For fourth-year students, this October was destined to be somewhat different.
Li Wei's novel teaching methods brought them an intense sense of freshness. They had almost never looked forward to classes like this before.
Moreover, because their performances would influence the direction of the script, although the play had only one true protagonist, every supporting character could have their own scenes—as long as they performed well.
Not to mention that next month's reward was five drops of Felix Felicis. That was enough for a single use.
When it came to this matter, the fourth-years kept their mouths remarkably shut.
While the "top students" of other years flaunted the alchemical weapons they had just obtained, they quietly studied their hearts out.
It was not entirely because of the Felix Felicis, though.
The greater reason was that the battles in their performances were completely real.
Although the professor would treat them afterward, the nasty curses that hit them did not simply vanish.
The pain was real, the nausea was real, and so were the humiliating sights of them laughing madly and dancing without stopping after being cursed.
As a result, what should have been the most relaxed year group—the fourth-years—had instead begun pushing themselves to the limit.
The Ravenclaw students took the lead, obtaining the tests and assignments Li Wei had given the fifth-years from upper-year students. Whenever they had a spare moment, they frantically worked through problems.
After students from the other three Houses noticed what they were doing, even the usually peaceable Hufflepuffs joined the fierce competition without hesitation.
There was no helping it. As the saying went, the play was fake, but the beatings were real.
And as they continued playing their roles, they became increasingly immersed in the script and found plenty of enjoyment in it.
Cedric, as the protagonist, felt this most keenly.
At the beginning, as a Squib, he could only passively take beatings.
After cleaning the library and accidentally obtaining a wand, this "Squib" could finally cast spells and fight back, hanging Rien up in exactly the same way!
He had to admit, that feeling was truly exhilarating.
On a Sunday afternoon at the end of October, Li Wei's study group gathered once more.
"Hello, Qiao Weili. Thank you for sharing that trick about blind spots with me last time. I relied on it to turn the Quidditch match around."
Cedric arrived at the office ten minutes early every time, taking the chance before the group meeting began to greet Li Wei or his two assistants.
Without anyone else noticing, Qiao Weili had gradually become a friend Cedric could talk to.
"A Quidditch match... is it really that fun? It looks like nothing more than riding brooms and throwing balls."
"No one in this world dislikes Quidditch. Would you like to try it next time? Watching from afar and actually taking part might feel completely different."
"Quidditch?"
Qiao Weili subconsciously glanced in Jiamer's direction. Even though Cedric had already gotten to know them, she still had no interest in talking to him. At that moment, she was still frowning at a spellbook, contemplating something.
"No, I think I'll pass. Thank you for the invitation."
Cedric followed his gaze and glanced over, looking thoughtful.
He could tell that Qiao Weili was actually somewhat interested. He was merely suppressing his thoughts because of some concern.
As for the solution, Cedric guessed it lay with the professor.
"Everyone is here, so let's begin the group meeting."
"Professor," Ginny Weasley, the first-year Study Committee Member, asked first, "after mastering the proper casting movements and syllables, the third controllable factor is willpower, right?
But how can I improve something as intangible as willpower?"
"I think you need more practice," Hermione answered first. "The professor told me that. As long as you keep practicing until you reach a standard you are truly satisfied with, your spells will definitely change dramatically."
"Not bad, but can monotonous practice really produce good results? And Ginny, all you are learning now are basic spells. Once you have mastered the correct casting method, excessively pursuing proficiency in them is overcorrecting."
Sixth-year Percy Weasley shook his head and continued:
"Rather than spending time on such basic spells, you should broaden your knowledge and master more spells, making yourself more outstanding.
Willpower should be gained from other things. As long as you consistently remain at the top of your class, the power of all your spells will naturally increase."
"What is the point of aimless effort? Thought needs direction, otherwise it is merely a waste of time.
A ship may never stop sailing, but if it keeps circling in the same place, can it increase its power?"
Seventh-year Pas shook his head.
He believed that purpose was the most important thing: vividly imagine the result you needed to achieve in your mind, then keep drawing closer to it.
Listening to everyone's discussion and considering his own experiences over the past month, Cedric frowned slightly and fell into thought—his view differed from everyone else's.
He believed that emotion was the force that governed everything. During this past month of theatrical performances, every student's practical combat ability had improved considerably. As for increasing spell power, that seemed to have happened naturally without them noticing.
Actions were even faster than thoughts, and what controlled it all was abundant emotion.
Ginny's question was quite insightful. Even Qiao Weili and Jiamer, standing nearby, became interested, though neither joined the discussion.
Five minutes passed. The students, each clinging to their own views, could not convince one another. In the end, they turned their gazes toward Li Wei, who had not said a word.
It seemed they could only let the professor make the final judgment.
"Everything you said is actually correct."
Li Wei began with what sounded like a rather diplomatic statement.
But none of the students rushed to respond—they knew Li Wei was not someone who would brush things off.
"Ginny's question is very interesting, and more complicated than you imagine." Li Wei chose his words carefully and spoke slowly. "From the perspective of increasing spell power alone, every method you proposed can achieve that goal."
"Of course—" Li Wei looked at the unconvinced upper-year students and said calmly, "the effects ultimately produced by different methods will certainly differ.
In your eyes, perhaps this is a matter of which method is better.
But in my view, these methods themselves belong to different stages."
"What exactly can increase our willpower? Strengthening the body, building solid theory, diligent practice, or the power of emotion and unity of purpose?"
Li Wei suddenly remembered how, when he had been a student, he had even spent thirty minutes exercising every day in order to increase the power of his spells, solely to explore the connection between the body and magic.
Looking back on it now, he could not help but feel deeply moved.
He drew his wand and casually Transfigured a training dummy, demonstrating for the students who walked the same magical path as him.
"This is the Lumos all of you can cast."
A soft, steady orb of light appeared at the tip of his wand, shining brightly like a large light bulb.
"This is also the effect you can achieve after mastering the correct casting movements and syllables," Li Wei said calmly.
Then, without even flicking his wrist, he merely made his gaze slightly more serious.
"Lumos."
It was still the same spell.
But this time, the effect it produced was worlds apart.
Before any of the students could react, a blazing, violent, nearly tangible pillar of pure white light erupted from the tip of Li Wei's wand!
A bolt of white lightning slammed into the training dummy, not only illuminating it completely but instantly turning its surface scorching red, as if it had been seared by a laser!
The entire classroom was washed pale by the sudden burst of light and fell silent.
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