The Proper Way to Use a Flying Broomstick

"First, let me correct you. I wasn't bullying them—they were bullying me. I was only acting in self-defense."

Chu Yang did not back down because of Snape's anger. He kept his eyes on him and retorted calmly, "When they raise their wands, of course I'll raise mine to fight back. We're all wizards. Are they the only ones who know magic?"

Snape sneered. "Can you guarantee your spells will work as well as your fists?"

Chu Yang shrugged, looking utterly relaxed. "Won't we find out when the time comes? Don't worry, Professor. Once there's a result, I'll report it to you immediately."

Snape knew why Chu Yang was so fearless. Professor McGonagall had already explained that any retaliatory actions Chu Yang took in Slytherin had Dumbledore's tacit approval.

"If you mean that, then I admire your courage." Snape turned coldly and walked toward the podium. Then he announced loudly, "Talking back to a professor and showing no respect for authority. Slytherin loses five points!"

Chu Yang's face filled with disbelief.

Good lord, Snape was really furious. This was the first time Chu Yang had ever seen him deduct points from his own House!

Within a single day, Slytherin had lost ten points because of Chu Yang!

When it came to losing points, he had already pulled ahead of the trio.

Was I going to become a brand-new points-deduction powerhouse?

As everyone knew, a trio generally had four members, while the Four Heavenly Kings generally had five...

But when it came to losing points, Chu Yang had no desire to stand shoulder to shoulder with those three.

The first Potions lesson of the term was oppressively heavy. Snape, who had never possessed a good temper to begin with, prowled around every first-year like the Grim Reaper as he taught. The sound of his leather shoes crossing the floor was especially clear.

By the end of the lesson, Snape had not spared Chu Yang a single proper glance.

He thought it might put some pressure on Chu Yang, but he had underestimated just how mature Chu Yang was mentally.

Snape's ability to intimidate students was nowhere near as formidable as Chu Yang's high school homeroom teacher's—he was not even as scary as the PE teacher.

Any student who had survived compulsory education could adapt well to Hogwarts' academic intensity.

Only the locals in Britain would find it overwhelming.

The moment class ended, all the first-years scrambled to flee the classroom. Chu Yang, who had just clashed with Snape, instead packed up his books at an unhurried pace and ended up leaving last.

"Thank you for today's lesson, Professor Snape. I learned many things that weren't in the textbooks." Chu Yang gave a slight bow, then turned and left.

As he watched Chu Yang's retreating back, Snape's frost-like expression gradually softened.

Snape's gaze slowly turned distant as he murmured, "If I had been as brave as him back then, Lily might have..."

Only Snape's voice lingered in the empty classroom for a long while.

It was lunchtime. After a morning of mental torment, the first-years finally had time to soothe their young hearts, which had been through one upheaval after another.

Inside the Great Hall, the new students instinctively sat far away from Chu Yang. After learning that he had taken on so many boys alone, he had left a rather dark impression on them.

As for the feat of a non-Pure-blood standing against Pure-bloods, it would not be called heroic here.

Even putting aside the matter of Pure-bloods and non-Pure-bloods, no one wanted to be associated with Chu Yang. He had offended far too many people this time!

After all, every student admitted into Slytherin had considerable influence behind them. It was the cradle of Pure-blood wizards!

Chu Yang understood all this clearly. He was not childish enough to resent those who kept their distance from him. Avoiding misfortune and seeking safety was human instinct.

What surprised Chu Yang, however, was that someone suddenly sat across from him.

It was neither Hermione nor Harry and Ron.

It was Neville Longbottom!

Neville carried some food and said with a simple, goofy smile, "I didn't get the chance to thank you when we crossed the lake. Now I finally have the opportunity."

"You're welcome." Chu Yang propped his cheek up with one hand while lightly tapping the table with the other. "Are you sure you want to sit here?"

Neville immediately said in a fluster, "Sorry. If you don't like me sitting here, I can go somewhere else."

"That's not what I meant." Chu Yang waved a hand and explained, "If you sit so close to me, aren't you afraid they'll isolate you the same way they're isolating me?"

Neville scratched his head. "They won't. They just don't understand you yet. After some time, they'll realize they misunderstood you."

Chu Yang laughed. From the way Neville spoke, it was as though he knew Chu Yang very well.

Suddenly, a few more young wizards appeared beside Chu Yang's seat.

As expected, it was the three great point-losers.

"There are some parts of this book that I don't understand. Teach me." Hermione placed a very thick book in front of Chu Yang. She was clearly asking for help, but her attitude made it seem like that was not the case at all.

Harry and Ron also sat down naturally across from Chu Yang, fooling around while occasionally asking him about the "battle details" from the night before.

"I heard from Goyle that you kicked Blaise so hard that he flew into the air!" Ron asked excitedly. "You really didn't use a spell?"

Chu Yang smiled. "My wand was in my trunk. I never got the chance to take it out, so of course it wasn't a spell."

Ron sighed in admiration. "You're really strong!"

Once the three of them sat down and began chatting, Ron's brothers soon took seats nearby as well. The area around Chu Yang gradually started to feel "normal" again.

Fred and George waggled their eyebrows at Chu Yang.

They had clearly heard about his "great feat." They kept questioning him, and the area immediately became lively.

Then a series of crisp hoots rang out above the Great Hall. Countless owls flew in through the skylights, carrying things in their beaks and claws.

"Hey! The mail's here!"

The delighted shouts made Chu Yang realize that the students' family deliveries had arrived. Come to think of it, an owl-based courier company specializing in lightweight parcels would probably make a fortune, wouldn't it?

A newspaper landed in front of Ron and Harry. After asking for permission, the latter eagerly opened it.

Chu Yang vaguely remembered... the newspaper reported on the Gringotts break-in. The vault had originally contained the Sorcerer's Stone, which could grant immortality, but Dumbledore had sent Hagrid to retrieve it in advance.

The three great point-losers were all focused on that newspaper, unaware that the thing it mentioned was quietly lying in Hogwarts.

The first class that afternoon was Madam Hooch's Flying Class, and the first-years could barely contain the excitement in their hearts.

Flying was humanity's ultimate dream. Whether wizard or Muggle, everyone was fascinated by it.

Madam Hooch strode through the students and announced loudly, "Welcome to the first Flying Class of your lives."

"Please place your right hand above your broomstick, then say 'Up!' to control it and make it fly into your hand. This is the first step in establishing a connection with your Flying Broomstick."

As she spoke, Madam Hooch began to feel that something was wrong. One student had jumped directly onto his broomstick, planted both feet on it, and struck a bizarre pose.

Under her horrified gaze, the boy with the Eastern face shouted!

"Up!"

The good news was—

The broom really did fly!

The bad news was—

He was standing on top of it as it flew!!!