Afternoon classes left Allen a bit bewildered, first-year students had Charms class scheduled, but he quickly noticed something odd.

No one else had pulled out a wand.

(Not surprising, of course, considering Rowling's canon: Uagadou students didn't use wands at all. Instead, they relied on hand gestures and finger movements to cast spells.)

In fact, most of the students around him were eyeing the small stick in his hand with curiosity, as if wondering what this twig was supposed to accomplish, it didn't even look remotely dangerous.

Fortunately, the professor teaching the class was just as skilled at classroom control as Professor McGonagall. So despite their obvious curiosity, the Uagadou students didn't make any comments during the lesson.

"As we've discussed before, the human hand is the most precise magical instrument. It reflects every part of the wizard's body. So, when we move our fingers, our entire magical energy flows with them, allowing us to cast spells. Of course, that's only possible for the most advanced casters. You, as underage wizards, will still need incantations to assist your spellwork."

"In fact, even when you reach adulthood, most of you still won't be able to cast using gestures alone, let alone reach the advanced stage of using just one finger. But don't be discouraged, you're only first-years. Time is on your side."

"Now then, today we're going to learn a spell that summons electricity. And just a heads-up, under no circumstances are you to test this in the school lake. Caretaker Edmund has already given me a stern warning. If you get caught electrofishing, don't think you can use spell practice as an excuse, uh…"

The professor paused mid-sentence, suddenly remembering that today's class had a guest student. The awkward glance he shot Allen was met with a helpless smile. Allen genuinely didn't know how to react to that comment.

The spell itself, however, was incredibly difficult. Allen had always cast spells with a wand. Translating the flicks and swishes of wand magic into intricate finger movements wasn't a one-to-one conversion. Even Merlin himself would probably struggle with that.

But Allen was lucky. His wand had a unique affinity with lightning magic, which made casting electric-based spells significantly easier for him. Gradually, he found a rhythm, building a bridge between wand-based casting and hand gestures. This small success became a key breakthrough, giving him a foundation to start working on wandless magic in a reduced form.

Still, this was a task akin to moving mountains. Not all spells were as compatible with lightning as this one.

By the end of the lesson, Allen managed to surprise the entire class of Uagadou students. Their eyes widened as they watched that unassuming stick release an actual burst of lightning at his command. Even the professor looked impressed.

But what they failed to notice was something more important: Allen had cast the spell completely silently.

That's right, he had reached the level of nonverbal incantation. And with a bit more time, Allen was confident he could reach the stage the professor spoke of, casting the spell with just a single finger.

It wasn't that his magic had suddenly skyrocketed. It was simply convergence. After all, the ultimate goal of wand magic, gesture casting, and even verbal spellwork… was wandless casting. And Allen, having spent three grueling years being trained under Ryze's lightning abilities, already had a wealth of experience using electricity.

All he had to do now was convert those instincts into spellwork.

••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••

The day came to a close, and after dinner, during some casual chatting around the camp, Allen quickly noticed that everyone looked rather deflated. It was clear many of the students had faced various setbacks.

Which made sense, when even the fundamental principles of spellcasting were so different, how could anyone, no matter how brilliant, be expected to perform at a high level on the first day?

(Of course, let's exclude Allen from this equation. He had a few "cheats" up his sleeve.)

"Their Transfiguration skills are pretty specialized," Professor McGonagall was the first to speak during the evening debrief. "Many of them can't even match our third-years when it comes to transforming objects, but when it comes to altering their own appearance, they excel. They call it mimicry magic."

"Oh, I ran into something similar," said Professor Sigma. "They're not particularly adept at direct attack or defense spells. Instead, they focus more on hexes and curse-breaking. I must say, it's fascinating."

"Their Potions knowledge is generally weaker than our students," Snape chimed in, clearly displeased. "And worse, their understanding is broad but shallow. They don't even properly distinguish between alchemy and potioneering! It's an insult to the beautiful art!"

Only the Slytherin prefect dared speak after Snape. He started complaining about the lack of a wand-based system here, which made everything more complicated. However, judging by the hint of smugness on his face, he clearly figured things out his own way. Five years of Hogwarts education didn't go to waste.

And this trend became obvious the more they spoke. The older the student, the fewer the problems. With their solid foundation of magical knowledge, they were able to adapt more easily to the unfamiliar practices of a different magical school.

Magic may differ in technique, but its essence remains unchanged.

First and second years, though, had a much rougher time. Their foundational knowledge just wasn't enough. While some had managed to resolve parts of the problems through a blend of both systems, many still failed to meet classroom expectations and ended up embarrassed.

Yet it was this group, the younger students, who truly embodied the spirit of this exchange. They still had the flexibility to learn and absorb a new magical framework, unlike many upperclassmen who were already set in their ways.

That said, the older students selected for this exchange were clearly the cream of the crop. The prefects represented the very best of Hogwarts, and the other upper-year students were handpicked for their excellence.

The discussion stretched nearly until midnight, and it likely would have gone on longer if Professor McGonagall hadn't ordered everyone to rest.

But this was Hogwarts' finest.

So what if there were obstacles?

They wouldn't back down.

They'd charge straight at them, and overcome.

==========

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