Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Flying Lessons
After the second week of the new term, just before the Quidditch team trials, the first-year wizards finally began their flying lessons.
During this time, Harry had become well-known due to his fame. As Eisen had expected, Snape disliked Harry for some reason and took every opportunity to deduct points from Gryffindor.
Snape's behavior made him the most despicable professor in the eyes of the trio. Additionally, Professor Quirrell, who wore a large turban emitting a foul garlic odor, was also difficult for the young wizards to tolerate.
Although Quirrell claimed that his turban was a gift from an African prince for ridding him of a zombie, no student believed this story. The Weasley twins even insisted that Quirrell's turban was stuffed with garlic.
On Thursday afternoon at three-thirty, the first-year students arrived at the flying lesson grounds. This flying lesson was shared between Gryffindor and Slytherin students.
Since they had just attended their Astronomy class the previous night, some students were still whispering as they made their way to the flying grounds.
Undoubtedly, the prospect of using broomsticks during the flying lesson prompted some students to discuss the possibility of flying to the moon.
"Ron, do you think broomsticks can fly to the moon?" Harry asked Ron directly, knowing that he came from a wizarding family.
"I don't know, but maybe Professor Dumbledore could do it!" Ron shrugged, even though he didn't believe anyone could actually achieve it, he still supported the notion that Dumbledore had such abilities.
"But you can't breathe in space!" Harry countered, clearly believing that even a great wizard like Dumbledore couldn't overcome the need to breathe.
"Maybe he could use magic to solve it, who knows?" Ron didn't know how to resolve the issue and could only speculate that Dumbledore might possess powerful magic to overcome the problem.
Regarding the flying lesson, Eisen was quite envious. He had never ridden a broomstick in his two lifetimes. Although he had flown on airplanes, it wasn't the same feeling.
Flying has always been a human desire. Eisen wanted to experience it, but he felt too self-conscious to try in front of the young wizards.
What if he lacked the aptitude for flying, like some of the students? He didn't want to embarrass himself in public. So, Eisen had to suppress his desire to ride a broomstick.
On the grounds, Hermione didn't exhibit her usual academic prowess, her flying ability was merely average. In contrast, Harry and Malfoy displayed outstanding flying talents.
After Malfoy snatched Neville's Remembrall and taunted him, he engaged in a broomstick chase with Harry, much to Hermione's frustration.
Unable to intervene, Madam Hooch instructed the students not to move while she took the injured Neville to the hospital wing. Consequently, Harry and Malfoy's flight display infuriated the rule-abiding Hermione.
Eisen, who was observing the flying lesson from a distance, couldn't help but applaud Harry's flying skills. In the wizarding world, a wizard's natural talent was evident, like Harry's flying ability or the Weasley twins' penchant for mischief.
Now, with his golden touch, Eisen believed he would eventually possess more "talents."
After a chase, Malfoy threw the Remembrall, but Harry successfully caught it before it hit the ground.
Delighted by his newfound flying talent, Harry didn't notice that Professor McGonagall had witnessed the entire incident.
"Harry Potter!" a voice interrupted Harry's elation.
"You could have broken your neck—"
Professor McGonagall wore a shocked expression, clearly astounded by the Gryffindor student's audacity but also impressed by Harry's remarkable flying ability.
"It wasn't his fault, Professor—"
Several Gryffindor students tried to defend Harry, believing Malfoy had instigated the situation. However, McGonagall didn't give them a chance to explain and promptly took Harry away.
As Eisen expected, McGonagall likely recognized Harry's flying talent and recommended him to Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain and Keeper.
Normally, first-year students were not allowed to join the Quidditch team, but due to Harry's exceptional talent, he was granted special permission to become a Seeker.
The Seeker's responsibility within the Quidditch team was to locate and catch the Golden Snitch. Doing so would not only earn 150 points but also immediately end the game.
However, thinking about Quidditch, the wizarding world's "football sport," sparked some thoughts in Eisen's mind, particularly regarding his golden touch.
For instance, in Quidditch, there were four balls on the field. One, about the size of a soccer ball, called the "Quaffle," was passed between the Chasers and didn't move on its own.
Additionally, there were two slightly smaller iron balls called "Bludgers." These could fly around the pitch aggressively, potentially knocking players off their brooms. The smallest ball was the Golden Snitch.
Eisen wondered if the Bludgers and the Golden Snitch possessed magical properties. He pondered whether extracting similar magic properties from different magical objects would yield the same or different characteristics.
Furthermore, he questioned whether the same magic properties could be repeatedly extracted and fused together.
For example, if Eisen acquired multiple wands from Ollivander's, could he replicate their wand properties and fuse them into his finger, gradually increasing the compatibility and amplifying the potency of his spells?
If this approach didn't work, could he repeatedly fuse similar properties from different magical objects? For instance, could he combine the flight properties of broomsticks, Bludgers, and the Golden Snitch, potentially increasing speed and maneuverability?
These thoughts excited Eisen, but unfortunately, his golden touch could only grant him one miraculous property per year, limiting his ability to conduct extensive experiments.
For now, Eisen planned to address his weaknesses rather than compound similar properties. However, he could verify his theories.
With this in mind, Eisen approached the flying lesson grounds.
"Hermione, come with me for a moment," he called to Hermione while the students waited for Madam Hooch.
"Professor Eisen!" Hermione's expression became conflicted, unsure whether to follow Madam Hooch's instructions to remain or obey Eisen.
After a brief hesitation, she approached Eisen.
"How was the flying lesson?" Eisen decided to use this as a conversational entry point.
"Not great, Professor. I've realized my flying talent isn't as good as Harry's!" Hermione, usually the academic achiever in subjects like Charms, Potions, and Transfiguration, felt a tinge of disbelief upon discovering Harry's superior flying ability.
"Haha, well, there's nothing to be done about that. Harry has perfectly inherited his father's flying talent," Eisen understood Hermione's reaction. For a top student to suddenly find a classmate excelling in an area where she struggled could be a jarring experience. However, he offered an explanation.
"Did you need something, Professor?" Perhaps sensing the awkward timing, Hermione didn't pursue the matter further and instead inquired about Eisen's purpose.
"Oh, right, could I see your wand for a moment?" After stating his request, Eisen felt his face flush slightly. For any wizard, their wand was an extremely personal and important possession.
"Thank you!" Fortunately, being Muggle-born, Hermione wasn't overly sensitive about the matter. Or perhaps it was because of Eisen's status as a Hogwarts professor. Although slightly confused, she retrieved her wand from her robes and handed it to Eisen.
"Discover Extraordinary Trait - Excellent Spellcasting Proficiency. Consume one Miracle Trait to replicate?"
As expected, seeing the window appear, Eisen realized he could replicate the spellcasting proficiency from different wands using his Miracle Trait.
Feeling the ten-and-a-half-inch vine wood wand, Eisen sensed the magic flowing somewhat stiffly, but it was evident that he could replicate this proficiency.
However, perceiving the impact on the magic flow, Eisen became thoughtful. It seemed that compatibility didn't necessarily correlate with being an excellent-level wand.
"A vine wood wand, very impressive!" Eisen remarked, returning the wand to Hermione.
"Thank you, Professor Eisen." Hermione didn't know why, but she still thanked him.
(end of chapter)
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