From Hogwarts to Sturhaven

"It seems you're eager to end your tenure at Hogwarts." Professor McGonagall pushed up her glasses and began scanning the parchment in front of her, which appeared to be a student's poorly written Transfiguration assignment—a fact evident from the downward smirk on her lips. "Speaking of final exams, have you finalized the location and projects for the practical exams? The Ministry of Magic's construction team hasn't arrived yet, and we don't know how their blueprints are coming along... So, until they reach Hogwarts, we still have a chance to take the students to the Forbidden Forest."

“Don’t worry, Professor McGonagall, I’ll use magic to temporarily repair a piece of land, right by the Black Lake.” Ivy’s ice cream was sprinkled with raisins and hazelnut crumbs, his two favorite dessert toppings. He was in a good mood after playing a trick on Voldemort last night.

“Then remember to put them back after the exam,” Professor McGonagall reminded her, without looking up, still staring at the student’s Transfiguration assignment. “What are the specific projects?”

"Sixth grade is all about wizard duels, graded by performance, mainly to test your Ironclad Charms." Ivy began to recall his exam schedule, which hadn't taken up much of his energy. "Fifth and seventh grade don't have final exams because they have to deal with OWLs and NEWT exams. Third and fourth grade also have wizard duels, but the focus is different from sixth grade. Their exams emphasize Disarm Charms. Can you imagine? Fourth graders don't even know how to cast Disarm Charms."

Professor McGonagall was taken aback and pulled her head away from the students' assignments: "All of them are adversarial tests? I should have guessed... Do you need Poppy to keep an eye on them for you?"

“If she’s free. But I’m confident I can handle it; they’re just a bunch of students.” Ivy put the last bite of ice cream into her mouth.

Professor McGonagall shook her head disapprovingly: "Think of Mr. Finigan in the first year, and the wall he blew up. They were just a group of students, but they were also a group of wizards."

Ivy laughed: "You're right, magic isn't a safe option, so I'll have to trouble the head nurse at Hogwarts to take extra care."

“Very good.” Professor McGonagall seemed much more relieved. She then asked, “What about the first and second year students? They won’t have to take competitive tests too, will they?”

“No need.” Ivy saw Professor McGonagall bury her head back into the students’ transfiguration homework. “First-year students have to use a knockback charm to deal with a large rock, and the passing level is to flip it over. As for second-year students, they need to use a smoke charm to cover 10 feet of open ground, or at least completely hide themselves.”

“Sounds safe, a standard exam.” Ivy saw Professor McGonagall’s lips curl into a smile as she scribbled a comment on an assignment. “Seriously, aren’t you really considering teaching for another year, Professor Victor? We can adjust the entire schedule for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Everyone has witnessed your teaching methods; you are undoubtedly capable of handling those who cause trouble. This is the first time I’ve seen Slytherin and Gryffindor students work together.”

“Thank you for your offer, Professor McGonagall. Perhaps when I have time, and Hogwarts still hasn’t found a qualified Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, I will consider returning to the position. But right now,” Ivy paused, then said firmly, “no.”

“It is truly a pity to hear you refuse, Professor Victor.” The door to the faculty lounge opened again, and many professors filed in. Leading the way was the short Professor Flitwick, followed by Professor Sprout with a smile on his face, Professor Snape with a gloomy expression, Professor Sinesta, whom Ivy had hardly seen, and Professor Babling, who taught ancient runes.

"I believe that the time I spend working with you will be a pleasant memory," Ivy said, offering a few polite words. He had never seen so many professors in the faculty lounge before.

"What are you doing here..." Ivy asked.

“Come and submit your exam questions to Minerva,” Professor Sprout answered his question. “We usually keep all the exam questions together to prevent them from being leaked before the exam.”

“I haven’t heard about this?” Ivy looked at Professor McGonagall.

“You’ve given me enough exam papers already, Professor Victor,” Professor McGonagall shook her head. “I think the set you originally planned to use in June could be used as the final exam questions.”

Besides the seventh and fifth year students facing exams, even students in other years were subjected to a barrage of practice questions in their Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. Ivy affectionately called them monthly exams, and even Professor McGonagall, Hogwarts' notoriously strict educator, thought Ivy was giving too many tests.

They have now taken three monthly exams and should have developed a resistance to exams.

Giving quizzes in class is a good way to slack off, since Ivy can leave the question setting and grading to the Wizard's Pen. All that's needed in class is to maintain basic exam order, especially since the students are sitting with classmates they don't know well.

The only people Ivy needed to be wary of were the Hufflepuff students. They could always quickly become friends with people from other houses, and even many of the little snakes from Slytherin had been corrupted by the little badgers' sweet offensive.

So after several adjustments, Ivy still had Slytherin and Gryffindor attend classes together, while Ravenclaw became Hufflepuff's regular partner.

Chapter 119 Dark Magic Defense at the Edge of the Forbidden Forest

“By the way, Professor McGonagall,” Ivy said, “my next class is an advanced class for seventh graders. We’ll be practicing some loud spells on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the one that lured you here last time.”

