Alan looked at the topics appearing on the whiteboard, and his interest was imdiately piqued.
Initially, he had assud the club would function like a standard Charms class—simply covering deeper material or having the Professor guide students through existing research. However, the atmosphere was much closer to a research institute. They were engaging in expansive studies on unknown frontiers. He noticed that the seventh research topic specifically ntioned magical sensitivity, a subject the Professor had likely added following their recent conversation. This ant the work done here could actually impact the broader magical world.
"Magical sensitivity? Can such an abstract concept even be researched?" Vanessa, sitting beside him, frowned in confusion as she looked at the new addition. She clearly had no intention of choosing sothing so vague for her own project. Alan knew exactly why the Professor was interested in it, but he kept that knowledge to himself.
"These are the research topics for this academic year," Professor Flitwick announced, abandoning the patient, slow-paced tone he used with first-years. He was now all efficiency. "As always, topics that yield results will be removed, while those without practical breakthroughs will remain. I will add new directions as they erge. Everyone, please choose your focus. You must select at least one, though you may choose multiple if you wish. You are responsible for finding your own reference materials and reporting your findings to weekly."
The older students pulled out parchnt and began recording the topics that caught their eye. Alan did the sa, though he copied every single one, intending to filter them later. He noted that Flitwick had everyone conducting independent research. To Alan, this seed inefficient; he felt it would be faster to divide into groups based on the topics to allow for collaboration. However, as a first-year who had only just arrived, he knew better than to make bold suggestions before he had established himself.
"I presu everyone has finished recording," Flitwick said. "Items one, two, five, and six are long-term studies that have been ongoing for years. Breakthroughs are difficult to co by, but any data that enriches our archives is valuable. Items three, four, and seven are new this year—especially item seven, which was inspired by a recent insight. I hope to see so of you make headway there."
The Professor glanced toward Alan briefly before continuing. "That concludes the selection process. Next, let us all congratulate Vanessa Greengrass on successfully publishing an article in the 'Challenges in Charming' journal. From what I understand, her work has been praised by several prominent scholars."
The room erupted into warm applause. "Challenges in Charming" was one of the most prestigious academic magazines in the wizarding world, standing alongside "Transfiguration Today" and "The Practical Potioneer." Having an article published there was a rare achievent for a student. Vanessa's cheeks flushed slightly as she stood to acknowledge the praise. Alan hadn't realized his senior was such an academic powerhouse; he made a ntal note to look into a subscription for himself.
"Now, let's examine this article: 'The Multifunctional Applications of the Extraction Charm,'" Flitwick said. He tapped a screen behind him, and magic projected the text of the paper for everyone to see. "In this paper, Vanessa explores combining the Extraction Charm with alchemical tools enchanted with Traceless Stretching. This allows for large-scale engineering. She also details techniques for precise casting on specific targets, such as isolating moisture from the air, which could potentially influence weather patterns if cast on a large enough scale."
Flitwick ticulously analyzed the techniques, calling on Vanessa to assist with the explanation. It felt like a thesis defense. Vanessa explained her original hypothesis and the obstacles she faced before demonstrating the spell herself.
The Professor cast a spell to fill the center of the room with a cloud of white smoke. He then tapped an ink bottle, releasing a thick, dark mist that swirled into the white cloud. He stirred the mass with his wand until the two were indistinguishably gray.
Vanessa stepped forward. With a sharp, elegant movent, she struck the center of the mist with an Extraction Charm. Slowly, the gray faded. The light-colored mist reverted to its original, pure white. Floating at the tip of Vanessa's wand was a concentrated, dark orb of ink, perfectly separated from the air.
The room applauded again.
"That was an excellent performance, absolutely brilliant," Alan said as Vanessa returned to her seat.
"Thank you, Alan," she replied, a touch of pride in her voice. "Keep studying hard, and I'm sure you'll catch up one day."
Alan smiled but remained focused on the chanics of what he had just seen. The potential for a directional extraction technique was enormous. He imdiately imagined it being used like a high-precision pump for engineering or even in dical procedures to remove foreign objects from a body.
He briefly considered its use in combat—extracting blood or bone from an opponent—but quickly dismissed the idea as he read further. The charm was designed for static or inanimate objects. Attempting to cast it on a living being would only work if the target was completely immobilized; even a slight movent would break the delicate magical connection required for the extraction.
As the eting moved into free study ti, Alan stayed glued to the screen, deconstructing the nuances of Vanessa's research.
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