Harry Potter, the savior of Night City

In the principal's office, all the professors were present, a rare occurrence, including Hagrid. Dumbledore stood before them, his expression serious.

"Professor Flitwick," Dumbledore asked, turning to Flitwick, "how are the students' magical abilities now?"

"The older students who are motivated are alright, but those below the third year are still at the elementary level of magic. A good portion of them are even less skilled than first-year students." Professor Flitwick was also helpless, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"Severus, you're now in charge of teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. How are the students doing?"

Snape's face darkened, as if recalling unpleasant memories. "I would say they were a bunch of baboons wielding clubs, and in that respect, they weren't even as good as the trolls in the Forbidden Forest."

Dumbledore then turned to Professor McGonagall, who, without letting him ask, said directly, "No, the older students are alright, but the younger students, apart from a few gifted and exceptionally hardworking ones, their Transfiguration is simply unbearable."

Professor Sprout also chimed in, "Those students did a decent job taking care of the magical plants, although there might have been some imperfections, but it was still acceptable."

Next, each professor reported to Dumbledore on the students' academic progress one by one. Dumbledore's brow furrowed as they reported. The students were too weak, too poor. If one didn't ask them carefully, one would never imagine that the students' academic level was so bad. They were now facing considerable threats both inside and outside the school. If Lockhart and Voldemort attacked at the same time, the students would be sitting ducks.

"Hagrid." Dumbledore looked at Hagrid and, before Hagrid could speak, said, "Now, as the Headmaster, I restore your right to use your wand. If anything happens in the Forbidden Forest, you will be the first line of defense."

"Headmaster, I, I..." Hagrid was extremely excited. His wand was still there, something all the Hogwarts professors knew. But because of what happened fifty years ago, he couldn't take out his repaired wand and could only hide it in his umbrella to avoid being seen. But Dumbledore had now lifted his ban, which meant that he could let his wand see the light of day again, and could even buy a brand new one.

"I will definitely protect the Forbidden Forest!" Hagrid cried with excitement. He was now absolutely loyal to Dumbledore. Although he didn't know why Dumbledore was bringing this up now, or what had happened, he would carry it out since Dumbledore had said so, even if it meant facing Voldemort head-on.

Dumbledore nodded in satisfaction, then looked at all the professors:

"You all know what's happening at the school. Lockhart and Voldemort are two major threats to the school's safety and the students' safety." He paused, then continued, "Professors, I now implore you to give your students stronger magic, even if it's beyond the curriculum. At the very least, students should have the ability to protect themselves, even if it's dark magic."

All the professors looked at Dumbledore in surprise. Dark magic was acceptable? If the students were exposed to dark magic, could they handle it?

But seeing Dumbledore's determined gaze, they were certain that Dumbledore was serious and genuinely wanted the children to learn dark magic.

"Professors, I'm serious," Dumbledore emphasized again. "The current threat is too great. Students must learn more magic. I will regularly check their progress; they must learn something truly effective for self-defense!"

......

"Alright, children, today we're going to learn some special spells, like Armor of Protection!" Professor Flitwick chose to bring the fifth-grade spells directly to the second and third grades, which made the younger students suffer greatly. But Professor Flitwick was very determined to make sure they learned them.

...

"Today, we will learn... the Disarming Charm. Now, in pairs, quick!" Professor Snape divided the tables in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom into two groups, transforming them into a giant floating platform in the middle. Snape first demonstrated the Disarming Charm to all the students, and then had all the students stand on it to practice. Anyone who fell off would be given a ten-day stay in Snape's office.

...

"Binding Chains, a variant of the Binding Charm. In a sense, it can also be used as a Transfiguration Charm." Professor McGonagall waved her wand at the prepared pillows and shouted, "Binding Chains!" Several magical chains shot from her hand, firmly binding the pillows. "Alright, children, your task is simple: bind the pillows in front of you with a chain. Five points will be added for each additional chain. Those without chains will have their homework doubled."

...

"Plant Growth Spell, a very simple and practical little spell." Professor Sprout smiled at the students in front of him, then extended his wand and touched the plant seed that had just been planted in the flowerpot. The plant grew rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye and finally matured. It was a Chinese burdock. "Your task is to successfully grow a Chinese burdock in this class."

...

At the school, the professors frantically imparted all their knowledge to the students, aiming to equip each student with sufficient self-defense capabilities. First-year students were forced to learn spells such as Obstruction Charms and Deflection Charms, and those who could learn spells beyond their grade level would be rewarded with 50 points. Upperclassmen were given even greater responsibilities. Those willing to learn dark magic made an unbreakable vow, while those unwilling were subjected to a Charm of Unwavering Loyalty.

These students who were willing to learn dark magic were taught by Snape and Dumbledore together. They learned the Corruption Curse, the Soul-Rending Curse, the Shadow-Eating Curse, and basically everything except the Unforgivable Curse.

The students didn't know what was wrong with the professors or the school. The intensity of their studies had suddenly increased so much. Although there were no extra lessons or extra classes, the regular daily classes were already exhausting. Some students wanted to tell their families about the situation at school, but their unwavering loyalty prevented them from writing anything.

But the benefits of this approach have gradually become apparent. The students' combat skills are constantly improving. Dumbledore even had other professors capture some giant spiders for the students to practice with. Now, at Hogwarts, the average level of students in their fifth year and above is on par with the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic, and the high level has even reached that of elite Aurors.

The level of the lower-grade students, especially the fourth-grade students, is already on par with that of high-level adult wizards. The third-grade students and below have absolute self-defense capabilities. Dumbledore has also opened up some restricted book areas, which has further raised the level of the students in the school.

Each student was enchanted with the Charm of Loyalty. The dark magic and combat training for the older students was personally conducted by Dumbledore and was not to be revealed to the younger students. This left Riddle completely baffled, but his arrogant nature made him think it was no big deal. He still believed that Hogwarts was full of shady characters.

Hogwarts' combat level has surpassed that of the Ministry of Magic, and is almost on par with the level under Headmaster Black's leadership over a hundred years ago. Hogwarts now can be considered a training ground.