“Oh, I’ve already heard from the students,” Professor McGonagall collected the students’ assignments written on parchment, tapped them on the table to organize them, and then magically sealed away the exam papers that the professors had previously handed to her. “I heard you’re planning to have them use that spell as a universal solution for the NEWT exam? A clever idea… but… wouldn’t it be a bit too powerful?”

“After all, they’re facing dark magic creatures and dark wizards. As long as they don’t hurt themselves, I don’t think it’s a big deal.” Ivy stood up from her armchair, greeted her colleagues, and prepared to leave the faculty lounge for her class.

"Like I said, remember to tidy up your practice areas. There's nothing else to worry about." Professor McGonagall also came out from behind her desk and joined her colleagues for the tea break. Professor Sprout provided delicate meringues as a accompaniment to the ice cream, while Professor Flitwick waved his wand and conjured a gust of cold wind, making the temperature in the faculty lounge drop a little.

“Great.” Ivy reached for the door, only to find a red-haired student standing outside, awkwardly raising one hand, presumably about to knock. “Mr. Weasley? What brings you here?”

“Professor Victor?” Percy was startled; he hadn’t expected the serious-looking professor to open the door for him. “Uh… I’m here to see Professor McGonagall.”

Ivy stepped aside, and Percy walked in. Although he had been appointed prefect, he still felt a little uncomfortable facing so many professors at the same time.

“You’re five minutes early, Mr. Weasley.” Professor McGonagall glanced at him and waved her wand to pull out a chair for him. “Have a seat, or would you like some ice cream?”

“Oh! No need!” Percy quickly declined, “But career counseling…”

"Just wait until I finish this meringue ice cream, just for a moment." Professor McGonagall didn't give him a chance to refuse, and took a big bite from the plate.

Career counseling? Ivy didn't know Hogwarts offered such a service. What could a master of dark magic like him do after graduation? Go to Azkaban for further studies? Ivy shook his head and left the faculty lounge.

A group of seventh-grade students had gathered in the clearing next to the Forbidden Forest. They were excitedly waiting while exchanging their views on the Defense Against the Dark Arts. It seemed that no matter what grade they were, no one could resist the powerful spells, even in the sweltering summer heat.

"It's Professor Victor! He's here!" The students spotted Ivy from a distance, and gradually became agitated as he approached.

"Thank you for waiting for me in the sun for so long, gentlemen and ladies." Ivy glanced around and confirmed that these were all the students in the seventh-year advanced class of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

“We’re not hot at all!” Ivy’s skeptical gaze lingered for a moment on the sweat trickling down their temples.

"Dark clouds gather!" Ivy pulled out his wand, pointed at the sun in the sky, and said. A cloud shot out from his wand and rose high into the sky in the blink of an eye, blocking out a large part of the sun.

Below the clouds was the lawn where classes were held, and the students cheered with joy at the sudden appearance of the dark clouds.

"Weather Charm!" exclaimed a Ravenclaw student, looking at Ivy's wand with adoration. "Amazing! If I could do that so easily, my mom would drown me in kisses!"

The analogy was so vivid that the students quickly shifted their attention from the dark clouds to his mother: "Do you need your mother to sing you lullabies while you sleep?"

The one who made the sarcastic remark was a seventh-year Slytherin, who even made a gesture of holding a baby with his hands and shook it exaggeratedly.

Before a fight could break out, Ivy spoke up to stop them: "I didn't summon the clouds so you could have energy to argue. Everyone's here, so say 'sorry' now, and then we'll start the lesson."

Based on the intimidating presence Ivy displayed in class, the Slytherin student quickly apologized, and the class officially began.

“Does anyone remember the spell we were going to learn today?” Ivy asked after summoning some training dummies.

Someone raised their hand—it was the Slytherin who had apologized earlier: "Pyroblast!"

“Very standard.” Ivy nodded. “Looks like you’ve practiced a lot in private.”

“You’re right, Professor.” The Slytherin student looked puzzled. “But I’ve never succeeded even once, not even a spark has come out of my wand. I’ve even asked the elders in my family, and they all say it can’t be a spell.”

"Hmph." Ivy snorted and smiled. "That's right, because this spell has a unique operating logic."

"Confringo!" Ivy chanted again, and a flash of light shot from his wand, leaving a huge crater in the lawn, where the wooden training dummy was completely gone.

"Can anyone tell me the difference between the Explosion Charm and the Pyroblast?" Ivy asked again, then randomly selected someone to answer.

“Uh…” The Hufflepuff student who was called on hesitated for a moment, and answered without much confidence, “The Explosion Charm is in Latin, while the Pyroblast is in English?”

"You got it right!" Ivy clapped her hands in encouragement.

“Most of the spells used by modern wizards come from Miranda Gossack’s Book of Spells. The Standard Spells series of textbooks you use in Charms class is part of the Book of Spells. This book is also available in the Forbidden Library at Hogwarts, and it records spells invented by students over the years,” Ivy explained.

