Thursday afternoon, 3:30.
The Gryffindor and Slytherin students had already gathered on the lawn in front of the castle. The Hufflepuffs were scheduled for the same time slot too—it seemed like Hogwarts thought it was a great idea to lump all the accident-prone first-years together.
The weather was clear with a light breeze. The grass underfoot was soft and green, and in the distance, the Black Lake shimmered.
But in Rove's eyes...
[Scene loaded: Rohan Plains]
[Current quest: Tame a mount]
[Warning: Multiple wild beast signals detected]
Twenty flying brooms were lined up neatly on the grass.
To the average student, these were just beat-up old brooms with twigs sticking out every which way. Some even had bald patches on the tails.
But through Rove's system filter, this was basically a dragon hatchery.
They had long, slender necks covered in black scales, sharp claws digging deep into the dirt, and the twigs on the tails were rows of spiked barbs standing on end.
"Alright, what are you all waiting for?"
Madam Hooch strode over. She had short gray hair and yellow eyes that looked just like a bird of prey.
[NPC identified: Rohan cavalry instructor / Dragon tamer]
"Everyone stand next to a broom. Hurry up, come on!"
Rove picked the fiercest-looking one, an old-school Cleansweep Seven with its tail bristles all flared out.
"Extend your right hand over the broom handle," Madam Hooch called from the front, "and say: 'Up!'"
"Up!" Harry shouted.
The broom jumped right into his hand.
[Talent detected: Natural-born dragon rider]
[Harry Potter mount sync rate: 99%]
Rove glanced at Harry with a twinge of envy. Was this what they meant by the chosen one? Even these wild beasts submitted willingly.
Next to him, Hermione's broom just rolled around on the ground. Ron's smacked him right in the nose.
"Your turn, Baggins." Malfoy sneered from not far away. "I figured halflings would be better off riding pigs."
Rove ignored Malfoy's taunt. He took a deep breath, staring down at the "beast" on the ground.
You wanna defy me? Rove thought coldly. You wanna taste a Gondor steel sword (wand)?
He thrust out his right hand and slapped the broom handle (the beast's neck) hard.
Smack!
The sound made Neville jump nearby.
"Submit to me, beast!" (Obey me, beast!)
Rove let out a low, intimidating growl.
[Skill activated: Intimidate]
[Check in progress... Strength test passed.]
The broom seemed genuinely stunned by the slap—it shuddered violently, then "whoosh," it sprang up, sticking tight to Rove's palm, still quivering a bit.
"Oh..." Madam Hooch came over, eyeing the broom in Rove's hand. "Quite spirited. A bit unconventional, but I have to say, it got the message."
Rove gripped the handle tight.
"It knows who's boss, ma'am."
...
Next up was flight practice.
"When I blow my whistle, kick off from the ground," Madam Hooch said. "Rise a few feet, then lean forward slightly to come back down. Three, two..."
Neville was too nervous.
Before the whistle even blew, he kicked off hard.
"Come back, boy!" Madam Hooch shouted.
But Neville had already shot up, his face twisted in terror—the broom was totally out of control.
[Warning! Friendly unit out of control!]
[Status: Crash alert!]
Rove watched wide-eyed as Neville climbed to twenty feet, his broom bucking wildly, trying to throw off the rider.
"Hang in there, Longbottom!" Rove yelled. "Grab its neck! Don't let go!"
But Neville clearly had no riding talent. He yelped and slipped off the broom.
Thud.
Neville face-planted into the grass, curling up in pain. His broom zipped off like a headless chicken toward the Forbidden Forest.
Madam Hooch rushed over to check his injuries. "Wrist's broken... Alright, kid, you're fine!" She helped him up, then turned and sternly warned the rest. "I'm taking him to the hospital wing. Nobody moves! If anyone gets on a broom, I'll have you expelled from Hogwarts!"
As soon as Madam Hooch left, Malfoy burst out laughing.
"Did you see his face? That big lump?"
"Shut up, Malfoy." Parvati Patil said.
"Defending Longbottom?" Malfoy sneered viciously. "What, you wanna break your neck too?"
He bent down and picked up a shiny object from the grass.
"Look, it's Longbottom's Remembrall."
"That's mine." Harry said quietly.
Malfoy hopped on his broom and shot into the air.
"You want it, Potter? Come and get it!" He hovered at treetop level, circling like a smug crow.
Harry grabbed his broom.
"No!" Hermione shouted. "Madam Hooch said—"
But Harry wasn't listening. He rocketed into the sky like a cannonball.
Rove stood on the ground, looking up at the aerial chase.
Through the system filter, this was straight-up epic air combat.
Harry was riding a golden young dragon, weaving through the clouds. Malfoy was on a black gargoyle, dodging between the trees.
[Enemy unit detected: Malfoy]
[Threat level: Low (air superiority)]
[Tactical suggestion: Anti-air fire support]
Rove didn't mount his broom. He didn't trust a beast he wasn't fully familiar with yet.
He had something else.
He quickly opened his bag and pulled out his trusty frying pan!
"Hermione, calculate the wind speed." Rove said steadily.
"What?" Hermione was still dazed. "Rove, what are you doing with a frying pan?"
"Anti-air."
Rove squinted, raising his left thumb to gauge distance.
Right then, Malfoy was hovering at the top of an oak, tossing the Remembrall in his hand, mocking Harry.
"Catch!"
Malfoy hurled the Remembrall hard.
Harry dove, fast as lightning.
"Now!"
Rove swung his arm hard.
Whoosh!
The frying pan flew out, spinning through the air.
Of course, Rove's target wasn't the Remembrall—it was Malfoy.
Or rather, Malfoy's broom.
Clang!
The frying pan grazed Malfoy's broom tail perfectly.
The huge impact noise and the whooshing wind scared Malfoy so bad he nearly fell off. He whipped around in terror, spotting a black shape glinting in the sun before it crashed into the grass far away.
At the same time, Harry caught the Remembrall a foot off the ground and rolled lightly across the grass.
The crowd cheered (except the Slytherins).
Malfoy landed in a heap, his face pale as he stared at Rove.
"You... what did you just throw?"
"My shield." Rove calmly walked over, picked up the frying pan, and brushed off the grass. "If you mock a wounded comrade on the battlefield again, next time it won't just be a warning shot."
Malfoy swallowed hard. He eyed the thick cast-iron frying pan, then Rove's arm muscles.
Just then, Professor McGonagall came rushing out from the castle.
"Harry Potter!"
Her voice shook, glasses flashing.
"In all my years at Hogwarts, I've never..."
Rove's heart sank. Oh no, Harry's getting expelled.
"Come with me." McGonagall pointed at Harry.
Harry followed glumly.
[Quest settled]
[Completion: Excellent (Didn't down the enemy, but successfully intimidated them)]
[Reward gained: Riding Lv1 (applies to all mounts)]
[Skill gained: Anti-Air Defense (frying pan throw accuracy +10%)]
"Rove." Ron whispered nearby. "What if Harry hadn't caught the Remembrall?"
"I'd have taken Malfoy down." Rove tucked the frying pan back in his bag, eyes steady. "Then made him eat the Remembrall."
Hearing that, Hermione let out a despairing groan nearby.