom on the fifth floor. This room used to belong to Adalbert Gosawk but now was under Dumbledore's charge.

Despite the change, the distinctive decor of the Charms classroom—several large, intricately functioning clocks—remained intact.

The only new addition was a blue suit of armor about six feet tall standing beside the staff desk. Its metallic sheen gleamed faintly, and it stood silently in place.

Dumbledore had arrived earlier than everyone else. He was leaning against the podium, reading a copy of the Daily Prophet.

Unusually, the Gryffindor students were also early, taking the prime seats.

This subtle act of dominance annoyed the Ravenclaws, and Aglaia glared as soon as she entered.

"I'd like to see how long these idiots can keep this up!" she huffed.

Hoffa didn't respond. After sitting in a corner with the other two, he asked Miranda softly, "Is this your first Charms class ever?"

Miranda looked surprised. "Now that you mention it, I think it is!"

Before long, the seats were filled. Dumbledore put down his newspaper, waved his wand, and the doors shut with a soft thud.

His expression was unusually stern as he surveyed the students from the podium, a sharp contrast to his usual gentle demeanor. He bore a striking resemblance to Professor Gosawk in his seriousness.

"I'll get straight to the point," he began. "This year, the outside world is far less stable than in previous years. Conflicts among wizards are becoming more direct and more intense. This year, I'll be teaching fewer constructive, everyday spells and focusing more on those for self-defense and protection."

The classroom was silent. Everyone had read the recent Daily Prophet headlines and understood the stakes. No one wanted to let their guard down in such uncertain times—it was a matter of survival.

Dumbledore asked, "Can anyone tell me how many types of defensive spells there are?"

Aglaia leaned over and whispered to Hoffa, "176."

Hoffa scowled.

Several Gryffindors eagerly raised their hands.

Dumbledore nodded at one of them.

The Gryffindor student answered, "Two types, Professor: the Shield Charm and the Armor Charm."

"Correct. Five points to Gryffindor."

"Essentially, while defensive spells for wizards are numerous, they are mostly derivatives of these two basic spells—one for magical damage and the other for physical damage."

Dumbledore continued, "But before we officially start the lesson, I'd like to introduce my temporary assistant, Sir Carmel."

He pointed to the suit of armor, which immediately came to life. With a series of clicks, it took two steps forward and bowed gracefully to the class.

It turned out to be living armor. Hoffa wasn't too surprised—at Hogwarts, anything was possible.

"Iron Armor Charm, Sir," Dumbledore instructed.

The armor nodded, pulling a wand from its side like a sword. Holding it upright before itself, the gesture appeared slightly comical, prompting chuckles from the Gryffindors.

However, the next moment, Dumbledore flicked his wand.

"Confringo!"

A stream of intensely hot flames, yellow tinged with blue, erupted from Dumbledore's wand. The temperature in the classroom shot up by at least twenty degrees, turning the space into a virtual sauna. Everyone fell silent, staring in shock.

The armored knight waved its wand, conjuring a transparent shield in front of itself.

But in the blink of an eye, the shield shattered like a fragile eggshell.

Dumbledore lowered his wand, dispelling the flames.

The blue armor, however, melted into a pool of molten metal under the intense heat, collapsing to the ground with a clang.

The classroom fell into a stunned silence.

With another wave of his wand, Dumbledore reassembled the molten metal on the floor. The blue armor was restored to its original form, standing upright as if nothing had happened.

The Ravenclaws exchanged uneasy glances, their earlier disdain significantly tempered. Clearly, Dumbledore's mastery of Charms was formidable, more than enough to qualify him as their teacher.

Dumbledore, however, seemed unconcerned about the shift in the students' attitudes. He continued speaking, his tone steady:

"Typically, students start by learning the Iron Armor Charm. But given the extraordinary circumstances this year—and the growing volatility of the Muggle world—this lesson will focus on a different spell. A highly practical and advanced charm: the Shield Charm."

Hoffa turned sharply to look at Miranda.

She had used this spell just last night to shield them from the wind.

Miranda shrugged, saying nothing.

