Protego

After a long pause, Moody suddenly asked, "Mr. Malfoy. Skylar Malfoy, what's your opinion?"

Skylar was somewhat surprised. He and Draco had previously clashed with Moody, and the House of Malfoy's relationship with the outwardly Auror was far from friendly. Therefore, the two brothers always kept a low profile in this class. Even with their abilities, the two brothers would have looked down on such low-level teaching content as the so-called Transference Jinx, but even Draco knew to keep a low profile and wouldn't say such things in class, let alone Skylar.

"I think Granger makes a good point. It's like the Knockback Jinx and the Expelliarmus in a duel. The Knockback Jinx only knocks the enemy away, while if you're skilled enough with the Expelliarmus, you can not only take away the opponent's wand but also knock them away. So there's no need to learn both spells; just mastering the Expelliarmus is enough."

Skylar paused, "And as far as I know, both the Shield Charm and the Expelliarmus, although part of the Ministry of Ministry of Magic's curriculum for upper-year students, can be mastered by fourth-year students. I've heard that in the 1970s, due to the impending war, Hogwarts students were far stronger than us in the same year. There are many examples to prove that fourth-year students' magical abilities and knowledge of spells are sufficient to learn these so-called 'advanced spells.'"

Moody scoffed, and apart from Skylar, no one noticed the disdain in his tone. He said calmly, "In that case, let's change today's lesson to 'Shield Charm'!"

"There are many types of the Shield Charm, such as the one Mr. Malfoy used when fighting the Fire Dragon. But today we're going to learn the most common, widespread, and stable one. Its incantation is Protego. The key to this charm is only one thing: speed."

"The Shield Charm demands extremely high reflexes, allowing players to anticipate the trajectory of an incoming spell the moment the opponent launches their attack and intercept it with the Shield Charm. In this respect, I believe players skilled in Quidditch, especially Beater and goaltenders, will have an advantage."

"The fastest and most effective way to learn this magic is through practice—using real evil spells. Now I'll divide you into pairs, you two Mr. Malfoy. You'll have plenty of time to take care of your girlfriends after class, but during class time, you must still obey my instructions—"

"Mr. Draco Malfoy, you're paired with Potter..." Draco gave a faint smile.

"Mr. Malfoy. Skylar Malfoy, you're paired with Granger..." Skylar frowned slightly, but Hermione inadvertently exclaimed.

Skylar and Daphne exchanged a glance, communicating tacitly with their eyes, before passing each other. Daphne had already mastered the Shield Charm, and even knew the House of Malfoy's "Shield Light Armor Shadow."

Her training partner was Pansy. Daphne and Pansy were both Pure-blood families, and in their first year, their strength was almost equal, with Pansy even slightly superior. However, now, Daphne could easily take on three Pansy at once. Within the Slytherin circle, Pansy's strength had never caught up; she spent too much time trying to please Draco and getting involved in the gossip and trouble at school.

After Moody divided the groups, he announced loudly, "Alright, everyone, memorize the spells and begin practicing—remember, the only evil spells are the Jelly-Legs Curse and the Ear Cramp Curse!"

Putting aside how Draco would crush and brutally torment Harry, just hearing Harry's screams was enough for Skylar to imagine that Harry's days were certainly going to be tough. However, Skylar also had to admire Moody's meticulous arrangements. Under these circumstances, this was indeed the fastest way to unleash Harry's potential, and it wasn't hard to imagine that with Harry's talent, he would definitely master this magic in the shortest amount of time.

"Um..." Hermione looked at Skylar's expression and said hesitantly, "Shall we... begin?"

Skylar smiled. "Don't rush. What you said in class today was very thought-provoking. Did you come up with it yourself?"

"Mmm," Hermione replied in a barely audible voice, "You're already amazing... I don't want... I don't want to drift further and further away from you..."

