Over the weekend, aside from eating and sleeping, Dylan spent almost all his time in the library.
His relentless dedication allowed him to barely finish reading the precise formulas for advanced potions.
Fortunately, he didn't need to brew potions with Professor Snape right away. With a week left until the next weekend, he had enough time to finish reading the *Potion Safety Guide*.
His current task was to further solidify his knowledge of advanced potions.
This way, he could avoid making any basic mistakes in front of Professor Snape.
Another half-week passed in the blink of an eye.
On Thursday morning, Dylan woke up early as usual.
However, to his surprise, Harry and Ron were also sitting up in their beds.
The other two roommates were still fast asleep.
"Hey, good morning!" Ron stretched and yawned.
Dylan, already out of bed, was packing his schoolbag. He glanced at Harry and Ron, a bit puzzled. "Why are you two up so early today?"
"Because today's the day we start flying lessons! I barely slept last night!" Ron jumped out of bed excitedly.
Flying lessons?
Dylan remembered that flying lessons were scheduled for today, a new addition to the curriculum starting the second week of school.
But why were they so excited about it?
"Being able to fly freely in the sky must feel amazing," Ron said with a grin. "That's how my older brothers always described it!"
Harry got out of bed too. "Once we learn how to fly, we can sign up for Quidditch matches."
Quidditch matches…
No thanks.
Dylan had no interest in flying around like a clumsy bull, crashing into others mid-air.
He'd rather spend his time reading a couple more books.
Dylan had long outgrown any fascination with bumper cars—or in this case, bumper brooms.
"Dylan, have you studied flying spells? Do you already know how to fly?" Harry asked, blinking at him.
Dylan shook his head and corrected him. "There's no such thing as a flying spell. To fly, you usually need a magical tool, combined with a Levitation Charm."
"Once you use the Levitation Charm to make the broomstick fly, you can control its direction. The speed, of course, depends on the quality of the broom."
This showed that spells could be combined with magical tools.
Just as wizards could channel or amplify magic through wands, magical broomsticks were also crafted using various magical materials.
The intricate process of making a broomstick ensured it could synergize with spells, enhancing their effects.
This was why higher-quality brooms flew faster and were more agile.
"Flying is best done under adult supervision. Trying it on your own could lead to unexpected dangers."
Dylan admitted he had never practiced flying at home.
"Wow, there's actually something Dylan doesn't know how to do?" Ron looked genuinely surprised.
"...If I practiced flying at home and someone saw me, wouldn't the Ministry of Magic just arrest me on the spot?"
Ron blinked, realizing the point.
After all, he was a pure-blood wizard, while Dylan was a Muggle. The wizarding world had strict laws against using magic in the Muggle world.
Harry walked over to his backpack. "I've heard a lot of classmates say they've already practiced flying at home."
Just then, Seamus woke up. Hearing Harry's words, he sat up abruptly.
"I even heard someone say they flew over the Giant Mountains with their parents on a broomstick!"
Ron rolled his eyes. "That's definitely Malfoy bragging again!"
"The Giant Mountains? The environment there is harsh. No one in their right mind would fly there," Dylan said with a laugh.
"Besides, even pure-blood families usually don't let their kids practice flying before starting school."
Dylan turned to Ron. "Your parents didn't let you practice before school, right?"
Ron nodded vigorously. "Exactly! Once, George tried to teach me, but Mum caught him and gave him a good spanking!"
Seamus looked puzzled. "Really? So they were just lying?"
Dylan shrugged. "Probably."
Young wizards had strong egos and competitive spirits.
Telling little lies or boasting to classmates wasn't uncommon.
After packing his bag, Dylan pulled out the notes Professor McGonagall had helped him organize, planning to review them on the way to class.
As for the Levitation Charm, since he hadn't actually flown yet, it wasn't at max level, but it was already at level seven.
In any case, he had mastered several max-level spells.
Even if some of those spells were dark magic, many magical principles overlapped.
Connecting the dots, Dylan found learning magic less daunting.
Not to mention, his magical talent had significantly improved thanks to the achievement system.
Since almost everyone in the dorm was awake, Ron went over to Neville and shook him awake.
"Wake up, sleepyhead! Let's go eat!"
"Huh? What?"
Neville was still half-asleep.
"Stop daydreaming and get up!"
Under Ron's persistent nudging, Neville finally got out of bed. He was good-natured and didn't have any morning grumpiness.
The group quickly got ready and, for the first time, walked to the Great Hall together for breakfast.
"This is the first time we've all had breakfast together!" Ron remarked.
"Dylan always wakes up way too early. Even if I wanted to get up, I just can't," Harry said, sitting down at a relatively empty spot.
Dylan smiled faintly and took a seat without saying a word.
Before long, Hermione walked into the Great Hall. Seeing them all sitting together, she approached.
Lately, because Dylan excelled in every class and earned points for Gryffindor, Hermione had been quietly competing with him.
But after a while, she realized that Dylan seemed to have no interest in leisure activities—he was constantly studying!
And the depth of his knowledge was something she couldn't match.
The most frustrating part was that the questions professors asked Dylan were far more advanced than the ones they asked her.
Hermione had tried answering the questions posed to Dylan, but…
The results were predictable.
After several defeats, Hermione's mindset began to shift.
She stopped trying to compete with Dylan solely in class and instead started quietly observing him.
(End of Chapter)