Chương 82: Dealing with the Matagot
It seemed that upon hearing Tver's words, the liberated matagot snarled, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth. But to the students, the cat didn't need to bare its teeth to be frightening—its four paws were armed with long claws, ominously glowing as if ready to rip their throats out in an instant. The matagot positioned itself on the perimeter, sizing up the students with a hunter's gaze, effectively encircling them with its presence alone.
"Let's have three volunteers demonstrate how to handle the matagot," Tver announced.
As his words fell, the students instinctively stepped back, nearly squashing Davies and the Weasley twins at the back.
"Could you not—"
Before Davies could finish, he realized they were now front and center, starkly exposed to the matagot's view.
"Fred, why do I feel like we're moving forward?"
"You're not mistaken..."
Their "friends" had conveniently pushed them to the forefront, facing the slowly advancing matagot.
"Looks like you three will take on the matagot. Be careful, those claws are very sharp," Tver said with a mischievous grin.
They quickly attached their badges and drew their wands, standing ready. Having experienced private lessons, they knew the professor well enough—he wouldn't let them get seriously hurt, but a bit of suffering was inevitable!
The matagot, true to the nature of ordinary cats, moved gracefully and not very fast in normal circumstances. But when it came to hunting, its movements became incredibly agile!
"Whoosh." A blur of motion, and the matagot pounced, landing right in front of George.
"Stupefy!"
Fred was the first to react, his wand sending a precise streak of red light toward the matagot that had just landed.
Their classroom practice paid off as hitting a swiftly moving target like the matagot was a feat not even many upperclassmen could manage. Unfortunately, the matagot was not only unaffected by the spell but also split into three!
Triple the trouble!
Tver, wand in hand, was ready to intervene if necessary, but he didn't forget to teach a lesson.
"Don't let its hairless appearance fool you, matagots have a strong resistance to magic. Worse yet, when attacked, they multiply from one to three!"
"So, unless you have the capability to kill a matagot outright, don't use the Stunning Spell foolishly like Fred did."
The students, always ready for a spectacle, burst into laughter and took cover, watching the chaos unfold.
"You need to tell us how to deal with it then!" Davies shouted, not caring about his image as he scrambled around.
One matagot was alarming enough; now with three, they would have been covered in wounds if not for the Shield Charms from their badges blocking two attacks. With Fred's experience in mind, they dared not counterattack, their wands as useless as if they were merely sticks for stirring fires.
"Tsk tsk tsk," Tver shook his head in feigned disappointment. "Didn't you hear what I just said? Matagots are resistant to magic, but that doesn't mean they're resistant to physical attacks."
"In fact, in the magical world, creatures that are agile usually have weaker physical defenses. Like the cage I was carrying, which had no magic applied to it yet was able to contain the matagot. You need to think creatively about how to deal with opponents that have high magical resistance using physical methods."
"Here's a hint—think of the Halloween troll lesson."
While other students were still recalling that Halloween class, George and the others, who had lived through it, immediately caught on. George flashed a red light into the matagot's eyes, and Fred quickly followed up with a Pressure Charm, pinning the cat firmly to the ground.
Davies, scratching his head with his wand, asked, "So, what should I do? Conjure a wooden club to knock it out?"
"…After being tied up so many times, you should have learned something by now?!" Tver nearly went over to knock on his head directly.
"Oh, right."
Amidst the laughter of his classmates, Davies belatedly conjured a rope from the tip of his wand and tied up the matagot. During the delay, the matagot attacked them several more times.
But now, armed with experience, one would blind it, another would use the Pressure Charm to immobilize it, and the last would bind it. Davies seemed to excel in this area, surprisingly adept for someone who usually practiced... who knows what.
Finally, before their badge's magical power was exhausted, they successfully subdued the three matagots. Essentially, they were dealing with one, but splitting into three allowed the students to practice more effectively.
Tver called the three matagots to his side. "Well done, Gryffindor gains four points, and Ravenclaw two. Their actions also represent a form of teamwork. Each person had a role and trusted their teammates—"
"We actually don't trust each other," George muttered.
"—So, in today's lesson, not only do you learn how to handle matagots, but also how to deal with creatures with high magical resistance and practice how to complement and cooperate with your partners. These are all skills you can use when facing powerful magical creatures. Now, form your own teams, three or four per group is fine. Remember, the more people, the greater the strength, but the higher the difficulty in coordination. Weigh it for yourselves."
After they hurriedly formed teams, Tver released the three matagots, with each small group handling one. This time, the students were mostly unprotected by Shield Charm badges, making injuries more likely, so Tver had to keep a close watch.
After all, injuries like a pierced heart, even he couldn't heal…
"Clever idea, traps are indeed a good way to deal with matagots, but remember, they are very agile. Make sure you don't end up stepping into your own traps while they remain unscathed," Tver said as he rescued a girl from a trap her group had set up.
"Professor, what if we're facing a flying dragon? Should we use binding spells or traps?" a student asked.
"No," Tver glanced at her, "you'd use your legs."
"To kick?" the girl asked in surprise.
"To run away fast!" he corrected.
After managing the chaotic practical lesson, Tver sighed. This was their second real combat exercise; the first dated back to their very first lesson, where the students had been completely helpless. So, compared to before, they had made considerable progress. Yet, when faced with real combat, they still tended to panic.
"Honestly, I'm pleased that in just half a year, you've learned so many combat techniques and spells."
"However, you indeed lack experience in real combat, so for the rest of this term, we will focus on practical exercises."
"Come, take your tests with you, and think over the three key aspects we've covered in today's lesson!" Tver said, pulling out a large bundle of papers as the students looked on in astonishment.
"And don't forget to keep up with your theoretical revision!"
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