Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

Chapter 341 The Teamwork

“That’s right.” Dylan put away his wand, nodded slightly, and looked at the thick trunk of the Manhunt Willow.

"Professor Sprout specifically instructed us to take good care of this 'little cutie.' In addition to not hurting it, we also had to avoid too many people gathering around and disturbing it—after all, the Whomping Willow is easily startled, and if people approach it frequently, it might trigger its aggressive tendencies."

"Confusing Charm?" Harry's eyes lit up. He had learned the basic principles of this spell in Charms class and knew that it could interfere with other people's perception and had a wide range of uses, but it was not easy to apply in practice.

He looked around curiously and couldn't help but ask, "If someone walks by here, what will they see? Won't they see us?"

Dylan smiled and nodded, explaining, "The effect of this Confusion Charm is to 'weaken presence'."

“If passersby don’t specifically approach, they will only see a willow tree swaying its branches alone in the wind, and they won’t notice our presence or think there’s anything unusual about this place.”

He paused, then added, "Besides, this place is quite remote, and few students would intentionally go near the Willow Tree. This spell should be effective at concealment, enough for us to complete our training."

Harry stood to the side, his face full of confusion.

Cedric and Draco, however, did not share this bewilderment. Cedric even couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.

Draco didn't laugh, but he did nod slightly.

"Alright, the flying broom is in place, and the Confusion Charm is set up."

Dylan cleared his throat, breaking the brief silence. "Next, I'll give you a demonstration so you can see the specific training method."

With that, he picked up his flying broom and headed toward the direction of the Man-Beating Willow.

At this moment, Dylan had already walked to the Willow Tree with his flying broom, flipped over and stepped onto the broom, and with a gentle push off the ground, the broom carried him slowly into the air.

Dylan circled the Willow Tree on his broomstick, his eyes fixed on the trunk, adjusting his direction as he flew straight toward it.

Cedric immediately pointed to the air: "Look, Dylan is starting to demonstrate! Watch Dylan's movements carefully!"

Harry and Draco immediately looked up.

Dylan was riding a fire crossbow, its broom gleaming with a silvery-blue light, and it was flying at an extremely fast speed, getting closer and closer to the Man-Striking Willow.

Just as the tip of his broom entered the range of the willow branches, a branch as thick as a bowl suddenly lashed out, whistling through the air, and lashed towards his waist like a whip.

Dylan reacted incredibly quickly. He slightly shifted his body to the side, clamped his legs tightly around the broom, and the fire bolt drew a smooth arc in the air, barely avoiding the attack.

Before he could regain his balance, another, thicker branch attacked from behind, aiming directly at his back.

"Watch out!" Harry couldn't help but whisper in alarm.

With a slight twist of his wrist, Dylan caused the broom to sink half a meter in an instant, the branch grazing his head before slamming heavily onto the ground.

With a muffled "boom," a shallow crater was immediately created in the ground, and dirt flew everywhere.

Once inside the Willow's attack range, Dylan's room to move became noticeably smaller.

The surrounding branches were dense, like a giant net, making it impossible to fully utilize the speed advantage of the fire crossbow bolts. Every movement required careful avoidance of the branches attacking from all directions.

Suddenly, more than a dozen branches of the Willow tree launched an attack simultaneously, some sweeping horizontally, some slamming down, and some thrusting diagonally, almost blocking all of Dylan's escape routes.

Harry, Cedric, and Draco all instinctively clenched their fists, their eyes fixed on the sky.

The speed and force of this attack were even more astonishing than they had anticipated.

Harry muttered to himself.

If it were me, I probably wouldn't just get hit once; I might get hit by these branches one after another, and it would be a question whether I could even stand up.

Dylan narrowly escaped a barrage of attacks. Just as he was breaking through the encirclement of branches towards the tree trunk, a thin branch hidden among the dense foliage suddenly sprang out and aimed straight for his broom handle.

This happened so suddenly that he had no room to dodge.

Harry and the others' eyes widened instantly, and they even held their breath.

