"First of all, before I get into the actual content of Defence Against the Dark Arts, I'd like to ask you a little question......

In the middle of the Room of Requirement, Maca stood in front of the group of young wizards who were full of interest, and calmly began his first speech.

“…… That's right, in Defence Against the Dark Arts class, we use a lot of fun and effective spells. And those spells, we mostly learn in Professor Flitwick's Charms class," he said aloud, "yes, I have been taught by Professor Flitwick in the same way as you are. ”

"So, can anyone explain to you - Defence Against the Dark Arts class and Charms class, what is the biggest difference between the spells learned in these two courses?"

Before Maca's words could be finished, Hermione immediately raised her arm in the air.

"Yes, Miss Granger—"

"When we learn about charms in Charms class, the focus is on the spells themselves; When we learn about Charms in Defence Against the Dark Arts class, the focus should be on practical application! ”

Hermione answered Maca's question with great emotion, and seemed to feel very confident about it.

"That's right," Maca smiled at her and nodded, "If this were a formal lesson, I think I should add some points to Gryffindor—"

When he said this, many young wizards giggled, and the Weasleys' bunch of living twin brothers were obviously the loudest.

"I'm sure you've heard that," Maka continued, "and now I'm being invited to you to help fill in the void created by Umbridge'......s incompetence," and everyone laughed more cheerfully when they heard this, "so this is a Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, and nothing else." ”

"So I'm not going to teach you anything very theoretical, what we're going to think about here at all times is something more straightforward and effective...... At the same time, there is bound to be a certain amount of danger! ”

At this point, the little wizards in front of Maca were infected by his tone that gradually became serious, and the smiles on their faces gradually cooled.

“…… I think everyone must have felt it as Hogwarts grew up year by year. There are all kinds of dangers all around us. Therefore, I hope that in every next meeting, we will clearly remind ourselves that what we are doing is no longer exactly a class, but a kind of training for self-preservation and protection! ”

"Our purpose is to allow ourselves to grow fully while sweating over and over again, so as to face all kinds of difficulties that we will encounter in life. And this process will not be easy and pleasant. ”

Seeing that Maca said so seriously, everyone muttered a little in their hearts. But Marka's strength is well known, and when he changes his usual tranquility and becomes serious, even the most prickly students dare not say a word of nonsense.

"Alright, then, I'm going to teach you a very useful little spell first-" Maca pulled out an ordinary wand from her waist and waved it at an even speed in an extremely steady motion, "Shadow Shadow." ”

When a simple incantation is over, everyone realizes that nothing seems to have happened.

"It's a spell of my own making, and it's actually boring, but it helps us train more effectively-" Maca smiled, "Look—levitate!" ”

As he spoke, a levitation spell unfolded, and a bookshelf on the opposite wall floated a few inches off the ground.

At first, everyone's eyes were drawn to the bookshelf. They thought the levitation spell would have some amazing effect! But after a while, everyone didn't notice any difference.

Well, except for the bookcase, which floats unusually steadily, it's really just an ordinary levitation charm.

"Not over there," Maca began, "Look this way, this way—"

Under Maca's reminder, the little wizards turned their heads again, and then they all showed doubts on their faces.

They all saw it—in front of the tip of Maca's staff, there was a bending trail that glowed with a clear blue glow.

"As Professor Flitwick has often reminded us, there are three key elements to keep in mind in order to cast a spell correctly—the chanting of the spell, the waving of the wand, and the clear imagination. And the little spell I just showed us can make the path of the tip of the wand clearly visible when we cast a spell. ”

"The trajectory of the tip of the staff?" One student subconsciously repeated.

