Study the Broom

Chapter 27: Study the Broom

"I'm busy playing Civilization 1."

Charles read the letter sent by owl several times, confirming that it had been written by the Old Man, then began scratching his head.

The letter contained three matters.

First, the Old Man had agreed to help with the Centaurs. Once the money was in place and Dumbledore had arranged the transportation, they would get to work.

The second matter left Charles baffled. The Old Man said that Charles absolutely had to return to Privet Drive for Christmas, where he was to have a good talk with Petunia.

Charles was a little worried. He was afraid that once he returned, the Old Man would make him call Petunia Grandma and Dudley Uncle.

The third matter was rather remarkable. The Old Man had bought a computer some time ago and was now completely obsessed with Civilization 1, saying that unless something important came up, nobody should disturb him.

A scene appeared in Charles's mind: a BBC reporter standing outside 3 Privet Drive, reporting on how the grandfather and grandson inside had both starved to death after becoming addicted to Civilization.

Still, he felt somewhat relieved. Although Princess Maker had gone on sale in May that year, it seemed that it was not currently being sold in Britain. If the Old Man got addicted and decided to play the real-life version, that would be disastrous.

At that moment, Charles could not help wondering whether he should make some little games like match-three puzzles, Zuma, or Plants vs. Zombies.

A burst of noise from beside him pulled his thoughts back.

Charles felt that from now on, Harry should bring two pounds of apples and a case of milk to visit Old Mrs. Lumbardon every holiday. If she had not given Neville a Remembrall, who knew when Harry would have gotten to play Quidditch?

Quidditch held little appeal for Charles. He would much rather play dogfighting, or mount a rocket launcher on a flying broomstick and strafe the ground.

When they left the Great Hall after lunch, Harry and the others were still nervous about Flying Class that afternoon. Charles, meanwhile, asked the twins a question. "Do you know any spells or potions that can create an explosion? A really powerful explosion!"

Fred asked him worriedly, "What do you want to do?"

A small explosion for a joke was one thing, but a powerful explosion was no laughing matter. The unidentified blue light and the traces left outside the greenhouses yesterday had frightened many people.

George said to him, "If you just want to get revenge on someone or play a prank, we can help you think of something. But if the spell is too dangerous, I advise you to stay far away from it. Those spells could very well be curses that get you sent to Azkaban."

Charles did not want everyone to know about his business with the Centaurs. He only wanted to find some weapons of mass destruction to see whether he could use them to strafe the Acromantulas when exterminating them. Since the brothers were worried that he might go astray, he would forget it. At worst, he could use gas canisters—or industrial chlorine gas if the weather was good.

He did not notice that Professor Quirrell was standing not far behind him.

At three in the afternoon, half an hour before class, Madam Hooch looked at Charles, who was being obedient and adorable, and could only laugh helplessly as she stood outside the warehouse where the flying broomsticks were stored.

"Madam Hooch," Charles said, his smile as warm as the spring sunshine, "let me carry out the brooms we'll need for class."

Seeing him like that, Madam Hooch granted his request.

On the way to the practice grounds, Madam Hooch said to him, "McGonagall has told me about your situation. Although it doesn't conform to school rules, in practice, not many students are willing to follow them."

Charles thought that was true. Once Harry displayed his talent later, Professor McGonagall would buy him a good broomstick herself.

Madam Hooch continued, "As long as you can master how to use a flying broomstick, fly a proper S-curve, and turn in circles as skillfully as B, I can tell McGonagall to give you the broom."

Charles understood. As long as he flew like a lump of antimony, he would be allowed to use his own flying broomstick.

He thought of another question and asked Madam Hooch, "When do people usually ride flying broomsticks, apart from during Quidditch matches?"

By then, Madam Hooch had brought him to the lawn outside the castle. It was right beside the Forbidden Forest, with a stream separating it from that patch of land.

"People ride them in spring and summer next term." Madam Hooch told him to put the brooms on the ground. "It's too cold now, isn't it?"

Charles thought about it and decided she was right. Riding through the wind in the sky on a day this cold was not recreation. It was just making yourself suffer.

After arranging the brooms in neat rows, Madam Hooch began inspecting them one by one.

Since Charles was there too, she took the opportunity to explain the structure and principles of flying broomsticks, along with the various minor faults they could develop.

A flying broomstick consisted of two major parts: the broomstick shaft and the broom branches. When the broom flew, the shaft provided lift along the longitudinal axis, while the branches provided thrust along the transverse axis.

Besides the lifting spell, the shaft also had a cushioning spell to make sitting more comfortable. Although nothing could be seen, an invisible magical cushion separated the wooden shaft from the rider's backside. Otherwise, men would fall silent while women screamed.

The broom branches were a troublesome part because every branch provided thrust. Getting all those forces to combine into a single resultant force was a technical challenge. The direction of the resultant force had to remain aligned with the center of the broomstick shaft; otherwise, the broom would veer off course.

Madam Hooch knew some simple related spells, but more advanced spells were held by the manufacturers of flying broomsticks. She could only perform routine maintenance.

Although Hogwarts's flying broomsticks were all old, with some tending to veer to one side and others shaking badly, they were safe enough. They would not simply drop out of the sky mid-flight.

After Madam Hooch finished inspecting all the flying broomsticks, she noticed that Charles seemed deep in thought and asked him, "What are you thinking about?"

Charles naturally could not tell her that he was thinking about vector-thrust flying broomsticks. Controlling the tail of a broom would require a spell similar to the Self-Inking Quill, and the control law would have to be developed from scratch, so it was not something he could consider for the time being.

There were still other things he could work on, such as some of the items in the storeroom.

He asked Madam Hooch, "May I ask whether the school still uses those old shafts and branches in the storeroom?"

Madam Hooch seemed to see straight through his thoughts. She smiled and asked, "Are you thinking of making your own flying broomstick?"

Quite a few students had that idea. Making a flying broomstick of one's own was very impressive, and it looked like a profitable business too.

However, most people were lucky if they could reach the level of the old broomsticks at school. Students who managed to create something outstanding would be recruited by manufacturers.

Hogwarts supported such students. That way, it could reduce the number of overconfident students secretly making shoddy products that looked capable of carrying people into the sky but actually sent them straight to their deaths.

So Madam Hooch said to Charles, "If you want to make your own flying broomstick, I can give you a reading list. Once you understand flying broomsticks well enough, I can help you prepare some materials."

"But remember, you must let me inspect the broomstick and approve it before you ride it into the sky."

Charles naturally agreed with that rule. He had no intention of riding a flying broomstick he had made himself straight into a Qian Xuesen ballistic trajectory.

It was just that he was not interested in making the sort of flying broomstick currently in use. He wanted to make a Floating Cannon.

But that would have to wait. There was plenty to do next. Not to mention the second spell that Flower Country and the Old Man had left behind among the Centaurs, even flying broomsticks had many prerequisite technologies that needed to be unlocked. There was no need to rush.

As for Voldemort and the Philosopher's Stone, that was Harry's business.