Ye Ting found reading alone quite enjoyable, but soon the girls' conversation turned to him.
They discussed the charm he had just cast and the way he drew his wand.
Hermione, always the one to dig deeper, was the first to ask him a question.
"What charm did you use just now?" she inquired. "You knocked that red-haired guy's wand out of his hand in one go."
"That's the Disarming Charm," Ye Ting replied casually. "It's the most commonly used magic in wizard duels. The incantation is 'Expelliarmus.'"
"I know that!" Mariaetta interrupted. "I remember it being mentioned in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but our teacher said we'll only learn it in higher grades."
"You can use such a complicated charm! How did you manage that?" As a Muggle-born, Ye Ting's ability to cast such a charm was obviously a blow to Hermione, and she couldn't wait to ask him for tips.
"Actually—" Ye Ting explained, "This charm isn't complicated. Among all the spells used for direct confrontation, 'Disarming Charm' is one of the simplest. Although it doesn't have a powerful damaging effect and can be easily blocked by counter-spells, it has an advantage that other spells can't match."
"What advantage is that?" Hermione asked eagerly.
"It's the shortest in syllables among dueling spells and can be cast the fastest. Using this spell often gives you the first-mover advantage in magical duels."
Upon hearing this explanation, Cho Chang and Mariaetta nodded in understanding, admiring Ye Ting's extensive knowledge.
However, Hermione was somewhat unwilling to admit defeat. She questioned, "I've never seen such a conclusion in any book—that the 'Disarming Charm' has the shortest incantation. Which book did you read that in? I haven't seen anyone mention the length of different spells' incantations in any magic book."
"It's my own conclusion. I compared several relatively simple dueling spells like the Stupefy, Impedimenta, Petrificus Totalus, and Tarantallegra before drawing this conclusion." Ye Ting replied.
"But since it's not in the books, how can you be sure your conclusion is correct? These books are written by the greatest wizards, and even they didn't say so. How can you think you're right?"
She's really a proud child, unwilling to admit defeat at any time. Let me teach her a lesson.
Thinking this, Ye Ting criticized Hermione in a serious tone.
"Miss Hermione Granger, I suppose you haven't studied Muggle science properly since being accepted into Hogwarts, have you?"
"No… that's right, but what does it have to do with Muggle science?" Hermione asked back, somewhat embarrassed.
"It's quite significant. Muggle science, though not as convenient and magical as magic, is very worth learning in terms of logic and problem-solving methods. It can even be used as a reference when studying magic.
"For example, to study the length of spell incantations, I only need to maintain my magic and energy, use the same loud voice and speaking speed, cast different spells clearly and completely, and then record the time separately. This way, I can roughly compare the lengths of the spells—this is the method of controlled variables in science." Ye Ting explained earnestly.
"Finally—" he concluded, "The spirit of science tells us that truth comes from practice, and blindly believing in authority is not advisable. Even the theories of great scientists like Newton have been proven not to be the truth in contemporary times and have limitations in many aspects. So, why do you think the wizards who wrote these magic textbooks are completely correct? After all, magic is not as rigorous as science."
"If everything said by our predecessors were absolutely correct, then how could new spells be created? After all, those spells aren't mentioned in their books. Following your logic, the entire wizarding world would never progress."
This explanation confused Marietta, who came from a wizarding family—in fact, many wizards lack strong logical skills—but Hermione Granger, from a Muggle family, and Cho Chang, who had spent a long time in the Muggle world, managed to understand what Ye Ting was saying.
"I've never heard of such an idea before," Cho Chang said, admiring her compatriot. "Using scientific methods to study magic, you're really a genius."
Hermione was brought to tears by his words.
She had always prided herself on her intelligence and was not convinced by Ye Ting, but his theory was reasonable and she couldn't refute it, putting her in an awkward situation: she wanted to refute him but couldn't find the words, and she wanted to apologize but couldn't bring herself to do it.
Ultimately, she chose to apologize.
"I'm… sorry," she whispered. "I admit I was wrong. Please forgive me…"
But before she could finish, she ran out crying.
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