Flying and Potions

"All right, when I blow the whistle, push off with both feet and leave the ground. Push hard."

"Hold your broomstick steady, rise a few feet, then lean forward slightly and descend vertically back to the ground. Listen for my whistle—three—two—"

Madam Hooch continued instructing them. However, Neville was so nervous, afraid of being left on the ground, that before the whistle even reached Madam Hooch's lips, he pushed off hard and shot upward like a cork popping from a bottle—twelve feet—twenty feet—then slipped straight off his broomstick!

Bang!

With the fall and the violent impact, Neville lay face down in the grass, curled into a ball.

Everything had happened too quickly. Given Damon's current abilities, he chose not to intervene rashly, lest things turn out even worse.

With Neville's arm broken from the fall, Madam Hooch's face turned as pale as his. After sternly warning the remaining students not to move, she hurriedly took him to the hospital wing.

Amid the laughter of the Slytherin students, Malfoy picked up Neville's Remembrall. Harry did not know why Damon remained silent at such a moment, and in his righteous indignation, rushed forward to argue with Malfoy.

Before long, Malfoy mounted his Flying Broomstick, and Harry bravely chased after him.

Damon watched the two soar into the sky and listened to the other young wizards' cries of alarm, his gaze calm.

In this dispute, Harry would display exceptional Quidditch talent and be exceptionally admitted by Professor McGonagall into the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a Seeker.

This was an immensely important comfort in Harry's tragic and difficult life, and one of the few things he could truly be proud of. Naturally, Damon would not stop him.

When the furious Professor McGonagall arrived, she could not help glaring at Damon.

"You're just going to stand there and watch them fool around?"

"It wasn't his fault, Professor."

"Quiet, Miss Pettigrew."

The Gryffindor class beauty beside them saw Professor McGonagall questioning Damon and instinctively defended him, only to be cut off directly by Professor McGonagall.

Seeing that Professor McGonagall was still glaring at him angrily, Damon smiled and said to the worried, guilt-ridden Harry:

"You flew well, Harry. I have a feeling you'll become Gryffindor's best Seeker."

"You be quiet too, Damon! Haven't you caused enough trouble already?"

Professor McGonagall shot Damon a fierce glare, though it carried a hint of bluff—what Damon had said was, in fact, exactly what she was thinking.

In truth, most of the time, children's mistakes were hardly worth mentioning in adults' eyes. It was only from an educational standpoint, to keep the children from becoming even more unruly because of their leniency, that adults had to put on a serious face. The point was merely to make children understand the gravity of the situation.

Damon did not buy any of that.

"Potter, come with me!"

Harry followed Professor McGonagall with his head hanging low, thinking that in another ten minutes, he would probably have to pack his things and leave.

Just then, he saw Damon silently mouth the words to him: Don't worry.

For some reason, Harry felt himself relax a little.

At dinner, Harry excitedly shared everything with Damon and Ron.

"Wood told me I'm the youngest Seeker in a century!"

At that moment, the Weasley twins entered the dining hall. The moment they spotted Harry, they hurried over.

"Good job," George said quietly. "Wood told us. We're on the House team too—we're Beaters."

"I'm telling you, we're definitely winning the Quidditch Cup this year," Fred said. "We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year, our team is going to shine!"

"You're definitely going to be amazing, Harry. When Wood told us about it, he was so excited he could barely speak."

As they spoke, they looked at Damon with some regret. "The Duelling Prince, it's a pity you didn't join Quidditch too. How did you do today?"

"So-so."

Damon brushed them off casually. Once he joined Quidditch, he would have to set aside three evenings every week for Quidditch training, not to mention weekends. That was unacceptable to him at the moment.

"Well, it seems our Duelling Prince has things he isn't good at too." Fred and George exchanged a glance and quickly took their leave. "We have to go. Lee Jordan thinks he found a new secret passage that leads outside the school."

"I'm full too. Enjoy."

Damon stood and left first, heading to the Room of Requirement to practice Charms.

Only after he had left did Malfoy dare show himself. After provoking Harry and Ron, he invited them to a midnight duel, while Hermione flew into a rage at the two over it.

Afterward, the three of them somehow entered the forbidden corridor on the fourth floor, encountered Fluffy, the Three-Headed Dog, who was not asleep, and yet emerged completely unharmed.

How miraculous, wasn't it?

Friday, Potions Class.

There were no fewer than one hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts.

Some were broad and grand, while others were narrow, small, and wobbly. Worse still, every Friday, some staircases led to different places.

It was worth mentioning that because of Damon, Neville and Harry had maintained the habit of getting up early. Only Ron stubbornly stuck to his ways, often muttering, "Even if I don't get up early, I won't be late, mate. Why torture myself?"

When he reached the classroom, Harry could not help secretly feeling relieved—good thing he had set out early. Without Damon, he might have been like Ron, leaving only ten or twenty minutes before class and then being delayed by staircases that had changed position.

Harry was worried about Ron, who had not gotten up yet, when he suddenly heard the young witches chatting.

"There he is, look," one girl said softly, her voice carrying a trace of excitement. "It's unbelievable. He's more handsome than any boy I've ever seen!"

"Yeah, he's really so handsome!" Another girl's voice was dreamy. "Did you notice his profile? I'd say even Quidditch star Leonardo isn't as handsome as him!"

Harry's steps slowed slightly. For one brief moment, he thought these young witches might be talking about him, but he quickly realized that his joining Gryffindor as a Seeker was still supposed to be secret. The person they were discussing was clearly Damon, who was currently in the limelight.

Perhaps because of the huge changes in House Cup points, all the first-year students from the four Houses now knew that the Duelling Prince possessed terrifying talent in Transfiguration and Charms Class, having won a full ten points for Gryffindor in his first week.

The Damon they were enthusiastically discussing was currently sitting in the second row, propping his chin up with one hand and slowly flipping through Magical Drafts and Potions with lowered eyes. Yet his expression seemed somewhat displeased.

Harry noticed that although the young witches were eagerly discussing Damon, not one of them sat beside him. Meanwhile, Hermione was sitting on the right side of the third row, turning to look at Damon from time to time, her eyes burning with fighting spirit.

As for Harry? She had simply ignored him—ever since the terrifying night with the Three-Headed Dog yesterday, she had decided never to speak to Harry and Ron again. The two welcomed this; they had had enough of Hermione ordering them around.

As for Damon, whom Hermione regarded as a rival, he appeared to be reading, but the contents of his vision had already changed.

Potions—LV1 (Beginner) 1/100

Master the most basic potion-making methods and knowledge of potion ingredients. Able to successfully brew some basic potions, suitable for treating minor wounds or easing simple ailments.