But just as the branch was about to hit the broom...

With a soft "thump," the branch seemed to have hit an invisible barrier and suddenly stopped in mid-air.

Taking advantage of the moment, Dylan pushed off with both legs, and the fire bolt accelerated rapidly, successfully reaching the vicinity of the tree trunk, seemingly intending to pass through the gaps in the branches of the Man-beating Willow.

In the following minutes, similar situations occurred one after another.

Whenever Dylan is about to be hit by a branch, an invisible barrier will suddenly block one of the branches, giving him a chance to escape.

Finally, he successfully flew through the gaps in the branches of the willow tree and emerged from the other side.

“It’s the Ironclad Charm!” Cedric was the first to react, his tone certain. “Dylan has been using the Ironclad Charm to help him defend himself. Every time he’s in danger, the Ironclad Charm precisely blocks the attack, giving Dylan a chance to escape.”

"So, Dylan mainly trains his dodging ability, while also practicing the timing of casting the Ironclad Charm?" Draco asked, frowning, his eyes thoughtful.

Harry watched Dylan slowly fly back and suddenly recalled Quidditch training: "Doesn't this remind you a bit of when Wood trained the Chaser? Breakthroughs and screens."

“It is indeed very similar.” Cedric nodded. As the captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, he had an exceptionally deep understanding of teamwork. “Draco is right. Dylan focuses on dodging, but also on defense.”

"But he is a person, and we can help each other."

"Dodge the branches requires quick reflexes, and judging when to cast the Ironclad Charm also requires quick reflexes; both are indispensable."

He paused, pointing to the trajectory of Dylan's flight: "Did you notice? When facing the fire dragon, we can't stand in a fixed position. We have to coordinate while moving. Dylan did this to prepare for this dynamic coordination in advance."

"After all, when the first project starts, we will also be in a similar dynamic environment, and everyone will have their own tasks to complete."

Cedric continued, glancing at Harry and Draco, "This requires us to react quickly enough to accurately assess when the other is in danger while completing our own tasks, creating opportunities for our teammates to escape peril."

That's roughly it.

Dylan walked over with a gentle smile on his face. "Cedric has explained everything I wanted to say clearly, even more thoroughly than I thought."

“Actually, I was inspired by Harry.” Cedric scratched his head shyly, his tone a little embarrassed. “He mentioned the cover and cooperation in Quidditch training, and that’s when I suddenly understood the key to dynamic cooperation.”

"But in the end, trust between team members is the most important thing. Only with enough trust can we seize those fleeting opportunities to cooperate and not miss the opportunity because of hesitation."

"Speaking of trust and cooperation, there is actually an advanced version of the training for the 'Hitman Willow' technique."

Dylan picked up the conversation, his tone tinged with anticipation, "Now that Cedric has explained the basic logic clearly, we can demonstrate the advanced mode on the spot, so that everyone can have a more intuitive understanding."

"An advanced version?" Harry repeated immediately, his eyes full of curiosity, and quickly asked, "How exactly do I do it? Is it more difficult than the previous one?"

"It will indeed be a bit more complicated than before."

Dylan nodded and patiently explained, "In the advanced training, we will all enter the attack range of the Whomping Willow, instead of only one person breaking through while the others provide cover outside."

"In addition to helping each other defend and avoid branch attacks, we also need to simulate attacks on the Man-Hitting Willow. Simply put, it means using a wand to shoot magical light at the branches without actually causing damage. The main training is the ability to cast spells accurately while dodging."

He paused, then added details about the attack: "As for the accuracy of the attack, you can set the target according to your own situation."

"If you want to practice precise strikes, you can aim at the thin branches of the Man-Striking Willow. Those parts are thinner than the main branches and move faster, making them more difficult to hit, which is perfect for training the stability of your spellcasting."

After saying that, Dylan picked up the flying broom again, flipped over, and straddled it.

As soon as it entered the attack range of the Man-Beating Willow, the disturbed magical plant immediately reacted.

