Harry Potter: The Mage's Path Chapter 32

Hi all,

Here's the next chapter. Harry gains his first golem and goes with Dumbledore to hire an old Potions professor.

Chapter 32

Harry entered the Empty Dungeon with the Earth Golem materials. He was not sure what the process would be like to create a Golem, so he decided to do it inside the Instant Dungeon. The last thing he needed was for Dumbledore to be alerted by the castle wards by some magical anomaly emanating from his room. Celeste and Hedwig followed him inside, curious about the creation process.

As Harry set the materials on the ground, he arranged them into a circle with the Magic Core in the middle. It was the most important part of the Golem since it was the source of its power that allowed it to function. A key component of the body makeup was Dwarfen Clay, a special blend of clay created by the Dwarfs to enhance its durability. There were no instructions as to how to create the Golem and so he assumed that the perk itself would take care of everything automatically. He sure hoped so, as the materials cost him a lot.

"Alright, stand back," Harry said. "I don't know what will happen when I activate the perk."

"Maybe there will be a big explosion," Celeste said with a smile as she landed on the ground ten metres away with Hedwig joining her.

Harry stood over the materials and opened his menu. He pressed on the Golem Magic perk and was greeted with a prompt.

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The system has detected that the player has acquired the necessary materials for the Earth Golem. It is estimated that crafting it will take a few hours to complete. Would you like to start crafting it now? Yes/No

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Harry pressed yes and stood back as the materials started to shake violently. Instinctively, he covered his eyes when they lit up with bright light. He had to turn his back to avoid being blinded by its intensity. Celeste protested vehemently, following Harry's example while Hedwig tucked her face under one of her wings.

"Why did I want to watch in the first place?" Celeste grumbled.

'It should come with a warning.'

"Well, you can leave if you like," Harry said. "It's going to take a few hours. Come back when it's finished."

"I'm out of here," Celeste said, flying out of the gate with Hedwig beside her.

Harry sat down and occupied his time by practising Transfiguration in order to gain experience for his Alteration Mage class. He was still using the initial assignment given to him by Professor McGonagall, turning a matchstick into a needle, and he had become incredibly proficient at it. However, the amount of experience he was getting was dwindling, so he would need to start on something more challenging soon.

A few hours later, he got a notification that the Earth Golem was complete. He turned around and stared at the creation in amazement. The Golem was huge, standing seven feet tall, and had a wide circumference. It would take at least four people joining their hands together to encircle the entire thing. The head was shaped like a triangular helmet and adorned with a single giant yellow eye that looked dim. Its arms and legs were massive, so he imagined it was incredibly strong and durable. However, he didn't think it would be fast, considering the weight it had to carry around. It must have weighed at least a tonne, and that was a conservative estimate.

Harry walked forward and placed his hands on the Golem and found it to be extremely solid but with a smooth texture. It was completely stationary and did not exhibit any signs of life, so he must have to activate it in some way. Checking his notifications again, he found another notification that gave him the information he needed.

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Congratulations!

The player has created his first Golem!

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Earth Golem

Name: -----

Level: 1

Experience Pool: (0)

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Resources

Energy: 900/900 Regen: 45 per hour

Mana: 200/200 Regen: 30 per hour

Attributes

STR: 40

AGI: 15

VIT: 45

MAG: 10

INT: 5

WIL: 30

PER: 5

CHA: 0

RES: 40

Physical Defence: 61

Magical Defence: 60

Perks

Attribute Levelling: + 1 STR; 1 VIT; 1 WILL; 1 RES per level.

Earth Fortress: 50% resistance to Earth spells and skills.

Unmoveable: Cannot be knocked off its feet, or pushed back, no matter the force applied.

Penetration Defence: Doubles defence against slashing and piercing weapons/spells.

Skills

Taunt | Active | Level: 1 | Next: 1% | Cost: 20 MP |

Description: This effect forces the enemy to target the user for a short period of time. It can only be used on one target at a time and loses its effectiveness depending on the amount of damage the player deals to his enemy.

• Duration: 20 seconds, or until the player deals at least 50% damage to the enemy.

• Effectiveness: Loses 1% effectiveness for every level the target is above the Earth Golem.

• Range: Fifteen metres.

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Primary Commands: Activate; Deactivate; Defend; Taunt.

