Harry Potter: This senior is pretty strong

In ancient times, there were peerless swordsmen who, with their three-foot-long swords, weighed down the heroes of the world.

Professor Severus Snape, with his thirteen and a half inch wand, is testing Qin Yu, a second-year magic apprentice.

"If I said that out loud, I'd be ashamed for you, Potions Master Snape. Why did you go through all that trouble? I'm still a child!"

These were the words Qin Yu silently thought to himself as he lay on the ground.

He certainly wouldn't dare say it out loud. Doesn't he see how smug and aloof Snape is right now? If he were to say anything that showed his dissatisfaction, he'd probably get another beating.

"Not bad. I used fifty percent of my focus, and you managed to hold on until now before collapsing. It seems you didn't neglect your magic this holiday just because you were busy playing with your little witch."

Listen to this, what kind of talk is this?

The "sour grapes" mentality is all too obvious; it's a classic case of taking advantage of an opportunity for revenge.

"Bro...Professor, you seem a little different today, I mean in your spellcasting strategy."

Qin Yu was lucky he didn't call out "brother". Luckily, "bro" and "pro" sound very similar, and "b" and "p" are a pair of voiced and voiceless consonants. If he said that his throat was sore and he was coughing up phlegm today, he would pronounce "p" like "b", and no one could find fault with him.

Snape glanced at him, too lazy to bother with such trivialities of address, and said in a calm, unwavering tone, "Magic is not just magic itself. You have to learn to think, to learn the logic of spellcasting, and of course, most importantly, to practice, to practice constantly!"

"..."

It sounds so simple, almost like nonsense, but... it did give Qin Yu some inspiration—after all, he had really been beaten up, and it would be a shame not to be inspired by his bruised and battered face.

"...Alright, so you say a true teaching can be contained in a single sentence, while a false one can fill countless volumes? I'll think about your words carefully." Qin Yu got up from the ground, brushing the dust off his clothes as he spoke.

Upon hearing this, Snape muttered, "The real key knowledge may only be a sentence, while the false and mediocre teachings can fill a whole book... That makes a lot of sense, but it only applies if you actually have some expertise in a particular field."

"Yes, I'll remember that." Qin Yu nodded, pleased that his accurate translation had been recognized.

"Okay, that's all for today. Your current learning progress is acceptable. If you have no objections, the next lesson will be on how to escape."

As he spoke, Snape pushed open the door and left the room first.

"What exactly are we going to learn?" Qin Yu shouted from behind.

He definitely doesn't have any opinions; even if he did, it wouldn't matter. He just wants to know what to study.

Apparition!

Snape's words drifted into the air, and he, like a giant bat, flicked his sleeves and gracefully departed.

"You're always doing this kind of ridiculous thing, you can't stand not showing off, can you?"

Qin Yu muttered under his breath behind him.

Then, dragging his aching body, he left.

On his way to the school doctor's office, he was indeed thinking about what made today's beating different from the beatings he had received before—besides the fact that it hurt more.

First and foremost, the most noticeable difference is that Snape's spellcasting pace is significantly faster than before.

The rapid casting of spells left Qin Yu struggling to defend himself, dodging left and right. His stamina was quickly depleted, leaving him exhausted.

Secondly, the spells Snape chose were no longer limited to those with great power or strong defense, but rather seemed to be used at will and with ease.

How to put it? Basically, he used any spell he thought would be useful on Qin Yu. The latter even got sprayed in the face with water by Snape's "Water Spring" spell. This spell wasn't very offensive, but Qin Yu's vision was blocked, and then he was hit by the "Icy Wind" spell, which was really hard to bear.

—These two spells are both very low-level and basic types, but when combined, they have a surprisingly good effect!

In fact, based on Snape's post-class summary, Qin Yu also figured it out: the core of the two points above is still the first one, which is speed!

Only with a sufficiently fast casting speed can different spells be seamlessly linked together to achieve a critical strike effect where 1+1 is greater than 2!

As for when to choose which spell to use, that's something you have to figure out yourself.

So, it all comes down to Snape's words: "Practice makes perfect, practice makes perfect!"

"Sigh, are they just going to train me to death? I really miss my beloved second brother, Professor Swinton. Being with him wasn't so tiring..."

Despite the complaints and criticisms, Qin Yu had to admit that Snape was truly capable and taught real, practical knowledge.

Yes, the beatings I took were all very solid.

……

Whether it was due to the improved skills of the school doctor, Mrs. Pomfrey, or an increase in his own resilience, Qin Yu quickly recovered to about 70-80%.