"I can do it too," Aglaia whispered eagerly.

"Shield Charm," Dumbledore said, raising his voice slightly, interrupting their whispers.

"The Shield Charm was first used by Frederick II of Prussia. During a war between Prussia and Gaul, Frederick II personally led his troops to boost morale. At that moment, a Gaulish wizard attempted to curse him from behind using the Imperius Curse. Just as the spell was about to hit, Frederick turned and, in desperation, cast the first Shield Charm. Not only did it deflect the curse, but it also blocked arrows raining from the sky."

"The incantation is: Talico-Scita.

"For pronunciation, the 'Ta' should be soft, as long as it's audible. The 'li' is similarly light, with even pressure. The 'co' is the heaviest syllable and should be emphasized. Pause briefly for 0.5 seconds in the middle.

"The 'S' is subtle, almost imperceptible, while the 'ki' is slightly less emphasized than 'co.' The final 'ta' can be pronounced casually—just don't pronounce it as 'te.'

"The spell requires no wand, but it does require a hand, a focused mind, and most importantly, a heart willing to protect others."

After finishing, Dumbledore turned toward the armor and nodded.

The blue knight immediately bent forward, and through the seams of its helmet, it unleashed a fiery blast. The flames roared with an intensity that rivaled Dumbledore's earlier conjuration.

With one hand, Dumbledore extended his arm and calmly said: "Talico-Scita."

Boom!

A sleek, translucent cross-shaped shield appeared in midair before him. Though narrow, it effectively blocked the entirety of the blazing fire.

The shield shimmered with a faint blue aura, and in its center, Hoffa was surprised to see the image of a fiery red phoenix.

The flames, upon touching the shield, dispersed to either side, illuminating the faces of everyone in the room. Some Gryffindors sitting at the front even had their hair singed, the room filling with a peculiar burnt smell.

Before Hoffa could take a closer look, the fire vanished, and the shield disappeared along with it.

"Did everyone see that?" Dumbledore asked, lowering his hand with a calm expression.

"Yes!" the students responded in unison.

Dumbledore nodded toward the armored knight. "Thank you, Sir Carmel."

The armor bowed deeply and spoke in a metallic voice: "Happy to be of service."

With that, it creaked back to its corner, resuming its lifeless stance.

Dumbledore turned back to the class. "The Shield Charm's power varies depending on the caster's magical strength. It will form a smooth shield before the caster, bearing a unique emblem—a stag, a serpent, a lion, or even other objects. This emblem will differ for each individual. Now, let's see you all practice it."

No sooner had he spoken than the students began enthusiastically preparing to try the spell.

But Dumbledore raised a hand, as if remembering something.

"Oh, one more thing. This year, there will be a special assistant evaluation. Any student who successfully casts the Shield Charm and sustains it the longest under Sir Carmel's flames will become my teaching assistant."

A teaching assistant for Dumbledore.

The announcement sent ripples of excitement through the class. All eyes turned toward the gleaming knight at the front of the room.

Some students looked bewildered; others, apprehensive. But one person was already practically bouncing with excitement.

Aglaia slammed her hands on the desk, standing up with a radiant expression.

"That teaching assistant position is mine!"

She wasn't the only one. A group of eager Gryffindors also stared at Dumbledore, their faces filled with determination.

"Don't rush," Dumbledore said with a small smile.

"Being a teaching assistant is a challenging task. I hope you are well-prepared and capable of handling it. For now, focus on mastering the incantation and movements," Dumbledore said.

Aglaia couldn't wait any longer. She raised her hand and shouted, "Talico-Scita!"

A cross-shaped shield appeared in her palm, quickly expanding to the size of an umbrella, with a flamingo-like design on it.

(Hoffa frowned: "Why are you casting it at me?")

The magical fluctuation drew the attention of the surrounding students. Dumbledore immediately gave her a thumbs-up. "Excellent, Miss Drasses! Ten points to Ravenclaw."

(The Gryffindors were instantly dissatisfied and began attempting the spell Dumbledore had just taught.)

