Hogwarts: The Exemplary Wizard I Am Chapter 665: Harry's Painful yet Joyful Experience - Novel Cool

Chapter 665: Harry's Painful yet Joyful Experience

Chapter 665: Harry's Painful yet Joyful Experience

During the remainder of the holiday, Kyle didn't cross paths with Umbridge again; it was as if she were deliberately avoiding him.

This was just as well, as Kyle had no desire to see her lurking about during his break.

Others were not so fortunate, however. Kyle frequently heard complaints from students who had been reprimanded by Umbridge for minor infractions while in the castle.

They likened her to an enhanced Filch, causing a chorus of grievances to echo through the castle.

And so, on the last day of the holidays, in the evening, as students returned to school aboard the Hogwarts Express, having spent Christmas at home, the castle suddenly bustled with activity once more.

Fred and George Weasley conjured a platform in the Great Hall, similar in height to the tables, and proceeded to demonstrate the latest product from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

It was a peculiarly shaped, pink-feathered pointed hat that looked rather silly. But when Fred placed it on his head, both the hat and his head vanished from sight.

This prompted screams and raucous laughter to erupt in the Great Hall.

Kyle, too, was taken aback. Products that could confer invisibility were indeed rare.

He initially thought that the Weasley brothers had used the fur of an Invisible Beast, similar to the common Invisibility Cloak. But when George announced a price of two Galleons, he dismissed the idea.

Two Galleons wouldn't even come close to buying a piece of Invisible Beast fur large enough for a hat; ten times that amount would be more appropriate.

Moreover, their product was somewhat different from an Invisibility Cloak.

The cloak could only hide what it covered, and if it were too small, parts of the body would still be visible.

However, Fred's entire head had disappeared, including the areas below his eyebrows that weren't covered by the hat. This was a completely different principle from that of the Invisibility Cloak.

Kyle guessed that they must have combined the Disillusionment Charm with Extension Charms.

"That's a brilliant idea," Cedric said, clapping along with the others nearby. "If they enhance the effect a bit more, they might be able to make the entire body invisible."

"That won't be easy," Kyle remarked. "I doubt they'll spend much time on this."

"You're probably right," Cedric shrugged.

Weasley's Wizard Wheezes had just opened, and what they needed most right now was a large array of novel products to fill their shelves. They wouldn't waste time on something that a simple Disillusionment Charm could achieve.

As the Great Hall filled with students, Fred and George quickly amassed a substantial number of orders.

It wasn't until Professor McGonagall entered the hall that they reluctantly stepped down from the platform.

Soon after, Snape arrived, but instead of joining Professor McGonagall at the staff table, he made his way directly toward the Hufflepuff table and stopped in front of Kyle.

"Come with me," he said, then strode out of the Great Hall.

"What's going on?" Cedric asked. "Have you offended Professor Snape again?"

"No," Kyle replied, following him out into the entrance hall.

"Today is the last day of the holidays, and I haven't seen Potter at all. In fact, no one in the school has seen him..."

In the entrance hall, Snape said expressionlessly, "I'm beginning to wonder if you're teaching him the Mind-Shutting Technique or if you've sent him out of the school.

"I hope it's not the latter, or you'll have some explaining to do to the headmaster."

Harry?

Kyle hesitated for a moment, then suddenly smacked his thigh and turned to rush upstairs, leaving a sentence in his wake.

"Damn it, why didn't you tell me earlier!"

Snape watched Kyle's retreating figure, his face growing grimmer by the second, as if he were about to explode into a tirade.

But at that moment, Kyle couldn't spare him another thought. No wonder he had seen Hermione and Ron searching anxiously in the Great Hall earlier—they had been looking for Harry!

Kyle sprinted all the way to the eighth floor.

When he pushed open the door to the Room of Requirement, he happened to see a splash in the lake in the distance.

Then, a soaking wet Harry stumbled to the shore and skillfully used magic to dry his clothes.

Whether or not Harry had mastered the Mind-Shutting Technique, he certainly seemed adept at the Warm Air Charm, as Kyle hadn't even heard him incant the spell.

