44. Boy Becomes A Man

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Happy genuinely read the book Dumbledore gave him as he wanted to learn if magical herbology could affect plant genetics as well. If they could, can one make changes to a plant to their wish?

Of course, he knew about the dangers of trying to introduce such seeds to the world, as he could end up breaking the Statute of Secrecy. But there was no harm in at least studying and trying for the time being. In any case, he had luck on his side.

But Sunday had arrived, and he put aside all his studies for the day. It was time to meet Snape and learn combat magic from the man. He felt excitement and dread at the same time, as he knew he'd learn new things, but painfully.

"Koko, today it's going to be your job to watch over me. As your dear boss, if I fall, you must drag me to the Hospital Wing," Happy talked with his cute pet goose, who donned a muffler around his neck that day, along with a straw hat. Happy had no clue who gave it to him, but considering how loved he was by the Gryffindor girls, he knew it was one of them.

"Hehehehe!"

"..."

"Why did you make hyena sounds? Are you laughing at me?" Happy looked at his pet bird, happily tapping his flappy feet beside him.

"Oink! Oink!"

"..."

Happy decided it was better just to walk silently. But, he didn't realize that the seventh floor of the school was a somewhat secluded area especially popular among the older students.

Just as Happy made his way through the corridor, Koko suddenly darted away on his little webbed feet, catching his attention.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Happy followed Koko's feathered back and soon noticed a peculiar noise nearby. He cautiously approached the source, coming to a halt beside Koko, and peered into the hallway ahead.

The hallway had a row of arched windows on one side, allowing the sunlight to illuminate the area, while a solid stone wall lined the other side. However, what truly captured Happy's attention were the two seventh-year students he spotted.

They were kissing intensely, almost eating each other's faces and making noise.

Their bodies pressed against each other, hands exploring intimate territories. The boy had his hands where the majestic mountains were nestled, and the girl had her hand where the tower stood tall. Despite being clothed, their actions left little to the imagination.

Happy felt as if the world shrank in front of his eyes. The sight of saliva dripping from their unhealthy smooching filled him with disgust. A wave of nausea washed over him, but he knew he had to pass by them to reach his destination.

Summoning his courage, Happy closed his eyes and braced himself.

As Happy attempted to move past the couple, he sensed the sound of their wet kisses abruptly stopping. There was an odd and awkward moment of silence as Happy tried not to look at them and closed his eyes.

"Don't mind me. I saw nothing—Just passing through," Happy said and tried to play it cool. Of course, he wasn't against young love; rather, he was interested in it, but not that intensely.

"Hee-haw! Hee-Haw!..."

Happy was forced to open his eyes and look as Koko began to make donkey sounds as if mocking the two lovers. Heck, the white-feathered boy stopped and watched the two humans engaging in activities he had never seen before.

"... Koko… Let's go, buddy."

"Hee-haw! Hee-Haw!..."

Happy embarrassingly went and picked him up before running to the designated training room. He was early anyway, so he had much time and waited for Snape to arrive.

"Bad goose!" Happy scolded his avian friend. "Though I wonder who they were. The girl was from Slytherin, and the guy was a Hufflepuff. It sure was a strange combination."

"Moooo!" Koko replied in a cow voice.

"Want some chocolate?" Happy took out a large deluxe chocolate bar.

Bam!

Just as Happy was about to take a bite, the door to the room was pushed open, and Snape walked in with his black fluttering robe. His face maintained the usual iconic stoic expression as he looked at Happy, whose mouth was agape and chocolate halfway in.

Crunch!

Happy took the bite even then and stood up. Of course, he cursed the man in his heart. 'He arrived half an hour early! Was he trying to call me late and dismiss the class?'

"Are you here on vacation, Mr. Lestrange? Are you here to walk your pet?" Snape uttered with disdain.

Happy quickly put the chocolate away after giving a small piece to Koko. "No, professor, I was just waiting for you. How are we going to start?"

Snape looked around at the spacious room and sneered. "You arrived early and yet didn't consider clearing the place for the training? Are you, perhaps, considering this a joke?"

"No, Professor." Happy decided to keep his answers short from then on.

Whoosh!

Snape waved his magic wand in response, and instantly, all the broken-off pieces of paint from the walls were restored. The floor became free of dirt as well, and the torches by the walls lit up.

