From Hogwarts to Sturhaven

Not to mention that even when the building was still on paper, the instigator, Ivy, had already set his sights on the Hogwarts faculty and students.

Now that the "base" is complete, the Hogwarts Board of Governors is unlikely to let go of so many workers. Of course, they will try their best to elevate the elective course of protecting magical creatures to the status of a compulsory course.

Hermione is precocious at a young age and her political acumen far surpasses that of boys her age, which explains why she was able to become Minister of Magic despite being a Muggle in the original story.

Harry and Ron, who were always playful, wanted to refute Hermione's point of view, but they really had no say in the big topic of "learning," especially since they were "borrowing" from someone else's transfiguration paper. So they exchanged a glance and fell silent.

Having finished today's homework, Harry is about to face another hell.

He bid a sorrowful farewell to his friend and reluctantly set off on his journey.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's office was the same one Ivy had used before, but before leaving Hogwarts for the summer, Ivy had packed up all her personal belongings and stuffed them into the Grimoire of Destruction, leaving Lockhart with only an empty room.

But perhaps this is exactly what this flamboyant Sir Merlin Order Third Class recipient wanted.

He had hung his photos all over the room, and every Lockhart in the frame loved to show off his eight gleaming teeth. Harry, who spent four hours there yesterday, was almost allergic to Lockhart's smile.

Not to mention that every time Harry finished writing a letter, he would slip in a signed photo of Lockhart.

I really don't know how his fans can be so fond of Lockhart's smile.

Harry felt nauseous just looking at it.

Standing outside Lockhart's office, Harry hesitated for a moment, then didn't knock. He was really reluctant to leave the free air outside.

The hallway was deserted; even the little witches who usually huddled outside Lockhart's office were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps, a month into the new semester, Hermione was the only one who still held hope for him.

With Professor Victor setting such a high bar, most students were already tired of Lockhart's role-playing games. Harry was especially fed up with it, because Lockhart would drag him into class every time to play abnormal creatures like werewolves, vampires, and yetis.

“This is absolutely terrible,” Harry said, looking at a shiny suit of armor that was the only one in the corridor. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for it.

"You're all alone here, aren't you?" Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for the armor, thinking about how it was forced to be Lockhart's neighbor. Then, thinking about how he was about to enter Lockhart's office, he suddenly felt that the armor's situation wasn't so bad after all; at least it wouldn't be bombarded with Lockhart's smiles.

“That’s really terrible.” A melancholy female voice suddenly rang out, startling Harry.

“You’re trapped too, aren’t you?” the melancholy female voice continued.

Harry looked around the corridor but didn't see anyone. He suspected that some ghost was playing a trick on him, but he wasn't sure, so he asked in a low voice, "Who's talking?"

"Who else could it be?" came a harsh male voice as he answered. "Of course it's your conscience! Isn't all this terrible situation your own fault?"

It's definitely a mischievous devil!

Harry was about to get angry when he heard a steady voice say, "Don't listen to his nonsense, child. We're right in front of you."

But all Harry could see was a suit of armor.

Harry was surprised that the armor could talk, but since he was now studying in a magical castle, it wasn't a big deal. Apparently, some people had even witnessed armors fighting each other!

"You're trapped too?" Harry recalled what the first female voice he spoke to had said; it seemed they also harbored some resentment at being standing outside Lockhart's door.

“Yes, it was small, narrow, and wet.” The voice that answered Harry turned back into the melancholy female voice from before. “I really miss those days of lying on the lawn sunbathing.”

Harry looked down at the water stains at the feet of his armor. It wasn't far from the girls' washroom next door. He'd heard Hermione say that a ghost who was always crying lived there and often made a mess of water.

"It happened again yesterday?" the harsh male voice spoke again. "Isn't it all because of you that we're trapped here?"

"His scent smells wonderful... I never expected it to be like this..." The melancholy female voice seemed to be protesting her innocence.

However, Harry thought she was right; Lockhart was indeed a rotten wretch all inside and out.

"Enough! Arguing won't do us any good!" The last, steady male voice interrupted his companion's argument. "Leave here, child. What traps you isn't the world, but yourself. Your situation is different from ours."

“Oh…” Harry thought that was a good way to put it. Although it didn’t change the fact that he was about to be punished in Lockhart’s office, he still felt much better. So he sincerely thanked them, “Thank you… uh, have a good time?”

"Get out of here, you brat!" The harsh voice sounded very irritable. "Do I have to beg you? If I could still move, I would definitely eat you up in one gulp!"

"I'm sorry, child." The steady voice sighed. "That guy is always like that. We won't be staying here for long..."

Harry couldn't help but take a step back, then stepped forward to examine the hole under the armor mask, trying to see where the sound was coming from.

"What exactly do you want? I'm going to...!"

Lockhart's office door opened, and the sounds from inside the armor abruptly ceased.

"Look who's this little rascal? Come on in, Harry!"

Harry turned his head and saw Lockhart's eight gleaming white teeth. He sighed and resignedly walked into his office.

Chapter 177 Another Chaos

Days passed, and Hagrid's pumpkin grew bigger and bigger; Halloween was fast approaching.

Since the day Ivy went to Dumbledore's office to see Morfin Gaunt's memories, she has not received any more invitations from Dumbledore, nor does she know whether he obtained any information about Voldemort's Horcruxes from the Death Eaters of Azkaban.

Fortunately, no other "ominous" victim appeared in the castle.

After receiving a large vial of blood-replenishing potion from Madam Pomfrey, old Filch returned to his post. It's unclear what he and Dumbledore discussed, but he didn't mention being attacked by Harry again.

Everything in the castle was as usual, as if no bloodshed had ever occurred.

