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Chapter 940: The Professor
Chapter 940: The Professor
Albert didn't know if Hermione would catch Rita Skeeter and put her in a jar for a while, just like in the original story.
However, no matter how the situation developed, Albert didn't care. After all, it had nothing to do with him, so he could just mind his own business.
He continued to live his life in the school as planned, occasionally taking out his notes to perfect his old plans. As for teaching Hermione the shielding spell, it didn't take much of his time and energy.
Hermione practiced diligently on her own and mastered the shielding spell in just one day, preventing owls from finding her location again.
However, what surprised Albert the most was Hermione's progress in identifying Rita Skeeter's Animagus form in just a few days.
"I suspect that Rita Skeeter's Animagus form is a beetle. After the second task, Viktor pulled a beetle out of my hair," Hermione told Albert about the strange incident where she occasionally saw Malfoy talking to thin air.
"It won't be easy to catch a flying beetle. It requires patience and luck. Moreover, after this term, you probably won't have another chance," Albert reminded her with a smile.
"I'm sure that woman will sneak into Hogwarts again to eavesdrop, and I will catch her," Hermione said confidently. She seemed to have thought of something else and asked, "By the way, are you really not coming with us to see Sirius tomorrow?"
"No, I have a lesson in Apparition tomorrow morning, and I have an appointment with Professor Flitwick in the afternoon," Albert refused with a shake of his head. "If you're lucky, you should be able to catch that annoying woman. But remember, your chance will be slim. You have to catch her before she realizes she's exposed. If you miss this chance, she won't give you another opportunity."
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Albert, and good night, Tom," Hermione expressed her gratitude, then bent down to pat Tom's head before turning back to the dormitory.
"Let's go, we should get some sleep, too," Albert said to the yawning fat cat. "Jump down by yourself. You're so heavy; don't expect me to carry you."
Meow! Tom meowed and jumped down from the table after Albert had walked away. He then followed and returned to the dormitory.
Since the beginning of February, when the Apparition lessons started, the students of Hogwarts had already attended several lessons, and along the way, more and more students were able to apparate, even if the distances they could cover were still short. Nevertheless, it was a good start.
The long-awaited success excited them, and they exchanged their experiences with smiling faces, or rather, they boasted about their achievements.
For those who had mastered apparition several weeks ago, like Albert, they naturally had no interest in joining these conversations.
"Can't we really come with you?"
Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were quite disappointed. They had heard that Albert was going to have practical training with Professor Flitwick, and they wanted to tag along to watch.
Although Albert's practical experience might not be as rich as Professor Flitwick's, his skills were definitely not weak.
"You can go with Potter and the others to the Forbidden Forest. Sirius will be teaching them magic there," Albert waved to the three of them and disappeared into the depths of the secret passage.
"Are you going to watch Harry's training?" Lee Jordan looked at Fred and George, seeking the opinion of his two good roommates.
"Let's not," Fred shook his head. "There's nothing interesting about Harry's training. We've trained with Albert before, too. How about we sneak over there and enter the Room of Requirement later? Albert won't be able to chase us away then."
"Do you know which room they'll use?" George asked in return.
"We'll know once we try," Fred replied, thinking it wouldn't be difficult to guess. They had used the Room of Requirement for training before.
Albert was unaware that Fred, George, and Lee Jordan planned to come and watch. At that moment, he was listening to Professor Flitwick explaining about wizard duels.
Although these lessons might not be directly applicable when facing Dark Wizards, it was always beneficial to learn more, especially in some formal duels where such knowledge might come in handy.
"Alright, let's begin!"
Professor Flitwick drew his wand and smiled at Albert.
The two bowed to each other, and after counting to three, Albert took the initiative and cast a Disarming Charm at Professor Flitwick.
This was just a test, as Albert knew that the professors' skills were not to be underestimated.
"Your nonverbal spellcasting speed is very fast, which is a great advantage. But it's best to go all out from the start and show me your true abilities," Professor Flitwick casually deflected Albert's Disarming Charm with his wand.
