"First of all, before I get into the actual content of Defense Against the Dark Arts, I want to ask you a little question..."
In the center of the Room of Requirement, Maka stood in front of the group of interested little wizards and calmly began his first speech.
"...Yes, in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, we will use many interesting and effective spells. And most of those spells we learned in Professor Flitwick's Charms class," he said loudly , "Yes, I, like everyone else, received Professor Flitwick's kind and pleasant teachings."
"So, can anyone explain to you - Defense Against the Dark Arts class and Charms class, what is the biggest difference between the spells learned in these two courses?"
Before Maka could finish her words, Hermione immediately raised her arms high.
"Okay, Miss Granger—"
"When we learn spells in Charms class, the focus is on the spells themselves; but when we learn spells in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, the focus should be on practical applications!"
Hermione answered Maka's question eloquently and seemed to feel very confident about the question.
"Exactly," Maka smiled and nodded at her, "If this was a formal lesson, I think I should give Gryffindor some points—"
When he said this, many little wizards burst into laughter, among which the twin brothers of the Weasley family obviously laughed the loudest.
"I believe everyone has heard it," Maka continued, "And now, the reason why I am invited to everyone is to help everyone fill the gap caused by Umbridge's incompetence..." When everyone heard this , smiled even more cheerfully, "So, this is a Defense Against the Dark Arts class, not any other class."
"Therefore, I will not teach you very theoretical things. What we will always consider here is something more direct and effective... but it must also be dangerous!"
At this point, the little wizards in front of Maka were all affected by his increasingly serious tone, and the smiles on their faces gradually cooled down.
"...I think that as Hogwarts grows year by year, everyone must have felt it. There are various dangers around us. So I hope that everyone will be aware of the dangers at every gathering in the future. We must clearly remind ourselves that what we are doing is no longer just a class, but a training for self-preservation and protection!"
"Our purpose is to fully grow ourselves while sweating over and over again to face the various difficulties we will encounter in life. And this process will definitely not be easy and pleasant. .”
Seeing Maka speaking so seriously, everyone started to murmur in their hearts. But Maka's power is well known to everyone. When he changes from his usual calmness and becomes serious, even the most irritated students don't dare to say any nonsense.
"Okay, then, next, I will teach you a very useful little magic spell -" Maka took out an ordinary magic wand from her waist and waved it at a constant speed with an extremely stable technique, "The spell leaves a shadow." .”
When a simple mantra ended, everyone found that nothing seemed to have happened.
"This is a spell I created myself, and its function is actually very boring, but it can help us conduct spell casting training more effectively -" Maka smiled and said, "Watch it - float into the air!"
While he was speaking, a levitating spell was revealed in an ordinary way, and a bookshelf on the opposite wall floated a few inches above the ground.
At first, everyone's eyes were attracted to the bookshelf. They thought this floating spell would have some amazing effects! But after a while, no one noticed any difference.
Well, apart from the fact that the bookshelf floats extremely stably, it is indeed just an ordinary floating spell.
"Don't look over there," Maka said, "look over here, over here -"
At Maka's reminder, the little wizards turned their heads one after another, and then they all showed doubts on their faces.
They all saw it - in front of the tip of Maka's staff, there was a curved trace, emitting clear blue fluorescence.
"As Professor Flitwick often reminds us, in order to cast a spell correctly, you need to remember three key elements - the chanting of the spell, the waving of the wand and clear imagination. And the little spell I just showed , which allows us to clearly display the trajectory of the tip of the wand while casting a spell."
"The trajectory of the tip of the stick?" one student repeated subconsciously.
"Yes, the trajectory of the tip of the wand!" Maka nodded, "Everyone should know that compared with transformation, the casting of magic is relatively free. Including the tone of the mantra chanting and the waving trajectory of the wand, everything can be There is a degree of transformation, because the most important aspect of casting a spell is imagination."
