Chapter 48
At precisely 6:15 a.m. the following morning, Albert rose early, washed up, and made his way to the common room. Hermione was already waiting for him, her school bag slung over her shoulder. She had previously asked Albert to teach her something about self-defense—an idea born from her desire to protect her parents, especially after she learned over the summer just how unfriendly the wizarding world could be toward Muggles.
Together, they headed to an empty classroom on the second floor. Albert closed the door behind them and spoke.
"Since you want to learn how to fight, I can share some of my experience with you."
Hermione, without hesitation, pulled out two books. One was the standard The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection for Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and the other a supplementary volume titled Compendium of Defensive Curses.
"If we're going to learn," she said, "I think we should start with the basics—the simplest and most traditional spells. They may seem easy to cast, and their effects somewhat general, but they're reliable and, more importantly, safe to practice."
Albert nodded in agreement.
He flipped open the book and pointed to a specific page. "We should begin with this—Expelliarmus, the Disarming Charm. It's one of the core spells, but also incredibly effective. Of course, it wouldn't do much against African wizards who cast spells without wands, but here in the UK? It's quite useful. I've already mastered this one, so it's a good place for you to start."
He handed Hermione the book. She read the passage carefully several times before raising her wand and practicing the wand motion, her lips moving silently. After a moment, she paused and turned to Albert.
"I think I've grasped the theory. But we need to actually practice it. You can't master a spell just by reading about it."
"Exactly. To cast this spell properly, you need to truly imagine disarming your opponent—picture their wand flying from their hand."
Albert drew his wand. He had to admit, Hermione's intellect was impressive. She grasped the essence of the spell rather quickly.
Standing about ten paces apart, Albert raised his wand.
"I'll count to three," he said. "Then you cast. One... two... three."
"Expelliarmus!" Hermione cried as soon as his voice fell.
A streak of red light shot from her wand and hit Albert squarely—but nothing happened. As it was her first real attempt, the magical force behind it wasn't strong enough. In contrast, Albert's counter-spell easily sent Hermione's wand flying from her hand.
"Why didn't it work?" Hermione asked, puzzled.
"That's the problem with studying solely from textbooks. They only offer theory and instructions. Real understanding comes from seeing spells demonstrated—by a teacher, ideally. Luckily," he continued, "Compendium of Defensive Curses explains the critical detail."
Albert showed her a page illustrating the correct pronunciation and emphasis needed for the spell. Hermione read through it, then frowned.
"So it's the P sound—I wasn't stressing it enough."
She closed the book and resumed her practice. Now that she understood the proper technique, her progress was rapid. After a few more tries, she managed a clean hit on Albert.
Yet again, nothing happened.
Unbeknownst to her, Albert had anticipated the attack and evaded it with such incredible speed that Hermione couldn't even tell he had dodged it.
"I think I've got it!" she said proudly. "Can I learn the next spell now?"
Albert muttered to himself, She's so proud... If only she knew I dodged the spell rather than blocked it, she might not be so smug.
"Have you truly mastered it?" he asked aloud. "Let's put that to the test. In real duels, opponents don't just stand still and hurl spells at each other. You need to be able to cast on the move—and without calling out the spell name. At your current level, can you manage that?"
"I don't believe it," Hermione scoffed. "You haven't been studying these spells that long either. Even if your level is higher, it can't be that much higher."
Ah, that's what I dislike about Hermione... she's too confident, Albert thought. Time to bring her back down to earth a little.
They reset their positions. As soon as Hermione cast again, Albert repeated his earlier trick—dodging the spell with uncanny speed. He leapt into the air, rebounded off the walls, and appeared to vanish and reappear around the room in mere seconds, until he finally reappeared just in front of Hermione, pointing his wand directly at hers.
"When did you learn that?" she gasped. "That's not in any book of spells or magical techniques!"
"How do you know that?" Albert teased. "Been doing some extra research, have you? Trying to grow stronger?"
Hermione looked down, flustered. She hadn't expected him to see through her so easily, even though she had confessed her goals before.
"Extreme spells can be risky," Albert said, lowering his wand. "That's why I told you—you haven't truly mastered Expelliarmus. Or more precisely, you haven't mastered its use in battle. And that... is the essence of combat magic."
"You're right," Hermione admitted. "But you must've practiced that evasive move for months. I doubt I could ever match that kind of agility."
"You don't need to be like me," Albert replied. "But it never hurts to exercise and build up your physical ability. Think about how many spells in the wizarding world are deadly unless they hit you. If you can dodge them, you can survive—even the worst curses can't kill you if they miss."
He then gave her a few exercises inspired by ancient assassin traditions and concluded with a word of advice.
"The magical world may have cures for common illnesses, but the fewer times you need to take a potion, the better. Madam Pomfrey's brews taste awful. Trust me—strengthening your body through training is worth it."
Hermione nodded in agreement. She had taken one of Madam Pomfrey's potions the previous winter for a cold and still remembered the foul taste—and the steam that billowed from her ears for an hour afterward.
Afterward, Albert pulled a few small orbs from his pocket and used a Levitation Charm to make them float. He instructed Hermione to use them as moving targets to practice her Disarming Charm.
Before long, the clock struck 7:15. They packed up and made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.
On the way, Hermione asked, "When's our next training session? I think we should practice weekly—otherwise, it'll be easy to forget everything."
"Let's say Saturday or Sunday, depending on when we're free," Albert replied thoughtfully. "Only weekends give us enough time for a proper session. Morning practice like today is too short."
They spent the rest of the walk discussing tips on using Expelliarmus, how to deal with mobile targets, and what to do when the opponent fights back.
As they reached the Great Hall, they ended their discussion and made their way to the long Gryffindor table for breakfast.
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