"Then I won't hold back,"
Albert began to speed up his spellcasting, but Professor Flitwick easily blocked each attempt.
This subtle feeling of suppression was unpleasant, and he had experienced it before with Smith. He had thought that his strength had improved, but unfortunately, it seemed that he hadn't made much progress, causing Albert to frown.
"A fast offense may catch some people off guard and leave them breathless, but sometimes, when facing a more skilled wizard, it's not the best choice. You should try to stalemate your opponent and defeat them with your advantage in magical power. Of course, I know your strength, so I won't directly compare the strength of our magic," Professor Flitwick calmly dealt with Albert's spells, speaking in a relaxed tone. "You shouldn't try to match my offensive rhythm. In this regard, you lack experience, and it will be difficult for you to beat me. You should play to your strengths and don't hesitate to use more powerful spells. I'm not as fragile as you think."
Professor Flitwick could naturally see Albert's concerns, which were evident in the spells he chose to use.
"Although many spells can be useful in duels, they shouldn't be used as straightforwardly as you're doing. It's difficult to achieve their true effects that way. Instead, you should do it like this," Professor Flitwick did something unknown, and Albert felt as if his clothes were trying to hinder him. Although he quickly broke free with a General Counter-Spell, that moment of distraction immediately put him at a disadvantage.
Although Albert blocked Professor Flitwick's spells, he found it increasingly difficult to do so, as if something was pressing down on him, time and time again, almost suffocating him.
In the end, Albert had to create a protective barrier to shield himself from Professor Flitwick's onslaught.
"Your spellcasting speed is indeed very fast, but it lacks substance. It feels light and fluffy, and while it may overwhelm an average wizard, it's not difficult for an experienced one to handle. You should make your magic more substantial and give your offense more rhythm, pressing your opponent with repeated attacks,"
Of course, duels between wizards were not as simple as Lockhart had described in the past. The reason for the mutual offense was more due to the difference in their magical power.
If one only defended, it would be easy to lose when facing an opponent of the same level. So, usually, they would try to break through each other's spells, just like how Albert used the Iron Armor Charm to block Professor Flitwick's spells. Afterward, he should have counterattacked instead of trying to block the professor's spells like he did earlier.
"Professor, how do I make my magic more substantial?" Albert asked.
"Don't you already know? Your magical power is quite strong. You just need to choose the right spells and make them increasingly difficult to block. When your opponent is on edge, suddenly relax and let them make a mistake, then take the opportunity to defeat them in one fell swoop." Professor Flitwick eyed Albert's defensive barrier, gaining a new understanding of his student's magical prowess.
"Of course, these are just my personal tips. You can emulate them for now, and perhaps one day, you'll develop your own combat style. I believe that day isn't far off. Well, let's continue. Going forward, I'll gradually impart to you everything I know. This summer, you can try to participate in the European Wizard Duelling Championship. With your current level, it's not possible, but once you've absorbed my experience and then sought out Bard Blenkin to learn from him as well, you'll definitely be able to win the duelling championship."
Albert hadn't expected Professor Flitwick to have such high hopes for him.
"Well, let's continue! There's still a lot for you to learn, and I think with your aptitude, mastering these skills shouldn't be difficult."
Albert's lips twitched slightly as he didn't have much confidence in his aptitude. He only had confidence in his skill panel. However, due to his long-term skill allocation, Albert couldn't be considered a genius in certain areas, but his learning ability was also not weak.
It didn't take long for him to suppress Professor Flitwick using the method the professor had suggested. To be precise, he achieved this on his second attempt, largely thanks to Albert's formidable magical power and adept spellcasting technique.
After all, he was the recipient of the Barnabas Finkley Outstanding Spellcasting Award, and his ability in this regard was indeed remarkable.
Professor Flitwick's level was high, and he managed to block Albert's offense while also expressing satisfaction with Albert's performance.
