Cassian was using Lumos Spectaculum, silently, of course. The Interface had bumped his mastery to Maximum, so no need for incantations anymore. The moment he saw the spell, he knew exactly what to do with it… his classes.

Threads of light twisted and knotted in the air, resolving into crisp details… Merlin’s robe rippling in a phantom wind, Arthur’s sword catching a golden gleam. The illusion breathed, moved, smooth as flowing water. The students stared, slack-jawed, some leaning forward, knuckles white against their desks.

“What…” someone started.

“That is not a painting…”

“It is like a Muggle film…”

He gave them a second to soak it in before he spoke. “Now, who is Merlin? And why did he side with Arthur?”

The projected image of Merlin flickered slightly, the aged wizard standing beside a golden-armoured Arthur, his expression thoughtful, almost amused. The Weasley boy, Percy, had that eager, academic gleam in his eye. 

“Come on, this isn’t a trick question. Everyone says Merlin is the greatest wizard of all time… why?”

A Slytherin girl raised her hand. “Because he was the most powerful wizard of his time?”

Cassian tilted his head. “That is the usual answer, yeah. But let’s dig into that. What made him powerful?”

She hesitated, then said, “His magic?”

Cassian clicked his tongue. “Obvious. But power alone doesn’t make someone great. Grindelwald was powerful. So was Voldemort. Didn’t make them saints, but it sure made them memorable. Power alone doesn’t write history… it is how you wield it.”

A few students stiffened at the name, but he ignored them.

“Merlin wasn’t just powerful… he was influential. He didn’t just hoard magic for himself, he shaped how Magicks interacted with Muggles. His alliance with Arthur… That set the foundation for magical secrecy centuries before the Statute of Secrecy even existed. Without Merlin, the whole wizarding world might look very different today.”

He let that sit for a moment.

“So, let’s flip the question. What would history look like if Merlin hadn’t been around?”

Silence. A few exchanged looks, clearly trying to figure out if he was really expected them to answer.

Percy Weasley sat up a little straighter. “Well… if he hadn’t pushed for cooperation with Muggles, maybe wizards would have stayed completely separate. Or taken over.”

Cassian pointed at him. “Now we are getting somewhere. Because wizards always had the upper hand, right? More power, longer lifespans, all that. If history had gone another way, we could be the ones ruling them instead of hiding.”

A few Slytherins looked interested at that.

“But,” Cassian continued, “Merlin didn’t push for dominance. He believed in balance. He thought wizards should guide, not control. And because of that, Arthur’s reign… one where magic and non-magic worked together became legend. And legends? They stick.”

Cassian flicked his wand, and the illusion shifted. Arthur and Merlin faded, replaced by a battlefield… a clash of two forces, warriors standing on either side. The scene wasn’t from any wizarding history he knew, but something borrowed from his past life. A distant figure in grey robes stood at the front, staff raised, holding back the charge of an overwhelming enemy. The faces were too far to make out, but that was the point. It looked grand, mythical, something straight out of a legend.

He chuckled, glancing at the class. “Of course, no matter the era, people had opinions. And strong opinions tend to lead to conflict.” He flicked his wand again, bringing the focus to a lone figure opposite the grey-robed leader. A woman, dark-haired, standing defiantly as flames curled around her hands.

“Morgana Le Fay,” he said. “A witch as powerful as Merlin, but standing on the other side of history. And, honestly? Can’t say I blame her.”

A few Slytherins straightened in their seats. Some of the Gryffindors looked uneasy. The name Morgana carried weight. Dark witch, enemy of Camelot, all that nonsense. But Cassian wasn’t here to spoon-feed them bedtime stories.

“Now, you lot have heard the usual, Merlin, the noble advisor, champion of Muggle-wizard unity. Morgana, the bitter, vengeful sorceress, enemy of progress. But let’s think for a moment.” He pointed at the illusion. “Merlin had power, influence, and, more importantly, the backing of a king. Morgana? She had none of that. And in the Dark Ages, being a woman was already difficult. Being a witch? Downright lethal.”

He let that sink in. “So, tell me… if you lived in an era where Muggles feared magic to the point of burning people alive, how much would you trust them?”

Silence. A few students exchanged glances.

“Right. And yet, history paints her as the villain.” Cassian smirked. “It is easy to call someone ‘evil’ when you are the one writing the story.”

Percy Weasley cleared his throat. “But she tried to overthrow Camelot.”

Cassian nodded. “She did. And Merlin opposed her. Doesn’t mean she was wrong about everything. Magicks have a habit of pretending Muggles have always been harmless little lambs. But tell that to the ones who got burned at the stake because someone decided a bad harvest meant ‘witchcraft.'”