"But here today - especially on Defense Against the Dark Arts, I want to tell you one thing," he said with a very certain tone, "Every spell has its best chanting standards and the best wand wave path."
"...I remember Professor Flitwick once said that we should try our best to record the successful wand swings and chants with our own bodies." Hermione couldn't help but say.
"Well," Maka smiled at her and said, "standardizing and optimizing each spell has two major benefits. First, it allows us to shorten the spell casting time as much as possible; second, it is beneficial to We conduct various subsequent 'validation' trainings."
"In an actual wizard duel, if your spells can be even a little faster than your opponent's, it will become a powerful advantage for you."
Maka said, dropped the bookshelf back to the ground, and then dispersed the floating spell. But then, he cast the next floating spell again.
When the two trajectory patterns were arranged side by side, everyone couldn't help but sigh softly - the two patterns were exactly the same, without the slightest difference.
"Okay, that's it for now about the wand waving trajectory. You can practice it anytime and anywhere in the future. I will post the incantation, counter-spell and waving trajectory of the little magic wand at the end together with the information related to other magic spells. For everyone. Next, we will immediately enter the first training content-"
"...M, er... Professor Maclean?" Hermione suddenly raised her hand.
"What's the matter, Miss Granger?" Maka asked.
"Is this... too fast?" Hermione couldn't help but remind, "As far as I know, the content just mentioned is enough for us to practice for a long time..."
"I understand what you mean," Maka nodded and said, "However, this is not a formal lecture, and we obviously don't have much time to gather here. Therefore, we should cherish every minute as much as possible. Second!"
He paused and then continued: "I know that just what I just mentioned is almost equivalent to asking everyone to learn all the magic spells again. This task is very heavy. But I don't want you to do this. It was completed before we gathered together for the first time - it will definitely be a long-term struggle!"
"But for our training, it is a foundation. I believe that everyone present signed their names on the list based on their own will, and everyone also has their own reasons. But since everyone takes the initiative Once we stand here, I believe everyone will do their best for this.”
"Then," Maka reorganized her thoughts and said again, "our first training content is reaction ability training."
“It is undoubtedly very important to be able to respond promptly and calmly when faced with unexpected situations. Depending on the actual situation, this may help you avoid a stone hitting your toes. , it may also help you quickly counterattack the dark wizard's sneak attack... and it may even save you from seeing the smile of death!"
"so-"
Maka had just said this, and before she saw him make any move, she saw a large piece of the ceiling above the little wizards' heads falling down extremely suddenly.
A small number of students with keen senses immediately screamed and rushed to the side, but the vast majority of people only discovered the sudden change in the situation when the screams started.
Just when the ceiling was about to touch the heads of some tall people, it suddenly stopped falling. Looking at the little wizards who were so frightened that they sat on the floor, Maka smiled and shrugged.
"If it was a real attack just now, you should understand what will happen." He waved his hand and put the ceiling back on top. "Please don't relax. Voldemort is watching every inch of the British wizarding world. We need to remain vigilant wherever we are.”
When he mentioned Voldemort's name unabashedly, most of the young wizards' expressions tightened, and the students who were sitting on the floor quickly got up.
"Just now, Miss Granger, Mr. Potter, Brother Weasley, Miss Zhang, Miss Lovegood, and...Mr. Longbottom," Maka paused for a moment every time she announced a name. , "You did a great job, you all made very timely dodges! Especially Fred and George, when you left right under the ceiling, you also took Ginny with you - I have to say, you Beautifully done!”
"Oh - yes," Ginny, who had just stood up from the floor, said with some emotion, "Thank you, George, Fred..."
"It's okay, it's a piece of cake!" Fred said with a smile.
"That's right, if mom knows that we failed to protect you, we will be in trouble!" George said with a smile, "Also, I'm George, don't look at Fred calling my name. !”
"Don't listen to him!" Fred chuckled, "I am George, you recognized me right!"