Scheming

Thursday afternoon arrived after a morning of Transfiguration Class and Charms class.

The first-years welcomed a course exclusive to them—Flying Class!

Flying Class was held neither in a classroom nor on the Quidditch Pitch.

It was held on the vast lawn before the castle.

The Flying Class professor was a relatively young-looking witch.

According to Iris, she was also the referee for Hogwarts's Quidditch matches.

"My name is Alice Crick. I hope you remember every word I say in this lesson, because if an accident happens in the sky, the first thing you must learn is how to save yourselves! Do not expect me, standing on the ground, to help you while you are speeding through the air!"

Professor Crick spoke with a smile, though her tone was as stern as could be.

Fortunately, everyone present was a Ravenclaw student.

Though the professor's words were a bit of a mouthful, they all understood.

During the first week of classes, too many students would leave a professor unable to manage them all.

Professor Crick had deliberately spread out the first week's lessons, choosing the most obedient and steady Ravenclaw students first as guinea pigs for the opening class.

To protect the young wizards.

In addition to the textbook material and basic techniques, Professor Crick also taught some of her own unique experience and tricks.

Memorizing rules was no challenge for Ravenclaw's young wizards.

Before long, everyone said they had remembered them.

Still not reassured, Professor Crick randomly picked several students and asked them about a few rules.

When they answered fluently.

Professor Crick was very pleased that she had let Ravenclaw's students take the first lesson.

"Each of you, choose a broom and summon it into your hand with your conviction. Only then can you prove that, while flying through the sky, it can truly understand your intentions."

"Up!" "Come here!" "Over here!"...

Lively chants resounded across the entire lawn.

Cypher wondered why Professor Crick had suddenly shown such a satisfied expression.

Looking at the little eagles passionately shouting their chants, he understood. If this lesson had been for Gryffindor.

Most of the students would have gotten stuck on memorizing the rules.

It would not have been impossible for an entire class to pass in the questioning stage.

Having figured that out, Cypher cleared his mind and cast aside his foul mood over having an extra class after a tiring day.

He walked over to the pile of brooms, ready to give it his all.

Flying was one of humanity's dreams!

Meanwhile, just as Cypher was feeling emotional.

Iris and Luna had already summoned their brooms into their hands.

Professor Crick nodded approvingly at them, signaling that they could fly at low altitude over the lawn.

So the two of them rode their brooms over to Cypher, looking down at him slightly.

Girls were taller than boys in early adolescence, but Cypher, who had trained since childhood, was still half a head taller than both of them.

For the two of them to be at eye level with Cypher now, they naturally had to be sitting astride their brooms.

The girls swung their legs from their brooms, huddled together, and watched Cypher make no progress whatsoever.

"No way, Cypher. You can't even summon a broom?"

Iris said with feigned surprise.

"Are you teasing us? Trying to give us confidence?"

Even Luna rarely made a joke.

"I don't know why, but I can feel the brooms constantly resisting me."

"I tried to soothe them, but it had no effect."

Cypher frowned as he explained the problem he had encountered.

"Soothe them? Cypher, they're tools! You need to command them."

Iris pointed at Cypher as she instructed him, her legs swinging and her hair swaying along with them.

"Is that so?"

Cypher nodded to show that he understood.

The education and values from his past life had subconsciously led him to treat anything capable of thought as an equal.

"Come here!"

Cypher did not say it aloud. The thought alone was enough.

The broom obediently sprang from the ground into his palm, looking meek and well-behaved.

Professor Crick was fortunate enough to witness the scene.

She was somewhat surprised. School teaching brooms differed from private brooms.

To emphasize the teaching effect, they were often especially unruly.

Any young wizard who could silently command a teaching broom would become an outstanding Quidditch player.

Seeing Cypher look toward her.

Professor Crick smiled and nodded at him, approving his use of the broom for flying practice.

Another class passed uneventfully.

As the end of class approached, every young wizard had completed the lesson's objective of skimming close to the ground.

Because the young wizards had performed so well.

Professor Crick happily awarded Ravenclaw five points.

After announcing that class was over.

The already ravenous young wizards charged toward the castle gates for the first time since enrolling.

It gave Cypher a long-forgotten sense of the fierce scramble for food at his past life's school cafeteria.

That evening.

Cypher's dormitory.

Cypher looked at the two exhausted girls sprawled on their backs across the bed and could only walk over to sit on the nearby sofa.

"In the wizarding world, are there no other things besides brooms that can help people fly?"

Cypher felt that riding a broom was far too unsafe.

At such high speeds, one was practically a human projectile in free fall.

If a battle broke out, how could one manage without protection?

"There are, but those tools are nowhere near as good as brooms in terms of flight speed and magical power consumption."

Hearing him, Iris lazily rolled over on Cypher's bed and answered him with her head tilted to the side.

"Things like magic carpets and enchanted wings aren't popular because they're too large and inconvenient to carry. Their construction is also too intricate, making them easier to damage. Most importantly, both their cost and sale price far exceed even the finest brooms. For that kind of money, you could buy a Pegasus Flying Car."

Luna could not even be bothered to look at Cypher. She rolled over, hugged Iris, narrowed her eyes, and mumbled.

"Tomorrow morning's Potions class is the last class of the week."

"Potions class?"

Cypher did not understand why Iris had said it in a questioning tone.

He recalled the timetable and confirmed that she was right.

But unexpectedly, Iris suddenly sat up and excitedly shoved Luna.

"What is it?"

Luna sounded impatient.

"Potions class! Luna! Professor Slughorn!"

"So?"

"A pass for the Restricted Section! You know he likes to show off."

As soon as she finished speaking, Luna seemed to think of something.

She suddenly opened her eyes, a crafty smile appearing on her face.

"Watch my performance tomorrow. If all goes as expected, we'll get passes for the Restricted Section!"

Seeing how confident she was, Cypher smiled and said he would wait and see.

Now that she had something to do, Luna no longer lay limp on the bed.

She sat on the edge of it, counting on her fair, slender fingers as she silently calculated what tricks Professor Horace Slughorn had used when teaching in past years.

You aren't planning to threaten the professor, are you?

Seeing Luna like this, Cypher was a little frightened of her...

He suddenly felt a little sorry for Professor Slughorn.

At the same time, Professor Slughorn, who was drinking in Hogsmeade outside the school, let out a violent sneeze.

A sense of foreboding rose in his heart.