Transfiguration and Charms were the foundation of dueling, its very basis.
And aside from Dark Magic, Transfiguration was practically the most formidable combat skill, as well as the specialty of the greatest White Wizard, Dumbledore.
Even if Damon could only choose one path to devote himself to, he would still choose Transfiguration.
Professor McGonagall assigned Damon extra Transfiguration homework, along with another essay. It was longer than those assigned to the other young wizards, a full four inches—Professor McGonagall intended to have him practice transforming animals into inanimate objects, and for that, she needed Damon to write a theoretical essay beforehand to ensure he understood the subject.
"Isn't this what we're supposed to learn in second-year Transfiguration? Skipping ahead an entire year... I really can't tell whether Professor McGonagall thinks too little of me or too highly of me."
Damon smiled. At present, he truly had not mastered much Transfiguration, but with his expert-level talent for it, he believed he would soon finish all seven years of Transfiguration coursework.
"I wonder how long it'll actually take~"
Just thinking about it made Damon happy. He had never enjoyed studying this much before—talent, interest, and a solid foundation... who wouldn't love learning?
After saying goodbye to Professor McGonagall, Damon first went to the library and brought the books he would likely need for his essay assignments back to the Common Room.
At that moment, Harry and Ron were restlessly waving their wands at matches.
On the one hand, their success in Transfiguration class had left them exhilarated, and they could not help wanting to keep up that excellent performance.
On the other hand, their thoughts were drawn to the Flying Class that would begin that afternoon. Listening to the other students endlessly discuss flying, the two of them were itching with anticipation.
Seeing them like this, Damon could not help shaking his head.
"Do you remember the three key points I mentioned? Practicing like this is completely pointless—your transformation of that match is even worse than it was in class."
The two felt somewhat ashamed. Because of what had happened that morning, Ron did not even dare make a sound. Harry said awkwardly, "Sorry, Damon, but we're just really looking forward to Flying Class."
If first-year wizards had been allowed to bring Flying Broomsticks, they would already have gone off somewhere to practice.
"It's fine. I just happened to see it, so I thought I'd remind you."
Damon left them to it. Since there was still time before Flying Class began at three thirty, he wanted to finish the essay assignments Flitwick and Professor McGonagall had given him as quickly as possible—especially Professor McGonagall's. The essays totaled six feet in length, and even he would probably need several hours to finish them.
Watching Damon pile four specialized books to his left while his right hand worked with his left to smooth out the essay parchment, Harry and Ron's expressions grew increasingly strange.
"Sometimes I really think..." Ron finally could not hold it in any longer. "Damon and Hermione are the same kind of person."
"No, they're obviously different—I mean, Hermione's great too, but haven't you noticed? Damon never forces us to do anything, even though he performs even better than Hermione."
"Cool, mate, you've got some nerve saying that—but I totally agree."
Ron patted Harry on the shoulder. The two instinctively looked toward Hermione—though even she was nervously reviewing Quidditch theory again, all while pricking up her ears to listen to the conversations around her.
Harry could not help silently praying that Hermione had not heard what they had just said.
Before three thirty, Damon finally finished Professor McGonagall's six-foot essay.
Once he actually started writing, he found it was not that difficult. Thanks to his expert-level talent for Transfiguration, he read textbooks extremely quickly and memorized them with ease. Much of the material could be copied onto the essay parchment from memory after only one reading, greatly speeding up his work.
After all, he had grown up in China. Back in high school, he had been the sort of person who could use up an entire ink pen in a single day. This much homework truly was nothing.
The weather that day was better than ever. As Damon walked from the tower toward the grounds, a breeze happened to brush across his face, pleasant without being stifling. The neatly trimmed lawn rippled in waves beneath the wind, putting him in an excellent mood.
The Flying Class instructor was Madam Hooch. She had short gray hair and yellow eyes, like an eagle's.
"All right, what are you all waiting for?" she snapped. "Everyone stand beside a Flying Broomstick. Quickly, quickly, we haven't got all day."
"Stretch out your right hand over the broom handle," Madam Hooch called from the front, "then say, 'Up!'"
Damon looked at the broom by his feet and said calmly, "Up."
"Whoosh!"
The broom immediately leaped into his hand. At the same time, a new line of text appeared before Damon's eyes.
Quidditch — LV1 (Beginner) 36/100 As a beginner learning Quidditch, you can grasp the most basic flying techniques, maintain your balance on a Flying Broomstick, and fly simply around the grounds. You have a certain understanding of and adaptability to Quidditch rules.
Damon raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
He had not expected much from flying in the first place, yet simply touching a Flying Broomstick had triggered a Quidditch skill?
Damon opened the system and checked his Magic Points. After five days of breathing, his "account" had gained another ten thousand or so points.
Going from level 1 to level 4 only took 11,100 points in total. He might as well max it out.
Quidditch — LV2 (Apprentice) 1/1000 Basic flying techniques are no longer difficult for you. Your understanding of Quidditch tactics has improved, and you can cooperate with a team and provide support for your teammates. Quidditch — LV3 (Advanced) 1/10000 You can master some advanced Quidditch flying techniques, such as sharp turns, reverse flight, and sudden stops. You can perform complex aerial maneuvers, and your ability to handle balls has greatly improved. Quidditch — LV4 (Expert) 1/1000000 You can perfectly master the vast majority of flying techniques, move with ease in intense Quidditch matches, and retain your ability to make decisions even under high pressure.
"Hm?" Damon suddenly felt something was different.
Quidditch itself did not matter much, but...
Damon sat on the Flying Broomstick and discovered that the excessively vast, abundant magic within him seemed to have become a little more docile. That single change alone far surpassed all the arduous training he had done in the Room of Requirement.
Adding points to Quidditch had actually strengthened his ability to control magic?
As Madam Hooch walked among the students, correcting their improper movements, she noticed that Damon was already sitting steadily on his broom. Surprise showed on her face, but she simply ignored it—this was not yet the time for the young wizards to take off, but since Damon had already managed it, she naturally had nothing to say.
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