Chapter 82: The Master of Hogwarts and Combined Spellcasting

After enduring the arduous Tuesday afternoon classes of Herbology and History of Magic, Siwen's life as a student finally seemed to return to normal. No longer were people constantly sabotaging the castle’s magical nodes, nor were professors watching Siwen all day as he cast Confundus Charms, and gone were the days of dark wizards sneaking into the Forbidden Forest in hopes of stirring up trouble.

Although life at Hogwarts settled into a peaceful rhythm, the restless little cat frequently caused Siwen, the “old father,” much worry. Every day, she left the dormitory to roam about until evening, only then remembering her “nominal” owner and returning to her cage for a nap. No one knew exactly where she spent her days, often coming home with her pristine white fur turned gray and muddy paws.

After several failed attempts to bathe her, Siwen resorted to secretly casting Cleaning Charms while she slept, keeping the troublesome feline from becoming a complete gray cat.

Through the discreet observations of ghostly Siwen and inquiries made in every direction, the young wizard eventually sought help from Professor Kettleburn, finally learning what the little cat did each day.

It turned out that the cat patrolled various places around Hogwarts daily, as if inspecting her own territory. She could even apparate instantly, unaffected by the castle’s anti-apparition spells, so few ever caught sight of her. Fortunately, Professor Kettleburn was a seasoned wanderer himself and had spotted the cat in the Forbidden Forest several times. The cat seemed quite displeased with the professor's earlier attempts to feed her old, smelly rats—each time she was discovered, she would glare at him before swaggering away.

Once, Professor Kettleburn visited the island of Bowtruckles on the Black Lake to check on the magical creatures and happened to see the little cat there as well. She seemed to get along well with the tiny Bowtruckles, even being allowed to climb the guardian tree where they lived.

Professor Kettleburn remarked to Siwen, “According to feline habits, your little cat has likely claimed the entire Hogwarts castle and its surroundings as her territory. We, who occasionally care for her, are nothing but two-legged servants, while friendly magical creatures like Bowtruckles are her true companions.”

“Usually, the more powerful the magical feline, the larger the territory she marks for herself. Judging by the area your cat has claimed, her future is limitless!” the professor exclaimed.

Siwen’s lips twitched.

To think he had worried about her well-being, concerned she might be bullied by others. In truth, she had already crowned herself the mistress of all Hogwarts!

Having come to terms with it, Siwen no longer fretted over the cat’s welfare. He even felt that, as her loyal servant, he was hardly qualified to worry about the “Mistress of Hogwarts.”

Turning his attention elsewhere, Siwen glanced at Professor Kettleburn’s wooden legs peeking from beneath his trousers and asked gently, “Professor, are your legs really alright?”

“How many times do I have to tell you? I’m perfectly fine!” Professor Kettleburn lifted his wooden legs with a careless grin. “These are my badges of honor! After dragons and chimaeras, I added a venom-leopard—impressive, isn’t it?”

Siwen replied, “As long as you’re happy.”

From Wednesday onward, Siwen resumed his morning training, though he lowered the intensity, since his body was still adjusting. With less training, he now had plenty of time to bother Miranda.

“What? You want to learn combination casting?”

On the lawn in the teaching area, Miranda stared wide-eyed at Siwen, who was clearly overestimating himself.

“You’ve only been in school a few days, and you already want to learn something they barely teach to upper years?” she asked.

“I don’t expect to master it immediately,” Siwen replied, his face adorned with a wide, ingratiating smile. “I just wondered if you’ve made any notes about spell combinations—anything related to that!”

Ever since witnessing the professors’ seamless spellwork on Halloween night, Siwen had been fascinated by their spell coordination. He even speculated that he might combine the casting methods of the professors with the magic of Kamar Taj, blending spells from that world with those of this one.

But first, he needed to understand the principles behind spell combinations.

Siwen doubted he’d get a straight answer from the professors if he asked now—they would probably think he was aiming too high. In truth, he hadn’t yet mastered all the spells he needed to learn, so how could he leap straight into combining them?

Thus, Siwen thought of Miranda, Ravenclaw’s academic prodigy, whose spell study notes could fill a “Book of Spells.”

“No, don’t even think about it. Just focus on your basic spells!” Miranda fired off three quick rejections, trying to send Siwen away.

Yet Siwen wasn’t discouraged; he simply lowered his expectations and said, “How about this: just show me briefly how combination casting works, so I can see it for myself.”

“That’s easy enough,” Miranda finally relented, snapping her notebook shut and standing. “Actually, the cleaning method I told you last time—using a Cutting Spell followed by a Repair Spell—barely counts as combination casting.”

“Can you explain more?” Siwen nodded, recalling the professors’ fluid use of Cleaning, Cutting, and Repair Spells, all working together almost simultaneously, leaving the dungeon spotless in moments.

“This type of combination casting is the simplest,” Miranda explained. “You use spells that complement each other in sequence, to achieve an effect you couldn’t get with a single spell.”

“But you’ll find this isn’t strictly necessary. Casting each spell separately can achieve nearly the same result, just less efficiently.”

Siwen nodded in understanding. Compared to the professors’ spellwork, his own attempts at cleaning the dungeon were certainly much slower.

“There are similar examples in combat,” Miranda continued. “For instance, if you use the Serpensortia spell in battle, following it with an Engorgement Charm will make the summoned snake far more formidable.”

“And in combat, combination casting differs from those household spells you can cast one after another—because every second counts in a duel. The faster you finish your spell, the better your odds. That’s when you need advanced casting techniques—silent casting!”

…