"Um... I wasn't really paying attention in class..." Harry's face flushed hot as he shamefacedly pushed his book forward.
Theo, of course, had already noticed this.
He flipped through Harry's textbook, sighing. "Your notes are a bit sparse and don't quite hit the main points. How about this—" He raised a hand, raising his voice. "Guys!"
Everyone looked up at them.
"Harry needs to borrow everyone's notes," Theo said, adding, "if you're not using them right now."
"Okay—I'm pretty confident about my Potions notes. Just give them back before next Monday." Michael sent his Potions notes over with a Floating Charm.
"I'm good at Astronomy," Ryan said, lending not only his notes but also a book explaining the trajectories of stars.
"Uh—" Neville also produced his notes. "For Herbology, actually, Theo and I are quite similar."
"No, Neville, you've learned it better," Theo said seriously. "Professor Sprout speaks highly of you."
Neville's face reddened slightly. He touched the back of his head and smiled shyly.
"You can borrow my History of Magic and Transfiguration notes anytime for reference," Hermione said.
"Then I've got the remaining Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts," Wade said, directing several notebooks to float over. He added, "I guess you also need to learn how to write essays?"
Harry nodded eagerly, stammering, "Yes! I... I'm not very good at writing essays..."
Afterward, Theo quietly told Harry, "Really treasure Wade's notes, especially for Defense Against the Dark Arts—his notes are more comprehensive and easier to understand than what Professor Quirrell teaches in class."
"Thank you, Theo," Harry said with great gratitude.
"Don't mention it." Theo smiled gently. "We're companions now, aren't we?"
"For the essay on the Softening Charm, you can actually approach it from these five aspects, and future essays can follow this same pattern—brief introduction, historical background, development and changes..."
As Wade spoke, he drew a mind map on paper. Starting with the title, he listed five sections as the essay's framework, with each section further broken down into two or three smaller points.
No one had ever systematically taught Harry how to write an essay. In fact, most Hogwarts students hadn't received such training. Smart students gradually figured out their own methods through repeated assignments, while less adept students either copied from others' assignments or simply cobbled things together to get by.
In the public primary school Harry had attended before, homework was basically just for show. Although they sometimes wrote essays (like topical essays, narratives, or argumentative pieces), they wrote them quite freely and with very few words, completely different from Hogwarts essays, which were measured in feet.
At this moment, hearing Wade's explanation, Harry felt his mind suddenly clear. His original confusion and bewilderment vanished instantly. As Wade listed each item, corresponding content popped into his mind, and he suddenly understood how to complete this kind of assignment. By the time Wade finished explaining, Harry was almost desperate to write down all the ideas in his mind. He even felt that the seven inches assigned by the professor were a bit too little, not enough to write everything he wanted.
Of course, when he actually started writing, he found that putting ideas into an essay wasn't quite so simple, but completing the assignment was still much easier than before.
Next was Charms practice, which was a hundred times easier for Harry than writing an essay. He possessed exceptional talent himself. With just a little guidance from Wade, he displayed extraordinary magical sensitivity and comprehension, quickly mastering basic spells, surprising everyone except Wade.
Under everyone's admiring gazes, Harry's heart swelled with joy, and he felt as if his body had become light. He subtly pursed his lips, trying not to appear arrogant, but the stiffness and unease he'd felt upon entering the classroom, and the self-conscious shame when seeing others' notes, had all vanished. His green eyes shone with an indescribable vitality and brilliance.
—I'm really good at this.
Harry told himself.
Wade checked the time; only half an hour remained until curfew. He clapped his hands, and everyone practicing spells stopped.
"Alright, everyone—" Wade looked at them. "A few days ago, we had a bit of a conflict with Malfoy and his lot. While they ended up being the unlucky ones, we still took a small hit—"
His gaze swept over Harry, Neville, and Hermione.
"And then I realized a problem—learning spells doesn't actually mean we can protect ourselves. If we lack practical combat ability and can't react in time when attacked, we're just as likely to get hurt."
"You mean—" Michael's excitement grew. "We should train our practical combat ability?"
"No... no way?" Padma suddenly looked a bit flustered.
Hermione hesitated for a moment, then seemed eager to try. "What if we get hurt? We'll lose points for our house!"
"Stop thinking about house points, Hermione, house points aren't that important—this is so cool!" Michael practically couldn't wait. "Should we start now, Wade?"
Wade took in everyone's changing expressions, then said, "Of course, we can't just start directly—I think everyone should have mastered at least a few minor jinxes, but those spells shouldn't be used on companions. They're also troublesome to heal, and we might have to bother Madam Pomfrey. So, we need to master two basic defensive and offensive spells first before we can engage in dueling practice."
"What spells?" Harry eagerly pressed.
Wade looked at him and said, the "Disarming Charm and Shield Charm."
"Shield Charm?" Hermione said in surprise. "We don't learn that spell until fifth year!"
Harry was also surprised—he was surprised that Hermione actually knew the content of their fifth-year curriculum... She couldn't possibly have read all the upper-year textbooks, could she?
As for Wade... Harry was no longer surprised. He felt that even if Wade said he could teach them Apparition, Harry would choose to believe him first.
"Indeed, the Shield Charm is quite difficult, so it's not taught until fifth year. I only just learned it myself a few days ago—" Wade inadvertently showed off a bit, then said, "But this spell is very practical. It can form an invisible shield around your body, deflecting enemy spells. However, it cannot withstand very powerful spells, so be aware of that."
Harry subconsciously touched the scar on his forehead, and Neville pursed his lips, his expression also very serious.
"As for the Disarming Charm, also known as 'Expelliarmus,' it makes your opponent lose their wand, and it's also a very useful spell. Because most wizards haven't mastered wandless magic, losing their wand leaves them with almost no threat."
Wade's wand spun in his hand, then he gripped it and looked at everyone. "So, shall we start with the Disarming Charm?"
Author's Note: In the original work, Harry learned the Disarming Charm in second year at the Duelling Club. According to Lockhart, this was not actually something they were supposed to learn according to the curriculum progression. He only learned the Shield Charm early in fourth year for the Triwizard Tournament. In fifth year, he taught others the Shield Charm in D.A. (Hermione learned it before Neville). So, the Shield Charm is at least a fifth-year curriculum item.