A few minutes later, Harry tumbled into the lake once more... and repeated the previous routine of drying himself off upon reaching the shore.

Meanwhile, Fawkes perched on a nearby tree, casually munching on knotweed pods, glancing over at intervals with a nonchalant air.

When the phoenix looked up again, it spotted Kyle and flapped its wings, flying over to him.

The commotion naturally drew Harry's attention, and he turned his head, his expression unchanged, muttering to himself, "Strange, I seem to be seeing Kyle, and there's a phoenix too. This must be another dream.

"But wait, that last fall really hurt. Could I have been knocked unconscious?"

It was only when Cat Panther leaped over to join Kyle that Harry realized this time, Kyle had truly arrived.

Harry was so excited that he almost burst into tears, scrambling over on all fours.

"Is it over? Is the teaching over...?" he asked eagerly, his words tumbling out. "I promise I've mastered the Mind-Shutting Technique, really!"

Kyle didn't doubt his claim,

though he had only observed for a short while, he noticed that Cat Panther had hesitated several times before striking, indicating that it wasn't able to see clearly.

Cat Panther confirmed this.

It let out a low growl.

"You can still see, but it's blurrier now, right?" Kyle asked.

Cat Panther nodded and shot Harry a somewhat disdainful glance.

These past few days had been tiring not just for Harry but also for the beast. It had to both pummel Harry and hold back enough to avoid truly injuring him—a delicate task that tested its patience.

Strictly speaking, Cat Panther was even more eager than Harry to bring this teaching session to a close.

"You've done well, Nadari," Kyle said as he opened the box. "I've prepared wartball pork and dragon blood sirloin for you. Go on, help yourself,"

Without another word, Cat Panther jumped into the box... followed by Fawkes, who flew in after the beast. Kyle was about to leave the Room of Requirement, and Fawkes didn't want to be seen by other students.

"Alright, let's go. If you want to stay here longer, that can also be arranged..."

Before Kyle could finish his sentence, Harry had already dashed towards the door.

He must be crazy to want to stay here any longer.

Harry had lost count of how many times he had been hit. All he knew was that he had been beaten up every day, and the splashes he made could fill an entirely new lake.

Compared to the past few days, the ten years he spent with the Dursleys seemed almost pleasant... At least his uncle and aunt didn't beat him with a stick every few minutes, but Cat Panther did, and it hurt like hell.

Its tail was like an iron rod, leaving marks with every strike, yet somehow managing not to injure his bones. It was pure pain, and Harry couldn't even find an excuse to give up.

There was a time when Harry even thought that learning the Mind-Shutting Technique from Snape wasn't so bad after all.

"I've been beaten up almost all day!"

On their way back to the Great Hall, Harry couldn't help but complain to Kyle, "Sometimes, my bed would even be flipped over while I was sleeping."

"That's because you overslept," Kyle said, "Cat Panther only enters the room during training sessions."

"Even so..." Harry pouted, "But I need rest too, right? You threw me into the Room of Requirement and then never came back!"

"That's also part of the teaching process." Kyle explained, "Practicing the Mind-Shutting Technique requires you to set aside extraneous emotions. While continuous training can be exhausting, it also helps you stay focused and keeps your mind in a completely relaxed state.

"In fact, I went through the same thing as you. I lived and trained with Cat Panther, and I was beaten up as soon as I opened my eyes every day."

Hearing that Kyle had gone through the same experience, Harry felt a little better, and he realized that he had actually spent his time quite fruitfully.

Thoughts of Voldemort, the Order of the Phoenix, and Umbridge seemed to have faded from his mind during these days, and his sleep quality had improved significantly. He could fall asleep as soon as he hit the pillow, without any of those chaotic dreams, and he would wake up feeling refreshed.

"By the way, Kyle, how long did it take you to master the Mind-Shutting Technique?" Harry asked curiously.

"I forgot..." Kyle thought for a moment, "It should also be about a week before Cat Panther couldn't read my thoughts at all. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Harry shook his head, feeling secretly pleased.

