The Return to Hogwarts

Tips?

Harry and Hermione looked at each other, unsure how to answer Ron's question.

Harry frowned and pondered, recalling the torment he had endured along the way, trying to find some pattern in it. But after careful recollection, he couldn't seem to find any tricks. All he could remember was focusing on dodging, dodging, and then gradually becoming more and more adept at it.

You have to--

After thoroughly searching his training memories, Harry finally managed to glean something. Under Ron's expectant gaze, Harry said with difficulty, "Well, we can't just rely on the blockade, Ron. You have to keep an eye on your surroundings, because the dung balls thrown by the armor will attack you from multiple directions."

Ron still looked at them expectantly, hoping to hear more valuable advice.

“Your dodging must be precise, Ron—”

After a brief silence, Hermione shared all the key points she had summarized.

"You must always remain calm, this is very important, because only in this way will your movements be precise. That is to say, you should not start dodging the moment the armor attacks, but wait until the dung ball gets close to you before making a move. This will help you conserve your energy and deal with the following attacks."

Hermione's words were more profound, and Ron frowned in thought, trying his best to understand what Hermione was saying.

"I do not understand--"

After a long pause, Ron shook his head.

"Conserve your energy. Okay, that's understandable, but why should I wait until the dung beetle gets right up to me before I start dodging? Wouldn't it be safer if I dodged it beforehand?"

“Professor Blaine designed these armors to mimic our opponents in duels as closely as possible. They can pinpoint our location at any time. Think about it, Ron—” Hermione said quickly.

"In a duel, if you dodge too quickly, you'll expose your opponent's escape route. Your opponent won't stand still; they'll further restrict your movement, deplete your stamina, make you panic, and create openings. Therefore, your dodges must also be deceptive—"

Hermione's explanation was already highly professional dueling knowledge, the kind of knowledge that no other magic education course would mention. In fact, Professor Blaine didn't tell them this at the time, but only let them experience it for themselves through practice.

"Does evasion need to be deceptive?"

Ron looked bewildered. He hadn't underestimated the difficulty of the training designed by Professor Blaine, but he truly couldn't grasp the many details hidden within this seemingly simple exercise.

"Lonski feint, Ron."

Harry suddenly said something, and the vivid analogy immediately made Ron realize what it meant.

In a duel, dodging may seem like a passive response, but it can also turn passivity into initiative. You can use your dodge to lure your opponent's attacks. On one hand, this is exchanging physical exertion for your opponent's mana depletion. On the other hand, if your opponent is unable to attack you, it will put immense psychological pressure on them.

These are all extremely practical dueling techniques and concepts. For great wizards like Professor Blaine or Professor Dumbledore, they don't need to consider so much when fighting with others; their strength is enough to crush them. However, for the vast majority of wizards whose strength has not yet reached its peak, these techniques are extremely valuable.

"Anything else, Harry? Hermione?"

Aside from Quidditch skills, Ron rarely displayed such a thirst for knowledge.

Unfortunately, Harry and Ron didn't have much more experience to share with Ron. Many things could only be truly mastered by learning step by step through pain.

"Take off your robe, Ron—"

Ron stood at the starting line again, and Hermione gave him an urgent reminder.

"Although magic can help you clean up the stench, it can't completely eliminate the unpleasant smell."

"Be prepared, Ron—"

Harry swallowed hard; he felt more nervous watching Ron train than training himself.

"That dung ball is quite heavy!"

Ron mumbled a couple of times in response to Harry and Hermione's reminder, then focused all his tense attention on what was ahead.

The armor that was once ubiquitous in the castle suddenly seemed terrifying to Ron. He remembered how exhausted and listless his Gryffindor classmates looked every night when they first started this training. How would he perform?

Ron heard that Neville had shown amazing talent in this training, and that he and the crazy girl from Ravenclaw seemed to be the best performers in the class, even surpassing Harry, who was a genius Seeker. This result surprised many people, but it also proved that Professor Blaine's vision was indeed amazing. He must have seen something long ago, otherwise he would not have chosen them as teaching assistants for this class.

"Maybe I can surprise someone too," Ron encouraged himself, trying to convince himself that it wasn't all that scary.

"It's just a Quidditch match, only there are a lot of running balls."

Hermione's crisp voice rang out, instantly clearing Ron's mind of all sorts of chaotic thoughts.

call!

As Ron sprinted, he ignored the howling wind in his ears. All his attention was focused on the armored figures on either side, which were poised to throw. His intense concentration and determination gave him a level of observation he didn't usually possess. He noticed that the moment he crossed the starting line, an armored figure forty feet to his right made the first move!

Okay, stay calm, no need to rush to run away!

Ron suddenly remembered Hermione's warning. He stared wide-eyed at the armor's movements, watching as the armored arm swung forward.

I can dodge it!