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Please give the Earth Golem a name...

=====

Harry whistled in appreciation. The Earth Golem certainly lived up to its reputation as a tank in every sense of the word. Even though it was very slow, its skill, Taunt, allowed it to aggro the enemy and gave him the freedom to attack without fear of being targeted. The only issue he would have with it was that because of its size, it would not fit in dungeons like the Peverell Crypt, since the corridors were too narrow.

Also, it was disappointing that it didn't have a shield, to add extra defence, although the body was certainly sturdy enough to take some damage. Maybe it was something he could add down the line. Although he was going to use it primarily as a tank, he was sure that it could be used to attack as well. He could imagine the Golem grabbing a monster and slamming it into the ground repeatedly. It was sure to cause a lot of damage.

It didn't have much Intelligence, so it only responded to simple commands. It was not a familiar after all, and it was very limited in the areas it could improve upon. However, he did not need it to be versatile, just as long as it carried out the task he created it for.

He didn't think much about its name and called it Titan. Now it was time to test this thing out to see if it was effective. Now that he was at a high enough level, he could return to the Nuckelavee Fairway dungeon, but he would have to be careful to find a single Nuckelavee on its own.

The problem was that he didn't know where he was going to store the thing until he needed it. Did it go into his inventory? Does it count as a living entity? Putting his hand on the Golem, he willed it into his inventory. Surprisingly, it worked, which meant he could summon it at any time without restriction. It would help when moving through areas too small for its size.

<====({owo})====>

Once inside the dungeon, Harry summoned Titan and stepped onto the fairway. He winced when he heard the sound of the lumbering giant walking beside him. There was no way he could remain stealthy with Titan beside him, so he removed the Invisibility Cloak. If the monster layout was the same as before, he would encounter a single Navelavee up ahead.

'It is about time you invited me back to explore a dungeon.' Hedwig said from her perch on top of Titan's shoulder.

"Well, with Titan here, you shouldn't be targetted by the Nuckelavee. Besides, it will be easy for you to avoid it in the air. I just hope that the Thunderbird will not make a reappearance. I need you to keep an eye out for other monsters so I am not caught by surprise."

'Celeste is unhappy with you for leaving her behind.'

"We are not staying long," Harry said with exasperation. "I only want to test Titan's capabilities on one enemy."

Seeing the Nuckelavee up ahead, Harry ordered Titan to step forward to meet the monster's initial charge. Harry commanded Titan to activate Taunt. Although the monster followed his orders, he had to blink in bemusement as to how it went about taunting the monster in order to get its attention. It raises its arm and makes a crude gesture, which proved successful in getting the monster angry.

Nuckalavee screeched in outrage and galloped forward, crossing the distance between them within a matter of seconds. Hedwig took flight to avoid the two colliding, and Titan crossed its arms to absorb the initial collision. Harry slipped around to the side in order to have a good shot at the flank of the Nuckalavee. First, he quickly used observation to see its parameters before initiating his first attack.

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Nuckelavee ~ Level: 30 ~ Type: Normal ~ Energy: 630/630 ~ Mana: 260/260

Primary Attributes: Agility 73 | Strength 71

Skills

Horse Kick: Lifts its hind legs and delivers a devastating kick to its target.

Grapple: Uses its long arms to grab the target and pin them to the ground.

Stomp: Tramples the target underneath its hooves.

Plague Breath: Exhales a foul concoction of toxins that incapacitate the target.

Perks

Sea Monster: In the ocean, its parameters increase by 30%.

Barnstorming: Can run all day if necessary due to its stamina.

Herd Mentality: They usually live in packs and cannot be found alone.

Terror: Their presence is so terrifying that it may paralyse the target.

Detriments

Aquaphobia: Has a weakness to fresh water. Parameters are lowered by 30%.

Temper tantrum: It is easily angered and may attack uncontrollably.

Cyclops: When its eye is damaged or destroyed, it is completely blind.

Loot: 500 pounds (100%); Nuckelavee Tongue (50%); Nuckelavee Hoof (30%); Sea Essence (40%)

Harvesting: Nuckelavee Tongue ( 90%); Nuckelavee Hoof (70%); Nuckelavee Eye (30%)

Description: Nuckelavees are mythical sea creatures that resemble demon horses when they appear on land. A rare characteristic of these creatures is their ferocity and tendency to rage uncontrollably, which affects their ability to think. They usually travel in herds, with a single Nuckelavee Stallion as the leader. Their stamina is nearly limitless, and they can run for an entire day without a single break, and they can reach speeds of up to 120 km per hour with the sprinter variant.

