Firenze returned, limping with a bitter smile. Chu Yang quickly stepped forward, cast a spell to reset his broken ribs, and then healed his wounds with natural magic.
Feeling this great power, Firenze trembled with excitement, and his gaze towards Chu Yang became even more reverent. For him, the natural magic on Chu Yang was the highest blessing from Mother Nature.
If he wasn't afraid of startling Chu Yang, Firenze would have even sworn loyalty to this young wizard with Eastern blood right there.
"Is that the legendary War Tree?" Firenze gazed up at the magnificent Whomping Willow and murmured, "When I was young, I heard the elders of my tribe talk about these incredibly powerful magical creatures. They were the guardians of nature, but now there's no trace of them left, only some treants still active in the forest..."
Chu Yang curled his lips. "This is no War Tree. It's not even a treant guardian. It's just an ordinary Whomping Willow!"
Firenze was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly, "Although I haven't seen much, I've never heard of a Whomping Willow growing to this extent."
Chu Yang looked up at the Whomping Willow, which was as tall as a towering pillar.
Alright.
I take back the word 'ordinary'.
"The mysterious person from last time might come back to the Forbidden Forest to hunt Unicorns again," Chu Yang said, pointing at the Whomping Willow, which was currently in a state of self-isolation. "I called you here because I hope you can work with it to protect the Unicorn herd."
Firenze immediately nodded and agreed:
"No problem. I've been patrolling the Forbidden Forest since last night."
"Then I'll trouble you," Chu Yang said with a smile. "This fellow is a bit clumsy, so you'll have to keep a close eye on it."
After dealing with the Whomping Willow, Chu Yang left the Forbidden Forest and then went to Hagrid's hut, where Dumbledore was discussing some matters with Hagrid.
Seeing Chu Yang push the door open and enter, Dumbledore showed no surprise, as if he already knew he had been to the Forbidden Forest.
"Professor Dumbledore, can I ask you for one thing before I leave?" Chu Yang looked at him and spoke directly.
"What is it?" Dumbledore didn't agree immediately but asked cautiously. He had to admit, he was a little afraid of Chu Yang's troublemaking ability.
"I want to learn Apparition," Chu Yang said, looking directly at Dumbledore. "Given my current situation, I believe I will be safer if I learn this spell."
Dumbledore pondered for a moment and reminded him, "This spell is only for students aged 17 and above. Do you know why?"
Chu Yang nodded and replied, "The process of Apparition puts a considerable burden on the human body and requires extreme mental concentration. A slight mistake can lead to life-threatening accidents."
Dumbledore said, "Young wizards your age usually find it difficult to control their thoughts. If, during the transfer, the intention to go to a certain place is not firm enough, a spell interruption is a minor issue. More importantly, your body will be separated during this process."
"That's commonly known as 'splinching'," Chu Yang interjected, stating solemnly, "Professor Dumbledore, I have thoroughly understood the dangers of this spell."
Hagrid, standing by, advised, "Chu Yang, you're still too young. You should wait a few more years. Usually, only students from fifth year and above are allowed to learn Apparition."
"No, Hagrid, he has the ability to learn this spell," Dumbledore looked deeply at Chu Yang. "Since you have understood the dangers involved, I respect your will."
So Dumbledore began teaching Chu Yang how to perform Apparition in Hagrid's hut.
Hagrid wisely left the hut, leaving the not-so-spacious area to them.
"Remember, destination, determination, deliberation. Firmly choose your destination, focus your mind, and feel the changes in your body. We'll start with a closer distance first."
Hagrid listened to Dumbledore's voice outside the hut, his thoughts drifting back to his student days. In Transfiguration class back then, Dumbledore also guided students little by little to cast spells in the same way.
A moment later, a figure suddenly appeared, interrupting Hagrid's memories.
Hagrid looked at Chu Yang in front of him and asked in surprise, "I don't think you walked out of the house. How do you feel? The first attempt always makes you feel very dizzy..."
Chu Yang, looking as usual, shook his head. With his physique, Apparition wouldn't make him feel uncomfortable.
"A genius is truly a genius! It takes normal people a long time to learn this, but you've got it in ten minutes," Hagrid said with an envious look.
"It's just moving from inside the house to outside the house, not very difficult," Chu Yang said with a smile. "Wait until I can Apparate from London all the way back near the school, then you can praise me."
Apparition cannot be used within Hogwarts, so under normal circumstances, one can only move using the school's surroundings as an anchor point.
Creak~
The door of the house was pushed open by Dumbledore. He slowly walked out and said, "You've already grasped the essentials. How about trying to go to Diagon Alley? I'll be right here watching you."
Upon hearing this, Chu Yang immediately began to Apparate in front of Dumbledore. The image of Ollivander's wand shop appeared in his mind, and the surrounding space twisted accordingly. An invisible pressure surged from all directions.
Soon, this pressure dissipated, and when Chu Yang came to his senses, he was already standing in the wand shop, where Mr. Ollivander was organizing the shelves.
The next second, Dumbledore suddenly appeared beside Chu Yang and chuckled softly, "Were you not planning on returning to London at all, but wanted to come here and be an apprentice?"
Chu Yang looked at him in surprise, thinking that the saying 'old people are cunning' was absolutely true; he could even guess that!
"Actually, this is also good," Dumbledore nodded. "Then you can stay with Mr. Ollivander. I believe he will take good care of you."
At this moment, Ollivander, hearing the sound, walked out.
He looked at Dumbledore and Chu Yang in surprise.
"Is something wrong?" Mr. Ollivander asked curiously.
At this time, neither Dumbledore nor Chu Yang should have been here.
