Chapter 51: Golden Legend
"Excellent, Mr. Green! Circle a few more times! Higher! Get that broom higher!"
Madam Hooch's hawk-like eyes were instantly locked onto Sean. While simultaneously helping another student who had tumbled off their broom back onto solid ground, she began giving Sean enthusiastic, focused instruction – something Sean hadn't seen her do with anyone else.
"Keep leaning forward, legs slightly back, and finally—look up!"
Sean soared through the air like a shooting star. He wasn't particularly fast, but his movements were fluid and practiced, reminiscent of a seasoned Quidditch player honing their skills. The young Hufflepuffs still struggling below instinctively looked up, watching the nimble 'eagle' weave through the sky, then glared resentfully at their own stubbornly disobedient brooms.
The flying lesson ended all too soon. Sean landed lightly on the grass, his face pale but exhilarated. His stamina had reached its limit early on, but whenever exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him, a strange warmth would course through his body, allowing him to cling to this newfound freedom just a little longer.
He checked his Panel and blinked, momentarily stunned by what he saw.
[Name: Sean Green]
[Title: Aspiring Flyer]
[Effect: Slightly increases perception of broomstick magic. Slightly improves Flying talent.]
[Wizard: Sean Green]
[Flying Talent: Gold (Legendary)]
Note: Average wizarding talent is Green (Uncommon).
[Next Tier: Novice Flyer (Requires Novice-level Flying Skill)]
[Evaluation: You are a once-in-a-generation genius in the field of Flying. A broomstick in your hands is as obedient as a well-trained puppy. Possessed of remarkable willpower, you are destined to become one of the greatest Quidditch players of the century.]
Gold… A Legendary-tier talent?!
Sean held his breath. Wait, he thought, rereading the evaluation. Remarkable willpower… what does that mean?
"Alright, class dismissed!" Madam Hooch barked, scanning the assembled students. "For those of you who spent more time on the ground than in the air, I trust you've learned your lesson!"
The young wizards nodded meekly. Seeing their instructor's slightly skewed robes and wind-tousled hair, some flushed red with embarrassment over their clumsy falls.
"Mr. Green, stay behind."
Pulled from his thoughts, Sean automatically nodded.
"Ah, lad…" Madam Hooch strode over once the grounds had cleared. "You have questions, don't you?"
"Yes, Madam Hooch," Sean said, choosing his words carefully. "Is it a wizard's willpower that determines their talent for flying?"
"Clever eaglet," she grinned. "Yes. Most wizards simply ride a broom. But a select few…" She held out her hand, and her own broomstick shot instantly into her grasp. "…they command it."
As Sean walked back towards the castle later, Madam Hooch's words echoed in his mind.
"If you observe Quidditch players closely, you'll notice most of them are quite tall. Some believe only tall wizards can make it onto the pitch, but that's not entirely accurate. When a wizard experiences intense stimuli – like the thrill of high-speed flight – the magic within them becomes more active. This heightened magical activity often has a positive effect, strengthening their physical constitution over time."
She had finished with a knowing pat on his shoulder before striding away.
What could be more stimulating than soaring through the sky on a broomstick? Sean mused. It sounded a bit like the Muggle idea that playing basketball made you taller. He added another item to his ever-growing list: practice flying – if only to improve his physical health.
Flying lessons and Quidditch remained the hot topics of conversation among the first-years, but now, a new element had been added: the prodigious talent of Sean Green.
"Sean, they're actually calling you 'Quidditch Player in Training'," Justin recounted, laughing. "Even though you'd never even touched a broom before this week! Oh, I bet Ernie fell off his broom one too many times and forgot you were Muggle-born."
In Charms class, Michael had somehow managed to snag the seat to Sean's right again. "Sean, if I swear eternal loyalty, will you teach me your flying secrets? Master…"
"A broomstick is powered by charms," Sean interrupted, cutting off Michael's attempt at groveling. He began explaining his understanding. "When you sense the different charms within the broom, you can direct them with just a sliver of your own magic…"
Michael and the other eavesdropping students listened intently to the first sentence. By the second, their eyes had glazed over, their expressions shifting from rapt attention to blank incomprehension, as if he were speaking Gobbledegook.
Michael, Terry, Anthony, and Justin dutifully took notes, but the others gave up entirely when Sean started explaining the nuances: "…use an even fainter thread of magic to guide the steering charm… a slightly stronger impulse for the braking charm…"
Michael muttered as he wrote, "Sensing charms… guiding faint magic… sounds like some obscure branch of Alchemy…"
Sean's explanation trailed off, not just because Professor Flitwick had entered the classroom, but because Michael's words had sparked a cascade of thoughts.
If awakening magical power could strengthen a wizard's body, could physical weakness conversely hinder the awakening or development of magical power? Was that why he struggled so much with Charms and Potions? Was his base level of magic simply too low? He remembered Barty Crouch Jr.'s chilling words: "Avada Kedavra's a curse that needs a powerful bit of magic behind it — you could all get your wands out now and point them at me and say the words, and I doubt I'd get so much as a nosebleed."
Perhaps Sean was like that – lacking the fundamental magical strength required for easy spellcasting, forcing him to rely on perfect technique and intense mental focus. Was his low talent across most disciplines simply a result of weak magic, overpowering even his strong will?
What about Transfiguration? Willpower was clearly a major component of magic, and Transfiguration was its purest expression. Perhaps his strong will gave him an edge there, overriding his weak magical core?
And Flying? That required almost no raw power, just finesse and control.
Understanding his own strengths and weaknesses solidified some of his existing plans and opened up new avenues of thought.
"Alright, settle down, settle down! I know flying is exciting," Professor Flitwick squeaked, somehow commanding immediate attention. Even the Slytherins quieted down. "Now, if you haven't forgotten your Levitation Charm technique, why don't you make the feather in front of you float – as if it were riding a broomstick – and do a couple of spins?"
Before the words were even fully out of his mouth, Justin waved his wand and incanted. The feather before him, as if eager to compensate for its owner's lacklustre flying performance, not only lifted effortlessly but executed several perfect, graceful loops in the air.
"Mr. Finch-Fletchley! Outstanding progress!" Professor Flitwick cried delightedly.