The Silent Bookstore Manager at Hogwarts

Hermione felt once again that she had never really understood her two classmates. She had just witnessed Harry and Red's daily practice, which had completely overturned her imagination of everything a first-year wizard could do.

The glowing spell that resembled a flashbang, the floating spell that made the pebbles around them fly out like bullets, and the armor that almost enveloped the entire area like a curtain—were those really effects that a protective spell could achieve?

Harry's counterattack also made Hermione realize that there really are differences between people. He skillfully dodged most of the spells and even had the strength to try to disarm Red with "Stun" and "Expelliarmus". She felt that what she had learned in her first year was completely insignificant in the eyes of the two practical people.

"I don't know why, but I feel like I'm particularly comfortable using weapons other than yours..."

Harry looked at his wand with some confusion. Thanks to Torred, Harry had benefited from his advanced learning progress. At least the spells "Expelliarmus" and "Stun" were taught to him by Professor Flitwick after that day. It seemed that Torred had mentioned something to Professor Flitwick that made him decide to do so.

"Speaking of which, armor shouldn't be able to do this, right? This isn't armor at all!" Harry complained helplessly. Red's armor was truly terrifying, as if countless invisible, camouflage-covered barriers had been erected instantly. He could hardly even catch a glimpse of Red.

"Ah, because I used some other knowledge, about the precepts of restraint and separation. Of course, this isn't actually the one that works best with armor... but I really like the effect."

The knowledge contained in the "Threshold Decree" is not the best match for the spell "Protective Armor," but the effect it produces is all the more peculiar.

"Amazing..." Hermione whispered. After being rescued by the three people, Hermione realized a lot of things. At least she realized that her friends were more important than those grades.

"Why are you all here? Why am I the only one being blocked by them?!"

Ron's robes looked a bit disheveled as he rushed into the empty classroom, panting. Hogwarts was a huge castle with many rooms that were actually open as classrooms and for various other purposes, but there were also many unused and hidden rooms. Reid used his powerful soul energy to find this spacious and empty room as their secret base.

"So, everyone, what are your thoughts on the possibility of a troll appearing underground? Surely our dear professors can't be so careless as to let a troll into Hogwarts, can they?"

Harry and Ron were both clueless about this; they had no idea how the troll had appeared in the basement. Of course, Red knew that Dumbledore must have tacitly approved of it, but whether he knew or not whether the troll's appearance in the basement was in line with Dumbledore's initial expectations was unclear.

"Could it be... Professor Snape?"

Everyone was startled by Hermione's conjecture. Harry, of course, knew it was unlikely. If it really was Professor Snape, what would he be after? Did he think trolls smelled bad? Harry knew that if someone wanted to deal with him, the so-called "savior," they would definitely use a method that killed him instantly, not such a crude and laughable test.

"What I mean is... does Professor Snape know something? I've always felt something was off about him, not to mention that Professor Snape has always seemed to have some issues with Harry."

Hermione analyzed the situation and realized that Professor Snape was truly despicable, especially his malice towards Harry, which even she, as an outsider, could feel chilling to the bone. On the contrary, Hermione was quite surprised that Harry remained unmoved.

"Be skeptical until you have enough evidence..." That was all Harry could say. Snape just disliked him, but when his life was in danger, Snape was unusually anxious, unlike a professor. It was because of this that Harry was convinced that Snape's attitude towards him was more complicated than hatred or murderous intent.

"Instead of that, everyone should think about how to earn back the points. Harry is going to get into Quidditch, and I'll probably go back and do some odd jobs to see if I can earn some points. Although the House Cup isn't that important to us, we can't let all the hard work of our classmates go to waste."

Red yawned and was the first to leave the secret base, while Harry was still reviewing his practice. He realized that Red was right. If he could add spells to close combat with wizards, most wizards would probably be lying on the ground and forced to surrender before they could even react.

But now he has to go practice with the Quidditch team. Since he's determined to earn back his points in Quidditch, he has to put in the effort and sweat, just like when he decided to become stronger and started practicing consistently.

Ron seemed to have been spurred on as well. This time, instead of going back to the Gryffindor common room to brag to his classmates or play wizard chess, he obediently took out his wand and began to review all the spells he knew. Hermione, on the other hand, found herself at a loss for what to do again and could only think of going to the library to preview the material she was going to learn next.

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[Herbal Garden]: From the outside, it's clear this place must have once been a peaceful and idyllic spot—but now it's long abandoned and overgrown with weeds. (Requires 3 [Hearts] or 3 [Honey] to repair)

Harry was no stranger to such heavy work; in fact, he had done his fair share of chores for the Dursleys. However, having to come here to repair the garden after a full-on Quidditch training session was just too much for a first-year wizard like him.

"Harry, the garden isn't our final destination. Today we're heading towards the second tower of the house, which is called the Variegated Tower, probably named after one of the castle's former owners, the Variegated Baron."

Harry didn't understand what Red meant.

"Ah, what I mean is, our goal is to climb to the top of that tower, after all, the Variegated Tower has a fairly complete range of equipment stored there."

As he spoke, Red led Harry forward to the entrance of the [Intensive Care Unit].

[Recuperation Room]: Careless visitors often bring dirt into the room, and the windows have been left open for years, enduring wind and rain. (Repair requires 4 [Hearts] or 4 [Guides])