Many students looked annoyed, as if regretting that they hadn't seen the book before graduation.

“The Book of Spells defines magic simply: correct Latin pronunciation, correct wand gestures, and the right belief,” Ivy continued. “This is your first lesson in learning spells.”

“But Pyroblast is different; it uses a different spell model. You can’t cast this spell just by chanting the incantation and waving your wand.” Pyroblast was an idea that came to Ivy after she read through the Book of Spells in 6 seconds using the Scholar’s ​​Touch. It was an attempt to combine D&D spells with wizarding incantations.

In the world of D&D, sorcerers, as spontaneous spellcasters, can also master spells not inherited through their bloodline through diligent study. This is similar to the spellcasting methods of wizards, so Ivy tried to apply the D&D spell model and material system to wizard spells, and combined it with the two native spells "Thunder Explosion" and "Blazing Fire," thus creating this seemingly similar but actually flawed Fireball spell.

"To learn the Fireball spell, you must memorize its spell model and guide your magic with your wand to complete the spell model before you can release it." Ivy waved her wand, and golden particles of light traced a pattern in the air, surrounded by complex annotations.

"So the spell isn't necessary?" A clever guy immediately spotted the blind spot.

“To be precise, in the components of the Fireball spell, the incantation can be omitted first.” Ivy nodded. “As long as you can successfully cast it once, I believe you can quickly eliminate the incantation. If you are facing the practical part of the NEWT exam, the Silent Spell will undoubtedly earn you extra points from the examiners.”

"That's awesome!" the students cheered, and many more pulled out their notebooks from their bags, trying to record the blackboard writing that Ivy left in the air with light particles.

But after copying a few lines, the students noticed something was wrong: "Why is what I copied different from what you wrote, Professor?"

Of course, copying scrolls requires a special skill.

“You can’t possibly bring your notebook to the exam room, can you? That’s why I’m holding this class outdoors.” Ivy shrugged, choosing a way that students would easily understand. “You need to use your brains to remember it; a quill pen won’t help you.”

Calvin, it'll be late today, but it will definitely be there.

As the title says…………

Chapter 120 New Residents of the Forbidden Forest

Although Ivy's self-created Fireball spell used a spell model that had never appeared in the HP world before, as a seventh-year student at Hogwarts, the fact that he still chose to participate in this year's Advanced Class despite being taught by many unreliable Defense Against the Dark Arts professors is proof of his talent.

Moreover, as wizards, their method of casting spells is still spontaneous casting, which is the power of belief. Even if they cannot remember the spell model perfectly, as the source of a wizard's power, belief should be able to make up for the missing part.

"Pyroblast!" As a student chanted the incantation, a flickering flame shot from the tip of his wand and struck a training dummy not far away.

With an explosion, the training dummy turned to ashes.

"Hey! I've learned it!" Actually, it wasn't completely learned. Ivy could see that the spell contained more magic from the wizard, so the student must be very good at silent spells.

Ivy glanced at the badge on his chest, a blue eagle, fitting the school's stereotype.

“How did you do that? I can’t understand Professor Victor’s blackboard writing at all… if that can be called blackboard writing…” Ivy heard another student next to him ask in a low voice.

“Professor Victor is right!” The Ravenclaw student couldn’t wait to show off his success story. “Just remember it! No need to understand it, it’s more about feeling it!”

If a mage from the D&D universe heard this, he would be torn to shreds. How could one study magic based on vague "feelings"? Magic is a precise art; the slightest mistake can lead to total defeat.

Although Ivy is a mage capable of casting 6th-circle spells, he actually prefers the feeling of freely wielding magic. Casting spells based on feeling and instinct is not a behavior worthy of criticism in his eyes.

The saying goes, "A cat is a good cat as long as it catches mice, whether it's black or white!"

A truly intelligent person is one who can accept two completely opposite viewpoints and verify their strengths and weaknesses. Ivy had always thought he would be sorted into Ravenclaw. But as a transmigrator who considered himself the chosen one, he was more arrogant during the sorting process, not to mention his ambition to uncover everything about magic by any means necessary. Therefore, it was only natural that he became a proud Slytherin.

"Ah, one of my classmates has succeeded." Ivy snapped out of her thoughts and announced loudly, "See, I told you, this isn't a difficult spell. You just need to remember the spell model."

The students nodded silently, straining their eyes even more, hoping their brains could meticulously memorize all those strange shapes.

"Boom!" Another training dummy was smashed to pieces. All the students glared angrily at the student who had first unleashed the fireball spell, as the commotion he had caused had undoubtedly disrupted their studies.

"What?" The clever Ravenclaw wasn't unaware of disturbing others, but his face still showed most of his smugness. "I just want to try out the Silent Pyroblast that Professor Victor mentioned."

Alright, now everyone knows he can use the Silent Fireball spell.