Miranda observed and remarked, "Not bad, but your mental state seems a bit unstable. The shield might not last very long."

Aglaia was immediately annoyed. She dismissed the shield with a wave of her hand.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? Am I not stronger than the others?"

She pointed at the surrounding students.

At that moment, the classroom was filled with the sound of "Talico-Scita" being recited repeatedly. However, for most students, the incantation alone wasn't enough.

Few could successfully cast the spell through their palms. Some summoned shields as thin as their arms, while others managed only palm-sized circular shields.

Some students, unwilling to accept defeat, insisted on using their wands.

The result? Their attempts not only failed to produce shields but also triggered a variety of chaotic explosions. The classroom was soon flashing with multicolored lights.

Dumbledore scolded loudly, "No wands! This is not a wand-casting spell. Use your mind and your heart!"

The students who had tried to cheat sheepishly put their wands down.

Miranda pointed to the blue knight standing at the front of the classroom.

"Being better than them doesn't matter. If you want to be the teaching assistant, you at least need to withstand that armor for one full minute."

"A minute?" Aglaia sounded skeptical.

"Yes."

"Why would I need to last a whole minute?" Aglaia scoffed.

"Because I think I can last a minute. If you can't, what makes you think you can compete with me?"

Miranda stood up as she spoke. With a motion of her hands, two shields appeared, one in each palm. Each shield bore a simple cartoonish design: one with a smiling face and the other with a crying face.

The moment her shields materialized, a powerful wave of magical energy swept through the classroom.

All the students turned to look, collectively gasping.

Dumbledore's expression brightened, and he walked briskly toward her. But midway, he seemed to reconsider, stepped back, and simply gave her a subtle nod of approval.

Hoffa was stunned. The quality of these shields was clearly far superior to the one she had used to block the wind last night. As expected of a Charms prodigy—while most couldn't summon even a single shield, she had conjured two effortlessly.

Aglaia's eyes widened as she finally processed what was happening. "You—you're competing with me?"

Miranda dismissed her shields and pointed at the dumbfounded Gryffindors.

"This is about Ravenclaw's honor. I'm not giving up the teaching assistant position."

"Ugh!"

Aglaia flopped back into her seat, crossing her arms in a sulk.

Miranda sat back down, propped her chin on her hand, and teased, "What's the matter, Aglaia? Pressure motivates progress, you know."

"Pressure? Hmph. Adabeken must have taught you this spell in advance," Aglaia grumbled indignantly. Then, a thought struck her, and she turned to Hoffa.

"Hoffa, didn't you do pretty well in Charms last year? Why don't you give this spell a try?"

Miranda also looked at Hoffa. "Yeah, why haven't you tried yet?"

"Alright, I'll give it a shot," Hoffa said, clearing his throat.

"Talico-Scita."

Nothing happened. No shield, no animal, not even a cross.

"Huh?"

Hoffa looked at his palm, sensing something was off.

Aglaia glanced at Miranda.

"Was his pronunciation wrong?"

"The pronunciation was fine, and the movements looked correct too," Miranda replied, rubbing her chin. "Hoffa, you need focused concentration for this spell. Like the Patronus Charm, you have to think of something that excites or inspires you."

"Inspire me?"

Looking at Miranda and Aglaia's faces, Hoffa coughed again.

"Talico-Scita."

Pop.

Plink.

A tiny transparent bubble, about the size of a ping pong ball, appeared in his palm before feebly bursting and vanishing into thin air.

For a few seconds, silence hung in the air. The two friends exchanged a glance.

Miranda's mouth twitched slightly.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Aglaia couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

She leaned on Hoffa's shoulder with one hand, clutching her chest with the other, laughing so hard she rocked back and forth.

"Hoffa, you—you…"

She tried to say something but broke into another fit of laughter. She finally stumbled to the side, leaned over a desk, and doubled over, one hand pounding the table while the other clutched her stomach, shoulders shaking with mirth.

Hoffa's face darkened. He didn't understand why this was happening. His talent in Charms wasn't supposed to be bad—so why couldn't he cast the Shield Charm?

(To be continued.)

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