Dumbledore smiled, "Nothing. Chu Yang is starting his holiday early today. Didn't you want to take him as an apprentice? It's a good opportunity for him to learn something from you."
Ollivander looked deeply at Dumbledore, whose profound gaze seemed to be conveying something. Then, he nodded in agreement, "I'd be delighted to have him. I'll take good care of him."
"Then I'll trouble you," Dumbledore thanked him, then bent down and whispered in Chu Yang's ear, "You stay here, no need to come back with me. As for your luggage, I'll have someone send it here."
With that, Dumbledore cast Apparition and disappeared.
And so, Chu Yang became the first new student to leave school since the term began, his early holiday filling his classmates' eyes with envy.
But not long after Chu Yang left school, rumors began to spread throughout the school.
Some said he was expelled for violating school rules.
Others said he had offended someone he shouldn't have.
Hermione, Ron, Harry, Neville, and other classmates who were close to Chu Yang were all very worried about this.
Some rejoiced, while others grieved.
Draco, on the other hand, welcomed his first "spring" at Hogwarts.
Without Chu Yang, he could finally stand tall and look down on others with his family background, and he no longer had to worry about the pressure from his father, quickly adopting an arrogant attitude of "Heaven is first, I am second"!
Draco not only swaggered into Chu Yang's dormitory but also began to frequently target those students who were usually on good terms with Chu Yang.
When the rumors spread to every corner of Hogwarts, Dumbledore did not specifically explain the reason for Chu Yang's departure.
After leaving school, Chu Yang began working as an apprentice at the wand shop.
He systematically learned the wand-making process from Ollivander.
Life as an apprentice at the wand shop was actually no different from studying at school; even the daily routine was similar. The only difference was that Chu Yang had fewer opportunities to read free books.
The wand shop was diagonally opposite Flourish and Blotts, so Chu Yang could buy whatever he wanted to read at any time. Although the collection wasn't as extensive as the school library, all the necessary textbooks were there.
Before the end of the holiday, Chu Yang had to master all the wand-making methods and then find alternative materials so that his "selves" in different worlds could successfully make wands.
The reason Chu Yang chose Ollivander as his wand-making teacher was not only because he was one of the most outstanding wand makers in the world.
It was also because Ollivander was a wand maker who constantly moved forward, constantly improved wand craftsmanship, and even subverted the traditional wands in the eyes of wizards.
This point resonated well with Chu Yang; they both disliked old and decaying things.
Before Ollivander started making wands, almost all wand makers would craft wands according to the client's preferences; there was never any talk of suitability.
It was Ollivander who established the relationship between wands and wizards.
72. Chapter 72: Tailed Beast Capture Plan! Uchiha Madara at Full Power! [Begging for first subscription, monthly tickets, collection!]
72.
In addition, he was also the first wand maker to insist on using powerful magical materials as wand cores.
Many wand makers had previously given up using these powerful magical materials in pursuit of wand stability, preferring to choose some ordinary magical materials instead.
Relatively ordinary magical materials as cores could be integrated with the wand wood very easily, while powerful magical materials would become extremely uncontrollable in this process.
No one knew how Ollivander controlled this process.
Among wand makers, many coveted Ollivander's exclusive secret.
The old man has managed to live to this age in good health, which clearly indicates he has some tricks up his sleeve.
After being an apprentice at the wand shop for almost half a month, Ollivander finally revealed the secret to Chu Yang.
"Treat all the magical materials in your hand as living things. Imagine that they 'breathe,' and 'breathing' produces a unique pulse. Grasp that, and you can easily fuse them together."
"Only by working in this industry for a sufficiently long time and coming into contact with enough magical materials will you have the opportunity to feel the pulse I'm talking about..."
"The reason I am optimistic about your future in this field is not only because you are intelligent enough, but also because I feel something similar in your magic."
"You can use magic to resonate with this special pulse."
Chu Yang asked with curiosity, "Then how exactly do I do it?"
"I don't know how to do it either, after all, these are just my guesses," Ollivander took out a large amount of materials and placed them in front of Chu Yang. "Now we can only communicate in the most primitive way. Hold the materials in your hand, wrap them with magic, and try to feel it."
"Are you sure it won't explode? Some magical materials are very active!" Chu Yang suspected the old man was experimenting on him, and his eyes looked a bit off.
"It won't explode as long as you don't try to fuse them together," Ollivander coughed and urged, "Hurry up and start."
Chu Yang held the magical materials in front of him and then, as Ollivander instructed, enveloped them with magic.
Having never tried this before, Chu Yang truly felt a peculiar pulsation.
Like a human heart beating.
"Did you feel it?" Ollivander excitedly leaned next to Chu Yang and asked, "What did it feel like?"
"Heartbeat," Chu Yang replied truthfully.
"Exactly. Now you just need to practice repeatedly to master the trick," Ollivander nodded with satisfaction. "With your talent, you'll soon meet my requirements. Next, you can try the fusion of the core and the wand wood. Once you reach this step, you'll have completed your apprenticeship."
"It's just that the supply is a bit insufficient. I don't know why, but it's hard to see Unicorns recently, and Phoenix tail feathers and dragon heartstrings are also hard to find. It's meaningless for you to practice with ordinary materials..."
At this point, Ollivander began to worry.
Chu Yang immediately replied, "Don't worry, I can get Unicorn hair, if nothing else."
Ollivander glared at him irritably. "Do you think Unicorns are like pet cats or dogs you keep at home? Although Unicorns are considered one of the gentler magical creatures, that doesn't mean they'll let you get close easily!"
"Females are fine, but if a male appears around a Unicorn, it will run away immediately. Even if you had two more legs, you wouldn't catch it!"
Chu Yang was too lazy to argue with an old man, especially one of that advanced age.