Although George's spellcasting looked a bit over-the-top, the spell itself wasn't bad, even if the speed left something to be desired.
However, his aim was definitely off.
The target was a fixed one only ten meters away, yet George's disarming spell still missed it.
"What are you doing, putting on a comedy show?" Alex stared at George, clearly annoyed.
"Why are you casting spells in such a weird posture?"
"Uh..." George scratched his head, embarrassed. "I thought it would look cooler this way, and my center of gravity feels more stable. I've seen lots of duelists in magic books stand like this."
"If that's how you fight, no wonder you keep getting beaten! Stop reading those silly books all the time."
Alex shook his head, then called out, "Cedric, come here and try it. Use the disarming spell!"
"Yes, Professor," Cedric replied.
Seeing George getting scolded so harshly, he couldn't help but chuckle quietly.
Since the Weasleys were his neighbors, he knew well about Alex's relationship with them.
"Expelliarmus!"
Cedric cast the spell more naturally this time, standing with his legs apart and aiming his wand directly forward.
Although his spell fell a bit short, it hit the lower part of the target.
When the round target was struck, the number "2" flashed in the center, lit up for two seconds before fading away.
Cedric looked a bit puzzled but smiled back at Alex, hoping for some praise since he'd hit the target.
However, Alex frowned.
"Cedric, not many of your people have upgraded the Disarming Curse to level 3, so why is your accuracy so poor? You only scored a 2-ring on a target just 10 meters away?"
"What? Didn't I hit it?" Cedric asked, confused.
Cedric hadn't expected to be reprimanded by Alex instead of praised.
"Just hitting the target is the bare minimum," Alex said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Let me explain. Each target is divided into ten rings, with the first ring on the outside and the tenth ring right in the center. It's really not acceptable to only hit the second ring on a target that's 10 meters away."
"Uh... I'm sorry, Professor. I was wrong," Cedric admitted quietly, lowering his head in embarrassment.
Unlike the energetic twins, Cedric was a true Hufflepuff, calm, honest, and hardworking.
"It's not your fault. Don't apologize for mistakes that aren't really mistakes," Alex replied gently. "It's just that I'm a bit concerned about the quality of your previous defense against the dark arts classes. If your accuracy is this poor, others must be even worse. And it's obvious you haven't had any training in combat spellcasting. Your stance when casting spells is also a major problem."
"Alright, everyone, gather around," Alex called out, stepping into a shooting stance himself. "Magic like the Disarming Charm is meant for real battle situations, so your shooting posture is very important."
He continued, "I'll explain it clearly and show you again."
The young wizards quickly gathered, eyes fixed on the professor as he turned his body, placing his right foot forward and left foot back.
"In combat, the first priority is to stay stable. The second is to minimize your target area. I'll teach you the simplest stance first."
"Stand sideways, with your dominant hand in front, and keep your eyes on the target at all times."
"Your movements when casting and withdrawing your wand need to be smooth and precise. Unless you're casting spells continuously, don't keep your arm stretched out."
Alex then demonstrated with a quick shot, a click followed by a swift stop.
"Raising your hand is a forward swing, and bringing it back is a backward swing. The key to casting quickly is to shorten the time spent swinging your arm back and forth as much as possible."
At the same time, this approach makes it easier to make quick adjustments, just like George does.
Taking a full second or two to cast a spell? That's basically asking for trouble!
Everyone nodded thoughtfully, while George scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
He had always thought his fighting style looked pretty cool.
Alex continued, "So, you need to fire the spell quickly. To make sure your aim is steady, your hands have to be as still as possible and raised level with your shoulders.
Once your accuracy gets better, then you can think about simplifying your movements."
"Except for your wand!" he added with a grin.
After explaining everything, Alex cast the spell three times in rapid succession.
Each spell was so clean and fast it almost left afterimages in everyone's eyes.
The three disarming spells flew almost in a straight line.
