I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 396 Owen: I haven't been the big brother for many years.

"She's even more hated than the dark wizard!"

At the dinner table, Ron angrily rebuked.

Harry, standing nearby, bluntly stated, "I wish she were a dark wizard."

Yes!

I wish she were a dark wizard.

Most of the young wizards thought the same way: if the toad were a dark wizard, they would have already attacked her and kicked her in the butt.

Why would they be here complaining and grumbling?

"Oh my god—when is Owen coming back?!" Harry exclaimed. "I never felt this way before, but now, we feel terrible every day he's not around."

"Yeah—when Owen was around, we never suffered like this. Look at last year, the other three magic schools were completely suppressed by us." Seamus chimed in, the glory of yesterday was right before his eyes, making today's downfall all the more glaring.

"By Merlin, if he doesn't return soon, Hufflepuff will rebel." Ron's eyes were gleaming. He and Harry sat on Hermione's lap, and looking up over Hermione, they could see the Hufflepuff's long table.

Over there—Justin, Hannah, Susan, Gawain, Cedric, and Ernie were whispering to each other.

Judging from their hostile expressions, they were definitely discussing some violent plans.

"It seems even Hannah can't control them anymore." Harry also looked at another long table.

Then, my gaze involuntarily fell on Hermione.

If Hermione hadn't been keeping them in check, they would have shown that toad what cruelty really meant!

Faced with Harry and Ron's gazes, Hermione couldn't help but turn her head, and then she saw the scene as well.

"call--"

She certainly didn't like Umbridge either.

Nobody will like her.

But she had to keep the young wizards in check; she couldn't let the wizards outside think that Hogwarts was a branch of Azkaban.

Beating up the professor

What a despicable act! If a young wizard dared to do such a thing, Professor McGonagall would be furious.

"Owen will be back in a while, definitely before Christmas," Miss Granger said, taking a deep breath to suppress her inner turmoil and feigning composure.

"Before Christmas! That's more than twenty days away!" Ron exclaimed in surprise. "I can't wait a second longer."

Seeing that everyone's emotions were about to spiral out of control, Hermione glanced around and quickly changed the subject, "Um, where's Ginny? And Colin?"

"I don't know," Ron said, somewhat indignantly.

“I know,” Neville said. “I ran into Professor Sprout at noon, and she said that when Umbridge is on her rounds—she’s always wandering around, you know.”

She went to Hagrid's Animal Protection class and found the young wizards not in class but celebrating something, behaving like typical students. So she punished them by making them clean up Swallowtail dog poop and forbidding them from using magic.

"The little wizards are still cleaning up dung in the woods right now."

"Damn it! She's a monster! Hagrid is the professor, and he didn't say anything. What does it have to do with her!" Ron cursed.

"Umbridge said the dog poop polluted the air at the school, and she could smell the stench even at the castle," Neville added.

"Shit!" Ron said. "She's the stinkiest person in all of Hogwarts, in every sense of the word."

As he spoke, he glanced in the direction of the main VIP table.

Then he noticed that the woman was staring at him with ill intent.

"Well, the toad is going to deduct points from our score again."

Ron said something.

Sure enough, almost immediately a sickeningly sweet, nauseatingly high-pitched voice floated through the air above the auditorium.

"No talking while eating! Gryffindor and Hufflepuff will each lose ten points!"

As soon as the sound fell—someone in the auditorium immediately raised their head angrily and glared at the main stage.

But no one reacted.

In any case, they are just students and can't do anything to the professor unless they really want to be expelled.

Hermione's expression became even more troubled.

She felt that it was all her responsibility.

If she had confronted Umbridge from the beginning instead of constantly giving in, how could she have grown so arrogant to this point?

At the start of the school year—at the ceremony, Headmaster Dumbledore announced the restoration of the system of male and female student council presidents.

Hermione serves as the president of the girls' council.

Ron became the Gryffindor Prefect.

Now she understood Professor Dumbledore's deeper meaning back then; he had been secretly guiding her to confront Umbridge.

As a result, I misunderstood the principal's deeper meaning.

He was ousted from his position as chairman after less than a month.

No—it wasn't a dismissal.

Umbridge abolished the student council and prefectural system and established a new organization called the Search Party. Although they claimed that all young wizards in the school could apply to join, in reality only Slytherin's applications were ultimately approved.

The other three academies each passed one.

"Phew—" Hermione rubbed her forehead.

