Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 50, Section 50: Freedom

It was a sunny day with a light breeze.

As Sheehan and Justin walked across the sloping grass toward a flat lawn.

The warm breeze, like an invisible hand, rippled across the lawn.

At the far end of the Quidditch pitch lies the dark Forbidden Forest, a place strictly forbidden to enter by Headmaster Dumbledore.

Strange noises occasionally emanated from inside, drawing the young wizards' gazes with a mixture of awe and curiosity.

More than twenty brooms were neatly arranged on the ground. They looked old and worn, and some of the branches were sticking out.

It's no wonder Justin had the question.

"No, because the wizard invented the cushion charm."

In 1820, Elio Smythe invented the cushion spell, taking a giant leap forward in making more comfortable brooms.

Sheen explained softly.

Even though Sheen's voice wasn't loud, some of the young wizards around him still exclaimed, "I see!"

Soon, this lawn, as beautiful as an oil painting, was filled with a group of little wizards in robes.

A series of tapping sounds came from nearby, and it turned out to be a capable-looking woman striding towards them.

"Alright, what are you all waiting for? Everyone stand next to a flying broomstick, quick, quick, hurry up!"

Her yellow eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, her short gray hair fluttered slightly, and her voice was urgent and fast.

"They called her Mrs. Hooch. In addition to teaching flying lessons, Mrs. Hooch also served as the referee for the Quidditch matches at Hogwarts."

Michael suddenly appeared out of nowhere and added an explanation.

referee?

Upon hearing this word, Sheehan inexplicably thought of some interesting anecdotes from Quidditch:
For centuries, there have been numerous instances of tampering with the referee's broom.

The most dangerous incident involved turning the referee's broom into a key. Halfway through the match, the referee was quickly swept away from the field by the broom and miraculously reappeared in the Sahara Desert months later.

Dangerous job, Sheen thought.

"Meteor? Didn't the Cosmic Broom Ltd. that manufactured it go bankrupt in 1978?"

Where did Hogwarts get this rare, out-of-print item?!

Just as Sheehan reached the broom, he heard Michael's desperate whisper.
This made him take a good look at his broom.

Thankfully, it was a Seven-Star Sweep, so at least Shin could still find its instruction manual.

As for the other young wizards who obtained the rare, out-of-print edition, they can only hope for the best.

"Before you use the brooms, I must remind you..."
If anyone dares to attempt to fly, then Mr. Longbottom's yesterday will be your today.
He was lucky he only broke his wrist, but if he had been unlucky, breaking his neck could have happened in an instant!

The young wizards suddenly felt a chill on their necks, and one Hufflepuff covered his neck in terror, as if he were about to turn into Sir Nicholas.

"Now, say 'Get up!' loudly in front of your brooms!"

"stand up!"

Soon, many eager young wizards excitedly recited the spells, and some succeeded on their first try—like Justin.

His broom bounced twice before landing in his hands.

Some, however, faced difficulties, such as Terry, Michael, and others, whose brooms either remained motionless or flicked weakly a couple of times.

Sheehan imitated Madam Hooch's tone:
"Get up—eh?"

Sheen held the broom, as docile as a fawn.

This left Sheen momentarily stunned. Had he just... finished speaking?

"Alright, get on the broom. When I whistle, push off with your legs and leave the ground. Push hard."

Ms. Huo Qi said loudly,

After waiting for the young wizards to be seated and to settle in for a while, she spoke again crisply:
"Hold the broom steady, rise a few feet, then lean forward slightly and land vertically back on the ground. Listen to my whistle—three—two—"

On the broom, the young wizards were quite flustered, some even trembling all over.

Even among the Ravenclaws, Sheen is the calmest.

He didn't intend to fly very high; he was more concerned with how to use Sir Cadogan's skills.

"The broom's flight is driven by the power of magic... Take control of yourself..."

Sheen muttered to himself, shifting his entire weight onto the broom.

Sheen suddenly had a vague sense of something.

When the broom veers to the left or right, there is always a hidden force surging within it:
"Braking spell, Ascending spell, Turning spell..."

Sheen quickly deduced the source of these powers when he immersed himself fully in them.
Mrs. Hooch issued her third instruction:

"One! Drop—"

A sharp whistle rang out, and the young wizards seemed to float against the current like raindrops against the sky.

A Ravenclaw suddenly raised his broom and shot towards the blue sky with a shout, but fortunately he was not very fast and was brought down by Mrs. Hooch with a silent spell.

The other Hufflepuff, however, did the exact opposite; he crashed headfirst into the ground, but fortunately, Mrs. Hooch reacted quickly and caught him with a clump of hay.

And there were even more little wizards falling off the broom like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

Mrs. Hooch was busy and sweating profusely, and sometimes the little wizard would hold her hand tightly:

"I'm going to fall and die!"

Madam Huo Qi directly gave him a refreshing splash of water, which brought him back to his senses.

There were five or six young wizards who could fly and circle a few times, but the one who flew the smoothest, the most decisive, and the most elegant...
Without a doubt, it was the pale-faced Ravenclaw.

[You have practiced flying to a proficient standard, proficiency +10]

[You have practiced flying to a proficient standard, proficiency +10]

……

The panel kept displaying prompts, and Sheen became more and more proficient at flying.

He could sense the faint magic, and at the same time, he could sense the mystery behind that magic.
It's a simple maneuver. If you want to turn left, you need to use your magic to guide the leftward turning spell in the broom.

If you want to stop, you need to use a wisp of magic to activate the braking spell.

Magic, or rather, the faint magic that obeys one's will, is like a key that makes the flying broom "obey".

What Sheen didn't know was that because brooms have their own braking mechanism, most young wizards were simply using brooms like tools.

That kind of control is what Quidditch players need.

They call it "being in sync with your comrades".

"Is that...Sheen?"

Michael rode the broomstick tremblingly, still somewhat terrified despite the low altitude.

Then look up at that free "bird" in the sky.
He couldn't believe it for a moment.

[You have practiced flying to a proficient standard, proficiency +10]

[Flying skills unlocked]

A new flight domain title has been unlocked. Please check it out.

[A wizard talent has been unlocked, please check.]

The panel notification sounds rang incessantly; Sheen had never felt so free.
For his frail body, running and jumping were mere pipe dreams.

The flying broomstick allowed him to once again feel the whistling wind rushing past his ears.
He felt a surge of passion rising within him, like the crackling fireplace in the dilapidated hall of the orphanage.

(End of this chapter)