Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 293 He Never Hurt You

Harry and Ron, along with those who participated in the DA last semester, were no strangers to the Silent Charm. They all knew that Hermione was highly skilled in this area, even comparable to the guy who had already left the school.

They can all pronounce the name of a spell but actually cast another spell, and they have also mastered the more difficult spellcasting technique of the Staffless Spell.

Therefore, no one sparred with Hermione last year, since what they wanted was to improve their spellcasting skills, not just to get beaten up.

Snape knew far more about Hermione than Harry and the others did. Dumbledore and Ike would tell him things anyway, so he wasn't worried about revealing secrets. He knew perfectly well that Hermione didn't need to learn this lesson.

Of course, we can't just stand by and watch.

Snape picked up the quill from the podium, wrote on a piece of parchment, rolled it up, and handed it to her. Without saying anything, he waved her away, telling her to go study on her own.

These were all little tricks he invented, which he thought would be very useful for Hermione now.

Snape didn't spend much time on Hermione; Harry was his main focus. Because of someone's unexpected discovery, Snape's attitude towards Harry worsened, and Harry felt the same way; their relationship didn't improve because of the Order of the Phoenix.

Besides, Sirius is still alive.

He surveyed the classroom with a look of disgust and contempt, deliberately stopping next to Harry and Ron to prevent them from cheating like the others.

Although more than half of the students in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class had received Harry's instruction last year and learned the Ironclad Charm, not a single one had attempted to cast the spell silently. Even with Hermione as an example, it was still the same. Right now, they could only mutter the incantation quietly, trying to avoid being heard by others.

This tactic would have been impossible to succeed with Snape standing right next to him.

Ron's face turned bright red, and he kept his mouth tightly shut, afraid that he would succumb to the temptation and utter a spell, thus inviting Snape's vicious words. Harry, on the other hand, held his wand warily, though judging from Ron's expression, the curse certainly wouldn't strike.

"Terrible, Weasley." Snape looked at him for a moment, his disdain undisguised.

He drew his wand and suddenly turned it towards Harry. Harry reacted quickly, immediately turning around and shouting, "Protect Yourself!"

The full-force Ironclad Curse directly deflected Snape's curse, knocking him off his feet and causing him to stumble backward. Hermione had to catch him to prevent him from crashing into the table in a sorry state.

Such a commotion naturally attracted the attention of the whole class, who all stared at the furious Snape and the fierce-looking Harry.

"Potter, do you remember when we were practicing the Silent Spell?"

"I remember," Harry replied.

"So this is your understanding of the Silent Charm, Potter?" Snape flicked his robes, defusing Hermione's grip. "I really doubt whether your brain, smaller than a troll's, can understand what I'm saying..."

"Confinement! Saturday night, in my office," he said. "I will not tolerate any disrespect towards me, not even the savior!"

Upon hearing this, Harry wore an indifferent expression. The moment he retaliated, he knew that solitary confinement was inevitable. However, he didn't expect that he wouldn't be the only one facing solitary confinement.

"Miss Granger, do you remember what I asked you to do?" Snape turned his attention to Hermione, who remained calm, showing no gratitude whatsoever for her earlier support.

"I remember you showed me what you gave me," Hermione replied.

"So, why didn't you do it?" Snape scoffed. "Detention. Tonight, to my office!"

"Now, keep practicing! Don't stop until I say stop!"

Seeing this, everyone in the class knew that Snape was truly furious, but Harry was equally furious.

He lunged at Snape, yelling, "This has nothing to do with Hermione, you're just getting revenge!"

"You've made yourself another day in jail for talking back to a teacher," Snape said coldly, looking at Harry.

Harry was about to say something when Ron covered his mouth and pulled him back. He didn't want his good friend to get into big trouble on the first day of school.

We should know when to stop, before Snape deducts points from Gryffindor.

This incident affected everyone in the classroom, and for the rest of the time, no one successfully used the Silence Charm. But no one blamed Harry; instead, they immediately offered their blessings after class.

"That's great, Harry!" Ron said. "It's so satisfying to see the old bat so furious!"

"You shouldn't have said that, Harry," Hermione said calmly, looking Harry into his eyes. "What were you thinking? How could you have done something like that?"

"Didn't you see that, Hermione? He tried to cast a curse on me!" Harry exclaimed excitedly. "You shouldn't have helped him up; you should have let him slam his head against the table! He didn't appreciate your help at all, and even punished you by making you shut up!"

Harry didn't give Hermione and Ron a chance to interject, continuing, "I've had enough of him! It was like this last year during those Occlumency classes; I was his guinea pig, his punching bag, his outlet for anger!"

"And before that, Sirius and the others came and fought alongside us. Even Professor McGonagall came in the end. Where is he now?"

"Dumbledore must be out of his mind to choose to believe him!"

"Didn't you hear the tone of his voice when he talked about dark magic? He loves it! So many variations, so many different things..."

"But you have to admit, Harry, Snape did teach you Occlumency. And what he said was quite right..."

"He's right?" Harry's eyes widened as he stared directly at Hermione.

Hermione looked at him calmly and continued, "Yes. Think about it, that's what you said when you told us how to deal with Voldemort."

"You said that spells alone are useless; you also need a clever mind and courage... This is the same as what he said today about how to deal with black magic—bravery and quick thinking..."

Harry was taken aback. He hadn't expected Hermione to remember what he'd said so long ago. This made him feel a pang of guilt, and his anger subsided considerably.

"I think you shouldn't keep looking at Snape with prejudice. Think about it carefully, he didn't actually do anything to hurt you."

"Alright, let's go back first, put the books back in the dorm, and then go to the auditorium for dinner," Hermione said.

"I still have to go to solitary confinement tonight."

(End of this chapter)