"Yes, the trail of the tip of the staff!" Maca nodded, "Everyone should know that compared to Transfiguration, the casting of spells is relatively free. The tone of the chant and the waving of the wand can all be distorted to a certain extent, as the most important aspect of casting a spell is 'imagination'. ”

"But here today—especially in Defence Against the Dark Arts, I want to tell you one thing," he said in a rather affirmative tone, "and every spell has its best chant and wand swing trajectory. ”

“…… I remember Professor Flitwick also saying that we should try to record the successful swings and chanting in our own bodies. Hermione couldn't help but say.

"Well," Maca smiled at her, "there are two major benefits to standardizing and optimizing each spell. First, it allows us to shorten the spell casting time as much as possible. Second, it is beneficial for us to carry out various 'effective' training in the future. ”

"In a real wizard duel, if your spell is even a little faster than your opponent, it will be a powerful advantage."

Maca said, lowering the bookshelf back to the ground, then dispersing the levitation charm. But then, he cast the next levitation spell again.

When the two trajectory patterns were juxtaposed side by side, everyone couldn't help but sigh softly - the two patterns were exactly the same, without the slightest difference.

"Okay, that's it for the wand swing trajectory in advance, so you can practice anytime and anywhere in the future. I'll send you the spell, counterspell, and swing trail of that little spell at the end along with other spell-related materials. Next, we'll move on to the first training component right away—"

“…… Uh-uh...... Professor McLean? Hermione suddenly raised her hand.

"What's wrong, Miss Granger?" Maca asked.

"Isn't that going to ...... Too fast? Hermione couldn't help but remind, "As far as I know, just what we just said is enough for us to practice for a long time......

"I see what you mean," Maka bowed, "but we're not officially teaching here, and we obviously don't have a lot of time to get together. So, we should cherish every minute and every second as much as possible! ”

He paused, then continued, "I know that what I just talked about is almost equivalent to asking everyone to relearn all the spells, and this is a lot of work. But I didn't want everyone to finish it before the next gathering - it was going to be a long struggle! ”

"But it's a foundation for our training. I believe that all of you here have signed your name on the list of your own volition, and everyone has their own reasons. But since you've taken the initiative to stand here, I'm sure you'll do your best for it. ”

"Then then," Maka regrouped, "our first training was reflexes. ”

"In the face of unexpected situations, it is undoubtedly very important to be able to react in a timely manner and calmly. Depending on the situation, this may help you avoid a rock that smashes into your toes, or it may help you quickly fight back against a Dark Wizard's sneak attack...... It might even save you from seeing the smile of death! ”

"So—"

Marca had just said this, and before he could make any movements, she saw a large piece of ceiling above the heads of the little wizards fall very abruptly.

A small group of students with keen senses immediately screamed and threw themselves to the side, but the vast majority of them only noticed the sudden change in their situation when the screams rang out.

It was only when the ceiling was about to touch the top of the heads of some of the taller men that it suddenly stopped falling. Looking at the little wizards who were so frightened that they sat down on the floor, Maca smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

"If it was a real attack, you should know what was going to happen." With a wave of his hand, he put the ceiling back on top, "Please don't let up, Voldemort is staring at every inch of the British wizarding world, and we need to be vigilant no matter where we are." ”

When he unabashedly mentioned Voldemort's name, most of the young wizards tightened, and the students who were sitting on the floor quickly got up.

"Just now, Miss Granger, Mr. Porter, the Weasley brothers, Miss Zhang, Miss Lovegood, and...... Mr. Longbottom," Maka paused with each name, her gaze pausing on the corresponding person, "you guys did a great job, and you all dodged in a timely manner!" Fred and George, in particular, took Ginny with you as you left directly below the ceiling – I have to say, you did a great job! ”

"Oh-yes," said Ginny, who had just risen from the floor, with a little emotion, "thank you, George, Fred, ......"

"It's okay, it's okay, it's a piece of cake!" Fred grinned.

"That's it, if Mom knew that we didn't protect you, we would be miserable!" George also laughed and said, "Also, I'm George, don't look at Fred calling my name!" ”

"Don't listen to him!" Fred laughed, "I'm George, you know that!" ”