"You learn quickly. Usually, in a stalemate during a duel, a wizard will employ other means to break through their opponent's defenses and gain victory. For example, just now I silently used wandless magic to control your clothes, causing you to be distracted and giving myself a chance to gain the upper hand. Don't underestimate these little tricks; even formidable wizards can be caught off guard by them. After all, any hesitation during a duel can lead to defeat."
"Of course, your wandless magic is quite powerful, and you easily dispelled it, but it still put you at a disadvantage."
"Indeed, it's a bit underhanded," Albert muttered to himself, though he couldn't deny the practicality of such a move.
"The second method is to attack your opponent from multiple angles, forcing them to deal with assaults from different directions, causing them to become distracted and giving yourself a significant advantage."
"It feels a bit similar to the first method," Albert commented, feeling the urge to complain.
However, he understood why Professor Flitwick separated the two approaches.
"In dueling competitions, wizards aren't always friendly. They may even use dark magic aside from the Unforgivable Curses, so you must be cautious."
"That leads to the third method, which can catch you off guard. Some wizards' dark magic can be quite challenging to defend against. I recall someone who once conjured a gust of wind that swept their opponent away."
"There's also a type of wizard who casts intricate spells. However, such individuals usually shield themselves first and then hide within their protection to chant a long and complex spell before striking all at once. This approach is often effective against wizards with insufficient magical power, but I believe no one would use it outside of duels. After all, dark wizards these days tend to favor the Killing Curse."
"Most dark wizards typically favor the third method to break a stalemate. When you're forced to choose between dark magic and the Killing Curse, hesitation sets in. Usually, one would use Disillusionment to create short-distance illusions to escape danger. But this method isn't very practical, as skilled wizards can use Disillusionment to pinpoint your location or even create an area where Disillusionment doesn't work, preventing escape through illusions."
"Professor, what would you do if you were me?" Albert casually conjured a hunting dog, and they flanked Professor Flitwick from both sides.
"This won't cause me any trouble. A simple freezing spell will do the trick. If you can't launch a successful surprise attack, I suggest you don't try this. Moreover, creatures created through Transfiguration usually have a fatal weakness." Professor Flitwick waved his hand, freezing the dog while simultaneously blocking Albert's offense and controlling the dog to pounce on him.
Albert's fingers twitched, and the dog instantly vanished, transforming into a stone. This was the problem Professor Flitwick had mentioned—anything created through Transfiguration could be easily undone by the 'reversion spell'.
"Always remember this: when dueling against dark wizards, never resort to flashy and complicated tactics. Practicality should be your top priority, and it's best to make clever use of your surroundings. We can discuss this further in the next lesson." Professor Flitwick put away his wand and said, "Now, let's talk about spell countering. Many wizards use this against less experienced opponents because they chant aloud, making their spellcasting slower, and others can tell what spell they're about to cast. Of course, only seasoned wizards can counter like this."
"Skilled wizards often use nonverbal spells to increase their speed, just like you and I didn't utter any incantations, leaving no opportunity for countering. However, nonverbal spellcasting isn't easy, and vocalized spells remain the mainstream, so this is one of your strengths." Professor Flitwick continued, "To counter an opponent's spell, you usually need to pair it with Legilimency. Proficient Legilimens can often discern the spell you intend to use through your thoughts."
Blocking or dodging an opponent's spell isn't the core of countering; that only works against inexperienced wizards and makes you look impressive. But when facing exceptional wizards, you can roughly judge whether you should block or dodge their spell. This is an intricate art, and I suggest we take a break here and have some refreshments before continuing our discussion.
"That's a good idea,"
Professor Flitwick said as he took out a piece of chocolate and offered it to Albert.
"I've prepared some afternoon tea."
Albert smiled, accepted the chocolate, and put it in his pocket. He then waved his wand, conjuring a table and chairs with a tea set, followed by a table full of sweets.
Of course, the food on the table wasn't conjured out of thin air but summoned through magic.
"It seems you've made thorough preparations," Professor Flitwick said softly. "Although I don't know what has made you feel a sense of crisis, don't risk your life unnecessarily. Sometimes, it's a wise choice to retreat. Your life is the most important."
(End of Chapter)
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