Sometimes Ivy would marvel at how efficient the wizards' healing methods were, which led to a lack of respect for non-fatal injuries.

Neville, who experienced numerous teaching accidents in his first year, including fractures, dislocations, and burns from a magic potion, is still causing trouble all over the castle.

Hermione, who blew the entire corridor into the sky, received no punishment whatsoever.

Not to mention Ivy, who killed a professor in the Forbidden Forest before, and even took Quirrell's classes for a few months!

Hogwarts faculty and staff may have their own understanding of the term "safe teaching." As long as no one dies, it's not a big deal. A little blood, a broken arm or leg—these are injuries that these professors don't need to worry about.

Even if a Dark Magic incident did occur at the school, rendering ordinary potions and healing spells ineffective, Snape and Dumbledore, two masters of the Dark Arts, could provide unblocking services. The Herbalist Master could also provide high-quality herbs for Snape's use. Several students who were petrified by the Basilisk in the original story were healed in this way.

If not for the blessing of Lady Luck, a normal person would die the moment they encountered the basilisk, instead of being petrified.

Moreover, even though the petrified students have almost filled the school hospital, the school has no intention of closing classes. The most they have done is to hold a pajama party in the auditorium.

Perhaps Ivy could suggest that the school offer some "safety education courses"?

Whatever, these things have nothing to do with me anyway.

Ivy shook her head, dismissing the unrealistic idea, and got up to leave the library.

Today is a rare sunny day in October in the Scottish Highlands, and he plans to go to the grass to sunbathe and get some vitamin D and fresh air.

He encountered Madam Hooch in the corridor; she was Hogwarts' only physical education teacher and Quidditch referee.

She was rushing a small, thin child to the school hospital; it seemed Neville wasn't the only one who might have been injured during flight class.

Since Hogwarts classes are not held at the same time for all grades, you can always see students from other grades in the castle, making Ivy, a vagrant who doesn't have to attend classes, stand out less.

When Mrs. Hooch passed by him with the student, she didn't even look up, preoccupied with comforting the first-year student who kept shedding tears.

Winter is just around the corner, and the weather is getting colder. People living in the British Isles should cherish every ray of sunshine.

Ivy stood at the castle gate and stretched comfortably.

He planned to find a quiet and open place to take a nap in the sunshine; studying magic also requires a balance between work and rest.

A large group of young wizards had gathered on the lawn beside the castle, each holding a broom, but none of them were in the sky. It seemed that Mrs. Hodge was still using her old tricks, threatening these little ones with expulsion.

After teaching students at Hogwarts for so many years, each professor's teaching methods had become fixed, and even the tricks for scaring students hadn't changed much. After all, apart from Defense Against the Dark Arts, the only other flowing things in the castle were water and waves of students.

Ivy strolled lazily, looking up to find a good spot for her afternoon nap, while passing by the group of first-year students waiting for Mrs. Hooch to return.

The young wizards huddled together, making a lot of noise, and didn't seem very friendly.

Ivy glanced at the linings of their robes; they were green and red, respectively.

Hogwarts has put Slytherin and Gryffindor in the same class again, so it's only natural that they'd fight.

Ivy pressed her wand lightly to her throat and loudly stopped the young wizards from fighting: "Enough! Stop it!"

The loud noise startled a flock of birds in the distance, but the young wizards from the two academies showed no sign of stopping. Having learned very little magic, the young wizards resorted to fists, feet, and teeth, engaging in a chaotic brawl.

Ivy got a little closer and started to suspect something was amiss.

Typically, when students get into a group fight, there will be a group of people standing around who only make noise but don't actually fight. The ones who fight the hardest are usually the group that is surrounded in the middle.

Perhaps this year's first-year students are too full of martial spirit, because even girls with braids were screaming and fighting together.

As they got closer, Ivy realized that it wasn't a battle between Slytherin and Gryffindor, but a massive free-for-all.

Two Slytherin girls rolled around in each other's arms, screaming and pulling each other's hair. Several short boys tackled a Gryffindor student to the ground, then immediately abandoned their cooperation and became enemies, squeezing each other together with their hands and feet.

"Merlin's beard!" Madam Hooch rushed back from the school hospital, clutching her chest and staring in shock at the chaotic scene before her. "What on earth happened?"

“I’m not sure either,” Ivy replied, squinting. “But it would be best to get them all to stop.”

Ivy spread out the Grimoire of Destruction, and blue arcane light enveloped his entire body. Then, a halo of light made of obscure runes enveloped all the young wizards present.

With a soft cracking sound, the halo exploded into a mist of light and then vanished. The young wizards who had been enveloped by the halo collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

The spell Ivy cast was Sleep, which is known as the strongest first-level spell in tabletop RPGs.

As a control spell, it can affect all targets within a 20-foot radius. As long as their total health does not exceed the value of a 5d8 die, it can hypnotize all targets within the range in order of their health from lowest to highest.

In the rules of D&D, an ordinary civilian is considered to have 1d8 life points, which averages out to 4. However, this is the data for adults; minors should have even fewer.

Considering that these first-year wizards are also considered prospective professionals, Ivy assumed they all had 4 health points. The two schools combined have fewer than 20 students, whose total health points wouldn't exceed 80.

虽然5d8的生命值上限是40点，但好在睡眠术可以进行升环施法，每个环数能够增加2d8的可影响生命值。艾维直接花费了一个6环法术位，总计能够影响15d8的生命值，就算来一头少年龙也要当场趴下。

It is precisely because a 6th-ring spell slot was used to cast the ring-up spell that this 1st-ring spell caused such a commotion.

Although it was just a random brawl between first-year wizards, if someone was really unlucky and injured their eyes or the back of their head, even the most effective healing magic and potions wouldn't be able to undo the damage.