The Return to Hogwarts

Most of the young wizards in Hufflepuff burst into laughter again, including Ernie and Fenrir, who had previously gotten along well with Harry. Not to mention the Slytherin guys, who were all clutching their stomachs and laughing uncontrollably, like they were insane.

While the girls in Ravenclaw did not do so, they also stood by and watched indifferently.

Perhaps reassuringly, Cho Chang didn't do it; she seemed to feel the behavior was inappropriate, watching Harry with concern, while Luna stared blankly at the ceiling, seemingly unaware of what was happening. Cedric, also a champion, appeared conflicted, unsure whether he should stop the Slytherins from doing so.

Amidst his anger, Harry also felt a sense of disbelief.

Those wretched Slytherins didn't cause any trouble in Hagrid's class, but they actually went to Professor Blaine's gym class and collectively mocked Hermione. Don't they know what the consequences of angering Professor Blaine will be?!

Harry didn't have the extra energy to think about how Professor Blaine would react if he saw this; what he needed to do was protect Hermione's dignity.

"Take that stupid thing off, Parkinson's, or I'll make you pay!"

Harry roared.

"Don't do this, Harry—"

Surprisingly, Hermione was the first to stop Harry from throwing a tantrum. She shielded Harry with one arm, and despite the badges that had humiliated her, Hermione remained calm.

“It’s not worth it. I know they’ll always find a way to prove their shallowness and stupidity.”

"what's wrong?"

Pansy Pankinson puffed out her chest even more.

"Don't you like this, Granger? We're all here for you. Look at these beautiful front teeth; maybe they can help you block some attacks if you're in danger!"

These words were truly outrageous. Even Hermione clenched her fists, her eyes gleaming. Harry's anger was almost about to burst through his mental dam. If Parkinson hadn't been a girl, he might have rushed up and punched that ugly face!

I'll say it one last time—

Harry might not have felt this angry even if these people insulted him; after all these years at Hogwarts, he was used to fighting with Slytherins. But Harry couldn't bear to see his best friend suffer such humiliation. His voice lowered, becoming somber, which only made him seem more dangerous.

"Take off that utterly stupid badge."

“What if we’re not happy about it, Potter?” Draco stepped forward with a slight smile. “What do you plan to do?”

Harry drew his wand in a flash, and he wasn't the only one to do so. Fred, George, Angelina, Ginny, and others behind him all pulled out their wands and pointed them at the Slytherin students almost simultaneously.

The Hufflepuff students gasped in surprise, but instead of stopping them, they stepped back, leaving the battlefield untouched.

Upon seeing this, Malfoy, Parkinson, and the others were not angered by the provocation; instead, they became even more smug. They made all sorts of strange gestures, and Milison even took off his badge and placed it on his head so that the Gryffindor students opposite could see it more clearly.

"Don't do it!"

Hermione screamed shrilly as she ran out of the line, her back to Slytherin, arms outstretched, blocking Harry and his Gryffindor classmates.

"Put down your wand, Harry, whatever you do, don't do it!"

"Unless they take off that badge that humiliated you first!"

Harry's emerald green eyes gleamed as he stared intently at Malfoy.

"Don't fall for it, Harry, and you guys, can't you see it's a trap!" Hermione said urgently. "They're just waiting for you to use your wands!"

Hermione was breathing heavily.

"Professor Blaine told us that students in physical education class are absolutely forbidden from using their wands if they get into a conflict with someone in the castle. Otherwise, he will give the person involved in the conflict extremely severe punishment. Believe me, it's definitely not just solitary confinement or deducting points. He might expel you from the class!"

Hermione's reminder was like a cool, refreshing stream poured down her head, bringing all the Gryffindor students, including Harry, back to their senses. They all remembered that Professor Blaine had indeed said those words!

Harry caught a fleeting look of disappointment on Malfoy's face, which seemed to confirm Hermione's statement.

The cost of being excluded from the class by Professor Blaine was unbearable for anyone, Harry gritted his teeth. He hadn't expected Malfoy and Slytherin to be so vicious and cunning.

"What's wrong, Potter?"

Seeing his meticulously planned conspiracy about to fail, Malfoy, filled with resentment, continued to mock and ridicule.

"Are you starting to like our ideas?"

Then Pansy Parkinson stepped forward, pulling out a bag filled with the badges they wore.

"I have many more here, would you like one?"

Hermione tried her best to persuade everyone to put down their wands, but Cedric finally seemed to have had enough. He pushed his way out of the crowd, frowned, and said to the Slytherins,

“There’s no need for this, is there? We all belong to Hogwarts, and we’re all classmates in this class. Professor Blaine certainly wouldn’t want to see us fighting amongst ourselves.”

"We're supporting you, Diggory!"

Malfoy's smooth smile was somewhat like that of Professor Karkaroff, the headmaster of Durmstrang. He took the bag from Pansy's hand, bypassed Cedric, and walked towards Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw's group, shaking the bag in his hand.

"Is there anyone willing to give Diggory a little more support?"

To be honest, no one is a fool. Everyone knows that Malfoy and Slytherin's students are only targeting Granger and Potter. However, there are still quite a few Hufflepuff young wizards who are eager to try their luck. After all, most of them are happy to kick Gryffindor while they're down in this matter.

