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Looking at the students with clear eyes below the stage, Sagres concealed a trace of fatigue deep within his gaze and began his explanation. His pace was unhurried, every word crystal clear:
"Today, we will master three basic spells: the disarming spell, Expelliarmus; the movement-restricting spell, Petrificus Totalus; and Stupefy, which renders opponents unconscious."
As he spoke, he waved his wand, and a cunning streak of spell-light, like a silver snake, shot through the crowd, striking an empty chair in the corner.
To the students' gasps, the chair twisted and deformed, transforming in the blink of an eye into an armored knight holding a gleaming longsword.
It strode heavily across the oak floor, rudely pushing aside the crowd, and charged fiercely toward Sagres!
A strange, focused light flickered in the students' eyes, and even the observing professors couldn't help but widen their own.
"Expelliarmus!" Sagres thrust his wand forward sharply, and a fierce red light shot out, striking the armored knight in the distance.
Clang!
The knight's longsword flew from his hand with a clatter, spinning as it went.
"Key points: a clear target, firm intention. Imagine the opponent's weapon as a foreign object that must be stripped away. Concentrate your magic at one point, rather than dispersing it."
His voice remained calm as he waved his wand again.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
A grayish-white beam instantly struck the target, and the knight's charging posture froze mid-motion, like a statue cast in steel, rigidly fixed in place.
"The key to Petrificus Totalus lies in the purity and intensity of the 'binding' intention. Imagine magic permeating the target like frost, solidifying the opponent's limbs."
Immediately after, his wand made a crisp, decisive downward slash.
"Stupefy!"
A thick blue beam of light slammed into the petrified knight.
Boom!
The armored knight was blasted backward, crashing heavily to the ground, motionless.
"This spell requires a clear 'termination' will to be infused. The force must be heavy, like a sledgehammer coming down. At the same time, pay attention to the stability of the magic output; it's not about being as strong as possible."
In the time that followed, Sagres meticulously explained the subtle changes in lip shape for each pronunciation, the precise angle of each wrist movement, the delicate path of magic flowing within the body, and even the unique feeling of magic and will perfectly aligning at the moment a spell succeeded...
All of these details were forcibly imprinted into the students' overworked minds. They absorbed everything greedily, like the most precise instruments, with only a cold and efficient focus remaining in their eyes.
Half an hour later, Sagres finally lowered his wand.
"The theoretical explanation is complete."
His clear, cold voice pulled everyone back slightly from that state of extreme calmness.
"Now, let's begin practical application." His wand flicked again, and a row of heavy oak chairs at the edge of the Great Hall silently transformed into practice dummies holding short sticks.
They moved with stiff steps, automatically dispersing across the area.
"Two people per group, partner up. Start with Expelliarmus, taking turns casting the spell," Sagres said as he walked. "Concentrate, and strictly follow the key points I just mentioned. I will patrol and guide."
The Great Hall immediately filled with a chorus of slightly unpracticed incantations: "Expelliarmus!"
Scattered flashes of red light began to flicker.
At first, many beams missed their targets or fizzled out weakly. But soon, as the students carefully followed the perfectly clear "operation guide" imprinted in their minds, successful disarmaments grew more and more frequent.
The clink of short sticks being knocked away merged into a continuous rhythm, echoing crisply through the Great Hall.
Professor Flitwick stood to the side, eyes wide, his small body trembling slightly with excitement—he had taught for decades and had never seen so many young wizards master a new spell in such a short time!
Of course, not everyone succeeded smoothly; a few students repeatedly failed, their short sticks remaining firmly in place before them. But this astonishing overall success rate was already enough to overturn his understanding of teaching speed.
Meanwhile, Sagres moved silently among the practicing students like a shadow.
When he noticed an obvious problem, he would stop, offer concise guidance, or directly call out a name, asking other students to correct it.
Yes, the students were now capable of becoming teachers themselves, and this was also the purpose of working in pairs.
"Cedric," Sagres's voice was calm, "point out your partner's problem."
"His wrist angle needs to be raised, Professor," Cedric immediately replied.
Sagres turned to Cedric's partner. "Did you hear that, Mr. Jones?"
