Combat Teaching

Old Jack owned a villa by the sea in an unknown location, built beside a towering rock pillar on the coast. From afar, it looked like a ruin, and upon closer inspection, you'd find it truly was a ruin.

The car appeared in a cave that was open at both ends with a "whoosh." Outside, waves and seagulls soared, the sea merged with the sky, and the air was infinitely better than London's.

The two of them stepped out of the Rolls-Royce. The trunk opened on its own, and their luggage flew out, hovering in the air as they walked out of the cave.

Outside the cave was a small path built along the mountainside. After walking for quite some time, they reached a cliff edge. Jack drew his wand from his sleeve and waved it. Countless huge stones flew up from beneath the waves, eventually forming a bridge.

The other end of the bridge was the ruined house by the rock pillar. It was evident it was once beautiful; now, only the four walls remained, empty inside except for a wizard's statue.

The two passed through a rock face and entered a magnificent, gilded hall.

Every time Charles came, he glanced at the wall on the right. According to Jack, there was a tunnel behind that wall leading to Gringotts' vault, but the tunnel had been completely abandoned and had never made a sound from behind it.

Upstairs from the hall were many office-like rooms, now converted into their bedrooms.

Charles led his luggage to his room, which was completely empty.

Two seconds after opening the suitcase, it was filled with a soft, comfortable bed, a full-height wardrobe, a beautiful desk and chair, and a lamp on the desk.

Jack had already finished setting up his room and had prepared the kitchen.

"What do you want for lunch?" Charles asked, opening the food cabinet. It was filled with bread, meat, vegetables, fruits, jam, and other foods, along with the two crème brûlées Petunia had brought that morning.

Jack replied, "Just eat whatever. I'll go get some water first."

A water tank on top of the kitchen followed him out. Charles was very impressed with the old man's Accio Charm. With a "Freshwater Accio" directed at the sea, the water in the tank was as pure as spring water.

Charles sliced some bacon, made from meat he couldn't identify, and a cucumber. He fried the bacon and simply made a few sandwiches. When the water returned, he would boil water to make tea.

They didn't eat in the kitchen but sat on the cliff edge. The waves crashed against the rock pillars dozens of meters below their feet, and many seagulls circled over the sea in the distance.

After finishing a sandwich, Jack asked Charles, "What do you think is the essence of magic?"

Charles had pondered this question for many years and immediately replied, "I think magic is a kind of energy, much like electricity."

He was trying to understand magic in his own way, just as Jack was studying Muggle creations like televisions and computers in his own way.

However, the old man couldn't repair appliances with "Mending Charm"; luckily, Charles had learned it well and could fix them. Otherwise, the money they earned from the 1986 and 1990 World Cups wouldn't have been enough to squander.

"That's right," Jack said, pointing to the small path by the mountain in the distance. "Right there, my first teacher, Professor Figo, told me that magic is essentially just a power. The key is how people use the power they possess."

"If you possessed the most powerful magic in the world, what would you do with it?"

Charles thought for a moment, looking at the sun in the sky, and replied, "Achieve controlled nuclear fusion."

Jack was accustomed to Charles occasionally uttering Muggle terms he didn't understand. Moreover, his memory was incomplete, as if a part was missing, and he hadn't finished reading everything, so he didn't understand the meaning of many words.

Charles didn't explain further. Ever since the old man broke the TV and couldn't fix it while Charles could, whenever he didn't understand something Muggle Charles said and Charles tried to explain in detail, he would sulk and refuse to listen, then go ask the neighbors.

"Then you'll have to work hard," Jack said, even though he didn't know what nuclear fusion was. "That doesn't stop me from saying the right things."

Jack picked up another sandwich, eating as he spoke, "Based on my experience, you'll be safe and sound at Hogwarts if you learn a few spells."

Charles smiled and asked the old man, "Including the Avada Kedavra curse?"

His attitude towards the three Unforgivable Curses was a mix of fearing death and being suicidal. He was curious and wanted to learn but was also afraid of becoming Dementor food in Azkaban. Considering it all, he decided to keep his distance.

Jack replied seriously, "Of course, including the Avada Kedavra curse, as well as the Levitation Charm and the Projectile Charm."

Charles's mouth twitched slightly, and he said faintly, "I don't want to go to Azkaban yet."

"It's fine," Jack said dismissively. "I know the place well. I can arrange a luxury suite for you with the Dementors."

Charles grabbed the rest of the sandwiches on the plate and began devouring them, saying, "Then I'll have a good meal first."

Jack patted his head and said, "I'll go buy you some spider legs later."

Charles immediately nodded. Every time the old man went grocery shopping, he brought back things not found in supermarkets. Among them, spider legs were one of the ingredients he could most readily accept. Even the Dursleys and their neighbors enjoyed them without seeing the raw ingredients.

After they finished their lunch, they began their magic training in the ruined courtyard.

Jack waved his wand, shaping a stone brought from the mountain into a stone man, and then said, "When I was at Hogwarts, Professor Hecate told me that in intense combat, the simplest is often the most effective."

Charles nodded in agreement.

Jack, at a much slower pace than usual, waved his wand and cast a spell at the stone man: "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The spell hit the stone man. A purple beam of light emerged from the ground, lifting the stone man twenty meters into the air.

Jack said to Charles, who was looking up, "This is the Levitation Charm I learned when I was a student."

Then he dispelled the magic. The purple beam of light vanished, and the stone man immediately fell.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Just as the stone man was about to hit the ground, the old man finished casting the spell.

The stone man floated up again, but this time without any special effects compared to the previous attempt.

"This is the current Levitation Charm," Jack told Charles. "Over the years, this spell has been improved. The hand movement has changed slightly, and after optimization and removal of unnecessary parts, the energy consumption has been greatly reduced."

As he spoke about the hand movement, he specifically raised his hand, demonstrating the final flick of the wrist when casting the improved Levitation Charm.

"I've further optimized it following the improved approach," Jack said, casting a spell at Charles this time. "Heavy Gravity Charm!"

Charles suddenly felt the gravity around him disappear. He floated up, with no point of support around him.

After Jack brought him down, he said, "In combat, the Levitation Charm can control enemies, restrict their movements, and hold them in the air, allowing you to aim calmly."

Charles nodded in agreement, "This is indeed a good method, and it can also indirectly control a person's actions."

Jack asked him again, "Do you know counter-charms?"

Charles thought for a moment and asked, "Are you talking about another spell that cancels out the effect of a spell?"

Jack shook his head and waved his wand at Charles, casting a spell: "Heavy Gravity Charm!"

Charles suddenly fell to the ground, feeling like a heavy mountain was pressing down on him, unable to move a single finger.

After dispelling the charm, Jack explained, "This is a magic I learned when I traveled before. In Muggle terms, 'Wingardium Leviosa' is anti-gravity, and 'Heavy Gravity Charm' is increasing gravity."

"I call these two spells, which have the same principle but opposite effects, counter-charms. What you're referring to is called a dispelling charm."

After getting up, Charles said irritably, "You never told me, how could I have known?"

"I understand what you mean. Both of these spells do control gravity, and in combat, you can lift enemies up and smash them down forcefully."

"That's right," Jack said, brushing the dust off him. "There are quite a few similar counter-charm combinations. After you finish learning this one, you can learn the combined techniques for the Accio Charm and the Projectile Charm."