Chapter 93: Passing the Flying Test

So he needed greater speed.

Fortunately, these Bludgers had been significantly weakened, allowing Wizard Sean Green, with his [Skilled] level of flying proficiency, to easily avoid them.

“First Quaffle!”

Wizard Sean saw Madam Hooch release the Quaffle—a leather ball twelve inches in diameter, darting out like a nimble bird.

Wizard Sean locked his gaze on the darting Quaffle; the wind rushing past his ears grew fiercer, and in an instant, his magic triggered the braking charm.

The Nimbus 2000 halted as if guided by his will, and Wizard Sean spun sharply, leaving the Bludgers far behind.

Only at the start did he understand what the panel’s description meant:

【Greatly increases perception of broomstick magic, greatly enhances flying talent, slightly boosts brief bursts of flying speed】

His magic surged as if in motion; the magic for the acceleration charm instantly surged, yet he still clearly tracked the Quaffle, even as he accelerated with ease.

In less than ten seconds, Wizard Sean caught the first Quaffle—the standard allotted time was three full minutes.

The moment he grasped the Quaffle, it clung tightly to his hand; Wizard Sean knew this was due to the Grip Charm invented by wizards in 1875.

Wizard Sean sped across the ground and placed the Quaffle into the basket before Madam Hooch.

“Excellent!”

Madam Hooch called out to him,

“Second one!”

“Cool!”

In the stands, Jia Jia Siting waved his fist excitedly, and Hermione’s face flushed with excitement,

“This is terrifying…”

Jia Jia Siting suddenly said,

“If I hadn’t seen the notice and missed Wizard Sean’s test—oh my god, I’d regret it for the rest of my life!”

Hermione shot him an annoyed glance at his words.

Both turned their attention back to Wizard Sean.

The second Quaffle was noticeably faster and more agile, even circling back and forth around the posts.

But for Wizard Sean, it was still easy.

“Third one!”

Two minutes later, Madam Hooch cried out excitedly,

“Watch closely! Catch this Quaffle! You have twelve minutes!”

The flying test lasted fifteen minutes; ideally, the allotted times for the Quaffles should have been one minute, five minutes, and nine minutes.

But Wizard Sean clearly far surpassed the level of any previous student tested.

He was more than twice as fast.

This made Madam Hooch even more regretful.

What a magnificent Quidditch prospect.

At that moment, a tall Gryffindor arrived with a group of Gryffindors, still shouting as he walked:

“We’ll be the strongest team, stronger than any other house, because we train harder than them and have flown in every kind of weather—”

Wood said.

“Exactly right,”

George Weasley said,

“Since August, my clothes have never dried.”

“—and we also have the best Seeker, plus brand-new Nimbus 2000s,”

Wood exclaimed, chest heaving as he turned to Harry.

“It’s up to you, Harry. Show your talent.

Today, you either catch the Golden Snitch, or die on the pitch.”

“So don’t feel any pressure, Harry.”

Fred winked at him.

…Harry felt it was impossible not to feel pressure.

At that moment, Madam Hooch was completely exhilarated.

She could say she had personally trained Wizard Sean; watching him dart and weave between the Bludgers, inching closer to the Quaffle, her heart—long ignited by Quidditch—pounded again.

The Bludgers’ nature meant they were fastest at the start, since no Beaters were here to accelerate them.

Most students who passed the flying test pulled away from the Bludgers until their speed dropped, then grabbed the Quaffle—that’s precisely why time limits were necessary.

But Wizard Sean? He was meeting the Bludgers head-on, dodging them all with sheer speed and flawless technique.

Madam Hooch forgot she had never told Wizard Sean the Bludgers would slow down over time, and Wizard Sean, having caught the Quaffle so quickly, hadn’t noticed it either.

“Believe in yourself, Mr. Green! Accelerate!”

Watching the young wizard unleash such explosive speed, like a meteor streaking across the sky, Madam Hooch felt as if she had returned to her own fiery, passionate matches,

“Accelerate! Turn! Mr. Green! You can do it!”

Madam Hooch’s unusual behavior stunned Wood; for a moment, he didn’t know whether to approach:

“Mr. Green?”

He murmured to himself,

“Does anyone here know him?”

“I… I might know.”

At that moment, Harry could hardly believe his eyes.

Wizard Sean Green, the first-year wizard—no one didn’t know that name; he had earned top marks in nearly every subject.

Not only did Professor McGonagall favor him, but even Professor Snape never scolded him, and sometimes even awarded points to Ravenclaw.

This was already astonishing.

But it was his notes that left the deepest impression on the students.

Ron would shout in the dormitory every weekend:

“I can’t live without Green’s notes… oh no, I’ll die—I’ll die buried under those endless History of Magic essays…”

At that moment, the blue sky.

Wizard Sean, riding his broom, neared the final Quaffle; amid the stunned gazes of onlookers, he surged again, using speed to outpace the Bludgers,

catching the Quaffle at a speed surpassing nearly every Seeker at Hogwarts.

Harry and the others heard Madam Hooch clapping:

“Excellent! Mr. Green! You passed the flying test with a perfect score!”

At that moment, two gasps rose from the stands; Harry saw the Hufflepuff—Jia Jia Siting—nearly tumble off the stands in excitement, only to be firmly held back by Hermione.

“This… Green, Harry, tell me—is he a Gryffindor?!”

Wood stared blankly, then suddenly remembered something and asked.

“He’s from Ravenclaw…”

Harry said quietly.

“Oh, right, Harry, we need to start training—hurry!”

Wood urged urgently,

“Get familiar with your Nimbus 2000—you’re still the best Seeker!”

“Maybe not anymore.”

Fred looked toward the newly arrived wizard.

“Another Nimbus 2000.”

George picked up the thread.

“That’s surprising.”

“Feels strange.”

“Ravenclaw seems stronger than us.”

“Are we going to lose the next Quidditch match?”

“Shut up, both of you!”

Wood snapped.

His roar silenced the twins, who turned instead to wink at Wizard Sean.

George understood Fred’s meaning in one second:

Go talk to him.

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