If Owen were here, he probably would have already raised his wand and cast a killing curse on her, bringing peace to the world.

Wait—why did I think of the Death Curse?

Hermione quickly composed herself.

She has become cruel.

Meanwhile, on the other side—just as the young wizards chose to swallow their anger and sat down again amidst the other party's slightly mocking smile.

The tightly closed doors of the auditorium were suddenly opened.

Keeping the auditorium doors tightly shut is also a new rule at Umbridge.

You must arrive at the auditorium for lunch before 12:20, after which the doors will close. If you miss it, you'll go hungry, and the doors won't open again until 1:00.

During the break, they also had to read the school rules aloud.

It's euphemistically called "digestion aid."

"Hey? Which bastard deducted all our Hufflepuff points?"

Outside the gate, a voice that everyone was familiar with suddenly rang out.

"That damned Snape! He retaliated while I was away."

As they spoke, the auditorium doors were pushed open.

--quiet

--Quiet.

—A deathly silence fell. The young wizards seemed to be petrified, all stunned as they looked at the person who was both familiar and unfamiliar.

Irving's gaze, however, lingered on Justin.

"Hmm! Very good, Justin did not waste any food, so—Hufflepuff adds sixty points."

He said it calmly.

Then take a small step back.

I glanced at the hourglass of the college division.

yeah?

Why hasn't it grown?

Is this thing broken?

Irving frowned. "Since it's broken, let's start over."

He pulled out his wand, and a torrent of magic surged wildly into the academy's hourglass.

The gems in the hourglass seemed to be boiling water, bubbling and churning.

A few seconds later, all scores were reset to zero.

"Hmm—much better looking."

At this moment, the auditorium remained as quiet as a library.

Irving walked in with a nonchalant air.

All eyes were on him.

"What's wrong? Why are you all staring at me? Don't you recognize me?"

He changed the subject abruptly, then continued, "What, you're not happy that your buddy's back? Where's the cheering? Where's the applause?"

He raised his voice and looked around.

The next second, the young wizards in the hall finally came to their senses.

"It's Kyrie Irving."

"Oh my god! Kyrie Irving is back!"

"Merlin! Our suffocating days are finally coming to an end!"

The next second, the auditorium erupted in chaos.

The young wizards immediately erupted in excitement.

They stomped their feet, banged on the table, or stood up, standing on the bench, some even standing directly on the table, shouting loudly, recklessly venting the emotions that had been suppressed for months.

On the Hufflepuff bench, Justin's eyes gleamed. He quickly pulled his leg out from under the table and sprinted to Owen, giving him a big hug.

"You're finally back! I've missed you so much!"

He shouted as he patted Irving on the back.

Her voice carried a hint of sorrow and resentment, like that of a young wife seeing her husband return home.

"Get lost!" Owen's face darkened.

He raised his foot, delivered a knee strike followed by a flying kick, forcing the gay man back two and a half meters.

"Ah—that's the feeling, that's the tone, haha." The silly boy was like he was under a spell. After being kicked away, he wasn't angry at all. Instead, he patted his butt and his smile became even wider.

"Damn it—what kind of freaks are these!" Owen spat.

Hannah was the second to come to him.

She gave him a light hug, then held his hand and said happily, "Welcome home, welcome."

"Mhm." Owen nodded.

"Whoosh!" A burst of cheers erupted from the Gryffindor benches on the other side.

Harry and Ron Neville ran quickly toward Owen.

Unfortunately, there were many more young wizards in front of them.

Almost all the wizards in Hufflepuff stood up and crowded around Owen.

In the blink of an eye, he was surrounded by little wizards again, and the number of little wizards gathering around him was constantly increasing.

Crowds of people.

Harry and his friends couldn't possibly squeeze in.

Hermione, however, did not squeeze through the crowd; she simply stood there, staring blankly at him.

As for Ravenclaw, Cho Chang, Padma Petit, and Michael Corner were all cheering.

These are all young wizards who are friends with Irving.

The others, though they had little contact with him, were also filled with excitement.

If Penelope Crivart, Ravenclaw's former prefect, were still alive, she would probably jump for joy too.

However, she graduated last year.

Finally, there was the Slytherin side—actually, some of them wanted to cheer, but were stopped by those around them.

As for Draco—his gaze towards Irving was complex, showing neither cheers nor mockery towards the others.

He simply sat quietly, eating his lunch, with no intention of joining in.

Just then—a huge hammer blow rang out.

