It was probably around this time that Hermione began to be quietly ostracized by some of her Gryffindor classmates.
It wasn't that the other students didn't understand the importance of studying hard. Most of them knew perfectly well that Hermione meant no harm. In fact, they even recognized that she was trying to help.
However, good intentions alone were not always enough.
Hermione had a habit of getting very close to people and asking them directly whether they had mastered the key points of the lesson. Even when someone clearly wanted to avoid the conversation, she would still ask questions enthusiastically and sometimes even test them on the spot.
For Hermione, this behavior was completely natural. She believed she was encouraging everyone to improve.
But for many of her classmates, the experience felt more like being interrogated.
Being asked questions publicly when they weren't confident in their answers made several students feel embarrassed and uncomfortable.
Prideful Gryffindors, in particular, were not the type to appreciate such confrontational enthusiasm.
In fact, if the same thing had happened among the easygoing Hufflepuffs, they might still have found Hermione's behavior rather strange.
Ryze noticed all of this clearly.
However, he had no intention of stepping in to stop Hermione.
At least, not now.
Words alone wouldn't be enough to convince her at this stage.
Ryze understood her personality very well. At the moment, Hermione firmly believed she was helping everyone while also earning points for her house.
Any attempt to advise her would most likely be interpreted as an excuse for laziness or as an attempt to "slow down progress."
Sometimes people could only grow after experiencing setbacks themselves.
Only after encountering resistance from others would Hermione gradually learn to temper her approach and interact with people more tactfully.
Still, Ryze could nudge things forward slightly and help the process unfold a little faster.
After a short break, the class quickly moved into the second half of the lesson: the practical session.
Professor Flitwick clapped his hands lightly to gather everyone's attention before beginning the demonstration.
He carefully explained the incantation and wand movements required for the Lumos Charm, along with several important precautions that students should keep in mind while casting it.
"Although the Lumos Charm was invented only about two hundred years ago," Professor Flitwick began in his high, enthusiastic voice, "it has been verified by countless wizards as one of the most suitable introductory spells for a young wizard."
He raised his wand slightly as he spoke.
"To cast it, you only need to focus your attention on the tip of your wand, clearly recite the incantation 'Lumos,' and perform two simple gestures."
"Now, follow my lead."
He extended his wand forward.
"First, extend the wand. Then lift it slightly, and finally fold your wrist, drawing a right angle in the air."
A small beam of light appeared at the tip of his wand.
"See?" he said cheerfully. "The gesture for the Lumos Charm is actually very simple."
"I will demonstrate it two more times. After that, you may all begin practicing."
While Professor Flitwick continued demonstrating the movement, some of the young wizards had already begun trying the spell themselves.
Small sparks flickered across the classroom.
A few faint lights began appearing at the tips of several wands.
Among the first students to successfully cast the spell was, unsurprisingly, Hermione.
A small but steady glow appeared at the tip of her wand.
Professor Flitwick immediately noticed.
"Excellent work, Miss Granger!" he said happily. "Five points to Gryffindor!"
Hermione lifted her chin proudly.
After receiving praise and house points, she immediately turned toward the nearby students who were still struggling and began offering guidance.
She enthusiastically explained the wand movement again and reminded them to pronounce the incantation clearly.
From time to time, Hermione also glanced toward Ryze.
Her expression seemed to ask a silent question.
Why haven't you tried yet?
Ryze finally raised his wand.
With a calm motion, he traced a precise right angle in the air.
"Lumos."
Instantly, a brilliant light burst from the tip of his wand.
The brightness resembled that of a small incandescent bulb.
For a moment, the entire classroom was illuminated.
The sudden brilliance immediately drew everyone's attention.
After all, most young wizards could only produce faint glimmers of light. Even the brightest glow among the top students—including Hermione's—was still relatively modest.
Compared to them, Ryze's light was almost dazzling.
Several students standing nearby instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes.
Professor Flitwick's eyes widened with excitement.
"Oh my!" he exclaimed.
"Such firm willpower and stable magical output!"
"This is truly a perfect Lumos Charm!"
His voice carried clear delight.
"It seems you have already grasped the essence of the spell and applied it beautifully."
"Five points to Ravenclaw!"
Professor Flitwick was clearly very pleased.
This was easily the best Lumos Charm he had seen that day. Most first-year students would struggle to reach this level even after several weeks of practice.
In fact, Ryze's theoretical understanding of the Lumos Charm seemed to have already approached the threshold of non-verbal casting.
With a little more practice, he might even be able to cast the spell silently.
If this hadn't been the first lesson—and if Lumos weren't such a relatively simple spell—Professor Flitwick might have awarded ten points instead.
Ryze gave the professor a small nod of thanks.
