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

"By the way, what about the newspaper reports about the Ministry of Magic? What did Dumbledore say?"

After discussing the Horcruxes, Hermione finally asked about the matter she had initially asked John to inquire about.

"Ministry of Magic?"

But John tilted his head and was taken aback.

After thinking for a while, John slapped his forehead and said.

"Ah... I remember now, that's what I forgot..."

I was wondering why I always felt like I'd forgotten something.

I was so focused on the Horcruxes that I forgot about this.

"..."

Hermione looked at John speechlessly, and could only let out a helpless sigh.

Knowing he was in the wrong, John quickly changed the subject, looking around before finally settling on the book in Hermione's hand.

Isn't that Umbridge's "Defense Against Magic"?

"Why are you reading this book?"

"Didn't you say you didn't want to take her classes?"

Hermione shrugged noncommittally at this.

"How can I refute Umbridge if I don't finish learning what's in the book?"

"Moreover, I've found that even these purely theoretical books encourage us to practice more."

"It's clear that Umbridge herself didn't understand the book at all, or she chose to ignore it."

No wonder he's a top student; even his rebellion is done with such skill.

"Alright, you can read this book anytime."

"The weather is so nice today, it would be a shame not to go out for a walk."

John rolled off the table and landed next to Hermione, taking her hand in his.

John pulled Hermione up without giving her a chance to refuse.

Then they strode towards the golden world outside—the sunlight, like melting honey, thick and warm, splashed all over them.

Hermione had no choice but to let John lead her around, and reluctantly accompanied him on his aimless stroll.

......

The college days continue.

But even under the sunlight, some shadows are never still.

Despite John's outburst last week, Umbridge did not gain further power.

But she resented John and his little wizards even more.

John, in particular.

Even if she were incredibly naive, she could tell that John had tricked her.

She no longer dares to punish students arbitrarily, because if she does anything against the rules, the students can write to their parents, who will then immediately write to the Ministry of Magic to complain.

If she reveals any more bad news, her time as a professor will be over.

So even if she wanted to make things difficult for John, she had to do so within the rules.

In her Defense Against the Dark Arts class, she couldn't even be bothered to maintain that fake smile.

John was immediately made to stand in front of the podium and loudly read Chapter 3 of "The Theory of Defense Against Magic".

John stopped pretending and read it in a really disgusting way.

Sometimes fast, sometimes slow, with varying intonation, sometimes whispering so softly it's hard to hear, sometimes suddenly raising the volume to startle people—it all relied on improvisation, and the reading was incredibly expressive and moving.

Umbridge's face turned from pink to green, then from green to purple, looking just like a toad being strangled.

But she couldn't find a single fault with John, and she had no way to deduct points or punish him.

So she simply focused on John and kept asking him questions.

But John answered fluently without even looking at the book, and he answered strictly according to the contents of her book.

Then she started spouting nonsense again, insulting Dumbledore and Harry in front of the whole class using vocabulary from the Daily Prophet, trying to provoke John's anger or get him to refute even a single word.

As a result, they didn't manage to insult anyone John cared about. John even led the applause, saying, "The professor did a great job!" I think so too!

She was flawless, inside and out.

She was so angry that her forehead was practically steaming, but there was nothing she could do.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that John and Umbridge were now locked in a fierce battle.

The previous claims that John voluntarily became Umbridge's dog are also proven false.

However, John didn't take Umbridge seriously at all.

After witnessing Voldemort's methods alongside Dumbledore, and seeing Umbridge's furious reaction, he finally understood why the headmaster didn't care about such a minor bureaucrat.

If someone like that can become a senior deputy minister, then Minister Fouché probably isn't much better.

It's no longer useful to rely on the Ministry of Magic.

But who can make up for my lack of black defense?

......

Umbridge's targets were never limited to John.

And Harry.

Last time, Snape dragged him to practice Occlumency, causing him to miss the Gryffindor Quidditch practice match.

He was already annoyed by Snape's constant Legilimency, and then he was scolded by the Quidditch captain, which made him extremely angry.

So in their blacklisting class, they were quickly brought down by Umbridge after just a few words, and then they were punished for talking back.

I've been given another week of detention.

However, Umbridge probably wouldn't dare let Hajruddin use that quill that could hurt him again.

"Training camp?"

"Yes, I plan to organize a gathering and use the weekend to train together with the students who want to get better."

That evening, Hermione went to Eagle School to find John and told him about the training camp.

"Umbridge's lessons are worthless; you can't learn anything from them."

"We can't become stronger just by studying; there will definitely be more dangers to deal with in the future."

It's unclear whether it's because Umbridge's recent actions have gone too far, or because she feels the urgency stemming from the Horcruxes that John mentioned last time.

Hermione didn't want to waste a whole semester waiting.

"Great! I want to participate too."

John, of course, would not refuse.

He usually just reads or practices meditation on weekends, so taking a day or half a day for intensive training is a good idea.

"So, which professor should we find to train us? Professor Flitwick or Professor McGonagall?"

John asked with an expectant look on his face.

"Uh...no, no professor, I want you to train us..."

?

John nearly choked on his own saliva.

I was just thinking of joining a training session to practice, and you're trying to get me to be your coach for free?!

"If we let professors give us intensive training in black defense, then the nature of the situation changes."

"It's no different from openly opposing Umbridge and the Ministry of Magic; it's easy to get labeled."

"But we students, who spontaneously organize our own gatherings, don't have this kind of concern."

Hermione noticed John's confusion and had no choice but to explain.

That being said, John did not want to be a teacher.

Not to mention whether those older students would be willing to follow the rules in front of a third-year wizard.

As for himself, whether he can teach others is one thing, but the main thing is that he also wants to become stronger as soon as possible.

"I think it would be more suitable for Harry to take on this position."

"The Triwizard Tournament champion, the king of connections at Hogwarts, the savior, and Voldemort's lifelong enemy."

"With so many buffs, you're definitely stronger than me—aww!"

Hermione slapped him squarely on the back of the head.

"If you don't want to go, then you don't want to go. Why say so much?"

"It's not like I'm forcing you."

Hermione said irritably.

"Ah...so I can just refuse directly..."

John scratched the back of his head and chuckled sheepishly.

"Since you don't want it, then Harry will have to take it."

Listening to Hermione's mutterings, John asked curiously.

"What if Harry doesn't go either?"

"He has no choice but to go."

"..."

This differential treatment seems a bit too obvious, but I like it, so...

"Hermione, even though I'm not going to be a coach, I can practice with you."

"You know what I mean, right? Just the two of us..."

John grinned and moved closer to Hermione, raising an eyebrow and smiling.

Hermione blushed slightly upon hearing this, understanding John's meaning, but she snorted and turned her head away.

I neither agreed nor refused.