Some of the Muggle-borns looked a bit pale. Even the purebloods seemed more interested now.

Cassian let the illusion shift again, showing robed figures standing over a firepit, smoke curling into the night. “This wasn’t a debate. This was survival. Morgana saw Muggles as dangerous, unpredictable. Merlin saw them as people who could be guided. Neither of them was completely right or wrong. They just had different ways of dealing with a world that didn’t understand magic.”

The images faded, leaving nothing but the flicker of candlelight dancing across the walls. Cassian pushed away from the desk, his gaze sweeping the room.

“History isn’t about good versus evil,” he said evenly. “It is about people making choices… choices based on the information they had, the fears they felt, the power they craved. Sometimes those choices worked out. Sometimes they didn’t. But if you sit in this class thinking every so-called ‘dark’ wizard was a raving lunatic and every ‘hero’ was some flawless champion of justice, you will fail. Not my class… don’t worry about grades, I couldn’t care less about them. You will fail at something far more important… understanding. And if you can’t understand the past, you are doomed to repeat it.”

The room fell into silence. Not bad for a first lesson.

Finally, Warrington muttered, “So… what, we are supposed to sympathise with dark wizards now?”

Cassian smirked. “No, you are supposed to think. I know, terrifying concept. But hey… if that is too much effort, you can always drool on your desk like in Binns’ class.”

A few snickers. Warrington scowled but said nothing.

Cassian clapped his hands. “Right. Homework… read up on the Merlin-Morgana conflict, but not just the standard drivel. I want at least one source that presents her side of things.”

A few students groaned. Percy was already scribbling notes.

Cassian grinned. “Welcome to history, kids. Try not to sleep through it.”

As Cassian wrapped up the lesson, he decided to push things a step further. He hadn’t come to Hogwarts just to drone on about history… he had a theory to test. If teaching magic really advanced his own skills, then he needed to keep experimenting. And what better way to do that than by slipping in a bit of practical magic under the excuse of “historical relevance”?

“Right, before I let you lot go, let’s talk about something a little more… lively.” He tapped his wand against the desk. “Fire.”

That got their attention. Even the ones who had been impatient to leave sat straight.

“Incendio,” he said, twirling his wand in the air. “Fire-Making Charm. A spell so old that it predates wand usage. Ever wondered how wizards managed before we had these handy little sticks? Rituals, incantations, runes… the lot. Fire was one of the first things magic was ever used for. Survival, warfare, communication. Even now, it is one of the most basic yet useful spells you will ever learn.”

He flicked his wand at the empty fireplace at the side of the room. “Incendio.”

Flames exploded in the fireplace with a deep whoomph, heat rolling through the room. Not the timid little sparks most students summoned, but a roaring yet controlled blaze that lit every corner. A few students flinched, one Gryffindor yelped.

Cassian let the fire burn for a few seconds before lowering his wand, and the flames shrank down instantly, flickering lazily in the hearth. After playing around with Lumos, he figured out something interesting… when he actually put effort into visualisation and intent, even the most basic spells became a lot more effective. Seemed obvious in hindsight, but then again, most wizards didn’t bother thinking about magic beyond waving their wand and hoping for the best.

He turned back to the class, tapping the edge of the desk. “Starting now, at the end of every lesson, we will go over a spell… how it was used, why it was important, and how it shaped wizarding history.” He let his gaze sweep over them. “Because magic isn’t just about throwing spells around. It is about understanding why we have them in the first place.”

A few students exchanged glances. 

He gestured toward the fire. “Take this one… Incendio. Simple spell, right? Makes fire. But fire isn’t simple. It is survival. It is power. It is the reason witches ended up on stakes and kings ended up in history books. But this spell is so old that it probably predates every known record we have. And if something’s been around that long, it means it was needed.” He leaned back against the desk. “So, as historians, we ask questions. Why did wizards need it? What were their circumstances? Were they lighting campfires? Scaring off predators? Trying to imitate magical creatures? Using it as a weapon? Or did they just need to keep warm on a bloody cold night?”

Percy Weasley raised a hand. “Surely it was first used for survival. Before wands, fire would’ve been essential.”

Cassian nodded. “Good answer. Fire’s always been a symbol of power… control over the elements. But it is also a threat. Ever wonder why wizards and fire have such a complicated relationship? Goblins, witches, pyromancy… it all ties together.” He crossed his arms. “For example, who here knows why Muggles started burning witches?”

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