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The Fire Mage class was already equipped, and he chose to use the Firespear spell as his main offence. He ordered Titan to keep reapplying Taunt after it ran out to keep the monster's attention. The effect did not last long due to the large disparity in levels between the two. He needed to be quick as there was not much time to finish off the Nuckelavee as Titan didn't have much MP.

The Nuckalavee turned around and lifted its hind legs, unleashing a vicious kick on Titan's body. The golem didn't move but it took quite a bit of damage from the attack.

The Titan has taken 60 damage.

Energy: 840/900

Harry launched a Firespear at the Nuckalavee's flank. The spear shot through the air and pierced its side. It didn't penetrate very far into its body, but it made it cry out in pain.

26 dealt to the Nuckelavee.

Energy: 604/630

Unfortunately, it wasn't deep enough to trigger the bleeding status effect, and the damage came from the direct attack alone. Harry decided to dual-wield the spell and continued to bombard the Nuckalavee with spears. Soon, its side was peppered with them, and he finally opened up a wound deep enough to cause it to bleed. Over the next ten seconds, its HP was lowered by a hundred.

Titan was too slow to reapply the Taunt skill, so the Nuckelavee turned its attention to Harry and opened its mouth, releasing a cloud of toxic green gas. Harry cursed and warped backwards to avoid it. Getting hit by that was not going to end well for him. The cloud dissipated, but Harry stayed away for a while to ensure it wasn't still lingering in the air before re-engaging the monster.

'Are you okay, hatchling?' Hedwig called from up in the sky, keeping an eye out for other monsters, but also watching over him.

"I'm fine. Just need to work on teamwork with Titan."

Titan's MP was getting low, so Harry continued to reduce the monster's HP as quickly as he could. It wouldn't be long before he killed it. However, as it sensed that its impending death was approaching, the Nuckelavee became more angry and unpredictable. As a result, the Taunt skill became less effective and Harry had to stay focused as sometimes it ignored Titan and turned on him instead. Despite this, the fight proceeded relatively smoothly, and it ended without any drama at all.

The Nuckelavee collapsed to the ground and Harry stepped forward to pat Titan on the arm. "Good job, Titan. I think that's a pretty good result considering that it was your first fight."

Titan raised its arm in the air with a clenched fist. Although he didn't have a mouth to speak, it communicated its feelings well enough. Harry checked Titan's condition and saw that it had just under half of its HP remaining. Taking on two Nuckelavees at once would still be beyond him. However, he could still grind this one since it was so close to the dungeon entrance. He would only need to leave and reenter to respawn the monster. Harry checked the battle results and was surprised by the experience distribution.

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Battle Report

Harry Potter: 60% (312 exp)

Titan: 40% (208 exp)

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The fact that Titan got a high percentage of the experience is not unexpected, since his tanking allowed Harry to attack the Nuckalavee without much retaliation.

Hedwig regained her spot on Titan's shoulder and Harry looked down at the corpse. He didn't feel like harvesting the monster, so he reached out and looted it. The corpse disappeared, leaving behind a few items. He picked them up and placed them in his inventory.

"That's enough experimentation for today," Harry said. "Let's get out of here."

<====({owo})====>

6th August

Harry was summoned to Dumbledore's office around mid-morning. Ever since he returned from Diagon Alley after rescuing Grelan, and having a minor argument, he had not spoken to him. After talking with him about the speech in front of the Adventurers Guild, he discovered that his suspicions were correct. He didn't need to be there to make a speech and counter the Minister. This was a simple publicity stunt to get his name out there among the public.

Dumbledore had admitted that he saw Harry as his successor. He needed Harry to be seen by the general public as a hero, so he concocted the little scheme. The incident with Grelan was a happy coincidence, and now Dumbledore was sure that Harry had an ally in the Goblins. There were some harsh words spoken by Harry as he was unhappy with being manipulated. He was interested in what the man had to say now.