"Yes, Professor!" Jones quickly adjusted his posture, and the red light that burst from his wand was indeed much steadier than before.
"Hmm.."
Sagres then walked toward the Ravenclaw area.
Not far away, Astoria Greengrass's wand tip was straining to produce a thin, weak red thread, which fizzled into the air after flying less than three meters.
"Analyze the reason, Astoria," Sagres's voice came at just the right moment.
"My magic output isn't stable enough, Professor."
"Then what's the solution?"
"When casting the spell, my will must be absolutely firm," she answered seriously.
Sagres nodded and continued to patrol among the crowd.
Harry and Ron were paired together.
Harry could already consistently knock the short sticks from the dummies' hands, but although Ron's spell light struck the dummy, the short stick in its hand remained unmoved.
"Mr. Potter," Sagres's gaze fixed on Harry, "analyze Mr. Weasley's mistake."
"It's a target deviation, Professor! Expelliarmus is meant to disarm a threat, not cause damage."
Sagres gave a slight nod. "Do you understand, Mr. Weasley?"
"Yes, Professor!" Ron took a deep breath, refocusing his gaze on the short stick.
Sagres then turned his attention to Hermione and her partner, Neville.
Hermione's Expelliarmus was already quite condensed and powerful, but Neville's wand tip produced only a few scattered sparks.
"Miss Granger, point out your partner's problem."
"His wand movement isn't decisive enough, Professor; it needs to be a clean, sharp thrust, not a sloppy one."
Upon hearing this, Neville immediately adjusted his movements, trying to imitate the precise motion he pictured in his mind.
Finally, Sagres arrived at the Slytherin area.
Goyle's clumsy movements and weak spell effects stood out noticeably in the crowd, and his partner was Malfoy.
"Mr. Malfoy, analyze your partner's mistakes."
"Wrong target. Expelliarmus is meant to disarm, not repel the opponent. Your movement is deformed—power should be concentrated in the instant burst of the wrist, not by swinging your entire arm like a club. Your will is chaotic—hesitation and fear severely weaken the spell's effect..."
"Mr. Goyle, do you understand?" Sagres's gaze shifted to Goyle.
Goyle nodded sullenly.
Everyone's guidance was as precise as a surgeon's knife—brief, direct, and straight to the point. There were no superfluous emotions or chatter; the efficiency was astonishing.
Even those who failed were able to correct themselves by relying on the perfect memory template imprinted in their minds while in the "Mechanical Mind" state, and the results showed immediately.
The golden glow of the setting sun streamed through the high windows, casting long shadows across the polished floor.
The Great Hall was already filled with a dense array of spell-light and the crisp clatter of wooden sticks striking the floor. The repeated incantations of Expelliarmus rose and fell, and even the youngest first-year students, after several attempts, were able to knock the short sticks from the dummies' hands.
Soon after, Sagres announced the start of the practical session for Petrificus Totalus and Stupefy. With the successful foundation built on Expelliarmus, the students' rate of mastery accelerated significantly.
Although the spells were different, they shared subtle commonalities in magic control, willpower, and the essentials of movement.
Some quick-witted students, by comparing the differences in casting techniques, were able to grasp the essence of the new spells even faster.
Even more interestingly, some students who had previously struggled with Expelliarmus suddenly realized their mistakes while practicing the other two spells. They immediately applied these insights back into their earlier practice, achieving self-correction.
Sagres stood to the side, watching the orderly scene, a faint flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.
Four hours of class passed in an instant.
When Sagres lightly raised his wand, silently withdrawing the "Mechanical Mind" that enveloped the hall, an indescribable, bone-deep fatigue instantly swept over the students.
It felt as though the mental framework that had been supporting their efficiency had suddenly been stripped away; many swayed involuntarily, letting out low groans.
A buzz of discussion rose in the Great Hall, while the professors exchanged astonished glances.
What caught the students even more off guard was that the spells they had just performed so skillfully now seemed like unfamiliar, unruly tricks.
They struggled to wave their wands, managing only a few pitiful sparks or a faint red glow—such a stark contrast to the fluid, precise casting they had shown before.