"We begin with an assessment, Lestrange. Show me what you have learned in the past two years." Snape ordered him and pointed his wand at the distant wall. "Aim your spells at that wall."

Happy nodded and took out his magnificent red wand with Zouwu's fang as the core. He aimed and began to cast spells one after another while moving his wand as if he were a conductor at an orchestra.

Using a fire-making charm, Incendio, he cast a fireball at the wall, shaking the torch hanging close to the target. Then he used the Knockback Charm, which left a small crack. He also tried the spell he used to bring down the troll.

Sadly, being a second-year student, he didn't have access to higher-level spells. It didn't help just knowing their name, as learning to cast them was more important.

"So you have mastered the second-year spells?"

"I also know Petrificus Totalus," Happy replied. "But I don't know stronger destructive spells."

Snape shook his head slightly and monotonously lectured him. "Battles are not won by who casts the stronger magic, but who casts the proper magic. One does not need to use Bombardo every single time, for dueling is a test of might as well as the mind.

"Defensive spells such as Protego, that is where we begin. Then you shall learn non-violent fighting spells, such as Immobulus, Expelliarmus, and Confundo."

Happy listened with focus, taking in any knowledge the veteran wizard imparted. He may dislike the man's persona, but he didn't dare ignore the man's experience.

"Protego comes in a few varieties. You will learn the common version, for even mastering that is something not all adult wizards can accomplish. Now, stand as I do, and swing your wand in any direction.

"The most important thing in Protego is timing. Be too early, and the shield will be weak. Be too late, and you will die. The perfect moment is to predict when the attack will be closest to you relative to your magic casting speed. The shield appears in the direction of your arm's swing, and the strongest point of the shield is where your wand's tip is pointed at."

Happy followed the instructions and first practiced swinging the arm and wand placement. Then, when he felt confident, he asked Snape to let him try it for real.

"Say the name of the incantation loud and clear—if you fail and my spell hits you, it will be none but your mistake." Snape showed no mercy as expected and stood a few meters away.

Happy gulped and prepared his wand. Thankfully, Snape was only going to send the attack spell when he'd begin waving his arm. That ensured he wasn't caught by surprise.

'Swing, shout, and point—swing, shout, and point…I can do it!'

Happy firmly looked at Snape's face and bellowed the incantation as his arm waved. "PRO-TAY-GOH!"

Snape was utterly fast, moving his arm with minimal body motion, and not even an incantation left his mouth.

Boom!

Happy looked in front of himself. A strange, shining wall was before him, showing ripples in it as if water, absorbing momentum.

"It wor—"

Bam!

"Ugh... My back!" Happy groaned as even with the shield, he was thrown back and slammed onto the wall due to the oncoming spell's powerful momentum. "Ah...This is going to hurt!"

"That's enough for today's class." Snape voiced from a distance and walked to the exit in long strides. "Think about why you fell and give me the answer in the next session."

Happy remained on the floor by the wall, patting his back. "Of course...the push-back... I should have stood with a better stance."

There was a first for everything, and Happy learned his lesson that day. No matter what, he knew it was a fantastic start to his journey of learning self-defense.

Happy knew from the book that Protego wasn't an easy spell to use. Even those employed by the British Ministry of Magic could not produce a functional Shield Charm.

"Ah... I just need to practice now." He laid down completely on his back and rested for a while. "But with whom?"

…

Happy returned to the common room while pressing his back. He didn't go to the Hospital Wing to avoid being questioned and allowed the self-healing to work, but it was annoying to feel continuous pain.

So, he stayed in his dorm room, on the bed for the rest of the day, and ate all sorts of treats from his stash. He read the herbology book Dumbledore gave him to pass his time and only went out to eat dinner.

However, Happy had no idea that the sweet dreams he was expecting that night were going to be too sweet, more than any he had ever experienced in his entire life.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

Koko woke them up as the morning sun rose outside the window. Happy quickly sat up to check his back pain, but soon after patting his back, he found himself patting his pants.

"What happened?" Harry asked as he also sleepily sat up on the bed.

"Still feeling the pain?" Ron asked while remaining under the blanket but awake.

Happy shook his head repeatedly and stretched his sleeping pajamas open to look inside.

Then, he looked left and right at his friends.

"Gentlemen, I believe I have officially become a man."

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