Hogwarts: A little lion in the skin of the Eagle School

After all that fuss, Ryan finally explained to his friends why he had pretended to be dead.

The situation is pretty much as Titus's conjecture predicted.

John, however, did not expect that the main reason Ryan was kept away from them was because he was too popular.

"So it turns out that John should be the one being bullied."

After hearing Ryan's explanation, Ethan looked at John with amusement and said...

"That's true. If we bully John, none of us will be targeted by the Death Eaters."

Titus nodded seriously.

Seeing the two who had switched sides at the last minute, John scratched his head, looking a little uneasy.

Although he is not as famous in the wizarding world as Harry, he is still a minor celebrity.

The hype surrounding last year's three-way battle has just died down, and John's popularity has finally cooled off.

As a result, his outburst at the Ministry of Magic last week reignited his popularity.

Having made two public appearances, it's hard not to remember him.

According to Ryan's mother, as a Muggle-born wizard, his popularity and performance far surpassed those of his peers.

His very existence is a provocation to purebloods and the best choice for Death Eaters to establish their authority.

Therefore, if you follow John, you are likely to be caught in the crossfire.

That makes a lot of sense.

John didn't know how to refute it.

But is this my fault? The blame definitely lies with Voldemort!

That wretched Voldemort! He's forced us brothers to practice "social distancing."

"So what do we do next?"

Ryan, who had been forced to eat a bunch of cockroach dumplings, wiped the syrup from his mouth and asked the others.

Ryan didn't care whether he would be targeted by Death Eaters, but he did care about his parents—especially when he faced his mother's eyes, which were filled with fear yet forced a calm demeanor.

John was unusually silent.

To be honest, he never really took Voldemort seriously.

Because he knew that the story would eventually end with good triumphing over evil.

But the situation at Ryan's home made him realize for the first time that Voldemort might be even more terrifying than he had imagined.

Otherwise, after disappearing for more than a decade, it wouldn't have resurfaced just because of an unpublished rumor, causing people to frighten themselves into trying every possible way to save their lives.

He began to worry about what price he would have to pay on the road to that ending.

"Let's hold back for now and just live our lives as usual."

"Voldemort's attention is not on this right now. He's busy with his own schemes and tricks, and he won't waste his time on this."

He had just recently gone with Professor Moody to destroy a Death Eater gathering.

Based on their memories, their current target should be within the Ministry of Magic, but what exactly that is remains unknown.

"As for Death Eaters, their numbers are probably limited at present, and we won't easily waste manpower on them either."

"If they really want to establish their authority, they will wait until after the full-scale war begins; they will not expose themselves now."

"To put it another way, as you said before, if you need someone to establish your authority, then I am the best choice."

"So you don't need to worry too much."

After a long period of contemplation, John patted Ryan on the shoulder to comfort him.

"And what about you?"

Ryan asked with some concern, "John's words are putting him in a dangerous position, yet he talks about it as casually as if it were the weather."

"I?"

"Who am I? A once-in-a-century genius wizard!"

"If we really run into Death Eaters, it's hard to say who should run away."

John patted his chest arrogantly, his words utterly outrageous.

"Once I learn Apparition from Professor Flitwick, I can also resolve my worries."

"So you don't need to worry about me."

Hearing John's words, the others didn't think he was just bragging, after all, he was indeed quite strong when facing Death Eaters.

Moreover, according to his idea, he also wanted to learn Apparition, a skill that is usually taught to adults, ahead of time.

They really don't need to worry about it.

The group then continued chatting about their summer vacation.

Ryan hasn't properly questioned John, the person directly involved, about the Dementors' attack and disturbance at the Ministry of Magic yet.

It just so happens that Ryan also shared some of the current intelligence.

As evening approached, the train slowly pulled into Hogwarts Station.

......

This year, the person who came to pick up the car was not Professor Hagrid, but Professor Grappleland, a witch who looked very capable.

For some unknown reason, she appeared here in Hagrid's place.

"Hi Luna, how was your holiday?"

After getting off the train, John happened to run into Luna and went up to say hello.

"Hello everyone, I had a great holiday. My dad took me to Norway to look for traces of the snorkeling slug, but we only found three glowing slug eggs on the tundra—Dad said that was luckier than finding a live one."

John's question was merely a casual, polite one, while Luna gave a very serious and formal response...

"Uh...oh, okay, that's lucky."

Luna smiled and nodded, then continued.

"I've read about your story in the newspaper, John. My dad is very curious about you and asked if I could do an interview with you. He wants to publish it as the cover story of the latest issue of Quibbles."

"ha?"

This question stumped John again.

For a moment, I couldn't tell whether Sister Luna was being polite or serious.

"My dad is the editor of 'Singing the Quibbles,' and he just happened to need some material."

Seemingly noticing John's confusion, Luna explained.

Upon hearing this, John finally understood what Luna meant. It turned out that Luna's father was a magazine editor.

"Um, um, may I take a look at your old manuscripts, Uncle?"

After a brief pause, John continued asking.

He didn't object to the interview, but he was a little worried about Luna's father's writing style.

After all, the last time I was interviewed was by Rita...

"certainly."

Luna had no doubts about this and simply took out a copy of the latest issue of "Singing the Divergence" from her woven bag.

John flipped through the table of contents and found that most of the articles were entertaining and lighthearted.

Things like Fudge's plan to take over Gringotts, corruption within the Quidditch Federation, whether there are frogs on the moon, and a runic analysis similar to a newspaper game.

After looking at it for a long time, I still couldn't figure it out.

But that didn't stop John from making a decision.

"walk slowly."

John returned the magazine to Luna and readily nodded in agreement.

Upon hearing this, Luna smiled.

Titus and the others couldn't help but feel a little envious as they watched John secure an interview so quickly.

After all, they're all at an age where they care about their image and love to show off; who wouldn't want to be on the front page of a newspaper or the cover of a magazine?

Even if it's just an entertaining book like "Singing a Different Tune," it's enough for them to brag about it to their classmates.

Just then, Luna spoke to Titus and the others again.

"What about you? Would you like to be interviewed as well? Dad said he needs to interview some people who know John well."

Titus and Ethan were taken aback for a moment, but then quickly responded excitedly.

"Yes, yes, yes!!"

Luna then looked at the silent Ryan, who hesitated for a moment, scratched his head, and spoke weakly.

"Um...can I remain anonymous?"

"Of course," Luna replied with a slight smile.

"I want one too!"

John found it somewhat amusing to see how excited the group was.

Unexpectedly, the three people who were just listless were cheered up by Luna with just one sentence.