"Bang bang bang—"

The sound was coming from the direction of the main VIP stage.

Some of the young wizards instinctively looked back and saw Umbridge holding a wooden gavel and pounding it vigorously on the table.

However, they completely ignored her, as everyone was immersed in the joy of Irving's return.

They all wanted to get closer to him.

"Order! I want to see order!" In the main seat, there was a man with a broad, fleshy face and short curly hair adorned with a small black velvet bow.

Umbridge, dressed in a fluffy pink cardigan, yelled in a high-pitched voice.

"Hi, Owen, can I get your autograph? My parents really like you. They participated in the naval battle. Although they weren't injured, they saw many wizards get hurt and turn into monsters. They've been wanting to thank you ever since they heard you saved them."

A Hufflepuff little wizard pushed her way forward; she was a third-year witch, and she pulled out a piece of parchment from somewhere.

"Could I get Kyrie Irving's autograph too?"

"And me too."

There was a lot of noise in front of the auditorium doors.

Having pairs of eyes staring at him made Irving feel a little uncomfortable.

He knew he had become famous this time, but the enthusiasm of the young wizards still took him by surprise.

He was surrounded by people, and at first Irving felt pretty good about it. Being popular was also a part of his strength, which meant that he had become much stronger.

However, as he squeezed in, his face gradually darkened.

It's one thing to be crowded, but why would someone touch him inappropriately?

She wanted to hug his waist and rub against his chest.

Until someone audaciously tried to pinch his cheek—he simply couldn't resist anymore.

"Retreat!" A powerful magical force surged forth. It was just a simple levitation spell, but its power was enough to levitate all the dozen or so junior wizards who were close to him.

"Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!"

With three consecutive knockbacks, the spell pushed all the little wizards back.

"What are you doing? What are you doing! Hugging and cuddling, how come there are so many perverts at Hogwarts all of a sudden?" Owen wrapped his clothes tighter and glared angrily at the young wizards in front of him.

"And that guy who tried to pinch my cheek just now—who the hell was he?"

In the chaos, Irving also saw someone clutching a few strands of his hair.

He had no interest in knowing what those guys who dared to pull his hair intended to do with it.

All he knew was that these guys were itching for a beating; they hadn't seen each other for six months and deserved it.

At the scene, everyone looked each other up and down, but no one wanted to admit it.

Admitting it now would be foolish, wouldn't it?

"Very good—very good!"

Looks like you guys are really itching for a beating. Fine—I'll put in the effort today and give you a good spanking for free!

After saying that, he snapped his fingers.

With a snap, the candle suspended in the ceiling suddenly began to change rapidly.

The candle was transformed into a long strip of silk.

Then, like a curtain falling, it wrapped up the few guys that Owen found suspicious, hung them up like dumplings, and then shot them out of the auditorium and out of the foyer like cannonballs.

White silk stretched across the gate, past the Hogwarts banner on the main entrance.

Hang those guys down there.

"Who wants to go outside to cool off?" Irving scanned the room.

Now—no one dared to speak.

Damn—happiness came too suddenly, and they got carried away.

They forgot that the guy in front of them was practically a walking dark wizard in the school.

Everyone shrank back and then pretended to look around at the scenery.

"As for the autographs and photos you just asked for," Owen changed the subject. He said, "You can punish me, but you still have to earn the money you deserve. One autograph, two photos, three photos for a whole set. Go to Miss Granger and pay if you want them."

Now—get back to your seats!

Anyone who dares to take another step near me, I'll hang them under the covered bridge!

Under the covered bridge

That's a drop of tens of feet.

Everyone shrank back, and no one dared to be presumptuous anymore.

However, the young wizards did not transform into fear or anger towards Owen.

On the contrary, most of the wizards—especially the young wizards of Hufflepuff—nodded with great satisfaction.

Hmm—Irving is still Irving.

That's how you make it fun to watch!

The little wizards, who had transformed into amusement enthusiasts, returned to their seats.

As for Irving, he was finally able to sit back on the bench and enjoy his meal.

He had been chatting with the old principal for so long that he was already very hungry.

"Irving Sanchez."

Umbridge witnessed the entire minor incident.

Just when Irving thought he could finally have a nice meal,

A sharp, loud sound, amplified by a powerful incantation, rang out in the auditorium.

"Oh—my dear child, the legendary healer of the wizarding world, welcome, welcome back to this warm home."

At the head table, Umbridge stood up, opened his mouth, and with a forced, insincere smile, feigned sycophancy and deep affection, as if he had just swallowed a particularly delicious and juicy fly.

