50: Freedom

It was a clear, breezy day.

As Sean and Justin and the others crossed the sloping grass toward a flat lawn,

the warm wind rippled across the grass like an invisible hand.

At the end of the Quidditch Pitch stood the dark Forbidden Forest, a place Headmaster Dumbledore had expressly forbidden them from entering.

Strange sounds occasionally drifted out from within, drawing the young wizards' gazes with equal parts awe and curiosity.

More than twenty brooms lay neatly arranged on the ground. They looked old and worn, with some twigs even sticking out.

No wonder Justin had raised a question.

"No, because wizards invented the Cushioning Charm.

In 1820, the Cushioning Charm invented by Elio Smes greatly advanced the production of more comfortable brooms."

Sean explained softly.

Though Sean's voice was not loud, young wizards around him still exclaimed in realization.

Soon, the lawn, beautiful as an oil painting, filled with young wizards in robes.

A rapid clacking sound approached. A capable-looking lady strode over:

"All right, what are you waiting for? Each of you stand beside a Flying Broomstick. Hurry, hurry, make the most of your time!"

Her yellow eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, her short gray hair fluttered slightly, and her voice was brisk and urgent.

"They call her Madam Hooch. Besides teaching Flying Class, Madam Hooch also serves as the referee for Hogwarts Quidditch matches."

Michael popped up from somewhere and added the explanation.

A referee?

Hearing that word, Sean inexplicably recalled some amusing trivia from The Quidditch Ball:

Over the centuries, there had been many incidents of people tampering with referees' brooms.

The most dangerous was when a referee's broom was turned into a Portkey. Halfway through the match, the broom swiftly carried the referee away from the pitch, and several months later, he actually turned up in the Sahara Desert.

Dangerous job, Sean thought.

"A Shooting Star? Didn't the Cosmic Broom Company that made it go bankrupt in 1978?

Where did Hogwarts get such a collector's edition?!"

As soon as Sean approached his broom, he heard Michael's despairing gasp.

That made him carefully inspect his own broom.

Fortunately, it was a Sweeping the Seven Stars. At least Sean could still find its manual.

As for the other young wizards who had received collector's editions, they could only pray for themselves.

"Before you use your brooms, I must remind you all,

if anyone tries to fly straight away, then Mr. Longbottom's yesterday will become your today.

He was fortunate to have only broken his wrist, but if you are unlucky, breaking your neck takes only an instant!"

The young wizards immediately felt a chill around their necks. One Hufflepuff even covered his neck in terror, as though he would become Sir Nicholas the next second.

"Now, face your brooms and say loudly, 'Up!'"

"Up!"

Many impatient young wizards eagerly called out the spell. Some succeeded on their first try—Justin, for example.

His broom bounced twice before landing in his hand.

Others struggled, like Terry and Michael. Their brooms either did not move at all or gave two listless hops.

Sean imitated Madam Hooch's tone.

"Up—eh?"

Sean held his broom as it rested obediently in his hand like a fawn.

That left Sean momentarily stunned. Had he just... finished speaking?

"All right, mount your brooms. When I blow my whistle, kick off with both legs and leave the ground. Kick hard."

Madam Hooch called out loudly.

After waiting for the young wizards to settle in and adjust for a while, she spoke crisply again.

"Hold your brooms steady, rise a few feet, then lean forward slightly and descend vertically back to the ground.

Listen for my whistle—three—two—"

The young wizards on their brooms were all rather nervous, and some were trembling all over.

Even among Ravenclaw, Sean was the calmest one.

He did not intend to fly too high. Compared to that, he cared more about how to use Sir Cadogan's technique.

"Broom flight is driven by the power of spells... Master yourself..."

Sean muttered. After shifting his entire body weight onto the broom,

he suddenly sensed something faintly.

Whenever the broom tilted left or right, a hidden force always stirred within it.

"Braking Charm, Ascending Charm, Turning Charm..."

Sean quickly guessed the source of those forces. As he immersed all his focus in them,

Madam Hooch delivered her third command.

"One! Tweet—"

A piercing whistle sounded, and the young wizards rose into the sky like raindrops flowing upstream.

One Ravenclaw suddenly lifted his broom and shot into the blue sky with a scream. Fortunately, he was not moving too fast, and Madam Hooch pulled him back down with a Silence Spell.

Another Hufflepuff, however, did the exact opposite. He plunged headfirst toward the ground, but Madam Hooch reacted quickly and caught him with a pile of hay.

And there were even more young wizards tumbling from their brooms like dumplings dropped into a pot.

Madam Hooch was so busy that she was drenched in sweat. Sometimes, young wizards even grabbed her hand desperately.

"I'm going to fall to my death!"

Madam Hooch directly hit him with a Water-Making Spell, making him sober up.

Five or six young wizards managed to fly into the air and circle around, but if it came to the smoothest, cleanest, and most elegant flight,

then without a doubt, it was that somewhat pale-faced Ravenclaw.

You practiced flying once at the Proficient standard. Proficiency +10

You practiced flying once at the Proficient standard. Proficiency +10

...

The System Panel notifications kept sounding as Sean's flying grew more and more skillful.

He could sense that faint magical power, as well as the mysteries behind it.

It was a simple form of control. If you wanted to turn left, you had to use your own magic to guide the Turning Charm within the broom toward the left.

If you wanted to stop, then you needed to use threads of magic to trigger the Braking Charm.

Magic—or rather, that weak magic that followed one's will—was like a key that made a Flying Broomstick "obedient."

What Sean did not know was that brooms possessed their own braking mechanisms, so most young wizards were merely using them like tools.

Control like his was something only Quidditch players needed.

They called it "being of one mind with your comrade."

"Is that... Sean?"

Michael trembled atop his broom. Though he was not flying high, he was still frightened out of his wits.

As he looked up at that free "bird" in the sky,

he could scarcely believe it.

You practiced flying once at the Proficient standard. Proficiency +10

Flying Skill unlocked

A new flying-domain Title has been unlocked. Please check it.

A Wizard Talent has been unlocked. Please check it.

The System Panel notifications rang without pause. Sean had never felt so free.

For his frail body, running and jumping had both been extravagant dreams.

But the Flying Broomstick let him once more feel the howling wind rushing past his ears.

Passion ignited within him, like the crackling fireplace in the orphanage's shabby hall.