17 Chapter 17 Class dismissed.

Roger Davies was the only one hanging upside down, while the other students were just mentally uncomfortable, but he was physically uncomfortable. Seeing his face turning red due to blood rushing to his head, Flitwick quickly used a standard levitation spell to release them all. He almost ended up in Azkaban for attempted murder of a student...

Giving them some time to calm down, Flitwick casually dispelled the surrounding magic.

"I believe you've experienced a real battle. Please share your inner thoughts," Flitwick said, still sitting on the table, observing the students who looked at each other without speaking. So he decided to call on someone.

"Davies, I think you have a deeper understanding. Care to share some insights with your classmates?"

As Davies was called upon, his neck stiffened, and his flushed face paled slightly. He glanced around at the expectant gazes, confirming that no one would speak up for him. Then, hesitantly, he said, "Don't just stand there foolishly?"

"Exactly!" Flitwick nodded approvingly. "No matter how fast the opponent's magic is, its trajectory is straight, well, mostly straight. This means that effective movement can dodge most spells. Of course, if you foolishly run towards a spell, even Headmaster Dumbledore can't save you."

The students chuckled happily.

"But there's another issue here. Who can guess what it is?" Flitwick let the students laugh for a while before asking.

George was about to speak, but Fred covered his mouth. "Raise your hand, you idiot!"

Then, Fred raised his hand, much to George's incredulous gaze.

After getting a nod from Flitwick, he spoke up loudly.

"Professor, I think if we step on traps while running, it's as if we might as well have stayed still."

Flitwick applauded him approvingly.

"Exactly, battlefield situations are often complex. When we maneuver, we not only need to pay attention to our opponents but also to what's under our feet."

"Gryffindor gets five points. It seems both of you have ample experience in this," Flitwick said, nodding towards Fred and George, who proudly raised their heads, greeted by low laughter from their classmates.

At that moment, the bell for the end of class rang, and for the first time, the students felt annoyed by how disruptive it was. They wanted Professor Flitwick to share more about combat techniques.

"So cool!"

Teenagers in their puberty were full of eagerness to show off, eager to learn various combat skills now and replace Professor Flitwick, who had just faced multiple opponents alone, with themselves!

"All right, in this class, you've roughly grasped the four key points of combat: positioning, spellcasting speed, personal protection, and teamwork."

"But don't worry; we still have a year to learn these four skills. After a year, we can have another battle to test everyone's progress."

The students' morale immediately soared.

Conquer Hogwarts, capture Flitwick alive!

Flitwick was very pleased with the students' enthusiasm, but why did it seem like there were horns growing out of his head?

"First is the first key point—positioning. Your homework is to think about how to maneuver effectively and how to render your opponent's maneuvers ineffective."

"The next one is for those willing to use their brains. There will be a small special reward for good ideas." He flashed a standard professorial smile, adding a bit more anticipation for the students.

A few top students exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with a fervor hotter than the battle itself.

The reward from Professor Flitwick, they had to win it!

"So, all you need to do is write a paper about your ideas. There's no limit to the length, even if it's just a few words. But please note, it must be your own ideas."

No word limit was the sneakiest part. None of the students dared to submit a paper that was just a few words; they would always be worried about not having enough words. This way, they would end up writing longer and longer papers!

Flitwick clapped his hands, dispersing their reluctant emotions.

"All right, that's the end of class. Hurry up and go, don't be late for the next class."

The schedule at Hogwarts was tight, especially since the next class was Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration. They would rather be hanging upside down than be late for Transfiguration.

But Flitwick had some free time now. He only had to teach this one class today, so the rest of the time was his own.

Taking his copy of "Wizard Chess Basics," Flitwick leisurely walked through the castle toward the library.

The castle was much quieter as students were in class, with only occasional sounds of spellcasting coming from classrooms.

Likewise, there weren't many students in the library; there were always few students without classes, and even fewer who came to the library on the first day.

He didn't choose books on wizard chess; Hogwarts' oldest collections dated back thousands of years, and it would be a waste to study wizard chess here.

Instead, he picked up a book titled "Spellcasting Techniques".

Flitwick glanced briefly at the contents of the book. It was quite simple, covering various spellcasting techniques, similar to what he taught in class. The only unusual thing about this book was its age—it was written eight hundred years ago.

At that time, Hogwarts had only been established for two hundred years, and such ancient books were usually kept in special collections. If Flitwick weren't a professor, he wouldn't have been able to access it.

Finding a corner near the window, Flitwick began to read the book written in ancient magical script.

Indeed, Hogwarts' books were different.

Flitwick also found snippets about the four elements in this book. The author greatly praised the concept of the four elements but, after years of research, made little progress. They could only rely on their own understanding to write this introductory-level "Spellcasting Techniques." It included various aspects of the four elements but only had superficial insights. The only advantage was a particular statement: mastery of the four elements did not rely on ancient magic; it transcended magic and was closer to the source of magic itself.

No matter what method of spellcasting (at that time, there were various methods of spellcasting, with ancient magic being just one of the more common ones, as well as methods involving blood for spellcasting, among others), they were all composed of the four elements.

Flitwick didn't know if this included modern magic, but it did make things easier for him.

He had thought that learning about the four elements would also involve ancient magic.

After all, the reason ancient magic declined was because it was difficult to learn and master.

Even a seasoned scholar steeped in ancient magic for many years wouldn't dare to guarantee mastery of more than ten ancient spells.

It was like a Muggle trying to learn magic from textbooks; this method of spellcasting greatly restricted the number of wizards.

In ancient times, only those with exceptional talent could become a wizard.

So, although ancient magic was slightly more powerful, Flitwick had no desire to learn it.

After all, his skills no longer required the slight amplification that ancient magic offered; modern magic could achieve the same effects.

After spending an afternoon browsing through the entire book "Spellcasting Techniques" and searching the library, Flitwick didn't find any more valuable books.

So, when it was time for dinner, he left the library and headed to the Great Hall.

However, the students' attitudes towards him had done a complete 180-degree turn.

"Good afternoon, Professor Flitwick!"

"Hello."

Another unfamiliar student greeted him, and Flitwick, suppressing his confusion, nodded and smiled.

Just this morning, they were being critical of him, and now, in the afternoon, they were suddenly warm and polite?

Professor Flitwick didn't know when Professor Flavius appeared, but he patted Flitwick on the waist.

"Flitwick, I heard you hung up a class of students and fought them?"