"Harry, I would like to apologise for my actions," Dumbledore said. "Despite my best efforts, I still succumb to bouts of arrogance and come up with schemes that I think are clever, but don't feel the need to share those plans with those who are affected."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Apology accepted. Your problem is that everyone relies on you to solve their problems, so it's understandable that you feel that you have to do everything. However, it is a minority, and I am sure that there are quite a few out there who get frustrated with your meddling, including me."

"You are correct," Dumbledore said, before placing a piece of parchment in front of him. "So I will endeavour to do better from now on. As for the reason that I called you here it is because I still need another professor to teach potions. Due to the fact that there will be two professors for the subject, I have been searching for two qualified candidates. I have found one that is suitable, but they just got their Potion Mastery, so they lack teaching experience. They will be fine to supervise the younger students, but I will need a professor to assist the older students with their OWLS and NEWTS."

"What does that have to do with me?" Harry asked, taking a closer look at the list of teachers that Dumbledore had already hired in order to make their new vision for the Hogwarts curriculum a reality.

"I am looking to retain the services of Horace Slughorn," Dumbledore replied. "He served as the Potions teacher before Professor Snape, and he retired from teaching in 1981. He was an excellent professor, and his students liked him immensely. In fact, your mother, Lily, was his number one student, and if it wasn't for the war, she would probably have pursued a Potions Mastery with him."

"So you want me to convince him to return because of my relation to his favourite student?" Harry guessed.

'Well, that's part of it," Dumbledore grimaced. "Horace likes to collect students as part of his Slug Club and he gives them help in exchange for some favours when they leave Hogwarts and pursue their own careers. There is nothing malicious since he is simply content with a small amount of influence and some creature comforts. If he is able to collect you, it will certainly be a feather in his cap, since you are very famous."

"Fantastic," Harry snorted. "Just how I wanted to spend my day. When do we leave?"

Dumbledore smiled and rose from his seat. "If you have no other plans for today, I would like to get it done now. Horace has been very elusive for the last couple of years as if he was running away from something, and I would like to know why. We will floo over to Hogsmeade and apparate from there. It took me some time to track him down. He is not connected to the floo network, so we can't floo straight there."

After they arrived at the Three Broomsticks Inn, Dumbledore grabbed his arm and apparated him into a small alleyway littered with trash and debris.

"Where is this place?" Harry asked, looking around curiously.

"This is Budleigh Babberton, a village in the south of England," Dumbledore replied. "Come, I want to catch Sughorn before he decides to run away again."

Dumbledore transfigured his clothes into a bright green one-piece suit, and they exited the alleyway. They got a few curious looks from some people on the street, and Harry tried to pretend he didn't know Dumbledore.

"How are we supposed to look inconspicuous when you wear clothes like that?" Harry grumbled.

"Are you questioning my taste in clothing?"

"Just the choice of colours," Harry muttered. "Maybe you're colour blind?"

Dumbledore didn't respond but increased his pace as if offended by his assertion. They approached a house located at the end of the street and knocked on the front door. When there was no response, Dumbledore looked around before summoning his wand and unlocking the door. When Harry followed Dumbledore inside, it was immediately evident that something was wrong. It looked like several people had gone through it seeking something since the place was completely trashed. Harry summoned his wand and prepared himself for a fight.

"There is no need for that," Dumbledore said merrily. "I suspect that Slughorn is putting on a show and we are merely the audience."

They entered the living room, where the walls were covered in blood. Despite the shocking imagery, Harry ignored it as he noticed something off about the room. The living room looked the worst off, with everything scattered and broken on the floor. As he walked past an armchair, he suddenly turned around and poked it with his wand. He heard a brief grunt of pain before the armchair transformed in front of him into an enormously fat old man sitting on the floor.

"Well done, Harry. I see you found Horace," Dumbledore said.

"It was the best I could do with the time I had. Wasted an entire bottle of Dragon Blood as well," Horace scowled.

"Leave him alone," a voice shouted before a small figure appeared and launched himself at Harry, his fists swinging wildly. It was a little boy, about four years old. Getting over his surprise, Harry seized the boy's arms and held them against his side so the boy didn't hurt himself.

"Who is this?" Dumbledore asked as he helped Slughorn to his feet, who looked like it took some effort to stand up.

