After dropping his things off in the dorm, Rock headed up to the seventh floor on his own. It was the weekend, so Professor Flitwick should still be in his office around this time.
At the far end of the hallway, he finally spotted the painting Penelope had mentioned—the one covered with musical instruments. The instruments were "playing" silently inside the frame.
Rock only gave it a quick glance before knocking on the office door beside it.
Click—
The door swung open on its own, and that familiar, cheerful voice called out, "Oh! Come on in, Rock."
Inside, Professor Flitwick looked up from the book he was reading and warmly waved Rock inside. With a flick of his wand, several bags of fancy sweets floated over.
"Try some! These are from Honeydukes."
"Thank you, Professor."
Rock bowed politely before taking a seat opposite him. Under Flitwick's encouraging look, he reached for the least intimidating snack available—a single licorice wand. At least licorice could cut through the grease coating his throat from earlier.
And honestly? It wasn't bad—sweet with a hint of bitterness, exactly what he needed. The only downside was that it was a little tough to chew… but that conveniently kept him from grabbing any more snacks.
Flitwick watched him with a broad smile. As a first-year Ravenclaw, Rock struck him as bright and genuinely eager to learn. Sure, many Ravenclaws fit that description—but Rock had something extra. He learned fast. Very fast. Out of all the young witches and wizards Flitwick had taught, Rock was easily the quickest.
Rock seized the moment. "Professor, do you have any books you'd recommend on spellcraft or spell theory?"
Hearing that, Flitwick immediately began thinking. After a moment, he replied, "Emmerick Switch's Principles of Spellcraft. It's practically the companion book to Standard Spells: Beginner Level."
"That one compares thirty-seven basic spells and breaks down how pronunciation and tone affect the spell's function."
Rock blinked. He'd already read that one.
"Professor, do you have anything else? I've already gone through that one."
Flitwick's eyes widened. "You finished the whole thing?"
Rock nodded and began explaining the patterns he'd pieced together from the book: "'Sss' sounds tend to relate to fine control, while 'pop' sounds lean toward explosive force."
"Excellent! Rock, I can tell you really studied and understood the principles."
But then Flitwick hesitated. There weren't many books first-years were allowed to access.
"Ah—there's The Standard Spell Dictionary, and Odd Magical Inventions and Their Ridiculous Spells," he said suddenly. "Especially the second one. The spells look… silly, but they're great for understanding how intention and magical response interact."
As he spoke, Flitwick stood up, clearly energized. He'd gotten more than a few magical ideas from that book himself.
Rock quickly pulled out his notebook and quill to jot everything down.
"Thank you, Professor. Are these available in the library?"
"Of course. The dictionary is in the reference section, and the inventions book is in the miscellaneous section. Just ask Madam Pince."
Rock's note-taking didn't bother Flitwick at all—if anything, it made him even more pleased.
Still, those two books weren't nearly enough for what Rock had in mind. He glanced up again and asked, "Professor… do you have any books here that I'm allowed to read?"
He'd noticed the shelves behind the professor the moment he walked in.
Flitwick laughed heartily. "So that's what you're after—my personal collection."
"But some of these aren't suitable for your level just yet," he said, turning to look at his own shelves. "Still… there are two you can handle."
With a wave of his hand, two massive, brick-thick books floated onto the desk in front of Rock.
Rock wiped his palms with a handkerchief—no way was he touching a professor's personal books with greasy hands—and picked them up carefully.
Flitwick nodded with approval. "A wizard who respects books is a wizard worth teaching."
Rhythmic Structures of Spellcraft and Foundations of Magical Linguistics.
Rock couldn't hide his grin. These were exactly the kinds of books he'd been hoping for.
"Thank you, Professor. I'll read them as quickly as I can and return them with organized notes."
Among wizards, a spellcaster and their personal library were practically symbiotic. Wizards grew through their books, and books survived through their owner's magic and care. When a wizard died, many of their books sealed themselves or created special conditions so only a worthy reader could access them—just like the ones in the Restricted Section.
And many more simply "died" with their master.
"Don't worry," Flitwick replied. "As long as you're ready for them, everything on these shelves is open to you."
He understood now—Rock wanted to dive into the very nature of spellcraft.
"But…" Flitwick looked torn for a moment. After a long sigh, he pulled out a piece of parchment, dipped his quill in ink, and wrote down the title of another book. At the end, he signed it: Filius Flitwick.
"If you really want to explore the essence of spells… try this."
He handed Rock the slip, his expression suddenly serious.
"It's in the Restricted Section. And it's… well, unusual."
"Unusual?" Rock stared at the permission slip. He hadn't expected a bonus like this.
"It's not dangerous," Flitwick explained, "but the way it explores spell 'possibilities' is… bizarre."
Rock nodded slowly, intrigued.
The book listed on the slip read:
Grimwald's Whimsical Variations