In particular, they heard that the victory at Hogwarts would be decided by a joint score from Diggory and Granger, which undoubtedly hampered Cedric's chances.

"That poor little bastard!"

One of Fred and George spoke behind Harry, and then Harry heard the sound of sleeves being rolled up. This reminded him that he had forgotten that it wasn't necessary to use a wand to teach Malfoy a lesson he hadn't been able to get out of, and that Malfoy had started stirring up trouble again not long after.

However, someone acted even faster than them!

Just as Harry and the twins rolled up their sleeves, ready to rush up and teach Malfoy a lesson, a clear clang suddenly rang out from the back of the Gryffindor team!

Clang!

Harry immediately turned his head to see what was happening, but he only managed halfway through the turn when a dark shadow flashed past him with a cold glint in its eyes. Harry quickly followed the shadow and saw a person brandishing something and rushing towards Malfoy at an astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, the person was already in front of Malfoy. When everyone saw who it was, their mouths dropped open, and they stared in disbelief at the person holding the swords that were worn by the armored figures along the classroom wall!

"Hand over the stuff, Malfoy!"

The gleaming blade of the sword trembled slightly, only a few feet from Malfoy's forehead. Neville, his face flushed, gritted his teeth and spoke.

Meanwhile, Amosta, who witnessed this scene from outside the door, also raised an eyebrow.

October update complete. I really want to just give up in November...

Chapter 581, Stage Four

2023-11-08

At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, conflicts among young wizards are commonplace. At this impulsive age, it's not uncommon for them to resort to violence and wands at the slightest disagreement. And if there are too many people involved and there's no time to swing wands, punches are no big deal either.

However, this was the first time Harry and Hermione, who had been at Hogwarts for four years, had ever seen someone like Neville pull out a sword and point it at someone's head.

Even the Slytherins were stunned by Neville's actions. They stared blankly at Longbottom, who was panting heavily and had bloodshot eyes, and fell into a silent astonishment. But after a brief silence, a deafening burst of laughter suddenly erupted.

"What are you doing, Longbottom?"

Pansy Parkinson burst into laughter. "You think you can beat Draco with a piece of scrap metal? Oh, ha, look at you, you idiot!"

The Slytherins didn't stand up for Draco in time; they laughed so hard they were doubled over, tears streaming down their faces.

The Gryffindors remained eerily silent, except for Hermione, who let out a cry that was both sad and touching.

"Don't do this, Neville!"

Of all the people present, Draco probably knew the most about the sword. It has to be said that the image of Longbottom stepping forward and raising his sword was really funny. However, the sight of Neville with his bloodshot eyes and the chilling aura emanating from the blade made Draco purse his lips and look at him with surprise and doubt.

"What are you doing?"

"This farce should end here," Amosta said, stepping into the classroom from outside.

The young wizards were so captivated by Longbottom that no one noticed Professor Blaine had been standing at the door for a while. When Professor Blaine spoke, everyone's expression changed instantly. The Slytherin students hurriedly patted their badges on their chests again, while the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw wizards became more obedient. Neville lowered his sword, and Harry and his friends couldn't wait to turn around and shout at Amostrum, accusing Slytherin of their 'misdeeds'.

"we do not have!"

Malfoy cried out, looking aggrieved, "We were just supporting Granger in our own way!"

"You're talking nonsense, Malfoy!"

Harry was furious. He pointed at the badge on Malfoy's chest and suddenly noticed that Malfoy not only didn't hide it, but proudly puffed out his chest, as if to let Professor Blaine see it more clearly. This immediately struck Harry as odd. He squinted and saw that the Slytherin badges had changed again. Now, they were proper badges, with a normal picture of Hermione on them, and a shining line of words above: Hermione Granger—A True Champion of Hogwarts!

"It wasn't like this just now, Professor Blaine!"

Harry was speechless for a moment, then shouted again. One by one, the young Gryffindor wizards swarmed around Professor Blaine, vividly describing the three variations of the badge!

Amosta glanced at Draco, who looked completely innocent, and couldn't help but admire him inwardly; the kid's skill at setting traps for others had greatly improved.

Of course, the professor's authority and impartiality must still be upheld.

Under the eager gaze of Harry and the others, Amosta walked over expressionlessly. As he passed Longbottom, he gave Longbottom a long, hard look, then suddenly smiled.

"Not bad, it's quite decent--"

Draco chuckled, taking Amostella's earnest praise as an insult. However, when Professor Blaine's gaze fell upon him, he sensed an unusual pressure and immediately stood up straight, becoming obedient and docile.

call out--

Amostella beckoned with her finger, and the bag in Draco's hand flew into his grasp. He took out a badge, placed it in his palm, examined it carefully for a moment, and then spoke in a cold voice...

"Who made this thing?"

Draco lowered his head, a struggle evident in his grey eyes. Just as he was contemplating whether to tell the truth, a pale, childlike hand suddenly rose from within the Slytherin group.

“It’s me, Professor Blaine—”

The one who raised her hand was Astoria Greengrass, the youngest member of the Slytherin team, who tried to remain calm in the face of Professor Blaine's gaze.

"The level of transformation is quite good--"

Amosta nodded slightly.

The young wizards of Gryffindor stared incredulously at Professor Blaine's retreating figure. They couldn't believe that Professor Blaine would actually praise Slytherin's actions!