"Now then, young man, what seems to be the problem?" Madam Pomfrey guided him to the nearest bed and made him sit.
"I have a migraine," James said simply. "Started during Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"Hmm." She pulled out her wand and waved it over him in complex patterns, muttering diagnostic charms under her breath. Colored lights flickered around James's head, and he felt the gentle probe of medical magic assessing him.
"No injury, no curse, no illness," Madam Pomfrey announced. "Just stress and tension. First week at school catching up with you?"
"Something like that."
She moved to a cabinet and retrieved a small vial of pale blue potion. "Headache Draught. Take one sip when you feel a headache coming on. Only one sip, mind you, unless you want to sleep for twelve hours straight. It's quite potent."
"Thank you," James said, accepting the vial carefully and taking a small sip.
"If the headaches persist, come back and see me. Sometimes students need time to adjust to the magical saturation in the castle. The ambient magic here is stronger than in most places, and it can affect students sensitive to magic." She gave him a sharp look. "Are you getting enough sleep?"
"Yes, Madam."
"Eating properly?"
"Yes, Madam."
"Not overworking yourself?"
James hesitated just long enough for her to narrow her eyes.
"I see. First years often think they need to prove themselves immediately; it's far worse with you Ravenclaws. Pace yourself, Mr...?"
"Acton. James Acton."
"Pace yourself, Mr. Acton. Hogwarts is a marathon, not a sprint. Now off with you. And if I see you back here within a week, I'm writing to your parents."
James left the Hospital Wing with his potion and headed back toward the abandoned classroom he'd used earlier. He had no intention of wasting the remainder of his free period.
He locked himself in again, cast his usual privacy charms, and resumed his systematic spell practice. The headache had faded after he took the potion as prescribed.
James worked through the remaining second-year charms, then moved into third-year material. These spells were more complex, requiring better control and a deeper understanding.
Glacius to freeze water. Spongify to make an object bouncy and soft. Riddikulus to combat boggarts, though he had nothing to practice on. Expecto Patronum, which he could already cast.
He also experimented with charm modification, altering how spells affected objects. This was considered advanced work, requiring a deeper understanding of a charm's fundamental mechanics. But his theory reading binges gave him the framework to attempt it.
He transfigured a wooden block into a small figurine and made it dance. First, a simple waltz, the figure moving in smooth circles. Then he modified the Dancing Charm to produce different styles: a jig, a formal ballet, a passionate tango, even an approximation of break-dancing that made him laugh at how ridiculous it looked.
The ability to alter charm effects was what separated competent wizards from masters. You had to understand not just how to cast a spell, but why it worked, what magical principles governed its effects, and how to manipulate those principles to achieve different results.
James spent far too long on the Dancing Charm variations, having more fun than he'd expected. The transfigured figurines performed increasingly complex routines at his direction, and he experimented with choreographing multiple figures to dance together.
A thought occurred to him: one day, when he had enough skill, he wanted to charm hundreds of objects simultaneously to create a performance like the "Be Our Guest" sequence from Beauty and the Beast. Dishes dancing, cutlery singing, furniture performing acrobatics. Most of the individual effects could be achieved with fourth-year charms or below, but the true challenge would be coordinating hundreds of concurrent enchantments to work together harmoniously.
It would be a fun project. Something to work toward.
James made several mental notes as he worked:
First, he needed to research Unplottable charms. He didn't fancy the Weasley twins catching him on the Marauder's Map near the Room of Requirement or in any area of the castle late at night. Staying hidden from that particular piece of magic required understanding how it worked and how to fool it.
Second, he needed better stealth charms. His current combination of Silencing, Notice-Me-Not, and Disillusionment Charms might fool Muggles and students, but he doubted they'd pass muster against a professor. Better to never be seen breaking rules in the first place.
Third, his timeline for exploring Hogwarts needed refinement. The first year was perfect for general exploration while things were relatively peaceful. Second year, he'd avoid the castle and explore the Forbidden Forest instead, given that a giant basilisk would be prowling the pipes with a possessed Ginny Weasley at its command.
The Room of Requirement was tempting, but James had decided to wait until his third year to properly explore it. He didn't want to risk diary Voldemort realizing someone had been messing around in the Room of Requirement, in case he was aware of the diadem's location there.
He was aware that the diary only had memories of Voldemort until its creation, but no one could know what Voldemort's original self had informed the diary about before passing it on to Lucius Malfoy.
He couldn't risk someone changing the diadem's location if they noticed suspicious activity in the Room of Requirement before the diary was destroyed. That would be catastrophic.
James checked his watch and swore. He'd missed the dinner warning entirely, lost in his practice and planning.
He hurried to the Great Hall, slipping into a seat just as the food appeared. He filled his plate mechanically, eating without really tasting. The food was still bland, but it served its purpose. He made a mental note to stock up on snacks during the Christmas holidays. Something with actual flavor.
After dinner, he rushed back to his room and then to the bathroom, hoping to beat the after-dinner rush. He managed to shower and complete his nightly routine with only a couple of other first years present, which was perfect.
Clean and wearing a comfortable shirt and pajama pants, James returned to his room. He still needed to speak with Flitwick about guidance on extension charms, but that project could wait. For now, he had other priorities this week.
He settled at his desk with his advanced Charms texts, working systematically through third and fourth-year material. His watch showed time passing, but he was absorbed in the work, his eidetic memory capturing every diagram, every instruction, and every theoretical principle as he practiced and mastered the advanced charms.
Hours passed. James worked through defensive charms, household charms, and entertainment charms. He practiced wand movements until they became automatic, visualized spell effects until he could see them clearly in his mind.
It was nearly midnight when he finally stood, stretching muscles that had gone stiff from sitting. He'd skipped his usual Patronus practice for two days, focused on other work. But tonight, he wanted to cast it. Needed to, really. After the stress of Quirrell's class and the mental exhaustion of intensive study, he craved the comfort of the spell.
James raised his wand, reached for his happiest memory, and spoke clearly: "Expecto Patronum!"
Silver light erupted, brilliant and pure. The owl burst forth, magnificent and ethereal, its wings spread wide. It circled the room in graceful loops, wise eyes seeming to assess everything before it faded slowly back to mist.
Of all the magic James had learned, the Patronus remained the most beautiful. There was something transcendent about it, something that spoke to hope and light and the resilience of the human spirit. It was magic at its most pure, and most powerful.
James climbed the ladder to his bed, bringing one of his theory books with him. He read by wand light for another half hour, absorbing information about charm theory and magical interactions.
Finally, exhaustion won. He closed the book, extinguished his wand light, and let sleep claim him.
His second day at Hogwarts was complete.
Tomorrow would bring Herbology and more opportunities to learn.
But tonight, James slept peacefully, dreaming of dancing figurines and silver owls and the mysteries still waiting to be uncovered.