When it was time for the sixth and seventh-years, the atmosphere shifted. Unlike the younger students, these upper-years were already considered adult wizards in many ways. Their physical fitness and magical control had developed more fully, and their Depulso spells reflected that.
Most of them scored 50 or higher, while the stronger seventh-years even reached 80. But the biggest moment came when Welen stepped forward. With a flick of his wand, his Depulso shot forward and slammed into the target with such force that the dummy rocked backward violently. The number flickered for a moment before settling on: 116. The hall fell silent.
Welen himself scratched the back of his head, looking a little sheepish. "Uh… sorry, Prefect. I swear I wasn’t slacking off. I’ve just been a bit tired lately, so my level dropped a little…"
The students gaped at him. ‘Dropped?!’That was 116 points! What did he mean dropped?!’ But now, a pattern was becoming clear. David, Vivian, Welen, they all had one thing in common. They were close to Alex. And they were all ridiculously strong. For the first time, many students began to suspect: ‘Is their strength because of Alex?’ The realization spread through the crowd like wildfire. And then, Joey cracked. He edged up to Alex, his expression nervous but determined. "Prefect…" he started hesitantly.
"What?" Alex asked, assuming Joey wanted another round of practice. "We’re done for today. If you want another turn, you’ll have to wait for the next study group."
Joey waved his hands quickly. "No, no! I wanted to ask… Did you teach David and Welen some kind of special training?"
The words had barely left his mouth before the other students leaned in, clearly eager to hear the answer. Alex raised an eyebrow. "Secret training?"
Joey nodded rapidly.
Alex scoffed. "The ‘secret’ is simple: training, training, and more training. High-intensity, systematic training." Then, he smirked. "Why? You interested?"
Joey hesitated. "Can I… join?"
The surrounding students immediately perked up, eyes wide with hope. Alex glanced around. ‘Oh?’ It wasn’t just Joey, everyone was watching him with eager anticipation. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He didn’t actually mind training more students. One or ten made little difference to him. But the reason he had trained David, Welen, and the others in the first place had been to gather data, to refine a system for improving wizarding combat efficiency.
After years of testing, he had already gathered most of what he needed. Expanding the group had never been a priority. Besides, he was lazy. He had other things to focus on. Training large groups of students wasn’t exactly high on his to-do list. But now that they were this interested… Maybe there was a way to turn this into something useful for himself.
Alex straightened his posture, putting on a serious expression. "Since everyone is so eager," he said, "it wouldn’t be right for me to be selfish and keep it to myself." Excited murmurs broke out instantly. "But…" Alex deliberately stretched out the pause, watching them squirm impatiently. "This training isn’t something I can just hand out casually," he continued. "It’s a specialized method, one that enhances a wizard’s physical and magical abilities. I can’t just offer it to anyone."
Joey’s expression twisted in desperation. "But Prefect, we want to get stronger! Just give us a chance!"
"Yeah! We’re willing to do whatever it takes!" another student chimed in.
"I’ll work hard, I swear!"
"If we have this opportunity, we’ll give it our all!"
One by one, more voices joined in, all pleading for the chance to train under Alex.
Alex tapped his wand against his palm, feigning deep thought. ‘Well, well…’ It wasn’t every day students begged for training. He could work with this.
On the sidelines, Welen, Vivian, and David exchanged looks. Their expressions screamed: He’s doing it again. They had been trapped in Alex’s grueling training regime for years, constantly subjected to high-intensity, merciless, exhausting drills. They had barely survived. And now… Now, Alex was about to trick even more people into joining their suffering. Vivian sighed, rubbing her temples. Welen let out a defeated groan. David? David looked horrified. Because he knew exactly what these poor fools were in for. And yet, despite all of that, the eager faces of the students around them never wavered.
"What are the conditions? Tell us!" Joey and the rest of the students leaned in eagerly, their eyes shining with anticipation.
Alex crossed his arms, letting them stew for a moment before answering, "I don’t train people who lack self-discipline. If you want to be considered, you need to place in the top three of the monthly evaluations in order to qualify for my system training."
A ripple of surprise spread through the crowd. "Breaking school rules, losing house points, and failing to uphold discipline will lower your ranking," Alex continued, his tone firm. "Conversely, earning house points, maintaining a strong academic record, and following the rules will raise your score. If you want a shot at training, prove that you deserve it."
The excitement in the room dulled slightly as the reality of the conditions sank in. If they wanted Alex’s training, they needed flawless discipline, excellent grades, and active contributions to Slytherin. Joey's heart sank. He had already broken the rules once this month, and his grades weren’t exactly stellar. But the desire to get stronger burned brighter than his doubts. "Understood, Prefect," he said, his fists clenched in determination. "I’ll do my best!"
Good," Alex nodded, satisfied. With a flick of his wand, he levitated the humanoid target away and turned to leave.
The rest of the students remained rooted in place, their minds racing.‘So that’s the requirement…’ For many of them, this was the first time they felt such a burning need to improve. And if the fastest way to do that was through Alex’s training, then there was no other choice, they had to raise their grades.
As if on cue, a dozen pairs of eyes shifted toward the study group representatives. Since their foundation wasn’t solid enough, they would have to make up for it. By studying harder.
Joey was the first to act. As Vivian turned to head back to the dormitory, he quickly stepped in front of her. "Vivian!" he called out urgently. She blinked. "Hmm?"
"My History of Magic is a disaster. Can you help me? Please?"
Vivian looked at him, unimpressed. "Right now? The tutoring session is over."
"Please," Joey begged, his expression pitiful. "Even just a little bit of help. Anything will do."
Vivian let out a deep sigh, rubbing her forehead. In the end, she stayed in the common room for another hour tutoring him. And Joey wasn’t the only one. The other students immediately followed his lead, swarming the study group leaders. Some begged for tutoring, while others pulled out their textbooks and started studying independently in the common room. What started as a simple spell practice session had unexpectedly ignited a frenzy for learning. Many of them stayed up until midnight, furiously trying to catch up.