The Butcher of Hogsmeade

Shen Hou glanced at Sirius, then at James; he had to admit that if it weren't for James rolling his eyes and barely suppressing a laugh, he might have actually been fooled by Sirius.

However, since the atmosphere had already reached this point, and he was still hoping that the other party would teach him magic, he certainly couldn't turn a blind eye when it was time to cooperate with the performance; so Shen Hou covered his heart with one hand, squeezed out a completely insincere expression of fear on his face, and then let out a soft "oh" which was equivalent to a sigh.

"This is so boring!" Sirius said listlessly, turning back to continue struggling with his fingers. "James, why don't you put a Transformation Charm on my finger joints? I feel like I can't control these bones right now."

James completely ignored him and continued to help Shen Hou refine the Iron Armor Spell.

"Try this first, Wingardium Leviosa! Relax, this is just a pawn; if it hits your head, it'll only give you a bump. Don't keep thinking about casting signs; focus on your wand and spells."

"Good. Next, you can try going a little faster. After all, in actual combat, you can't afford to think slowly. You need to make the swinging motion a habit. What was that word you mentioned before, muscle memory? Yes, that's it! Prepare for a more powerful attack..."

"Please, it's just a flock of birds, I haven't even fired a volley yet! Let's do it again, Shen, you need to correct your body's instincts!"

With James's constant corrections, reminders, and practice sessions, an afternoon flew by. Shen Hou felt he had made great progress; at least he no longer waved his wand with one hand and habitually cast the Quen sign on himself with the other, nor did he instinctively dodge to the side when he saw the tip of the wand pointing at him.

Compared to Shen Hou, Sirius's learning of the hand seals was much less effective; after an afternoon of effort, he finally "tamed" his ring and little fingers, allowing them to be shaped into the correct hand shape, but he was slow to achieve the desired effect of the hand seals.

"Does that mean I don't have the talent for casting spells without a staff?" Sirius fell into self-doubt.

James patted his best friend on the shoulder, "comforting" him, "Don't be sad, anyway, you lack more than just this one talent. Back in school, Professor Slughorn said that you don't have the talent for Potions, you're far inferior to Lily; and by the way, your talent for Quidditch isn't as good as mine either."

Sirius Black pouted. "You're really good at comforting people, James."

"I noticed you're too focused on controlling your hand shape. Why don't you try relaxing a bit?" Shen Hou finished the practice and returned the wand to Sirius. "Your attention is entirely on your hand, not on the target of the spell."

"But we must ensure the gestures are correct, right?"

"Of course, the gestures must be precise and the trajectory must be smooth, but the most crucial thing is to use your willpower to overwhelm the target's willpower. In my personal experience, gestures are just an aid, used to establish a mental connection between you and the target, and then use your mind to influence the other party's actions. This target can be a human, a werewolf, or any kind of intelligent animal."

"What if I encounter someone with a stronger will than me?" Sirius asked.

"Isn't that obvious? For people with strong enough willpower, the hand seals are hard to work with."

James frowned slightly: "Why does it sound more like an Imperius Curse than a Confusion Charm?"

"Isn't that even better?" Sirius Black didn't care at all, and was even more excited. "A 'Death Curse' that is not prohibited by law, and that the Ministry of Magic doesn't even know about."

Shen Hou poured cold water on the situation at the opportune moment: "It's not that simple. Although the Axii sign can hypnotize and control the actions of others, the effect is not long-lasting and will naturally fade away in a very short time. Even if it controls someone with weak willpower, it will not last more than five minutes."

"In a crucial moment, let alone five minutes, one minute is enough." Sirius's enthusiasm for learning was not dampened. "Spellcasting without a staff requires subtle movements, making it easy to launch a sneak attack when someone is off guard. Wasn't that what happened to Alastor? With so many advantages already, what more could you ask for?"

"You have to learn how to do that first." James's performance was as good as ever; he was indeed very good at comforting people, which made Sirius's fingers cramp up with anger.

That night, the guard at the safe house was changed; James had been worried about Sirius's bad temper, but was met with the reply: "Even if I leave here, what do you think I can do tonight? Still practice, right? In that case, why leave? There are no teachers anywhere else. Go back quickly; I bet Harry misses you after two days."

James was persuaded to go home, and when he returned the next day, he was greeted by two pairs of thick, dark circles under his eyes.

"Don't tell me you didn't sleep all night?" James glared at Sirius, clearly recognizing the culprit at a glance.

"But the results are remarkable. Shen's Ironclad Curse can now block the Repel Curse and the Stun Curse." Sirius said smugly, looking like he was taking credit, completely ignoring Shen Hou's constant yawning and drooping eyelids.

James sighed and reminded him, "Even when practicing magic, you can't..." But before he could finish, Sirius Black approached with a sly grin, raising his hand and shouting, "Axii!"

Upon hearing this word, which he had practically heard calluses from, Shen Hou, who had just said hello and was about to catch up on sleep, was horrified. The hairs on his body stood on end, and his weariness vanished instantly. He stared intently and saw James's eyes glazed over. Suddenly, James opened his mouth and let out a roar that was definitely not human: "Hiss—Roar—"

The sound was deep and heavy, as if a muffled thunderclap had suddenly appeared in the room.

Then Jaime was "awakened" by his own roar and broke free from the effects of the sign.

"Sirius Orion Black!" This angry shout was even more powerful than the muffled roar from before.

"Hahahaha..." Sirius burst into extremely arrogant and triumphant laughter, "So this is what a stag's voice sounds like... Hahaha... a pointed fork... Hahaha... I've always wanted to hear it... I definitely have to tell Remus and Peter about this..."

He laughed so hard he could barely breathe, making Shen Hou worry that he might suddenly run out of breath; however, this worry soon became unnecessary.

"Immediately imprison them—upside down!"

Five minutes later, James was leisurely sitting at the table, enjoying the breakfast brought by the house-elves, completely ignoring Sirius Black, who was hanging upside down from the roof beam, swaying back and forth like a pendulum.

Shen Hou, who was "sitting with" him, remained silent, neither daring to inquire about the "scream of the fork" nor pleading for Sirius Black. He was as obedient as a first-year student in Hogwarts Castle.