No sooner had the words left his mouth than the students could no longer contain themselves. They stood where they were and cheered loudly, their faces flushed bright red—whether from excitement or the cold, it was hard to tell.
"However, if I may be blunt, your current abilities fall far short of achieving that."
It was as if their excitement had been doused by the falling snow. The energy in the air dropped instantly.
Fortunately, Tver continued with an explanation. "To reach Professor Flitwick's level, you must deepen your understanding of incantations, gestures, and the release of magical energy. That's something beyond your abilities for now—at least at this stage."
Seeing the students' disappointed expressions, Tver smiled and asked, "Alright then, who among you can make magic linger? Like this—"
He flicked his wand. "Stupefy."
A red light burst forth, but to the students' astonishment, it didn't shoot straight ahead. Instead, it hovered in midair, like a tiny red Snitch!
"This is what we call control of magical energy. You can think of it like the light orb from the Lighting Charm. The only difference is that it's far more difficult to achieve with other spells."
At least for now, Tver could only manage this with a few simple charms.
"I don't get it," Ron grumbled. "Doesn't the Lighting Charm just light up at the tip of the wand? What do you mean, 'emitting a ball of light'?"
This time, Hermione didn't need to step in—Harry, who had picked up enough from her by now, explained patiently. "The light from the Lighting Charm can detach from the wand and move anywhere the caster wants, as long as it's within sight."
"Wouldn't that save electricity for light bulbs?" Ron said, looking genuinely impressed.
"..."
The students inside the golden barrier were equally confused, though for different reasons. They quietly tried to imitate what they'd just seen—and, unsurprisingly, failed.
Even Percy, who'd been studying spell construction lately, could only make his spell flicker for a brief moment before it collapsed.
In the end, they had no choice but to accept the fact that their skills just weren't there yet.
"Don't worry," Tver said, encouraging them. "I anticipated this, so I'll give you a little assistance."
He swept his wand through the surrounding snow, which began to bubble and churn. From it, nearly a hundred fist-sized snowballs shot into the air, drifting above each student and hovering precisely two feet—about sixty centimeters—over their heads.
Only then did they notice each snowball had a small opening, revealing its hollow interior.
"See that?" Tver lowered his wand, drawing everyone's attention to him. "You can think of a spell as a balloon—the spell effect is the outer layer, while the magical energy you output is the air inside."
"Now, I've given you a tougher outer shell, so you don't have to worry about maintaining the spell's structure."
"What you need to do next is channel your magic into the snowball, ensuring it holds a stable, effective spell."
Seeing how eager the students were, Tver raised his voice so everyone could hear clearly. "Remember, you must keep your magic flow steady and consistent. Too little energy, and the spell will fade from lack of power; too much, and it'll burst the shell."
"The spell itself is up to you, but I recommend using your strongest offensive charms—something like the Stunning Spell, the Disarming Charm, or the Petrification Charm."
"As for how much magic to channel, that's for you to judge."
The students, of course, barely listened. The moment they heard the snowballs could hold magic, they were already plotting to stuff them with the flashiest spells they knew.
They wanted to show Professor Fawley that they, the upperclassmen, were nothing like the little first-years who played around with glowing orbs!
While the students inside the golden barrier buzzed with excitement, the young wizards outside could only watch the top students and hope for some kind of explanation to ease their curiosity.
This time, Hermione couldn't offer any insight. After all, she was just a first-year, and the fact that she had even recognized the roll-call spell was impressive enough.
Cedric, however, was a different story.
Having studied under the professor for quite some time, quietly observed Percy's spell analysis, and with a naturally strong academic foundation, he cleared his throat to gather attention. Immediately, eyes turned toward him—especially a certain Ravenclaw girl.
Realizing that, he quickly looked away before saying smugly, "Take a good look at that golden barrier. It's actually a powerful Protego Horribilis!"
"Pfft~"
The surrounding students scoffed. They'd already done their research—who didn't know that spell was just an advanced Shield Charm?
Cedric ignored the disdainful looks and raised a finger, speaking with exaggerated mystery. "But there's one thing you definitely don't know."
"What is it?" Cho Chang asked immediately.
His face reddened slightly, embarrassed to keep showing off. "Actually, the snowballs are also a Shield Charm. Professor Different seems to have modified the spell, making it gentler and tougher. It blocks magic but doesn't dissipate."
"Impossible! The Shield Charm should block magic completely—how could it not dissipate?" Cho stared in shock.
"Who knows? After all the lessons we've had with him, the one thing that's stuck with me is how the professor can twist the Shield Charm into anything he wants." Cedric shrugged.
"I'm not that interested in Shield Charms," Ron muttered. "What I want to know is—why can't we play like them when we've got snow too..."
He stared enviously at the students inside the golden barrier, who were already going wild. One after another, they fired colorful flashes of magic at the snowballs above their heads, completely forgetting Tver's reminders about control and precision.
Even so, few managed to hit the hollow opening of the snowballs on their first try—most didn't even hit the snowballs at all. And even when they did, it hardly mattered. The strengthened Shield Charm was far beyond what their spells could break.
The rest either skimmed past the targets or went wildly off course. Some even hit the classmates beside or in front of them.
It was hard to tell whether that was personal payback or just sheer lack of skill, especially since Tver had deliberately placed the snowballs right above their heads.
Watching the chaotic scene, the younger students outside let out envious laughter. They wanted to join in too!
Tver, however, could only shake his head with a helpless smile.
After reviving several students who'd been accidentally hit, he finally waved his wand and infused the little imps above the students' heads with his own magic.
In an instant, the imps seemed to come to life—their expressions grew vivid, their movements lively and almost human. And, of course, what came out of their mouths sounded much more convincing now.
"For Merlin's sake, Flint! You're a wizard, not a troll! That's a wand in your hand—it's supposed to cast spells! Why does it look like you're just swinging a stick?!"
"Mr. Percy, Professor Fawley asked me to tell you that you're doing the best in the class."
Percy's face lit up, only for the imp to continue, "But also the most off-topic! The professor said offensive spells—did you not hear him?!"
"Miss Penelope, I hear you're a candidate for Ravenclaw prefect?"
Penelope froze. She'd expected the imp to mock her like it did everyone else, but why was it being so polite?
"Yes," she said proudly, tilting her head up with a grin. "Professor Flitwick already told me in secret!"
The imp shook its head dramatically. "Ah, looks like this year's Ravenclaws aren't much to brag about~"
Penelope: "..."