It took him a week to learn the Mind-Shutting Technique, and it seemed like Kyle had taken about the same amount of time. Could it be that he had the same talent as Kyle when it came to this spell?

As one of the top students in Hogwarts, no one doubted Kyle's talent in magic.

Harry had never thought that he might possess the same level of talent as Kyle, and this realization excited him as much as finding out that his grades were on par with Hermione's.

With this thought, Harry's anger seemed to dissipate, and he joked, "I've been counting the days, and I thought today was the last day of the holidays. I figured you would come and get me, but you didn't show up until now. I thought you had forgotten about me."

"Ha ha... how could I forget?" Kyle forced a laugh, "It's just that Umbridge came back to school early, and you didn't sign the list for students staying at school, did you? It would have been bad if she had seen it."

"Umbridge is back?" Hearing that name again, Harry's good mood vanished.

"You're right. If she found out that I came back to school early, she would have been thrilled. Luckily, you didn't come for me in the morning... I'd rather be beaten by Cat Panther's tail than be interrogated by Umbridge."

"Ah... it's nothing, it's what I should do." Kyle said, "Let's hurry, the banquet should be starting soon."

"Banquet?" Harry's eyes lit up.

Although the house-elves had been delivering food on time every day, Harry hadn't been in the mood to enjoy the meals due to Cat Panther's relentless torment. He had simply eaten to fill his stomach.

Now that the training was finally over, and there was a banquet to attend, he unconsciously quickened his pace.

...

When the two returned to the Great Hall, it was already filled with students. Harry glanced towards the staff table and spotted Snape sitting there.

For some reason, he felt that Snape's gaze was strange, as if something was different from usual.

However, Harry didn't pay it much mind and quickly turned away, heading towards the Gryffindor table.

Snape was taken aback for a moment, his expression filled with surprise. He hadn't expected Harry to actually learn the Mind-Shutting Technique, even if it was only at the level of a fine mesh net rather than a complete shield. It was still enough to block those random mental intrusions.

And to achieve this level of progress in just one week was impressive.

But the more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable Snape felt. He had spent so many days teaching Harry with little to no progress.

Yet, when Kyle took over, Harry seemed to take off, and it felt like Snape's teaching abilities were being questioned.

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Snape suddenly noticed Dumbledore sitting next to him giving him a knowing look, as if he, too, had noticed Harry's improvement and attributed it to Snape's efforts.

This made Snape even more uneasy... He didn't want to take credit for Kyle's work, but he couldn't very well explain the situation to the other professors, especially not Umbridge, so he could only stew in his frustration.

Meanwhile, back at the Gryffindor table, Hermione and Ron immediately surrounded Harry as he sat down.

"Where have you been?"

"We've been looking for you for more than half an hour, but the students staying at school said they hadn't seen you in days."

"I've been living in the Room of Requirement," Harry said quietly, "You know, to learn the Mind-Shutting Technique.

"You've got it?" Hermione looked at Harry in disbelief and exclaimed, "So quickly!"

"Quick?" Ron echoed, confused. "Harry wasted an entire holiday, it's only normal that he'd learn a spell, right? What do you mean the Mind-Shutting Technique is difficult?"

"It is difficult!" Hermione nodded solemnly, "I'd say it's much harder than any spell we've encountered before, including the Partial Transfiguration and Patronus Charm."

In fact, after Harry returned to Hogwarts, Hermione also attempted to learn the Mind-Shutting Technique. She read extensively on the subject, going through books like 'Adding a Door to Your Mind', 'Controlling Your Thoughts', and 'Memory and Thought', all three of which Mr. Weasley had recommended. She even sought help from Bill and Tonks for several consecutive days.

But, to be honest, even by the morning they left for the station, she still hadn't mastered the technique.

Bill told her that she had improved a lot compared to two weeks ago, but Hermione could tell that he was just comforting her.

Hermione had assumed that Harry was in a similar situation, but she never expected that he would have already mastered it... This stirred up a sense of frustration and a sense of defeat within her.

"How did you do it?" she asked eagerly. "Can you tell me what method you used?"

Hearing Hermione's question, Harry thought of the six-legged Cat Panther and its tail that made a whooshing sound when it swung, and he shuddered involuntarily.

