Having successfully completed the first step, Li Mu looked around. Beside him, Ernie, who had once "chased and overtaken a car on a broomstick," had failed. His broom rose laboriously into the air but never made it into his hand. Justin, a Muggle-born, fared even worse. He shouted until his face turned red, while the broom at his feet merely trembled twice. Who knew whether that was the effect of magic or vibrations from his voice?
Over by Gryffindor, beside the Hufflepuff formation, Harry finally managed to make his broom jump into his hand. Ron's broom sprang halfway up, suddenly veered left, and fell to the ground. Hermione looked frantic, continuously shouting, "Up! Up!" But clearly, her broom was only willing to roll around on the ground. As for Neville, the broom at his feet did not react at all. This left him dejected once more, and he muttered that he would rather walk on the ground than fly through the sky.
Without thinking, Li Mu's gaze passed over them and landed on the Ravenclaw formation. He quickly found Hinata and was surprised to discover that... her broom was completely motionless as well. The little girl from Yingzhou looked deeply ashamed, her face flushed red.
Madam Hooch demonstrated the physical sensation and tricks of summoning a broom several more times, but a few students still could not manage it. Class time was precious, so Madam Hooch frowned and decided they could practice on their own afterward. All the students, however, were to proceed to the next stage. "All right! Now, let me demonstrate the proper way to ride a broom."
As she spoke loudly, Madam Hooch nimbly swung herself onto her broom. Her posture reminded Li Mu of ancient generals mounting their horses. Every sign suggested that when wizards created the "flying broomstick" as a means of transportation, they had indeed drawn on the experience of horseback riding and treated brooms as horses.
The students who had still failed could only gloomily pick their brooms straight up from the ground, then awkwardly straddle them as demonstrated. Madam Hooch did not rush through the demonstration. She explained twice more how to sit securely on a broom without slipping off, then let everyone practice on their own. She herself walked through the ranks, correcting the students' improper postures.
Malfoy's lie about dodging a helicopter was quickly exposed, because Madam Hooch was the first to scold him for having a completely wrong posture. The other three Houses, excluding Slytherin, burst into laughter. The little lions of Gryffindor especially... nearly every Gryffindor was secretly laughing at Malfoy, just as the Slytherins had done during Potions.
"All right, now pay attention to my whistle. The moment I blow it, push off gently from the ground." After a while, seeing that everyone was seated properly, Madam Hooch gave another instruction. As she spoke, she shook the whistle in her hand. "Just one push is enough. That will make you hover low in the air, no more than half a meter above the ground. All you need to do is hold tightly to the broom handle and maintain the correct posture while floating. All right, listen for my whistle—three... Oh! You child, get back here!"
She had only just shouted "three" when she suddenly cried out in alarm.
"Neville!" Li Mu sucked in a sharp breath and cried out in shock along with the others—he had actually forgotten about this! This was an important plot point from the original story!
For some reason, the instant Madam Hooch said "three," Neville pushed off with his feet. With a whoosh, he shot into the sky, rising higher and higher. They saw Neville's face twist pale with terror. Then his hands shook, and he failed to hold onto the broom, plunging face-first toward the ground.
Li Mu reacted quickly enough that he even rushed ahead of Madam Hooch. His first thought was to use the Levitation Charm, but they had not yet learned the complicated incantation, "Wingardium Leviosa." Even Hermione, who had previewed it many times, could not cast it. Li Mu's English pronunciation was a major problem, so he had even less confidence. He did not want to finish the spell only to find an elephant standing on Neville's stomach.
But he immediately thought of a technique that might also create a floating effect. Everyone saw Li Mu raise both hands toward Neville in the air, forming a seal with each hand as he chanted, "The left immortal crane offers incense to the sacred, beseeching heavenly soldiers to protect the body. The right immortal crane rides the crane to guide across, receiving wind, cloud form, and immortal dust."
Strictly speaking, that was not a spell, nor could it even be considered a conventional technique. It was an offshoot of Shushan Daoist arts, emphasizing hand seals and incantation gestures. Each seal represented a different meaning, and dozens of seals could be layered according to different sequences and patterns to produce countless variations of magic. Li Mu had formed a White Crane Seal with each hand, hoping to achieve an effect equal to—or even greater than—the Levitation Charm. It was a gamble, only slightly safer than forcibly using the Levitation Charm. But Li Mu had trained in Shushan for eight years, and nearly all the mystical Daoist arts he had learned focused on attack and strengthening himself. This was the only option he had that could help Neville.
Fortunately, the technique seemed to have worked. For an instant, everyone felt Neville's fall noticeably slow... but unfortunately, it lasted only an instant. It was as though invisible branches had caught him for a moment, only for Neville's own weight to crush them immediately afterward... After that brief suspension, he still fell, slamming down beside Li Mu's feet, still face-first.
"Are you all right..." Li Mu hurriedly crouched down and called to him.
"Mm, thank you... my broom..." Neville mumbled as he rolled over, his large eyes brimming with tears.
"Did you hurt yourself anywhere?" Li Mu was speechless. Neville's broom had clearly flown off to who knew where. But out of a certain sense of guilt, he still patiently comforted him. "It's all right. The teacher will find your broom. Don't think about anything else."
Li Mu did feel guilty. He had known about this scene long ago, even knowing that Neville's accident was supposed to happen during the first Flying Class. But life had been far too "fulfilling" these past few days, leaving him muddle-headed enough to forget about it for a while. Otherwise, he probably would have found a way to help this unlucky boy avoid getting hurt. As for whether that would mean Harry Potter missed out on first-year Quidditch and the title of "youngest Seeker," Li Mu found that he did not really care.
At that moment, Madam Hooch, Harry, Hermione, and several others hurried over as well. Their faces were all somewhat pale. Madam Hooch crouched beside Li Mu and ran her hands over Neville from head to toe.
"His wrist is slightly fractured. Fortunately." Madam Hooch spoke softly, as though relieved. But Neville's tears finally spilled over, and he began sobbing uncontrollably.
Hermione frowned and shouted, "Neville, you're a man. Don't cry. You're fine!"
Neville looked at her, sniffling. He finally managed to stop wailing, but tears still streamed down his chubby round face.
Madam Hooch glanced at Li Mu and the others, then turned to the remaining students and said, "While I take this student to the Hospital Wing, none of you is to attempt flying on your own. Anyone who dares move without permission can get out! Understood?... Come, child. Let's go."
As she spoke, she supported Neville and gradually walked away.
(End of Chapter)
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