"Well... I wasn't really paying attention in class..." Harry's face flushed with embarrassment as he shamefully pushed his book over.
Yeah, Theo had already noticed that.
He flipped through Harry's textbook and sighed, "You're missing quite a lot in your notes, and you didn't capture the key points. How about this—"
He raised his hand and spoke louder, "Hey, guys!"
Everyone looked up at them.
"Harry needs to borrow everyone's notes," Theo said, then added, "if you're not using them right now."
"Okay—I feel pretty confident about Potions. Just return it to me before next Monday," Michael said, sending his Potions notes over with a Levitation Charm.
"Astronomy is my strength," Ryan said, not only lending his notes but also a book on the movement of celestial bodies.
"Um—" Neville also offered his notes. "For Herbology, I think Theo and I are about the same."
"No, Neville, you're doing even better," Theo said sincerely. "Professor Sprout always praises you."
Neville's face turned a bit red as he scratched the back of his head, smiling shyly.
"For History of Magic and Transfiguration, you can borrow my notes anytime," Hermione chimed in.
"That leaves Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts," Wade said, sending his notebooks over with a flick of his wand. He then added, "I'm guessing you also need some help learning how to write essays?"
Harry quickly nodded, stammering, "Yes! I... I'm not good at writing essays..."
Then, Theo leaned over and whispered to Harry, "Make sure you take good care of Wade's notes, especially for Defense Against the Dark Arts—his notes are more thorough and easier to understand than what Professor Quirrell covers in class."
"Thank you, Theo," Harry said gratefully.
"Don't mention it," Theo smiled kindly. "We're companions now, aren't we?"
...
"For the essay on the Softening Charm, you can approach it from these five aspects. For future essays, you can follow this format—brief introduction, historical background, development and changes..."
Wade spoke as he sketched a map on paper, starting with the title and outlining five sections for the essay's structure, with each section broken down into two or three smaller points.
No one had ever systematically taught Harry how to write an essay.
In fact, most students at Hogwarts never received any formal training on this. The smarter ones developed their own methods through repeated assignments, while the less capable ones either copied the work of others or cobbled something together to get by.
In Harry's previous public school, homework was mostly a formality; though they occasionally wrote essays, they were quite casual, with short word counts, and nothing like the feet-long essays that were regularly assigned at Hogwarts.
At that moment, listening to Wade's explanation, Harry felt a sudden clarity of thought, as if all the confusion and frustration he had been experiencing melted away.
With each point Wade outlined, corresponding ideas popped into Harry's mind. He suddenly understood how to approach and complete this kind of assignment. By the time Wade finished his explanation, Harry was almost impatient to put all his thoughts onto paper.
He even felt that the seven inches assigned by the professor wouldn't be enough to fit all the ideas he now wanted to express.
Of course, when he actually started writing, he realized that turning thoughts into a well-organized essay was still not easy, but it was much simpler than it had been before.
Next came the spell practice, which was far easier for Harry than essay writing. He naturally possessed a remarkable talent, and with only a little guidance from Wade, he demonstrated extraordinary magical aptitude and quick comprehension. He rapidly mastered the basic spells, leaving everyone but Wade astonished.
As his peers looked at him in admiration, Harry felt a deep sense of joy. It was as though his body had become light as air.
He pressed his lips together, trying not to appear overly proud, but the nervousness and unease he had felt when first entering the classroom—along with the shame he experienced when seeing everyone else's notes—were gone.
His bright green eyes shone with a new vitality and confidence.
—I'm really good at this.
Harry told himself.
...
Wade glanced at the clock; there was only half an hour left until curfew. He clapped his hands, and everyone practicing spells stopped.
"Everyone—" Wade addressed the group, "A few days ago, we had a bit of a run-in with Malfoy and his gang. While they were the ones who ultimately suffered, we took a few hits ourselves—"
His gaze lingered on Harry, Neville, and Hermione as he spoke.
"Then I realized something—knowing spells doesn't necessarily mean we can protect ourselves. If we lack combat skills and can't react quickly when attacked, we're still vulnerable."
"You mean—" Michael became excited, "We should train for combat skills?"
"No... we won't, right?" Padma suddenly seemed a little panicked.
Hermione hesitated for a moment, then became eager. "But what if we get hurt? The professors will deduct points!"
"Stop worrying about house points, Hermione, they're not that important—this is so cool!" Michael was almost bursting with anticipation. "Are we starting now, Wade?"
Wade observed everyone's reactions and then said:
"Of course, we can't just jump straight into it. I'm sure everyone knows at least a couple of minor hexes, but those shouldn't be used on your fellow members.
Healing them could be complicated, and we might even have to bother Madam Pomfrey. So, we need to master two basic defensive and offensive spells before sparring."
"What spells?" Harry asked eagerly.
Wade looked at him and said, "Disarming Charm and Shield Charm."
"Shield Charm?" Hermione said in surprise, "We don't learn that until fifth year!"
Harry was also shocked—mainly at the fact that Hermione knew what was in their fifth-year curriculum... She wouldn't have already read all the upper-year textbooks, right?
As for Wade... Harry wasn't even surprised anymore. At this point, if Wade said he could teach them Apparition, Harry would probably believe him without hesitation.
"Indeed, the Shield Charm is typically taught in fifth year because of its difficulty. I only just learned it myself a few days ago," Wade casually boasted before continuing.
"But it's extremely useful. It creates an invisible shield around your body that can deflect enemy spells. However, it's important to note that it won't protect you from very powerful spells."
Harry instinctively touched the scar on his forehead, and Neville pressed his lips together, looking equally serious.
"As for the Disarming Charm, or Expelliarmus, it can disarm your opponent by making them lose their wand—a very useful spell. Since most wizards haven't mastered wandless magic, losing their wand renders them almost powerless."
Wade twirled his wand in his hand before gripping it firmly and then looked at everyone. "Shall we start with the Disarming Charm?"
In the original story, Harry learned the Disarming Charm in his second year during the Duelling Club, though Lockhart mentioned it wasn't typically part of their curriculum at that stage.
Harry only learned the Shield Charm in his fourth year to prepare for the Triwizard Tournament, and in fifth year, he taught it to others in the DA (Hermione mastered it before Neville). So, the Shield Charm is definitely a spell that's introduced in fifth year at the earliest.
--------------------------------
🙏🙏Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!!
Your support is greatly appreciated!
Available on my P@treon page for just $4!!
Early access to the following translations:-
⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +64 Chapters & 2 Chapters/Day
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460
⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters
⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450
p@treon.com/Lightreaper457
--------------------------------