A dozen thick branches shot up at the same time, accompanied by a whistling sound, and slammed down on him like heavy hammers, even more fiercely than when they attacked Dylan earlier.

Dylan leaned to the sides, his broom tracing two symmetrical arcs in the air as he narrowly avoided the first wave of attacks.

As he dodged, he raised his wand, the tip of which simultaneously glowed with a deep blue light. With two sharp "whooshes," two beams of light struck the same thin branch that was falling back, hitting almost exactly the same spot.

"Wow!" Harry couldn't help but click his tongue, his eyes filled with surprise. "He's that strong!"

Cedric stared in the direction of the Whomping Willow, his tone tinged with emotion, "At this level, they're already flying masters, aren't they?"

As Dylan fully penetrated the Willow's attack range, the plant's attacks became even more intense.

Branches lashed out one after another, some sweeping horizontally from the front, others attacking from below, the whistling sound echoing in the air, leaving almost no gaps.

Dylan's reaction was surprisingly quick.

He first leaned back to avoid a branch falling from above, then with a slight twist of his wrist, the broom instantly shifted half a meter to the left, avoiding another branch coming from the side.

In that brief moment, he had already waved his wand, and another beam of azure light shot out, striking precisely at the joint where a branch connected to the trunk.

That was the weak point where the branches could exert their force, and it was also the "best simulated attack position" they had discussed before.

Harry, Cedric, and Draco stood on the ground, dumbfounded.

Dylan rode his fire bolt, weaving and tumbling among the branches with movements so fluid they didn't seem like he was dodging attacks, but rather like he was performing an elegant aerial waltz.

The whooshing sound of the willow branches whipping around seemed to become part of the accompaniment, blending wonderfully with Dylan's rhythmic movements.

About ten minutes later, Dylan landed on the ground, landing steadily on the grass.

Dylan let out a soft breath and said in a relaxed tone, "That's the general idea of ​​the advanced training. You can start by trying the basic mode first—don't rush to add attacks, first practice your defense and teamwork rhythm."

He pointed to the "Hit-and-Beat Willow" not far away and explained the rules in detail: "Two people can patrol the outer perimeter, responsible for observation and defense, while one person enters the attack range to focus on practicing dodging."

"The key is that the two people on the outside must learn to cast the Ironclad Spell alternately to avoid wasting magic power due to casting spells at the same time, and to ensure that every defense is truly effective and not a waste of effort."

Harry, Cedric, and Draco all nodded.

They knew very well that when they faced the fire dragon or the cat-leopard, the situation would be even more complicated than it was now, and if the team could cooperate to achieve "one plus one is greater than two", they would have a greater chance of dealing with the danger.

This requires them to make choices when casting spells, and to find the best time to strike, so as to conserve enough magic power and energy to deal with unexpected situations.

After a brief discussion, the three quickly determined their division of labor.

Cedric was tasked with entering the attack range first, while Harry and Draco rode broomsticks, slowly circling outside the Whomping Willow, ready to cast the Ironclad Charm to provide support at any time.

When Cedric rode his broom into the attack range of the Whomping Willow, he only truly realized it when the first branch whistled through the air.

Dodging attacks is much harder than it seems.

He felt relaxed watching Dylan dodge from the ground, but when he faced the branch that was thicker than his waist, he felt the overwhelming pressure and his breathing quickened unconsciously.

The moment he entered the attack range, Cedric discovered that the actual situation was far more complicated than he had anticipated.

He not only had to quickly steer the broom to avoid the branches, but also had to deal with the turbulence created by the swinging branches.

The strong wind generated when a thick branch sweeps through the air can suddenly change the broom's flight path, causing deviations from the originally predicted dodge route.

The breeze created by the passing twigs can interfere with the stability of the wand's spellcasting, requiring extra force from the fingers holding the wand to keep it steady.

What made him even more uncomfortable was that the feeling of turning the broom while dodging attacks was completely different from turning on the Quidditch pitch.

