Hogwarts: Lacus doesn't want to be a witch who destroys nations.

Miranda leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice: "You've hit the nail on the head, Lux. This is exactly what has been puzzling and frustrating me. Hogwarts' textbooks, especially for the younger students, only teach young wizards how to safely wield their wands in a greenhouse, while ignoring the real thorns and darkness that exist in the magical world."

She picked up her well-worn 1772 edition of *The Wizard's Essential Spells*, her tone tinged with sarcasm: "Look at this textbook, used for two centuries, filled with 'how to make a quill dance' and 'how to conjure a bouquet of flowers'... Of course, the basics are important, but if students haven't even learned the most basic principles of evil spells and how to defend against them, are you expecting them to blind their enemies with 'flickering lights' when faced with real danger?"

"Don't underestimate the power of the glowing light!" Lux thought to herself, because her favorite thing to do was to get right up close and tap the glowing light, but she still replied aloud.

"Yes, yes, that's exactly what I meant. If you've never seen a malevolent curse and don't know its principles, you won't know how to deal with it if you encounter one. If textbooks could teach some less dangerous, but moderately aggressive spells, and let students know how to deal with them and how to neutralize them, wouldn't that actually prevent them from using even more evil and irreversible black magic in a moment of panic when they truly encounter danger?"

Miranda's eyes lit up completely, and she excitedly slammed her hand on the table, drawing a warning look from Mrs. Pince.

"Absolutely right, Lux. That's exactly what I want to promote. A proper understanding of defensive offense is a crucial cornerstone of safety. Blindly prohibiting and avoiding it will only allow danger to breed out of ignorance! You know, when I was a kid..."

Her voice lowered, carrying a hint of barely perceptible bitterness. "My sisters often deliberately told me the wrong pronunciation of spells when I was practicing, just to see me make a fool of myself. That feeling of being misled and fooled made me understand more deeply how important correct, clear, and comprehensive magical knowledge is. That's why I've been collecting and organizing the spells that are useful and not in these books."

She took a deep breath, looked at Lux, and her eyes became serious and eager: "Lux, I have been looking for like-minded people. Professor Flitwick, he is currently a teaching assistant and will not start teaching formally until next semester, but he also suffered from those 'old-fashioned textbooks' before, and he is very supportive of my ideas."

"We've formed a small club called the 'Cooco Spell Club.' There aren't many members, and with Mr. Flitwick as our mentor, we currently only have four students, but each of them has a deep understanding of spells and a spirit of exploration."

Lux tilted her head, expressing her doubt about the club's name: "Why is it called the 'Coo Coo' Spell Club? It's such a strange name."

"Haha, that's because when the club was first established, everyone was busy with the OWL exams. When an owl stood on the door or window and hooted, it meant that a member couldn't come and the gathering for that week was canceled. Over time, it became known as the 'Owl Curse Club'."

Miranda's voice carried an invitation: "We meet twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, to share the spells we've discovered or researched, discuss their principles, try to improve them, and even study magic not found in textbooks, like the ones you just mentioned. Professor Flitwick will provide guidance. How about it? Interested in joining us? I think your ideas and talents are exactly what we need!"

"Join!" Lux agreed almost immediately. "Of course I'll join, Miranda! I'm perfect for this place."

What better place to learn Occlumency than a society dedicated to researching and collecting all kinds of magic?

Miranda smiled happily and quickly gathered her notes and books from the table: "Great! Today is our club's activity day! Come on, I'll take you!"

They avoided the crowds, walked through several secluded corridors, and finally arrived at an inconspicuous door on the seventh floor of the castle, where a painting of a dozing house-elf hung. Miranda drew her wand and whispered to the painting, "Knowledge knows no bounds." The house-elf in the painting drowsily turned over, revealing a spiral staircase leading downwards.

At the end of the stairs was a warm but slightly cramped room. The walls were occupied by tall bookshelves filled with all sorts of ancient-looking books, scrolls, and parchment manuscripts. In the center of the room was a large oak table, on which quills, ink bottles, parchment, and some small magical tools were scattered.

Three people were already seated around the long table. The first was a short, meticulously combed wizard with glasses and a neat robe; he was none other than Felix Flitwick. Although he was not yet a formal professor, his brows already revealed the focus of a scholar and a hint of the authority of a future professor.

Beside him was a tall, aloof Ravenclaw sixth-year girl with long, flowing black hair and sharp grey eyes, intently adjusting a magical artifact that floated in the air and changed colors with her wand. The other was a somewhat lazy-looking Hufflepuff fifth-year boy with messy curly hair and gentle brown eyes.

"Good evening, everyone." Miranda led Lux ​​in. "Let me introduce a new member, Laxana Crownguard, a freshman in Gryffindor, but believe me, her understanding of spells far surpasses her age."

"Lacus, this is Felius Flitwick, our teaching assistant and mentor; this is Elena Goldstein, a sixth-year Ravenclaw student, specializing in runes and spell structures; this is Jones Burns, a fifth-year Hufflepuff student, specializing in the practical application of spell effects and 'down-to-earth' modifications."

Professor Flitwick adjusted his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses gleaming with curiosity and scrutiny as he looked at Lux: "Ah, Miss Lux, my teacher Oric has mentioned you many times, saying you are a genius in Charms. I will be taking over his Charms class next semester, welcome to join our exploration."

Elena simply nodded slightly, her gray eyes sweeping over Lux with an evaluative air, seemingly reserved about the label of "first-year genius".

Jones waved enthusiastically, flashing a friendly smile: "Hi Lux! Welcome! I've heard so much about you, that kick was awesome!"

"Thank you for the welcome, everyone!" Lux tried her best to appear well-behaved and inquisitive.

"Alright, now that a new member has joined, let's briefly review the topics from last time." Miranda, as the initiator of the club, naturally took the lead. "Elena, regarding your proposed 'silent spellcasting pre-syllable compression theory,' is there any new progress?"

Elena nodded, and lightly tapped the magical artifact in front of her with her wand. The artifact instantly disintegrated and reformed, displaying several flashing nodes:

"Through comparative analysis of ancient runic syllables and modern spells, I have confirmed that there is redundancy in three key syllable nodes. Theoretically, by using specific magical oscillation frequencies and guidance, it is possible to bypass these nodes during chanting, achieving a rapid activation effect similar to a silent spell, but the stability..." She frowned slightly, "The success rate of the experiment is currently very low."

Professor Flitwick listened attentively, occasionally jotting down notes in his notebook: "A very cutting-edge idea, Elena, bypassing redundant nodes... This requires the caster to have a very deep understanding of the origin of the spell and extremely precise control over magical power. This is more like a shortcut theory to becoming a master of silent spells than a popular technique. We can continue to study it."