A Natural Talent for Flying

Being able to summon a Flying Broomstick was only the first step.

These brooms were all rather old, so summoning them was no easy feat.

Some Flying Broomsticks accepted the summons only to crash halfway there. When they rolled across the ground, several branches even fell off.

Once everyone had managed to grab hold of a handle, Madam Hooch continued issuing careful instructions.

She guided them through the proper starting posture and precautions, taught them a few tricks, and demonstrated how to ride without slipping.

"Good..." She began to look nervous, sweat beading on her forehead. "When I blow the whistle, mount your brooms, push off with both legs, and you'll be able to fly into the sky."

"Don't get nervous! This is just a Flying lesson, not a competition. There's no comparison to be made, so don't put any pressure on yourselves... Remember! Hold on tight to your Flying Broomstick!"

"To rise, pull up on the handle. To descend, lean forward and press the handle down, and the broom will carry you back to the ground. Listen for my whistle... Don't get nervous!"

She put the whistle between her teeth, mounted her Flying Broomstick first, and wore an extremely cautious expression.

The students followed suit, straddling their Flying Broomsticks.

As the whistle sounded, everyone rose into the air together, and nothing went wrong.

Madam Hooch's tone became much more relaxed. "Good! Now try landing. Don't rush—take it slow!"

After they had completed the descent, she taught everyone how to hover and turn in midair.

These were all advanced techniques. Students who had just begun learning to fly would need time to adapt before they could perform them with ease.

Seeing Vizet make a beautiful S-shaped weave, Michael could not help saying, "Vizet, how do you know how to do that? Madam Hooch hasn't even taught us yet!"

Vizet shook his head. He found it strange, too. Why was flying as simple as drinking water or eating a meal?

However, he soon realized the reason—he was an Obscurial.

When he had crossed over, he had been floating in the form of an Obscurus. It was precisely the Obscurus's innate ability to fly that made him so adept at it.

If he had not been worried about startling Madam Hooch, he would have flown higher and performed some more difficult maneuvers.

Michael sighed. "How are you so skilled? I was clearly the one who started first, and I was even the first to touch a Flying Broomstick..."

Chris teased him, "You were indeed the first to touch one. But then Madam Hooch shouted, and you got so scared that you dropped the Flying Broomstick."

Terry joined in, "That's right! You were the one who abandoned it first, so that's why you're flying like this now."

Michael raised his voice defensively. "This Flying Broomstick is too old. Look... branches keep falling off while it's flying. I'm only doing this for safety's sake!"

"Yes, for safety's sake. You make a good point. You can replace Madam Hooch as the instructor." Anthony flew relatively high, looking down as he taunted him.

"You're not any better!" Michael immediately retorted. "You're always bragging about having some distant Auror relative. How can you ride a Flying Broomstick like that?"

He lay flat on the handle, clamped both legs tightly around the broom's head, and flew forward shakily, pulling faces as he said, "This is what you look like when you ride a Flying Broomstick. Very safe, right?"

"When did I ever do that?" Michael's mockery made Anthony's face turn bright red. "Tell me... Do I really look like that?"

The only response he received was several suppressed chuckles.

Vizet gently shook his head. "Safety comes first. There's nothing wrong with that."

"See!" Anthony grew considerably more confident after receiving Vizet's approval.

Michael snickered. "That's only because Vizet is easygoing. Didn't you hear Chris and Terry laughing?"

"Damn it! Just you wait!" Enraged and humiliated, Anthony gritted his teeth and charged upward.

Michael was still laughing. He never stopped, and he was not worried in the slightest that Anthony would crash into him.

Anthony had completely lost his head. Without the slightest hint of fear, he flew straight into Michael, and both their Flying Broomsticks let out a simultaneous wail.

They were like magnets with the same polarity. The instant they collided, they were sent flying backward in opposite directions.

"You two!" Madam Hooch immediately sensed that something was wrong and blew her whistle. "Everyone! Get back to the ground at once! Back to the ground!"

Before her voice had even faded, she rode her Flying Broomstick into a rapid dive, landing before Michael did.

She hurriedly threw down her Flying Broomstick and lunged forward, catching Michael just in time. Neither of them suffered any serious injury.

"Look up!"

The students screamed as they looked into the sky. Green smoke poured from Anthony's Flying Broomstick, carrying him higher and higher as it headed toward the castle.

"Can I even keep doing this job?" Madam Hooch sounded somewhat desperate as she mounted her Flying Broomstick again.

She was too far from Anthony. There would probably be another injured student in today's class, and who knew what Madam Pomfrey would nag her about this time.

Just then, the corner of her eye caught sight of a figure. "How is he moving so fast?"

Vizet rode his Flying Broomstick straight into the sky, leaving behind a blurred afterimage.

The gale roared beside Vizet's ears. Air streamed through his sleeves and into his robes, which snapped violently in the wind with a rumbling sound.

The Flying Broomstick was indeed rather old. Even as it operated at full power, it let out a mournful cry. But to save Anthony, Vizet could not let it slow down.

Just as Anthony was about to crash into the castle window, Vizet raised his Wand. "Accio, robes!"

A force suddenly seized Anthony's robes, preventing him from crashing into the window. Beneath him, the Flying Broomstick made a sharp cracking sound and finally broke in two, unable to hold together any longer.

Anthony plummeted downward, screaming and clawing wildly with both hands as though he wanted to grab a "lifeline." Unfortunately, he could catch nothing but air.

The true "lifeline," Vizet controlled his Flying Broomstick and shot downward like an arrow released from a bow, casting Accio once more.

Anthony's descent slowed again, but at that moment, his robes made a tearing sound. They could not withstand a third Accio.

Vizet was not surprised. He had anticipated this happening and had prepared a backup plan.

He had not been idle this week. Besides integrating everything he had learned, he had used his spare time to explore Hogwarts Castle.

The castle was simply too large. It contained countless hidden passageways and Chambers of Secrets, so he could only explore as much as possible.

The Ancient Magic Power he had gathered during this time was enough to strengthen and improve his magic.

The Summoning Charm had many more uses. He decided to further enhance its power.

The current Summoning Charm could seize larger creatures—for example, Anthony, who was about to hit the ground.

Many students covered their eyes. A bloody scene seemed to appear before them—Anthony's head split open, blood splattering across the ground.

"Anthony, Accio!" Vizet said in a low voice. Ancient Magic Power surged into his Wand, which instantly lit up with dazzling Silver-Blue Light...