Extra rewards for reaching a certain level of exploration tasks?
Evan was curious; this reward wasn't granted directly but required a midnight foray into the Restricted Section, which sent a shiver down his spine.
But a reward was a reward, and Evan was determined to claim it. After all, he had already encountered ghosts and specters—what was there to fear in the dead of night?
In the Great Hall, Harry and Ron were seated at a round table, devouring lunch. They waved Evan over upon spotting him standing dazedly.
"Evan, over here!"
"Where have you been all morning? You look like you've been through a wringer," Harry remarked, eyeing Evan's drained appearance with curiosity.
"Just finding a place to practice some spells," Evan rolled his eyes and stabbed a piece of roasted sausage with his fork, shoveling it into his mouth. He'd spent the whole morning expending energy and had almost starved.
It was his first time using so much magic in a single day, and his head was still spinning.
Evan wolfed down his meal while Harry and Ron excitedly discussed flying techniques.
Halfway through their conversation, Evan remembered there was a flying lesson in the afternoon, which piqued his interest. After all, flying was everyone's dream, even if it meant straddling a broomstick.
Over at the Slytherin table, the scene was even livelier. Draco Malfoy was boasting loudly about his flying experiences, surrounded by a crowd of admirers.
"I've been flying on broomsticks long before coming to Hogwarts. My dad would fly me all the way home, and one time we even encountered a Muggle airplane. If I hadn't dodged quickly, I would have knocked it out of the sky!" Draco declared proudly.
Evan nearly sprayed out the goat's milk he was drinking.
Knock an airplane out of the sky? How boastful. Why not claim to fly to the moon?
Flying that high on a broomstick without any protection, he'd likely freeze to death...
"Evan, have you ever ridden a flying broomstick before?" Harry, already irked by Draco's bluster, was taken aback by Evan's reaction and quickly inquired.
"No," Evan shook his head decisively. Even if he had learned before, he had forgotten...
"What about you, Ron?" Harry asked, clinging to hope.
Ron did not disappoint Harry, launching into a detailed account of practicing with Charlie's old broomstick back home.
Evan quietly observed Ron and Draco's one-upmanship, thinking that their true skills would be revealed soon enough in the flying lesson...
Sure enough, during the afternoon's flying lesson, only Harry managed to summon the broomstick to his hand at the first whistle from Madam Hooch, the instructor.
Draco Malfoy, who had bragged about almost colliding with an airplane, failed several attempts before finally coaxing the broomstick into his hand just in time to save face in front of Harry.
Ron had it worse. Perhaps because he shouted too loudly, his broomstick shot up, smacking him right on the forehead.
"Up!" Evan mimicked Madam Hooch, summoning the broomstick, but it just lazily spun on the ground, showing no intention of rising.
Evan's anxiety grew, regretting not having read more on flying techniques to buff up his proficiency.
It wasn't until Madam Hooch had made her rounds and turned away that Evan, struck by inspiration, hooked the broomstick with his foot and flicked it into his hand, becoming the third student to secure his broomstick.
Madam Hooch nodded in approval at Evan's steady grip and moved on to instruct the others.
Harry, witnessing Evan's slick maneuver, was dumbfounded. Evan put a finger to his lips, signaling Harry to keep quiet, while feeling a wave of relief. At least he wouldn't get a poor evaluation in this class.
As long as there were house points, riding a broomstick would be a piece of cake...
However, Evan had his gripes about the system's only exchange option being the Scholar's Experience Card.
Why wasn't there an exchange to enhance innate talent?
As an average student, what would he do if his act as a top student was exposed? Where would he find house points then?
To preserve his class evaluation, Evan, while Madam Hooch was busy with other students, imagined hundreds of stylish ways to ride and potential troubles he might face while flying.
He prayed that the shabby broomstick would cooperate; not taking off after mounting would be mortifying...
"Everyone, watch closely, I'll only demonstrate once," Madam Hooch announced after everyone had their broomsticks in hand. She stepped forward to show the correct flying posture.
"When I blow the whistle, kick off from the ground firmly, and remember to hold on to your brooms tightly. Just try to rise a few feet off the ground..."
Madam Hooch commanded loudly, and Evan mounted his broomstick, ready for his first flight.
Before Evan could attempt to fly, Neville, not far from him, shot into the air with a "whoosh" and let out a piercing scream.
"Ah~"
Neville flew at least twenty feet high, his cries of terror echoing as the young wizards below erupted into chaos. Evan, recalling Neville's imminent fall, was the first to draw his wand.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Evan flicked a Levitation Charm toward Neville, who was plummeting from the sky.
The spell's power halted Neville's fall, suspending him in the air about three meters above the ground.
Madam Hooch's heart, previously in her throat, settled back into its proper place. She had been terrified; if anything happened to Neville during her lesson, she felt she wouldn't have the face to stay at Hogwarts.
"Well done, five points to Gryffindor!" Madam Hooch commended Evan with an approving glance.
At the same time, Evan received the notification of his increased house points, feeling a small surge of joy.
The Gryffindor students, led by Harry and Ron, began to applaud.
However, before their clapping had gone on for long, Neville plummeted from the sky.
The moment turned awkward...
"Sorry, Madam Hooch, I think I've run out of magic," Evan's smile froze on his face as he shrugged helplessly. Practicing spells all morning had drained him; catching Neville's rapid descent was already an achievement.
After all, the house points were already in hand; if necessary, he could lose the five points just awarded...