"Enough, Zero," Slughorn placed a hand on the struggling boy's shoulder. "They are not our enemies. Albus is an old friend."

Zero stopped struggling, and Harry let him go. The boy hid behind Slughorn and looked at the two intruders suspiciously. He had light blue eyes and long dark hair that fell past his shoulders. He was so pretty, he looked like a girl.

"Horace?" Dumbledore questioned again.

"This is someone I came across on my travels," Horace sighed. summoning his wand and starting to clean up the mess he made in the room. "Unfortunately, he has brought me trouble as mercenaries from the Abyss have hunted us ever since. You don't know how many times I have moved in the last couple of years because of him."

"Is Zero from the Abyss?" Harry asked. He tried to examine the boy, but all he got were question marks. Curious.

"I don't know, but he hasn't aged a day since I met him," Slughorn shrugged. After cleaning up the worst of the mess, he turned his attention to Harry. "Who is this, Albus?"

"This is Lord Potter-Ravenclaw," Dumbledore said, stressing his titles. "Since he is the owner of Hogwarts, I thought I would bring him along so he can observe how I operate as Headmaster."

"Lily's boy?" Slughorn asked, looking at Harry in eagerness. "How could I forget that you would be going to Hogwarts this year?"

"Call me Harry," Harry said.

"Sluggy?" Zero spoke up, and Slughorn grimaced at the name, while Dumbledore looked amused. The boy emerged from behind Slughorn's back and circled around Harry curiously.

"If you are being hunted by mercenaries, that makes my pitch easier," Dumbledore said. "I would like to hire you for the position of Potions Professor again. Zero will be safe behind Hogwarts wards."

"What happened to Snape?" Slughorn asked, sitting down on the sofa and summoning a bottle of fire whisky and a glass. He poured himself a finger and took a sip. Zero reached for the bottle, but Slughorn quickly retrieved it and put it away.

"I have moved him to research. With the appearance of the dungeons, there are countless opportunities to invent new potion recipes." Dumbledore said. "He is not happy teaching, so I thought I would spare him the misery."

"You mean spare the student's misery?" Slughorn laughed. "He used to be such a kind boy when he hung out with Lily. But then he changed and their friendship ended, unfortunately."

"What?" Harry looked at Dumbledore. "When were you going to tell me about this?"

"Well, I didn't think you would take it well after your incident with Professor Snape," Dumbledore admitted.

Harry wanted to know what had happened to his mother's friendship with Snape, but he didn't want to get into it here. Besides, knowing how unpleasant the man was, he could imagine it was his fault that it ended.

"I don't know if I have the energy to handle a full-time class anymore," Slughorn confessed.

"You won't have to," Dumbledore said. "We are changing how the curriculum works. There will be no traditional class system anymore, and you will work with another professor to teach the students.

Slughorn's face indicated that he was undecided. Zero reached out and grabbed his waistcoat, and he looked down at the boy with a sad expression. It seemed to help aid in his decision because he nodded to Dumbledore, indicating his agreement.

After that, Harry and Dumbledore helped Slughorn pack his possessions up, and they left the house. Harry kept looking around, paranoid that he would encounter some more mercenaries. He didn't know who Zero was, but he was certain that the boy would attract some trouble in the future. Then again, he brought on enough trouble by himself, so who was he to judge?

<====({owo})====>

After leaving Dumbledore to get Slughorn and Zero situated, Harry made his way down to the Great Hall. It wasn't lunchtime yet, but he was feeling hungry, so he was going to ask one of the House Elves to get him something to eat. As he stepped through the doorway, he encountered Hagrid and Professor Flitwick. They seemed excited about something, judging by their animated faces.

"What's going on?" Harry asked.

"Hello, Harry," Hagrid boomed. "Just the man I was looking for."

"Oh?"

"I hear you have some Grievers on one of your properties," Hagrid asked indignantly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"To be fair, we don't know each other that well," Harry pointed out. "We have only talked briefly a few times. And we were supposed to be keeping it a secret. How did you find out?"

"Hagrid overheard Remus speaking to Dumbledore," Flitwick smirked. "The cat is already out of the bag, I'm afraid. Hagrid is not known to be discreet."

"Sorry," Hagrid said sheepishly.

"Well, it's not your fault for overhearing a conversation that should have been spoken in private," Harry patted the giant man on the arm. "So you want to meet them?"

