Professor Prenton, the Big Star

After learning that Herbology was as dull and tedious as ever, and that the History of Magic class he had missed was like listening to an incomprehensible heavenly text, Xiwen gave up on the idea of making up the lessons.

Besides, something else delighted him enough to distract him—

Little Cat was back!

Xiwen only discovered this when the people in his dormitory started talking about what it felt like to skip class. As they chatted, Xiwen suddenly remembered that he had failed to rest properly because he had gone out at night to look for the cat, which was why he had overslept. He vaguely recalled that there had still been a pair of strange yellow eyes in the cat carrier at noon. He did not know whether those eyes had affected him and made him fall asleep, or whether he had simply been too tired to hold out any longer...

So he glanced at the cat carrier, and joy immediately filled his heart.

A kitten that looked remarkably like a British Shorthair silver shaded lay quietly inside the carrier. She had fluffy silver-white fur, a round little head, a chubby body, and pale yellow eyes that blinked now and then. She was adorable!

Xiwen rushed over as if flying, opened the cat carrier, and gathered Little Cat into his arms.

"Little Cat, your eyes are open?" he said in delighted surprise.

His three roommates also crowded over curiously.

Seeing how adorable the kitten was, Mobley reached out to pet her. Before his hand could touch her, however, a cat paw smacked it aside. His hand froze awkwardly in midair, with nowhere to go. Poor Mobley could only pretend that his nose itched, withdrawing his raised hand to scratch it.

"So your cat really did sneak out on her own," Abraxas said.

"Looks like it." Xiwen nodded. "Little Cat, don't run off randomly in the future. Even if you go out to play, come back early at night. Otherwise, I might have to skip who knows how many more classes because of you!"

Little Cat seemed to understand him and let out an adorable meow.

If finding Little Cat again had made Xiwen immensely happy, then the complete opposite was the morning of Herbology awaiting him the next day.

Professor Isad seemed deeply dissatisfied with Xiwen for skipping an entire class. He watched Xiwen all morning, pointing out every mistake the moment he made one and even making him demonstrate it in front of everyone. Xiwen, who had barely studied Herbology seriously at home, spent the whole morning suffering miserably.

He had only just endured his way to the afternoon when, before he could recover from Defense Against the Dark Arts, where they continued practicing the Spark Charm, the notoriously poorly reviewed History of Magic class arrived.

Professor Binns was a small elderly-looking ghost. After taking attendance in his seemingly eternally unchanging tone and expressionless manner, he began lecturing to himself. Whether because he was too old or because he had become a ghost, he spoke in gasping, drawn-out tones that made it difficult to concentrate. Before long, one would sink into drowsiness.

Xiwen privately believed that a recording of Professor Binns's lectures could easily become the bestselling instant sleep aid. Left with no choice, he secretly transformed two balls of paper into earplugs during class and stuffed them into his ears. Once he could no longer hear the professor's hypnotic voice, he could safely study A Brief History of the Wizarding World, the History of Magic textbook, on his own.

The next morning was Transfiguration. Dumbledore once again had the young wizards practice turning matchsticks into needles.

Ever since Xiwen had discussed the wondrous uses of magic with Dumbledore, it was as though a door to a new world had opened for him. Ordinary Transformation posed no challenge at all. With Dumbledore's permission, Xiwen began practicing the more advanced living transformation of turning beetles into buttons. This made Elshiona, beside him, extremely envious, even though she had basically succeeded in turning her matchstick into a needle.

The afternoon Charms class was also a practical lesson. After demonstrating for everyone, Professor Woflin had the young wizards cast the Floating Charm on a feather.

Charms had been Xiwen's main area of study at home, so the basic Floating Charm naturally posed no difficulty for him. The feather rose easily into the air, and Xiwen even controlled it to trace a flashy pattern through the air. Professor Woflin generously awarded Slytherin ten points.

As soon as Charms ended, all the Slytherin young wizards eagerly rushed toward the grassy grounds northwest of the castle. They were about to attend their first Flight Class since arriving at Hogwarts!

Before they even reached the lawn, sharp-eyed Abraxas spotted two rows of brooms laid out across the green grass.

"Look! Flying brooms!" he shouted, happily running toward them.

Since first-year students were not allowed to bring their own flying brooms, and Abu's three roommates had been unwilling to accompany him to the Quidditch Pitch to borrow upperclassmen's brooms for some fun, he seemed to have been holding himself back for far too long...

As they drew closer, Xiwen saw a handsome middle-aged wizard standing between the two rows of brooms. He wore a sky-blue athletic robe with two dark-blue letters, "T," on the chest, seemingly the name of some team.

"Merlin's beard, am I seeing this right?!" a Hufflepuff young wizard with a yellow uniform collar shouted from not far to Xiwen's left. "That's the Tutshill Tornados uniform! I can't believe it—is that Rodry Plenton?!"

The handsome wizard in sky-blue robes gave the Hufflepuff young wizard a friendly smile. "I didn't expect anyone to recognize me even after I retired. That's truly touching!"

The young wizards erupted into an uproar. No one could believe they were seeing Rodry Plenton, the legendary Seeker of the Tutshill Tornados, with their own eyes.

Plenton pressed both hands downward, signaling for everyone to quiet down. Once they had more or less exhausted their amazement, he said, "Whatever my past may have been, I stand here today in a different capacity. Let me introduce myself again. I am your Flight Class professor from now on, Rodry Plenton. You may call me Professor Plenton!"

Thunderous applause broke out across the field and did not stop for a long while.

Amid the applause, Xiwen quietly moved over beside Abraxas and lowered his head to ask, "Was Professor Plenton very famous before?"

Abu clearly had not expected Xiwen to ask such a question. He turned to stare at him in disbelief and said in shock, "How could you not have heard of Rodry Plenton? He was the legendary Seeker of the Tutshill Tornados! He led the team to five consecutive League Cup victories, and he still holds the record for catching the Snitch in the fastest time in a single match!"

Xiwen nodded in understanding. This Flight Class professor's record was indeed impressive. No wonder the young wizards were so excited.

Once the applause finally began to fade, Professor Plenton had the students form two lines according to height. Everyone obediently lined up, with Slytherin in one row and Hufflepuff in the other.

At the professor's signal, each young wizard stood beside a corresponding broom.

Professor Plenton first motioned for everyone to remain calm, then carefully explained the precautions for flying.

"Remember, flying is a sport with considerable danger. First-year students have not mastered enough spells to ensure that they can protect themselves if they fall from a great height. Secretly trying to fly on your own is therefore not only dangerous, but foolish! That is why the school does not permit first-year students to bring flying brooms," he said.

"Now, the exciting part begins!" Professor Plenton raised his right hand over his head with great enthusiasm.

"Prepare for your first test flight!"