"Trust me, Hermione, don't ask. You definitely won't like it," Harry said.

But Hermione was not to be deterred. "As long as I can learn the technique, no matter how difficult it is, I can persevere," she said stubbornly.

Hermione had every right to say so; when it came to academics, she was always tenacious. For example, in their third year, she had persevered and completed the entire curriculum of twelve subjects... and at Hogwarts, very few students could achieve this.

"It's not that difficult..." Harry said.

Seeing Hermione's unconvinced expression, he hesitated for a moment, then rolled up his sleeve to reveal his arm. "Take a look for yourself."

Harry's arm was covered in bruises of various colors, as if someone had splattered paint all over it.

"Oh, Merlin's beard!"

"Good heavens!"

At the sight of Harry's arm, both Hermione and Ron exclaimed in shock, immediately drawing the attention of those around them.

Harry quickly pulled down his sleeve, feigning nonchalance.

"Was it Snape who did this to you?"

But Hermione was indignant. "This is outrageous! How could he hit you? It's against school rules... no, it's against the Wizarding Law! I must tell the headmaster about this!"

"Yeah, you're right!" Ron agreed, equally outraged. "He's not fit to be a professor!"

"Hey, calm down, both of you," Harry said, lowering his voice. "While Snape's actions were indeed excessive, it wasn't him. It was Kyle."

"Kyle?" Hermione paused, then continued, "Even if it was Kyle, he shouldn't be hitting you..."

"No, no, no... it wasn't Kyle hitting me, it was the Cat Panther," Harry interrupted.

This left Hermione completely bewildered.

The involvement of Kyle was already surprising enough, but now a Cat Panther as well? If she remembered correctly, this was a rare magical creature, with only a handful found in all of Britain. How could one possibly be at Hogwarts?

Harry quickly explained what had happened over the past few days.

Hermione and Ron listened with their mouths agape, as if they were hearing a story about a giant learning ballet. They would never have imagined in their wildest dreams that Kyle had brought in a Cat Panther to teach Harry... and that this was how he himself had learned the Mind-Shutting Technique.

"That's how it was," Harry said. "It looks scary, but they're mostly bruises on the skin. Even if you do nothing, they'll be gone in a day or two, so don't worry."

"So, you've been with the Cat Panther all this time?" Ron asked, mouth full.

"The entire week," Harry said, his voice tinged with bitterness.

"So, the Cat Panther's eyes really do have the ability to read minds," Ron mused.

Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "But when its eyes turn purple, its ability also changes to hypnosis, which is the most terrifying aspect of the Cat Panther. Very few known defensive spells can withstand hypnosis."

"Ah? Can the Cat Panther hypnotize, too?" Harry scratched his head.

"Don't you know?" Hermione countered.

"Nope," Harry said. "The Cat Panther I saw had eyes that were always blue."

"Haven't you thought of doing some research?" Hermione asked, sounding a little annoyed. "You know, the Room of Requirement can provide relevant books according to your needs, just like we did for our DA gatherings.

"And what I just mentioned, it's all in 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'."

"Come on, Hermione," Harry retorted. "I've been running for my life the whole time. When would I have had time to read?"

"But you had a few hours to sleep, didn't you?" Hermione frowned. "Couldn't you spare twenty minutes? It's always good to learn more about your opponent."

"Twenty minutes?" Harry sighed. "You know, there were times when I just fell asleep right on the floor by the door."

"But..."

Hermione wanted to say more, but she eventually shook her head. "Let's take you to the hospital wing after the banquet. Madam Pomfrey should be able to help you recover quickly."

"No," Harry refused adamantly. "What I crave most right now is to get back to the soft bed in my dorm and have a good night's sleep... As for these bruises, based on my experience, they'll be gone in a couple of days without any treatment. So, no worries."

"But, Hermione, if you're not in a hurry, I really think it's better not to learn the Mind-Shutting Technique this way. It's just too painful," Harry added.

This time, Hermione didn't argue. Harry's crash course didn't seem like a good fit for her.

(End of Chapter)

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