https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-45-Gardening-and-Professor-Orion/13006653/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-47-The-Mental-and-Physical-Well-being-of-Young-Wizards/13006657/
Chapter 46: Billywigs
Chapter 46: Billywigs
"The spell to deal with Billywigs is very simple, but it requires your full concentration. When casting the spell, you must be completely focused and clear about your target, leaving no room for negligence."
Professor Orion emphasized, "You must know that Billywigs fly incredibly fast, and they won't give you a second chance to cast your spell."
After explaining the key points, Professor Orion continued, "Let's practice the spell without our wands first. Follow me and chant—Power Release!"
"Power Release!" the young wizards chorused.
"Very good," Professor Orion said with satisfaction. "Now, it's time to test the effectiveness of your spells."
He lined up the entire class, and one by one, they stepped forward to cast their spells on the Billywigs in the cage.
The first in line was Conna.
She was originally in the middle of the group, but the Gryffindor fans quickly surrounded her and brought her to the front.
Ever since Professor Orion called her name, these little lions had been eager to see what made this little witch so special that she could capture Snape's heart.
"Brave young lady," Professor Orion smiled. "I believe your name is Conna, right?"
"Yes, Professor," Conna replied.
With the experience from the previous two times, Conna was in a much better state than before.
Although she was still nervous, she could now communicate normally, and her first thought was to answer the professor's question instead of turning and running away.
"Don't be afraid, it's just a simple spell," Professor Orion said patiently. "Remember what I said earlier, focus your attention, you can do it, believe in yourself."
Conna took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and forcefully thrust out her wand.
"Power, Release!"
"Whoosh!" The sound of the air being sliced filled the room.
Professor Orion, standing nearby, instinctively took a small step back.
To be fair, if the Billywig had been closer, the spell might not have been necessary; the force of the thrust alone could have impaled the Billywig.
Fortunately, the result was good.
As the spell ended, the Billywig in the cage fell to the ground.
"Well done, Hufflepuff gets a point!" Professor Orion announced, bringing out a second cage.
The day before, due to lack of experience, he had only brought three Billywigs when teaching Ravenclaw and Slytherin.
He thought it would be enough, but it turned out to be insufficient. Sometimes, the first Billywig hadn't even recovered yet, and the third one was already lying down.
Moreover, every time this happened, the young wizards from the two houses would stare at him intently, making the situation extremely awkward.
To prevent a similar situation from happening again, he brought ten Billywigs this time, which was more than enough.
"Next, Santos, it's your turn."
Santos, whose name was called, hurried forward and began chanting the spell.
"Power Release..."
Nothing happened, and the Billywig in the cage continued to happily spin in circles.
"Relax, don't be so tense," Professor Orion said softly as he walked to his side. "Make sure to pronounce the spell clearly. The last syllable you said was too light. Let's try again."
Santos nodded and extended his wand once more.
"Power Release!"
This time, he succeeded.
"Very good, next..." Professor Orion switched to another cage.
The success of the first two attempts boosted the confidence of the others, and they couldn't wait to give it a try themselves.
However, due to overconfidence, some of them completely forgot what Professor Orion had said earlier. When it was their turn, they didn't even look at the cage and directly shouted the spell.
As a result, the Billywigs were unaffected, but the cages fell apart.
Therefore, Professor Orion had to be extra vigilant towards the end, ensuring that he could restore the cages to their original state at the first opportunity.
But soon, he realized he had underestimated the situation.
A Gryffindor first-year at the back of the line, seeing the long queue ahead, began to quietly recite a spell.
Originally, he just wanted to practice in advance and amaze everyone when it was his turn... but he forgot he was holding his wand.
Professor Orion, who was reciting a Repairing Charm beside the podium, suddenly felt his legs go weak, and his entire body collapsed to the ground.
If it was just a simple fall, Professor Orion, being a robust adult wizard, would have suffered nothing more than a few scrapes, easily healed with a Herbaceous White Hellebore Salve.
However, the problem was that his Repairing Charm had been interrupted.
A Billywig, freed from its confinement, angrily charged towards the young wizards in front of it.
It had been wanting to do this since yesterday, having been rendered powerless, and now it was determined to get its revenge!
In this situation, some of the young wizards began to panic and run around the classroom, while others raised their wands.
"Power Release!"
"Power Release!"
...
Over a dozen spells crisscrossed, and although they didn't hit the Billywig, they successfully stopped it from advancing further...
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At this point, the young wizards felt like they had discovered a new world, even more excited, and raised their wands again, ready to take another shot at the moving target.
"Stop right there!" Just then, Professor Orion, lying on the ground, shouted sternly.
He took out his wand and, as the Billywig flew over his head, he shouted, "Total Petrify!"
Professor Orion caught the falling Billywig, put it back in the cage, and shakily stood up.
He rubbed his waist painfully.
No wonder everyone said that being a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts was a tough job; this statement was indeed true.
Suppressing the pain, Professor Orion looked at the young wizards with concern and asked, "Are you all okay? Did anyone get stung?"
"No, Professor," they all shook their heads.
"That's good," he breathed a sigh of relief. After repairing the podium, he said, "Let's continue the class. By the way... everyone except the first person in line, put away your wands."
Everyone obediently complied.
Although they felt a bit disappointed, after witnessing Professor Orion's anger earlier, they didn't dare to cause any more trouble.
After all, no one wanted to be the target of a Petrification Charm.
With this mindset, almost everyone succeeded, and the progress was much faster than before.
However, Professor Orion didn't seem to relax at all; instead, he became more tense.
When the class ended, he didn't even assign homework and left the classroom without looking back.
This class had exhausted him, and he didn't want to stay a minute longer.
Back in his office, Professor Orion drew the curtains and took a satisfying sip of tea.
In any case, it was finally over. Although there was an accident, it was under control, and all fifty Billywigs were... hmm?
Wait, how were there only forty-nine left!
Professor Orion threw down his teacup and carefully counted twice.
Indeed, one was missing.
There was an empty cage with a fist-sized hole in it.
"Merlin's beard..." Professor Orion hurried back to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, but he couldn't find anything there.
"It must have been hit by those first-years' spells."
Professor Orion looked at the open window in the classroom with annoyance. "Fifty Galleons, just like that, gone!"
(End of Chapter)
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