Then, the great Qin returned to his loyal Gryffindor common room!

Well, there was no one here to greet him; Hermione hadn't returned from the library yet.

He was going to Snape's "private tutoring" today, and he had told Hermione in advance. The little girl went to the library to do her homework by herself. The two agreed on a time to meet in the common area.

It seems Qin Yu arrived too early.

The main reason was that he knelt down in front of Snape too quickly. After-school tutoring ended earlier than expected, and he went to the school doctor earlier as well. Now he's back even earlier than expected.

"Alright, since there's nothing much to do, I'll take a nap."

Finding a comfortable chair in the corner, Qin Yu leaned back, closed his eyes, and rested.

Perhaps because he had exhausted himself both mentally and physically, he actually fell asleep.

After an unknown amount of time, Qin Yu felt an itch in his nose and groggily woke up from his sleep.

Then he saw Hermione leaning down and using the tip of a quill to brush his nose.

The mischievous little witch, who was secretly grinning, suddenly met Qin Yu's open eyes. Her smile froze, and she was instantly embarrassed.

So, taking advantage of the little witch's momentary lapse in attention, someone grabbed her hand and pulled her into their arms.

"Someone's here, someone's here, Qin~" Hermione whispered urgently.

Because if she didn't stop him, who knows what he might do, since he didn't seem to be fully awake yet.

Even so, she still got pecked on the cheek.

Fortunately, the place where this guy was sitting was not very conspicuous, and there weren't many people in the public rest area at the time, so no one paid attention to him.

(Gryffindor student A: "Heh, I dare not pay attention, I'm afraid I'll get too full of dog food.")

Gryffindor student B: "Some things, the more you see, the less happy you become."

Gryffindor student C: "If you really think I'm blind and didn't see anything, then I have nothing more to say."

Hermione pressed against someone's chest, propped herself up, and then reached out to touch her cheek, which felt damp.

Huh, it's saliva!

Thinking about what happened during the holiday, she decisively slapped her hand on someone's robe and wiped it back and forth.

He pulled it back, looked at it closely, and saw that it was clean. He nodded in satisfaction.

Qin Yu watched the girl's actions the whole time, and couldn't help but twitch his lips. He sighed inwardly, thinking, "It's so hard to learn good things, but it's so easy to learn bad things."

Of course, the saliva was his own, so he had no reason to complain.

"How are things? Have you encountered any problems? I happen to have some time now, so I can answer them for you all at once."

"Yes, I even made a record..."

Following Qin Yu's words, the little witch quickly switched to study mode, picked up her notebook from a nearby table, and squatted down next to Qin Yu to ask questions.

However, squatting for too long eventually caused her legs to go numb. Before long, Qin Yu reached out and pulled her, and she habitually squeezed into the chair.

Well, she's quite small, so squeezing in was relatively easy for her.

The main reason is that being closer makes it easier to discuss issues, and speaking softly won't disturb others.

(Gryffindor students A, B, and C: "This redefines what it means to have no impact!")

Hermione had many questions, but they were all quite basic, so Qin Yu didn't need to put in too much effort. Plus, the little girl was naturally intelligent and thoughtful, so with just a little guidance, she could understand everything.

In short, answering Hermione's questions was actually a relaxing experience for Qin Yu. Moreover, he could occasionally stroke the girl's fluffy hair, and she would respond with a contented smile after receiving a compliment. This was much more pleasant than petting Hakimi...

By the time Hermione finished asking the questions recorded in her notebook, the common area was almost empty, reminding them that it was time to go back to sleep.

"Oh, by the way, tomorrow is Saturday, don't forget Hagrid's 'rock crust cake feast'."

Hermione reminded her before they parted.

Qin Yu slapped his forehead and said in a somewhat complaining tone, "Merlin's beard, tomorrow is Saturday, so today is Friday?"

"Yeah! What else?" Hermione thought this guy had suddenly become a little silly again, actually asking such a question.

"Okay, okay, I'll remember the rock-skin cake feast," Qin Yu mumbled.

He had no complaints about the banquet Hagrid had put together, except for the name. The reason he had complained earlier was because he realized it was Friday.

Friday midnight is also when he works for free tutoring.

I need to keep a good record of this so I can settle the tuition fees with Lucius later.

As this bizarre thought crossed his mind, Qin Yu's mood inexplicably improved.

Then, after going through the routine of hugging, patting (on the head), and saying goodnight with their little witch, the two went back to their respective dormitories to rest.