To master the "Disarming Charm" and earn extra marks in the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. exams, they needed to experience and seize that feeling of racing heartbeat and intense concentration in their daily lives.
For most students, this was a fairly straightforward and practical way to train. They were all highly enthusiastic, beginning to look for opportunities to capture that feeling.
The first to put that enthusiasm into practice were, without a doubt, the Gryffindor students.
After some analysis and deliberation, the Gryffindors unanimously agreed that the place most likely to make one's "heart race and mind focus intensely" was naturally the unpredictable moving staircases.
After all, in their view, what could better awaken a person's "survival instinct" than rushing to Transfiguration Class when they were about to be late, only for the moving staircase to suddenly change direction?
Of course, the effect would presumably be even better if they voluntarily jumped straight off the stairs.
Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas were naturally no exception. Just as Seamus Finnigan was itching to try and had already placed a hand on the railing, he realized something was wrong.
"Hm?" Seamus Finnigan leaned forward, but his body stopped in a strange position, as though he had struck an invisible wall.
"Ow!"
The next moment, he was shoved back and landed hard on the floor. His face was full of surprise. "It's real! There really is something blocking me—and it pushed me back!"
An alarm sounded in the distance, followed closely by Argus Filch's vicious voice. "Who's there? Which forgetful Gryffindor is that? Are you trying to jump off the upper floor?"
"Meow! Meow!" Mrs Norris's cries were drawing closer as well.
"Oh!" Seamus Finnigan cried out, his voice full of regret. "It's Filch! Run!"
Dean Thomas hurriedly hauled Seamus Finnigan up, and they