She greeted Irving in this manner.

Once again, many of the young wizards made gagging motions.

Irving glanced at Umbridge, then frowned.

Good heavens—this is disgusting.

Sister, other people are eating—can you please not be disgusting at a time like this?

Owen actually knew a long time ago that the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was still this toad, because Hermione mentioned it when she came to visit him.

But knowing something doesn't mean you can understand it.

Why does the world keep going around in circles, only to follow the same old path?

Even if the Ministry of Magic really wanted to control Hogwarts, why send such an idiot?

Has Barty Crouch degenerated into someone like Fudge?

"They should have sent a tiger to oversee things. If they couldn't send a tiger, they should have sent a dog. In the end, they sent a pig—oh no, a toad. The Ministry of Magic is really declining year by year," Owen said, taking a bite of his steak.

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the entire auditorium heard it clearly.

The young wizards' eyes gleamed with excitement, their expressions brimming with anticipation as they eagerly awaited the duel.

As expected of Kyrie Irving—everyone had the same thought in their minds: he's short-tempered.

"Heh—" Umbridge's face twitched, but she managed to hold it in and then continued in a deliberately coquettish manner, "The Ministry of Magic has always believed that educating young wizards is a very important matter. Some of the precious talents you are born with may lead you astray if they are not cultivated and honed under proper, serious and meticulous guidance."

Take our "war heroine," Hermione Granger, for example. Her success was the culmination of the Ministry of Magic's decades-long support for Hogwarts. However, as time went on, this adorable little witch clearly strayed somewhat from the right path.

Umbridge slowly rose to her feet. Her voice was high-pitched and shrill, like a little girl's, but one look at her face was enough to make you loathe that voice and never want to hear it again.

The young wizards around them exchanged glances, then scoffed at Umbridge's words.

Hermione's achievements, besides her own efforts, are also thanks to the school professors. What does the Ministry of Magic have to do with her? She's really just trying to make herself look good.

Umbridge cleared his throat and continued, "The headmasters of Hogwarts have all been innovative in their responsibilities of managing this historic school, which is entirely appropriate, because without progress, there is stagnation and decline."

However, progress for the sake of progress should never be encouraged. Our traditions, refined through countless trials, often do not require clumsy revisions. The key is to achieve a balance—between the old and the new, between the eternal and the changing, between tradition and innovation…

Umbridge was spitting as she sat there, while Owen, oblivious to his surroundings, stuffed food into his mouth while ordering the young wizards around him, "What are you listening to? Eat your food!"

Upon hearing this, everyone realized what was happening. Yes, we are Hufflepuffs, it's not good to daydream during mealtime.

Then Justin and Hannah both started battling over the food on their plates.

Umbridge naturally noticed the changes in the young wizards below, but her expression remained largely unchanged. Even if a riot broke out below, she would probably still be able to recite those clichés that she had already memorized by heart.

"Given the current chaos at Hogwarts and Professor Dumbledore's busy schedule with the various affairs of the Federation, the Ministry of Magic has established a special Education Committee, with me serving as its chairman, fully responsible for reforming and improving all aspects of Hogwarts' affairs."

I want to repeat myself: I represent the Education Committee, the Ministry of Magic, and Minister Barty Crouch. To oppose me is to oppose the British Ministry of Magic.

She tore off a whole bunch of tiger flags for herself, and finally said, "Ahem—it's time to read the school rules. I want to say—everyone stand up."

The next second, a small group of young wizards instinctively stood up; most of them were this year's freshmen. As for the rest, many looked at Owen, rooted to the spot, and didn't move at all.

"???"

Owen glanced at the young wizards. "What are you looking at me for? Finish your meal and get out of here! What are you all doing gathered in the Great Hall? Are you bored?"

"I knew it! The professors didn't assign enough homework, that's why you guys had so much free time. I..." As he spoke, Owen suddenly realized something was wrong. Homework? Homework!

Damn! He didn't do a single word of his summer homework.

Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. It would be troublesome if the professors remembered and asked him for it.

"Mr. Sanchez, these are the new school rules. Young wizards must memorize them." Umbridge's voice came from that moment.

"What kind of ridiculous school motto is this? It's abolished!" Irving said.

"Ha—this is a new regulation from the Education Committee," Umbridge said in a loud voice.

"Then abolish that committee too," Owen said, taking a bite of his steak.

(End of this chapter)