Then he casually extinguished the light.
From the front row, Hermione stared at him with an expression that looked almost like betrayal.
Clearly, she hadn't expected Ryze to hide his ability earlier.
Before Ryze could say anything, someone beside him spoke.
"How did you do that?"
It was Anthony, who had been practicing nearby.
"That Lumos Charm was ridiculously bright," Anthony said, frowning slightly. "Why can't I reach that level?"
Ryze glanced at Anthony's posture.
His wand movement was correct.
His pronunciation was accurate.
Overall, his understanding of the spell was acceptable.
"If everything else is correct," Ryze said calmly, "try focusing your will a little more."
Anthony looked confused.
"Close your eyes for a moment," Ryze continued. "Concentrate on the tip of your wand and imagine the brightness gathering there before you cast the spell."
Anthony followed the instructions.
He took a breath and raised his wand again.
"Lumos."
A glow appeared.
This time, the light was noticeably brighter than before.
Although it still wasn't close to Ryze's level, it was clearly ten to twenty percent brighter than his previous attempts.
Anthony blinked in surprise.
"As for something like Ability Power," Ryze added thoughtfully, "that's harder to improve quickly. It mostly increases through continuous practice."
Anthony nodded slowly.
Meanwhile, Ryze quietly observed the other students around the classroom.
Using Anthony as a reference point, he began estimating the general level of his peers.
"If Anthony's Ability Power is around thirty," Ryze thought, "then he's already slightly above average for our year."
After observing several more students, Ryze gradually formed a rough estimate.
Most young wizards seemed to have an Ability Power somewhere between ten and forty.
Even if Ryze ignored the extra sixty points he had obtained from the so-called useless big stick, his magical strength was still impressive for someone his age.
This was most likely the bonus provided by his Keystone Mage talent.
After all, before obtaining the system, Ryze had never experienced a magical outburst.
Normally, young wizards displayed uncontrolled bursts of magic during childhood.
Even someone as timid as Neville Longbottom had experienced a magical outburst at the age of eight.
If a child reached the age of ten without showing any magical outbursts, they were usually considered unlikely to have any connection with the wizarding world.
In any case, after Ryze demonstrated what Professor Flitwick described as a perfect Lumos Charm, many of his Ravenclaw classmates began approaching him for advice.
Professor Flitwick had to manage the progress of nearly sixty students at the same time, so he couldn't focus all his attention on a single person.
Most of his time was spent helping the young wizards who still hadn't managed to cast the spell successfully.
The Ravenclaw students who approached Ryze were mostly those who had already produced light but were facing other issues.
Some had unstable light that flickered constantly.
Others found their glow too dim.
Ryze didn't keep any secrets.
At Hogwarts, discussion and collaboration in magical learning were actively encouraged.
Moreover, Ryze intentionally avoided explaining too much theory. Those concepts were things students needed to understand through their own study.
Professor Flitwick would almost certainly assign theoretical essays after class, which would allow everyone to review the underlying principles in detail.
Instead, Ryze focused on offering practical advice.
He observed each student's casting carefully and pointed out small adjustments based on their habits.
Sometimes it was a minor correction in wand angle.
Sometimes it was about maintaining concentration.
Sometimes it was simply about controlling the rhythm of their casting.
"The light is much more stable now. You're really amazing, Ryze," said the young witch Natasha, giving him an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
Earlier, her magical output had been unstable, causing her Lumos Charm to flicker repeatedly.
Ryze had only suggested a small adjustment to her wand gesture, reminded her to concentrate, and recommended slightly increasing the range of her casting motion.
After following his advice, her spell immediately stabilized.
As more young wizards gathered around Ryze, most of them quickly improved their Lumos Charms.
Seeing the situation become much smoother, Professor Flitwick felt his teaching pressure decrease considerably.
Pleased with the collaborative atmosphere, he awarded Ravenclaw another two points as encouragement.
However, one situation still made him feel somewhat helpless.
The student standing in front of him—Neville Longbottom—seemed extremely nervous.
Despite trying many times, Neville had still failed to produce even the faintest light.
After each unsuccessful attempt, he would quickly lower his wand.
The boy didn't even dare look at Professor Flitwick directly.
Instead, he occasionally glanced toward Ryze's position across the classroom.
It seemed that rather than asking a professional Professor for help, Neville preferred the guidance of a fellow first-year like Ryze.
Watching this, Professor Flitwick—who had been teaching for many years—couldn't help but feel a faint sense of sadness.
Teaching was supposed to inspire confidence.
Yet somehow, this nervous boy seemed more comfortable seeking help from another student than from the teacher standing right in front of him.
For a brief moment, Professor Flitwick quietly sighed to himself.
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