This was the first time Harry's year had conducted paired combat practice. Everyone was eager to show off their magical abilities in class and experience the thrill of a duel.
However, only a handful of students—Harry, Hermione, Draco, and a few others—successfully cast Expelliarmus. The rest produced all sorts of mishaps.
Some students misspoke their spells and turned their partners' hair red; others grew too nervous while casting, causing their magic to spiral out of control and nearly leading to minor accidents.
All in all, the lesson was filled with surprises and unexpected incidents, and amid the laughter and cheers, the students gained plenty of valuable experience.
The engaging practical lesson soon came to an end. Wes told the third-years to practice Expelliarmus properly and try to give Professor Lupin a surprise next class.
Though the students still wanted more, the moment class ended, Wes vanished like a gust of wind.
Besides the third-years, the fifth-years also had a Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson that day. Not wanting to disrupt Professor Lupin's teaching plan, Wes arranged combat practice for the fifth-years as well.
Compared to the third-years, the fifth-years gave Wes quite a few pleasant surprises. Many of them had an excellent grasp of spells, and it was clear from their performances that they had trained diligently in private.
The most outstanding among them was Hufflepuff's male prefect, Cedric Diggory.
Wes noticed that Cedric was extremely popular. Not only did Hufflepuff students like him, but students from other houses in the same year also showed tremendous trust in him.
During the lesson, Cedric voluntarily took on the role of teaching assistant, helping Wes organize the students' sparring sessions. He left a deeply favorable impression on Wes.
Cedric was tall and handsome, with sharply defined features. His jet-black hair and