The first hit a target ten meters away in an instant, knocking it down to clear the way for the next spells.
Then came the second target at thirty meters, followed by the third at fifty meters.
All three circular targets were hit almost simultaneously, and each bullseye showed a perfect ten.
"Wow..." Everyone was amazed by Alex's smooth and dazzling attack moves.
They looked incredibly impressive.
But Alex wasn't finished.
"After you attack, don't just stand there watching what happens. Your first reaction should be to dodge or find cover immediately."
He went on, "I'll explain dodging in detail when we go over fighting techniques, and then I'll show you how to dodge behind a bunker and cast spells while crouching."
With that, Alex stepped on a button by the shooting position, and a wooden plank about half a person's height slid up from the ground.
He quickly crouched down behind it and lowered his head slightly.
"When you're hiding behind cover, try to make sure it fully shields you. Stay alert and keep your movements quick and neat, this is the best way to reduce your chance of getting hit."
"As for attacking from cover, it's similar to standing up. Just be careful not to expose too much of yourself, strike quickly, and then dodge right away. Don't get greedy trying to finish the fight too fast."
After explaining, Alex peeked out from behind the bunker, scanned the area quickly, and dropped back down just as fast.
Alex stood up again, this time stepping out with half of his chest exposed.
He quickly raised his wand, cast a spell, and then immediately ducked behind cover.
Peeking up once more, he leaned forward to cast another spell.
He repeated this back-and-forth motion three times, firing the Disarming Charm each time with precision.
Just like before, every spell hit a perfect score of 10 on the target rings.
Watching Alex's smooth and professional demonstration, everyone's jaws dropped in surprise.
The word that ran through their minds was simply "professional."
It was clear that his movements were practiced and precise.
Had they really learned such expert tactics?
Alex then addressed the group.
"Alright, I've explained the basic spell-casting postures. Now it's time to practice. From here on, each of you will cast the Disarming Charm three times while standing in the standard position. Then, you'll crouch and perform three sequences of concealment, observation, and shooting."
He paused briefly before continuing, "Also, the round target in front of you will only fall if you score 7 or above. When it falls, it reveals a farther target behind it.
We'll start with the closest one at 10 meters. I want to see who's the first to hit the 50-meter target!"
Following Alex's instructions, the third-year students quickly took their places, filling all 30 shooting spots in no time.
After seeing Alex's demonstration, they were eager to try it themselves.
Those waiting for their turn stood patiently behind the shooters.
Each student, after casting two spells at six different stations, gave up their spot and moved to the back of the line.
Meanwhile, Alex didn't rest. He patrolled behind the shooters, carefully correcting mistakes and making sure everyone learned the fundamental fighting stances.
For today, accuracy wasn't the main focus; the priority was mastering the basic postures.
If their aim wasn't perfect yet, more practice would fix that.
After two rounds of shooting, everyone began to get the hang of it.
Their speed and accuracy improved significantly, and some even managed to spot the 30-meter target.
Finally, after more practice, the first student hit the 50-meter target.
"Well done, Cedric," Alex praised.
Alex walked up behind Cedric and gave his shoulder a reassuring pat.
"Your stance and accuracy have improved a lot. Keep up this momentum and keep working hard. I hope you'll be able to hit the 50-meter target soon."
"Thank you, Professor!" Cedric replied.
It was no surprise he was so thrilled. Alex had always been strict, so earning his approval was a big deal.
Inspired by Cedric's success, the other young wizards around them grew even more eager, hoping to get Alex's recognition too.
Just as everyone was getting excited, Alex called a halt to the practice.
"Let's take a break. The first class is about to start."
The kids groaned in protest, clearly disappointed to be cut off so soon.
"Wait, that's it? Aren't we supposed to have two classes back to back? Can't we practice a bit more?"
Alex smiled gently.
"There'll be plenty of chances to shoot targets in the future. This shooting range will be open to the whole school soon."