Chapter 36: Chapter 36 Practical Course
George and Lee Jordan tangled together and jumped down.
George was laughing excitedly, while Lee was clinging to George, screaming in terror.
Just before they hit the ground, a large bat appeared beneath them, gently catching them and depositing them on the snow.
Fred, who had arrived first, walked over through the snow and embraced the two.
"Exciting, isn't it, Lee?" he teased Lee Jordan.
"Too thrilling, I need to catch my breath," Lee Jordan gasped, leaning against the nearby wall.
Fred and George looked at Lee with disdain, then ignored him, and walked off with their arms around each other.
"So, George, how was it?" Fred asked with a wink.
"Not bad, but the second floor is still too low. It might be more fun jumping from a higher tower," George said, glancing up at a taller tower on the castle. "Do you think it would be more interesting to jump from Gryffindor Tower?"
"You can jump as much as you want, but I'm not going to catch you!"
At that moment, Dracula's voice came from the side.
After their conspiracy was discovered, the twins showed no sign of guilt. Instead, they approached Dracula with grins and said:
"Professor, why don't you tell us how to jump from a height without getting hurt? That way, you won't have to save us!"
Dracula caught another small wizard jumping down and said casually, "I thought you should have already learned the Levitation Charm at your age."
"So it's the Levitation Charm?" the twins said excitedly. "We'll go learn it right away, thank you, Professor!"
Dracula glanced at them and then turned his gaze away, unimpressed.
Under the influence of the pioneering twins, third-year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs began jumping one by one from the window of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
The Gryffindor cubs were the most enthusiastic; they even crowded at the window, pushing the ones in front down. A whole bunch of them jumped down together, tumbling like dumplings...
A swarm of bats under Dracula's control always managed to appear just in time beneath the small wizards' feet, sparing them the misery of a two-day visit to the school infirmary.
The last to jump was Cedric from Hufflepuff. He had been organizing the "jumping out of the window" event in the classroom and encouraging those who were hesitant to face their fears and jump bravely!
Cedric did not use Dracula's bats to land; instead, he applied the Levitation Charm to the back of his school robe, using the cloak's buoyancy to lift himself up, then landing gracefully on the snow.
The twins watched Cedric's smooth landing with envy.
"Why does his landing look so cool, while we have to step on bats?" Fred said to George. "The professor could have chosen a better-looking animal and made it quicker!"
"Shh!" George quickly cupped his hand to his mouth and whispered, "Be careful not to let Professor Dracula hear you badmouthing him. He seems to really like bats; he uses them for everything..."
Fred quickly shut his mouth.
Fortunately, Dracula was not paying attention to them at that moment. He snapped his fingers once everyone had arrived.
A line of round snowmen targets emerged from the snow, arranged neatly, facing the small wizards.
"Today's practical lesson is to practice the accuracy of spell casting," Dracula said to the students, beginning his lecture for the Defense Against the Dark Arts practical class. "I need to tell you about the importance of spell accuracy."
"Although the Weasley twins' attack on the staff is not commendable, it is worth noting that their spell accuracy, as evidenced by hitting Professor Quirrell's head with snowballs, is certainly not an issue."
The Weasley twins exchanged a proud glance.
As beaters on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, they had no problem with accuracy, which was why they could hit Quirrell's head so accurately.
"Spell accuracy sounds simple, but you will realize its difficulty in practice," Dracula continued, looking at the small wizards. "Now, each of you stand by a snowman target, keeping a distance of at least five meters."
"When I say 'start,' cast your most proficient spell at the snowman target in front of you. Let me see how accurate your spellcasting is."
A burst of colorful spells flashed as the small wizards attacked the snowmen.
The Weasley twins and Cedric immediately shattered the snowmen in front of them. Others were not so successful; many of their spells went astray, some even hitting their fellow students by accident, resulting in painful hits and causing friendships to unravel...
"Understand now, the importance of spell accuracy?" Dracula asked the students. "In a duel, it's not about who casts the most spells but about hitting the opponent with more spells effectively within a given time!"
He snapped his fingers again, restoring the snowmen to their original round shapes.
"Hold your wands properly and aim accurately. In spell practice, focus, determination, and calmness are all essential and none can be missed," Dracula said.
"Let's start the next round of accuracy practice!"
On a snowy field, the practical class for Defense Against the Dark Arts was in full swing.
A long line of snowmen was arranged, each corresponding to a specific small wizard to practice spell accuracy.
Spells flashed occasionally, hitting the snowmen and breaking them into pieces. The snowman targets automatically repaired themselves for continuous practice.
At this moment, an unexpected visitor arrived.
"Good morning, Professor McGonagall," Dracula said as he approached the stern-faced witch.
"Professor Dracula, I need an explanation," Professor McGonagall said, pressing her lips tightly. "If I'm not mistaken, many students just jumped from the second-floor Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, correct?"
"How dare you teach students like this?"