Ron was overjoyed to be able to see the armor being thrown. Although the armor's arm was swinging so fast that it left afterimages in the air, he could still barely make out what it was!

Stay calm, there's no need to rush to avoid it!

Ron, his body still suspended in mid-air, reminded himself again, but a look of joy appeared in his eyes, and he even seemed to be eagerly hoping that the dung ball would come.

Behind the starting line, silently watching Ron, whose attention was completely drawn to the big dung beetle on the right, and whose body even shifted direction, they all pursed their lips and their eyes flashed with sympathy.

call out!

The moment the dung ball left the armored hand, Ron's unconscious joy froze instantly, replaced by utter horror!

too fast!

Being able to capture the trajectory of the armored arm's swing didn't mean he could capture the trajectory of the dung ball's flight. The dung ball that was thrown appeared ten feet in front of him to the right almost the instant it left the armored palm. As for how it crossed the previous thirty feet of space, Ron didn't see it at all.

Ron completely forgot what Hermione had told him at that moment. His instincts completely dominated his body and mind. The instant his feet touched the ground, Ron used all his strength to jump to the left front!

Sa!

Ron felt he had unleashed his potential at this moment, but the dung ball coming from his right front still grazed his side. But that didn't matter, he dodged it, didn't he?

boom!

Ron was just celebrating his success when he was shocked to find that everything in his field of vision had been strangely distorted, and his body seemed to have lost its balance.

Ugh!

It wasn't until he crashed heavily onto the hard floor, the unbearable swelling and pain in his calves, and the stench of excrement bursting in his nostrils, that Ron realized he had just been hit.

What happened? I clearly dodged it!

As Ron clutched his leg and howled in pain, this perplexing thought flashed through his mind.

“I already told you, Ron--”

Hermione raised her wand to stop the armor, and Harry walked over with a sympathetic look, bent down and said to Ron,

You need to be observant and attentive to your surroundings.

Chapter 678 Subtle Changes

2024-01-06

"vomit!"

With a violent vomiting sound, Ron collapsed heavily to the ground, unable to get up. Harry glanced at his watch; exactly twenty minutes had passed since Ron began his evasion drill.

Compared to the beginning, Ron looked much more miserable. He was soaked in the stench of the dung balls, and vomit dripped from the corners of his mouth onto the ground. Ron tried his best to avoid the disgusting liquid, but the swelling and pain in many parts of his body almost deprived him of his ability to move. Lying on the ground, he could do nothing but convulse.

Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with more admiration than sympathy. After all, Ron's miserable state reminded them of the early days of their training.

It's time to stop here—

Hermione and Harry exchanged a glance and reached an agreement. They walked over to Ron, and Hermione pulled out her wand and pointed it at Ron, who was lying on the ground with a bruised and swollen face, covered in sweat.

"Clean up!"

Immediately afterwards, it was as if an invisible eraser swept across Ron's body, removing all the grime from him. However, this magic couldn't completely clean Ron up; his clothes were still soaked with sweat.

“Come on, Ron—”

Harry carefully helped the nearly unconscious Ron to his feet, then half-squatted behind Ron, put his hands under Ron's armpits to support Ron's body, and slowly dragged him to a row of chairs neatly stacked against one wall of the classroom, which Hermione had summoned with a summoning charm.

"How are you feeling, Ron?"

Harry held Ron's shoulder, making sure Ron was seated and not slumped down. He asked with concern, but Ron, who was almost delirious, only mumbled something unintelligible.

"Have some water, it'll make you feel better--"

Hermione aimed her wand at Ron's pale lips and summoned a small stream of water. As the slightly cool spring water flowed into his throat, Ron finally seemed to regain some consciousness and was able to open his mouth and swallow the water on his own.

"Whoosh. Hiss--"

Ron's panting sounded like a broken bellows being pulled rapidly, and each breath pulled at his muscles. Stimulated by the throbbing pain, his numb nerves became increasingly sensitive, causing him to grimace in pain.

"How am I doing?"

Two minutes later, Ron was able to control his movements to some extent. He nodded to Harry, indicating that he no longer needed to hold him, then tilted his head back and placed his back and the back of his head on the armrest of the chair, asking in a soft, mosquito-like voice.

“Fantastic!” Harry exclaimed.

To be honest, if it were the old Ron, even if he didn't immediately give up after experiencing how powerful those dung balls were, he would have complained bitterly or threatened to quit immediately after training. But now, his first question was about his performance, which surprised both Harry and Hermione.

"You've impressed me, Ron!"

Hermione brushed aside the stray strands of hair in front of her eyes, smiled, and spoke candidly to Ron.

Harry and Hermione's praise, however, did not make Ron ecstatic. He merely smiled weakly and then shook his head slightly.

"This is insane. I can't believe how you guys have managed to keep going. It's a miracle that there haven't been any injuries or fatalities in PE class so far with this crazy training method."

"The key is--"