Although the February sky was clear and bright, the temperature was still rather low.
The players training on the Quidditch Pitch braved the cold, however, and every one of them was drenched in sweat.
It was afternoon now, and Gryffindor had handed the pitch over to Ravenclaw. Blue and white figures crisscrossed the sky.
But Wood, who had already gone mad, was still leading his teammates through batting practice on the grass.
Wood was instructing the twin Beaters to imitate Shawn's Slicing Shot.
"Catch!"
Wood swung his Bats, sending a Bludger enchanted with a Slowing Charm toward George.
George watched the approaching Bludger with a miserable expression. His right hand, clenched tightly around his Bats, was already swathed in bandages, while Fred, who had already broken his hand, gloated from the sidelines.
"Come on, George! Slice it hard! You're the best!"
The other Gryffindor players watching the show joined in the teasing.
"George, give us one of Shawn's godlike moments!"
"Haha, a Bouncing Shot will do!"
George had no time for them. He slightly loosened the thumb and forefinger gripping his Bats, then swung at the Bludger, trying to slice it the way Shawn did.
The Bats was knocked out of his hand and struck Fred on the head, while the Bludger slammed into George's stomach and chest with a thud, sending him stumbling to the ground.
If Wood had put much force into the hit, it probably would have knocked George's lunch right out of him.
George groaned a few times, stood up with the Bludger in his arms, and complained to Wood.
"I'm done. We simply can't copy it. George and I have broken our bones several times already. Even with the Bludger slowed down this much, we don't dare meet it head-on."
The other players gathered around