"Yes," Hagrid nodded enthusiastically.

"Well, let me know when you want to meet them," Harry said.

"How about this Sunday?" Hagrid asked. "It's my day off."

"Sure," Harry agreed, and Hagrid thanked him, humming a happy tune as he walked off.

"That's a nice thing you did for him," Flitwick said. "I wouldn't blame you if you were upset with him for revealing your secret."

"It would get out sooner or later," Harry shrugged. "Besides, the castle inhabitants may still keep it a secret."

"Don't be too sure about that," Flitwick grimaced.

"I wanted to ask you," Harry said, changing the subject. "Are you willing to teach me how to duel?"

"That depends," Flitwick eyed him shrewdly. "What are you learning it for? Is it for traditional duelling or do you want to learn how to fight?"

"Well, I want to learn how to fight," Harry admitted. "You may already be aware that I have plenty of enemies after me. I need to learn how to fight better."

"Well," Flitwick rubbed his chin and observed him closely. "I have to admit that I initially approached you with the intention of asking you to participate in the Under-13 European Dueling Competition. If you agree to participate, I will be more than happy to teach you."

"When is the competition?" Harry asked.

"In December."

"Fine. I will participate."

"Excellent." Flitwick clapped his hands. "Are you busy now? I want to start you with some footwork training. It doesn't matter how fast you are, if you don't know how to move your body, it is wasted potential."

Harry followed him up to the second-floor Charms classroom, where Professor Flitwick moved the desks to the side of the room with a flick of his wand. "Stand in the middle of the floor."

Harry followed his orders and Professor Flitwick circled him as he spoke. " In my opinion, footwork is the most important part when duelling or fighting. The most effective way to avoid spells is to dodge them. Knowing how to move without thinking is a huge advantage over your opponent. You will also be able to keep your balance when you are caught off-guard by an unexpected attack or tactic, as well as adjust your position and recover from a sub-optimal position."

Flitwick came forward and adjusted Harry's stance so that he stood sideways, with one foot in front of the other. "It's critical to present your opponent with the smallest target possible. Besides, you only need your dominant arm forward to cast spells with your wand."

Harry was tempted to ask how that worked when he duel-cast spells but resisted the temptation. There was no need to tell him he could wield wandless magic, even if it was only fire magic at this point. There may come a day when he reveals his secret, but it wasn't today.

"Summon your wand," Flitwick said as he moved to a closed door, and opened it to reveal a storage closet. The professor floated out an object that looked similar to a mannequin but not as pliable.

"What is that?" Harry asked curiously

"This is a training dummy," Flitwick explained, as he positioned the dummy in front of Harry, about five metres apart. He touched his wand to it once, and the dummy suddenly stood upright on its own. "They teach duelists how to attack and defend. In your case, the training dummy will fire spells at you and you will practice dodging them."

"It can fire actual spells at me?" Harry asked incredulously, just noticing that the dummy had a wand in its hand.

"Not real spells," Flitwick said patiently. "They are merely an illusion. But they will mark you if they hit you. Now, I will start at the lowest setting."

"Why do we need a training dummy? Can't I train with you?"

"It's hard for me to hold back," Flitwick shook his head. "I'm afraid I will be too much for you. Now, are you ready?"

"Yes," Harry said, making sure that he was still in the proper stance.

When Flitwick tapped his wand on the dummy, it came to life quickly, surprising Harry and almost missing a red beam fired at him. Harry shuffled his feet to the side quickly, and it flew past his shoulder. The next spell came soon after, and this time he reacted faster, easily avoiding it.

Flitwick stood nearby, observing his movements as he continued to dodge the dummy's attacks. He didn't say anything, but let Harry continue for another five minutes before pointing his wand at the dummy, causing it to stop.

Harry stood there, breathing easily, not even feeling fatigued from the exercise. Once he recovered from his initial surprise, it had been easy and didn't feel like it had tested him.

"Your foot movement is still sloppy, but your speed has improved significantly since I last saw you," Flitwick said. "It seems I wasn't wrong about your potential. Next, we will work on improving your lateral movements."

Harry grinned as he prepared for the next exercise. This was really fun.

So, what do you think? Next chapter, Harry will gain experience in duelling human opponents.

Thanks for reading.