Among them, Ron, Harry, Neville, and Malfoy looked the most striking, almost like walking neon signs.
"Professor Wilson never told us these paintballs actually glow. Now we stand out more than magic lamps," Ron muttered in frustration.
"It's not like you're any better. Didn't you even try to dodge when Fang counterattacked? Your eyes look like two burning coals. It's hilarious," Malfoy chuckled, pointing at Ron's face.
"You're one to talk! You're just an idiot hiding behind us all the time. And your Christmas tree outfit? You should check yourself in the mirror before making fun of anyone!" Ron shot back, glaring.
Though they kept bickering after class, once inside the auditorium, they exchanged a few sharp words before parting ways with a grunt.
Still, the tension between the two groups had eased a bit compared to before, they didn't like each other, but it wasn't as harsh as it used to be.
Fred and George approached Harry and the others as soon as they sat down.
"Harry, what happened to you all? Why are you so covered in color after being out all afternoon?"
"It was the tactical training course this afternoon. Don't judge us by how messy we look, it was actually pretty fun," Harry said with a sheepish smile.
As Harry, Ron, and Neville shared the story of their class with their housemates, the eyes of all the Gryffindor students lit up with excitement.
"So the first class wasn't just training, they actually played games too?"
"That sounds way more exciting than our Defense Against the Dark Arts class. The smell of Professor Quirrell nearly made us pass out!"
George laughed, rubbing the colorful stains on Ron's face.
"I almost forgot, we have a training session tomorrow! I've hated that awful Fang for ages, and now he's even more irritating than Peeves. We're stuck dealing with him again."
Fred was getting ready too, grinning.
Yin chuckled.
"Well, you might have to keep those colorful marks all day. The professor said the stains from those paint balls only last three hours, but they're definitely not fading anytime soon. I think this toy's quality is pretty questionable!"
Luo En pushed George's hand away, annoyed, then complained in a chirpy voice.
George just shook his head calmly.
"Honestly, I think those paint balls are pretty fun. I'm definitely buying a bunch to play with over Christmas. We can show Ginny how cool they are."
"Haha, that's a great idea! Turns out Brother Alex is into making joke props too. Maybe we can team up with him and sell our stuff through Wilson's Arcane Alchemica," Fred suggested enthusiastically.
"Wait, you make those kinds of toys too?" Harry asked, surprised.
"Yep! Check this out," George said, pulling a box of sweets from his pocket. "These are 'fast-acting skipping class candies', tons of flavors. The best for slacking off. Like this one, Tutu candy: just one piece and you'll be sick for ages."
Harry shuddered, rubbing his back in disgust.
"But can these things even get past the Wilson's Arcane Alchemica Talisman?"
"Well..." George smiled sheepishly. "We didn't expect Brother Alex to come up with a silver glitter amulet."
"So what good are your nasty candies if they can't fool the amulet?" Ron rolled his eyes.
"We're still working on other products. Besides, we just can't get past the amulet yet. Maybe someday we'll figure out a way to trick the system," Fred muttered, sounding a bit frustrated.
"And do you really think Uncle Wilson will keep renewing the amulet just because you make new prank stuff? You don't honestly believe your little tricks will fool him, do you?" Ron shook his head, clearly unimpressed.
Seeing their brother's annoyed expression, George and Fred immediately started teasing him, sparking a playful argument.
Soon, the Gryffindor group enjoyed their dinner filled with laughter and jokes.
Later, back in the common room, Harry, Ron, Neville, and the others gathered around Hermione.
After their afternoon training session, everyone was eager to improve their magical skills.
Harry wanted to build on his strengths, Ron was determined not to let his abilities seem average, and Neville, whose biggest weakness was his sensitivity to magic, felt that strengthening his willpower was the most urgent task.
Hermione patiently answered all their questions, even though she could be bossy and quick to point out mistakes.
Despite that, everyone still approached her with smiles, eager to learn.
The younger students, who had only recently received their wands, struggled a bit since their bodies weren't yet used to channeling magic, and they weren't very skilled with spells.
After a night of practice, although everyone managed to cast the Levitation Charm a few times, none could claim they could do it perfectly every time.
The next morning, the third-year students, excited for their first class, walked toward the circular stone pile with smiles.
They had heard from the first-years that the first tactical training session was supposed to be easy.
"Today, I want to show Fang why the flowers look so red," George said with a mischievous grin as he pulled out a large dung bomb. "If there's a prank game later, I'm mixing this into the ammo and saving it for Fang to try."
"I brought one too!" Fred said, patting his bulging pocket proudly. "That jerk Fang yelled at us during morning exercise. He clearly doesn't know how powerful we are."
The two exchanged knowing smiles and quickened their pace, but when they reached the training ground, they found Alex waiting outside instead of leading them inside the "first training room" Harry had mentioned the night before.
"Hurry up! Your classes are packed today, don't waste time!" Alex said sharply, his cold expression urging them forward while the third-years looked on, confused but ready to follow.
"Professor, aren't we having classes indoors today?" Cedric Diggory, a friendly Hufflepuff student who knew Alex well, approached him with a smile. He was curious to hear what the freshmen had said earlier.
Alex gave him a blank look and replied, "Who told you classes were indoors? Not every year follows the same schedule.
You're in third year, why are you still playing house like first years?"
His words instantly cooled the mood.
George and Fred exchanged wry smiles, realizing their fun was over.
After checking that all third years were present, Alex waved them forward.
"Come on, follow me to the shooting range!"
He led the group a few steps away to a large, semi-open area near the ring stone pile.
The first thing everyone noticed was a row of waist-high compartments serving as shooting stations. There were at least thirty.
Across from them stretched a sandy field with simple round targets floating at distances of 10, 30, and 50 meters.
Once everyone had settled in, Alex looked around seriously.
"Today's first lesson is basic tactical offense and defense, focusing on shooting and parrying fixed targets."
At the mention of "shooting" and "parrying," everyone's eyes lit up.
They'd been a bit disappointed not to have had a chance to spar with Fang earlier, but this sounded like a great way to practice.
After all, at Hogwarts, once students learn spells, they rarely get to use them outside of class, especially defensive spells.
Casting them on a whim could even cost you points!
Alex then raised his clipboard and glanced at it.
"Based on your physical exam results, all third years have learned the 'Repelling Curse' and the 'Disarming Curse' in Defense Against the Dark Arts, right?"
"Yes, Professor," came the chorus of replies.
"But we don't get many chances to use these self-defense spells, so they feel a bit rusty," Lee Jordan, standing in the front row, nodded and said.
"Then it's time to brush them up today," Alex replied, lifting his head to scan the crowd. "I want to see how well you can actually cast your spells."
After speaking, he pointed to one of the twins and then aimed at a target about ten
On the shooting range.
"George, cast a disarming spell and aim for that target."
"Professor, I'm Fred, and he's George!" the twins said with a smirk, each tapping their own nose and then pointing at the other.
"Really?" Alex said sharply, staring at him.
"So today, your name is George. Any questions about that?"
"No... no," George answered, smiling awkwardly.
He gave his brother a puzzled look.
'Why does Brother Alex always manage to know exactly who we are?'
Fred didn't dare do anything except shrug helplessly at George.
George, who wanted to crack a joke but was clearly nervous, followed the order to move to the nearest shooting position.
He took an exaggerated step forward, stretched out his left hand, and raised his wand high.
"Except your arms!"
Then he swung his wand forward with force.