"Uh, alright!" Skylar abruptly changed the subject. "Before we begin, I want to explain to you that the Shield Charm isn't an invincible defense. Relying on it for defense always carries risks. For example, like me—" Skylar lightly waved his wand, without even uttering the incantation, and two streams of light shot out from the tip, "... able to cast two spells simultaneously, then—"

"The first attack is enough to neutralize your Shield Charm, but the second attack will land on you," Skylar said in a deep voice. "Do you understand what I mean?"

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, "Then what should we do?"

"Attack and dodge," Skylar said confidently. "Only offense is the best defense. A continuous barrage of attacks prevents your opponent from retaliating. Of course, this requires speed in casting spells. Then there's dodge. The advantage of relying on reflexes and physical prowess to dodge is that you can counterattack with your wand while avoiding attacks. A closely fought duel often involves constant switching between offense and defense."

"I understand," Hermione said softly, biting her lower lip (Skylar seemed to have seen quite a few girls doing this lately, and a bad feeling immediately arose in his heart), and said, "Why are you telling me all this?"

"I'm not really a fool," Hermione said, looking directly into Skylar's eyes. "I've always known that I'm a Gryffindor and a Muggle-born wizard, that I was born to be on your opposing side..." Hermione's voice trembled slightly, but she forced herself to continue. "These past few years of contact with the wizarding world have taught me that I'm no longer ignorant of what happens outside of school. Pure-blood families have actually held important positions on the Board of Governors, the Board of Trustees, the Ministry of Magic, Wizengamot, and so on for many years, haven't they? So, as beneficiaries, you've suppressed Half-blood and Muggle-born wizard so much to maintain your power and status..."

"That's why you rejected me, isn't it?" Hermione finally mustered the courage to ask the question that had been lingering in her mind for so long.

Skylar possessed the ability to multitask, and he could also use his "Divine Insight of Amaterasu" to observe everything happening in the classroom. The young wizards were busy practicing, many even injured, covering their ears or rubbing their legs and groaning in pain. Almost no one had the time to watch over the others, except for one person—

Mad-Eye Moody.

On the surface, Mad-Eye Moody was moving around the classroom, helping the young wizards with their practice, but in reality, his Alchemical Magic Eye was constantly darting around, keeping an eye on Skylar's direction.

Since someone was watching him, Skylar could only shake his head and say, "There's no point in saying more about our affairs." Then his voice turned cold, and he said softly, "I've said what I needed to say. Now draw your wand. Come on, let me see how much you, the Gryffindor student, have improved in these four years."

Hermione had clearly studied the Shield Charm before class; she was very skilled at Shield Charm, and her speed in Shield Charm completely was second only to Skylar, Daphne, and Draco in the entire classroom.

Skylar tried various tricky attack angles, but Hermione successfully blocked them all.

"Get ready!" Skylar shouted coldly, flicking his wand as three streaks of light split into three paths—left, center, and right—simultaneously encircling Hermione.

Hermione reacted quickly as well. With a swift step and a whirlwind, her body moved like a fluttering butterfly, deftly dodging the streak of light coming from the left. Then, with a backhand flick, she shouted, "Protego!" A lifelike shield met the streak of light coming from the center and cleverly deflected it back to the streak of light coming from the right, causing the two spells to meet and cancel each other out in mid-air.

This counterattack was brilliant; all the young wizards in the classroom stopped what they were doing and stared at Hermione in disbelief.

Skylar's strength is well-known, and Skylar's ability to withstand an attack of that caliber demonstrates Hermione exceptional combat skills. Even Harry and Ron, who are usually closest to Hermione, were astonished. When did Hermione become so formidable?

Hermione gave a haughty snort, as if she had done something insignificant, but her cheeks were flushed, clearly showing her excitement. She glanced at Harry, whose face was bruised and swollen from Draco's beating, Ron, who was in a sorry state after being messed with by Blaise, and Neville, who had been accidentally blown away by Seamus. She sighed inwardly; it seemed that Gryffindor's collective strength was falling further and further behind Slytherin's.

Wasn't it clearly stated that Gryffindor was the greatest house in history?

If I had chosen to go to Ravenclaw, what would things be like now?