Normally, when turning, you only need to consider speed and direction, but now every turn you have to consider three issues at the same time: "avoiding branches in front", "preventing side attacks", and "leaving room for subsequent evasion".

The brain has to process a huge amount of information, which inevitably makes movements stiffer.

Just as he was distracted thinking about his next dodge, a branch as thick as a bowl suddenly came from below and slanted at him, whistling through the air and heading straight for the base of his broom.

Cedric instinctively turned to the side, clamping the broom between his legs, barely avoiding the "heavy blow".

Before he could even catch his breath, a thin twig with sharp thorns swept past him.

With a "rip," the hem of his robe was torn in three places, and fragments of fabric drifted into the air with the airflow.

Cedric's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

He knew very well that if he had dodged even a centimeter less, the thorny branch would have struck his leg directly, with unimaginable consequences.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, stared intently at the surrounding branches, and focused all his attention on "anticipating the attack" and "responding quickly".

In his next two attacks, Cedric clearly adjusted his form.

Faced with a branch hurtling towards him from the front, he no longer panicked and dodged. Instead, he first observed the trajectory of the branch's swing and then precisely controlled the broom to move it backward.

When faced with a thin branch coming from the side, he would turn his body in advance, tilting the broom slightly in the direction of the airflow, thus avoiding the attack without disrupting his subsequent rhythm, and finally he was no longer scratched by the branch.

However, as he gradually penetrated deeper into the core area of ​​the attacking willow, the situation became tricky again.

The branches of the "Hit-Man Willow" seemed to be completely enraged, and the frequency of its attacks increased significantly. More than a dozen branches attacked from all directions at the same time, some from above and below, and some from the left and right, almost compressing his dodging space to the extreme.

Cedric tried his best to dodge, his broom weaving through the gaps in the branches, but out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a huge shadow looming over him.

He looked up abruptly, his heart leaping into his throat.

A main branch, thicker than his body, was slowly descending from above, with several thin branches wrapped around its end, clearly intended to trap him completely.

At this critical moment.

A dull thud rang in my ears. The main branch seemed to have hit an invisible barrier, suddenly stopping in mid-air and even trembling slightly.

Without hesitation, Cedric immediately pushed off the ground with both legs, maneuvering his broom forward. Taking advantage of the gap before the branches could resume their attack, he successfully flew through the gaps in the branches of the Mantis Willow, flew out from the other side, and landed steadily on the grass.

"Thank goodness... thank goodness you guys helped."

Cedric clutched his chest, panting heavily, cold sweat streaming down his face, his voice still trembling with fear, "I almost got hit directly just now."

"Uh...actually, I didn't realize it just now."

Harry's voice was filled with obvious guilt. He scratched his head, his eyes darting around. "When I saw the branch fall, my mind went blank for a moment, and I didn't even have time to raise my wand."

"Me too."

Draco's words were brief, but his ears turned slightly red, clearly feeling a little embarrassed. After a pause, he added in a lower voice, "Sorry I couldn't help you in time."

Cedric then realized that the one who had secretly blocked the branches was Dylan, who was standing on the ground.

He quickly waved his hand and said in a relaxed tone, "It's okay, everyone's like this when they first start practicing. Let's continue! Let's do a full round first, and then we'll thank Dylan after we're done."

However, the training did not go smoothly afterward.

When it was Draco's turn to enter the attack range, he was surrounded by several branches at the same time. Although Cedric cast the Ironclad Charm in time, he was unable to accurately control the position of the barrier due to nervousness.

The barrier shifted half a meter to the left, blocking Draco's dodge path. This forced Draco to change direction, and he was hit on the arm by a thin twig, leaving a faint red mark.

When Harry was trapped by the branches, Draco's Ironclad Charm went significantly astray.

The barrier not only failed to stop the attacking branches, but instead blocked Harry's path. In his attempt to avoid the barrier, Harry nearly crashed into two other branches that were attacking him at the same time.

In the end, he could only jump off the broom in a sorry state to avoid being caught in the middle.

(End of this chapter)