Harry took his magic practice very seriously, and with meditation helping his magical power grow, his skills improved rapidly. Even compared to his time in the Forbidden Forest not long ago, his magic had made considerable progress.
Accurate and fast.
A flash of red shot out instantly, hurtling toward Quirrell opposite him.
Yet Quirrell's reactions and speed were astonishingly quick. He dodged with an effortless sidestep, casually pointing his wand at the same time. "Expelliarmus!"
Harry felt an immense force wrenching at the wand in his hand. In an instant, he could no longer hold on. His wand flew from his grasp, and a tremendous force shoved his body backward, sending him flying before he crashed heavily to the ground.
Waves of agony surged through Harry's chest, abdomen, and back, but he still struggled to get up.
"Harry, it seems you're not very good at dueling." Quirrell continued his mocking taunts. "When casting magic, you need to conceal your hand movements, or your opponent can easily judge its direction and dodge."
Harry said nothing. With a flick of his hand, his wand returned to his grasp. The elastic cord between his wand and wrist guard proved its worth at that moment.
"Ha, an amusing little toy." Professor Quirrell chuckled. "But in the face of absolute power, little toys like that are useless."
"Heh." Harry gave no reply. He rolled across the ground, swiftly closing some of the distance between himself and Quirrell, and swung his arm. "Stupefy!"
Compared to Petrificus Totalus, the Stunning Spell was faster, and its larger arm movement made it harder for his opponent to judge. Harry had taken Quirrell's words to heart, but in his haste, he did not know how to change his approach. He could only instinctively use a spell whose direction seemed easier