Among the Young Wizards, Cho and Shabi performed the best, with their flying brooms eagerly leaping into their hands.
Then Nina, Audrey, Stebbins, and others, after several attempts, also managed to get their brooms to fly.
The less skilled ones, like Eddie, Julia, and Marietta, watched as their brooms rolled around on the ground like loaches amidst their shouts.
The sight was unbearable, and as for Karl's broom...
Well, it remained perfectly still, very stable.
Noticing the gazes of others, Karl decisively pretended to be nonchalant and used the Levitation Charm.
Silent, wandless, gestureless, Wingardium Leviosa.
After Karl caught the flying broom, Cho, Shabi, and Stebbins all looked a bit regretful.
What a pity; if his broom hadn't flown, they could have really mocked him.
Karl: (¬‿¬)
He slowly raised his other hand and lightly brushed his sleeve, as if removing non-existent dust.
It was a perfectly normal action, but combined with his expression, it made the other three feel mocked.
Merlin's beard! I want to hit someone!
While teasing Shabi, Cho, and Stebbins, Karl suddenly met a pair of eyes full of laughter.
Nina: ◕‿◕
"Shh~"
Karl put his index finger to his lips, signaling her not to expose him.
Unexpectedly, after Nina nodded with a smile, she shook the flying broom in her hand.
Karl: ...
Alright, alright, so you operate it this way too; great minds think alike, it seems.
Once everyone had called their flying brooms, Madam Hooch began to teach them how to take off.
"Everyone, be sure to pay attention to safety! Hold on tight! Do not let go! Clamp your legs tightly!"
"Get ready! When I blow the whistle, you will push hard off the ground with your legs, fly up a few feet, then lean your body slightly forward, and then drop straight back to the ground, understand?"
The Young Wizards were eager to try: "Understood!"
Karl: Although... why does this feel like learning to ride a bicycle back in the day?
"Whoosh--"
With a whistle, the Young Wizards began to ride their flying brooms, rising and falling on the grass.
The progress was as uneven as before.
Some could only hop around on their own two feet, while others quickly flew up, even occasionally exclaiming due to rising too high.
Karl's performance was not ideal; he was among the former, but because of his good physical condition, he jumped the highest.
Fire Treasure even manifested, pulling Karl's hair, flying upwards with all his might.
This action, besides making Karl wince in pain, primarily caused Nina to almost fall off her broom from laughter.
...
The following days passed peacefully, and the first-year Young Wizards had gradually adapted to school life and integrated into Hogwarts over two months.
After Flying Class began, Karl, in addition to the library, gained another frequent destination: the Quidditch pitch.
Cedric and Cho expressed particular incomprehension regarding his and Nina's flying skills and often called them to practice more.
The flying brooms they used were kindly sponsored by Prefect Judy, and because Cedric passed the Quidditchteam tryouts, she even gave him a Comet 1700.
At the same time, Prefect Judy claimed that this year's team configuration was the strongest in recent years and could fully aim for the championship.
The Hufflepuffs could only express their trust, then trust again, and then question after they lost.
"Steady! Land slowly!"
Under Cedric's guidance, Karl rode his flying broom and landed smoothly, without falling head over heels.
"Phew!"
Karl let out a long breath, feeling that this thing was even more exciting than a roller coaster.
Flying slowly was fine, but he genuinely couldn't handle maneuvers like nitro boosts, sharp turns, or spiral ascents and descents.
"The extra practice is very effective, Karl, your flying skills have improved a lot."
"Thanks, buddy, it's all thanks to you."
Cedric smiled and shook his head, "Let's stop here for today; it's time to go back and get ready for the Halloween feast."
This suggestion was unanimously approved by Cho, Karl, and Nina, especially since they had smelled the sweet, enticing aroma of roasted pumpkin that morning, not to mention their hunger now.
The four of them split into two groups on the spot and returned to their respective common rooms.
When Karl and Cedric arrived at the Great Hall, they found it adorned with colorful Halloween decorations everywhere.
Lights were strung, candles twinkled, and large groups of bats flew through the air, occasionally settling on the walls and ceiling.
Pumpkins of various sizes were carved with ghoulish noses, eyes, and mouths, and the Professors had placed magical flames of different colors inside the hollowed-out pumpkins, creating a very atmospheric feel.
When the feast began, all the Professors and Young Wizards started to enjoy the delicious food.
Compared to the Welcome Feast, there were many more pumpkin dishes, but everyone was equally satisfied with their meal.
And for Karl, what he was even more satisfied with was not having to sing the school song tonight.
After a grand feast, the four houses, led by their Prefects, departed.
As the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw groups passed each other, Karl and Nina exchanged a knowing glance.
...
In the early hours of the morning.
After Shabi and Stebbins were sound asleep, Karl used Vastayan Shurima Transformation to turn into a Jungle Cat.
Then he stealthily left the dormitory and the HufflepuffCommon Room, making his way into the Castle.
Only a few hours had passed since the Halloween feast, and in the quiet of the night, the decorative pumpkin heads and bats looked particularly terrifying in the dark, silent Castle.
Karl and Nina had agreed to go on a night stroll in the Forbidden Forest, planning to use their love to pacify the ferocious Acromantula.
However, the first-years from Ravenclaw and Gryffindorhad Astronomy Class tonight, which was why he was only acting now.
In his Jungle Cat form, Karl could not only see in the dark but also walk without making any sound.
He hid his small body in the darkness, moving along the corridor wall to the first-floor staircase to wait.
Class should be over by now, and Nina should arrive very soon.
Karl squatted on the steps, narrowing his eyes in a doze, his two upright ears twitching to monitor the surrounding movements.
The reason for doing this was to avoid seeing his uncontrollable, fluffy long tail; he always felt an urge to pounce on it and tear at it, as this thing was a built-in cat toy for felines.
Not long after, Karl suddenly heard a faint sound.
He opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the sound, seeing a cat on the stairs above.
Karl recognized it; it was Filch's beloved pet, a good helper in catching students who violated school rules, Madam Norris.
No way? His luck was a bit bad.
Madam Norris looked at Karl with a bewildered expression, clearly not understanding when another cat of her kind had appeared in the Castle.
Although many Young Wizards brought cats as pets to school, they kept them in their dormitories or common rooms and did not bring them into the Castle, let alone in the middle of the night.
After a brief moment of Stunned, Karl quickly meowed softly at Madam Norris.
He needed to calm this cat down first, lest she make a commotion and attract Filch.
However, right after he meowed, Madam Norrisimmediately became alert.
Karl suddenly remembered that cats don't communicate that way.
Oh no! He suffered from not knowing a foreign language!
o_o ....