Chapter 155: Castrobrusso's Weekend
Chapter 155: Castrobrusso's Weekend
When Professor Jason allowed everyone to begin, Liam immediately took out his wand and started experimenting with casting the spell as the professor had taught.
"Expecto Patronum." After reciting the spell, Liam found that nothing happened. This was normal, given that the Patronus Charm was a high-level spell. Even being able to cast it successfully could earn you extra points on the Ordinary Wizarding Level Exam in fifth year.
Naturally, the chances of succeeding on the first try were very slim, and the other two students didn't fare much better. Professor Jason patiently reminded them, "You need a happy memory from your heart, and the determination to protect something precious. In short, you need enough positive emotions to cast this spell."
Liam began to recall the joy he felt when he obtained the Golden Finger and the possibility of returning home. He also remembered the happiness of saving many people. He raised his wand and said,
"Expecto Patronum." This time, Liam saw a stream of silvery mist shoot out from the tip of his wand. By the end of the class, he had managed to produce a significant amount of silvery mist. The other two students had made similar progress.
"Very good", Professor Jason smiled. "Next Friday afternoon, I will bring a Dementor here. If you can use the Patronus Charm to block the Dementor's attack, you'll be fine. As for the corporeal Patronus, that requires extensive practice, so I won't expect it from you."
Facing a real Dementor in their second practical session? Liam was shocked. This was far more intense than Lupin's method of using a Boggart to teach Harry.
However, the other two students from the school didn't show any surprise. After leaving the classroom, David kindly explained to Liam, helping him understand the reason.
Castrobrusco was known for its courses on magical plants and creatures, and they frequently used various magical beings in their lessons. Compared to the relatively safe magical creatures in Britain, the magical creatures in the Amazon region were much more dangerous. Therefore, using a Dementor as a teaching aid seemed normal to them, especially with the professor there to ensure safety.
In comparison, Liam felt that the wizarding education in Britain was somewhat lacking in this area. This might be why they had come to exchange and learn from other schools, to identify their own shortcomings.
Everyone was quite tired from the day's lessons, so they said their goodbyes and went to eat.
The next day was Saturday, a day off, so Liam planned to sleep in. However, he was woken up by Hermione while he was still sound asleep in his bed. He saw her standing in the room, fully dressed.
"Get up! We agreed to train every Saturday, and you can't slack off just because we're not at Hogwarts", she said loudly, pulling the curtains open to let the sunlight flood the room.
Liam was grateful that he had learned to sleep in his pajamas during his years in Britain, so he didn't have to be embarrassed. However, he was still surprised as he shielded his eyes from the sunlight. "Hermione—this is my dorm, how did you get in?"
"Didn't you know? Just like at our school, girls can enter boys' dorms. It's said that the school founders believed boys were less reliable than girls", Hermione said, raising an eyebrow.
"Really unfair", Liam grumbled, then turned to Hermione and said, "Alright, I'm going to get ready now. Please wait outside for a bit."
After finishing up, Liam stepped out into the carriage corridor, where Hermione was already waiting. The Dimensional Folding Spell had been cast, making the corridor spacious. They decided to practice here today.
Since this was the first practice session of the school year, the two started with a sparring match to summarize the previous year and set a baseline for the next steps. Naturally, Liam would limit his abilities to match Hermione's, using spells and power levels similar to hers, otherwise the sparring would be meaningless.
Through their long history of studying magic together, Liam found that while Hermione wasn't a natural talent in combat magic (Harry was the genius, able to cast the Cruciatus Curse just by hearing it and knock down Bellatrix, though only half-heartedly. But the fact that she didn't suffer a backlash and fell down was telling), her intelligence and hard work allowed her to achieve considerable success in most skills, including magical combat. For example, in that Combat Class, Hermione, who only knew the spells from the textbook, performed better than Daphne, who had a family legacy.
In this sparring session, Liam noticed that after many previous practices, Hermione was starting to adapt to his completely unconventional tactics, which he had developed through real combat experience.
For instance, she could now predict his movements by observing his actions and cast spells accordingly. Spells that Liam used to dodge easily now had to be blocked with an Armor Charm, and he almost got tripped by the glass beads she suddenly conjured while he was moving to change positions.
Fortunately, Liam had gained enough battle experience in the Wasteland recently, allowing him to defeat Hermione relatively easily in the sparring. If he still only had experience fighting zombies, he might have faltered this time.
After the practice, the two, panting heavily, sat down on the corridor carpet. Hermione wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, "I always thought magical duels were like in the books, where two wizards elegantly wave their wands, and magic power collides, forming flames around them. I never realized how exhausting it is, requiring constant movement and positioning."
"Perhaps wizards of Dumbledore's caliber can do that. But at our level, we can't discern the details of incoming spells and precisely use magic power to counter them or choose the right defensive spell. In such situations, the only way to survive in real combat is to dodge and create better angles for attack. After all, no matter how powerful a Killing Curse is, it can't cause damage if it misses", Liam replied, fetching a jug of sugar-salt water from his room and pouring a cup for Hermione.
"I feel like I've been practicing hard, but I still can't match you", Hermione said, sounding a bit dejected after taking a sip of water.
"Well, I've been practicing longer than you. It's all about knowledge and proficiency. You won't improve without enough practice. But seriously, you're already doing great. Most Hogwarts students haven't grasped the importance of using various spells in combat. They only choose spells directly related to fighting, which is far less flexible than what you can do now."
Hearing Liam's praise, Hermione's ears turned red, and she felt a bit embarrassed. Just as she was about to say something, a tapping sound on the window interrupted her.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report