A certain broken Hogwarts

Before the Transfiguration class began, Irving went back in time once more to attend an ancient rune lesson.

Professor Babling, who taught this class, was a witch who spoke incoherently. She kept babbling on and on during the class, like a swarm of bees buzzing in your ear.

Irving had no intention of wasting time on the course material he had already completed on his own. After listening to the professor's lecture for a while, he closed his eyes and entered the meditation space.

Professor Babling quickly noticed that Owen was seemingly sleeping. She was very displeased and reached out to pat Owen on the shoulder, waking him from his meditation space.

Owen looked up at her blankly, his pale and delicate face bearing an innocent and confused expression, much like someone who had just woken up from a dream.

"Student, please answer the question I just asked," Professor Barbling said sternly.

"Excuse me, Professor, what was your question just now?" Owen asked in a clear voice, looking embarrassed and apologetic.

Professor Babling repeated her question with dissatisfaction. After receiving a perfect answer, she went on to ask a series of questions, from simple to difficult, eventually involving advanced knowledge of runes.

Finally, she reluctantly but somewhat relievedly remarked that Irving's level of Old Runes was sufficient to pass the OWL exam.

"Even so, I don't encourage you to slack off in class, so I won't give you extra points for it..." Professor Babling rambled on, then went around behind the lectern and pulled a thick old book from the drawer underneath.

She walked over with the book in her hand, muttering to herself, "If you really have nothing to do, you can learn another ancient magical script in class. This script, like Nirman, appeared and was used even earlier, originating in ancient Greece, where magical civilization was once extremely prosperous and glorious. Many documents from that period were written in this script..."

Professor Babling placed the book on the desk in front of Irving, and facing the students' gazes, she said loudly, "A large number of outstanding wizards emerged in ancient Greece, many of whom are still printed on Chocolate Frog pictures today, such as Andros, Thales, and Maphthos."

"Many of the spells we use today were invented in ancient Greece, and their practicality has kept them in use ever since. Many of the legends that have been passed down to us also originate from that period. We can find the earliest records of death legends in historical materials from that time, ah, and numerous myths and legends..."

After rambling on for a while, Professor Babling realized she had gone off-topic. She coughed lightly and said to Owen, "Ancient Greece is an era that ancient scholars would never overlook. If you are interested in ancient runes, you might want to consider studying them. Of course, combining them with ancient Greek will help you learn more smoothly."

"If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them for you." After saying that, she returned to the podium. "Alright, let's continue..."

Owen flipped through the old books on the table and discovered that the inscription on the back of the Deathbringer's badge he had found on Veros during the summer was in this very ancient rune. He became truly interested and began to read it carefully.

Hermione withdrew her furtive gaze from Owen, a hint of frustration flashing across her face. She was shocked and disheartened by Owen's slow progress in his studies, but she quickly regained her fighting spirit.

The little witch, her competitive spirit ignited, raised her hand high to answer questions throughout the entire lesson.

Owen simply flipped through the book in his hand, gaining a basic understanding of this magical script. It originated from an ancient linear script, evolved over a long period of time, and also contained some Greek letters, showing its close connection with ancient Greek.

This ancient magical script is indeed very valuable for learning. Some of the ancient books in the Hogwarts Library and the Chamber of Secrets in Ravenclaw are written in this script, and it is also involved in many magical theories and diagrams.

Having figured this out, Owen was ready to learn this magical script. He turned to the first chapter and began reading it carefully, even taking advantage of the break to ask Professor Baburin a few related questions.

Despite Professor Babling's appearance as a talkative middle-aged woman, she is a true master of ancient languages ​​with a profound understanding of various ancient magical script systems, which can greatly help Irving in learning this difficult script.

After discovering that Irving quickly transformed from lazy to humble and eager to learn, Professor Barbling also developed a fondness for his talent and was very satisfied with his learning progress. Soon, like other professors, she grew to like this bright student.

After finishing his ancient runes lesson, Owen quickly ate a sandwich and then rushed off to his transfiguration class.

In this lesson, Professor McGonagall explained the knowledge of Animagus to them. She transformed into a spotted cat in front of the whole class, with eyeglass-shaped markings around her eyes.

Irving's eyes lit up instantly, and he stared intently at the adorable spotted cat on the podium, his fingers involuntarily twitching slightly.

What a great opportunity! If I could just touch it... it would be worth it for my whole life!

As if sensing something, the cat perched on the podium shifted its sharp eyes, warily fixing its gaze on the eager Owen. Then, its small body slowly elongated and grew larger, quickly transforming back into the stern-faced Professor McGonagall.

Irving sighed regretfully.

Professor McGonagall glanced at him again, sensing something was off about the way he had looked at her earlier. She coughed lightly and continued her lecture on Animagus.

Harry listened intently, his eyes lighting up. He was extremely interested in the Animagus.

Owen, on the other hand, was flipping through an advanced Transfiguration reference book. He had fully mastered the Transfiguration Charm, which could conjure objects out of thin air, and the Vanish Charm, which could make things disappear. He was currently learning to apply Transfiguration in actual combat and had achieved some success, such as transforming stones into monsters or turning solid ground into swamps.

Professor McGonagall merely glanced at him, letting him continue with his own affairs. She already knew Owen's level of Transfiguration and understood that forcing him to attend lectures would only waste his time.

After the Transfiguration class, Owen joined the crowd to go to the auditorium for dinner, still thinking about the Transfiguration technique. He wasn't hungry now, having just eaten a sandwich before class.

"Owen, do you want to learn to be an Animagus?" Harry suddenly crept over and asked furtively, his eyes darting around like a thief.

Irving thought for a moment, then said lazily, "Not really."

"Why?" Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. Animagus is so interesting; it can transform into animals, which is not only fun but also very useful in many situations.

"Troublesome," Irving said with a yawn, not very enthusiastic.

While Animagus is strategically important in many situations—even if it can only transform into a normal animal and loses the ability to cast spells during this time—it is valuable for camouflage, infiltration, intelligence gathering, and even escaping…but troublesome.

Although the ability to transform into animals is very appealing to Owen, who was a magician in his past life... it's still troublesome, and the method of learning it doesn't seem very hygienic.

Owen thought with disdain that he was reluctant to use magic that was time-consuming, extremely troublesome, somewhat dangerous, and gave even a germaphobe goosebumps.

"You're just lazy..." Harry glanced at him sideways.

Irving said casually, "Do you know the process of learning Animagus?"

"You know that? I was just about to look it up!" Harry said excitedly. And Sirius Black is an Animagus, after all.

Irving said calmly, "First, you need to hold a mandrake leaf in your mouth for a whole month on a night of full moon, and you can only take it out when the next full moon arrives. If it's a cloudy day when you can't see the full moon, or if you accidentally swallow the leaf or spit it out, then you have to start all over again..."

He shuddered as he said this. Holding a blade of grass in your mouth for a month... were you sure that blade of grass wouldn't absorb the flavors of the food? It was a test of one's mental fortitude.

"It's acceptable," Harry said after a moment's thought, without changing his expression.

Irving looked at him with the eyes of someone looking at a warrior, then explained the complicated steps that followed, adding, "Throughout this entire process, if you make even the slightest mistake, you have to start all over again. That's why learning Animagus often takes months or even years."

"And if you make a mistake, the consequences are often dire." He glanced at Harry. "You might become half-human, half-beast, never to return. Or you might become a wild beast, forgetting who you are forever..."

Harry frowned, feeling as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water. The serious consequences made him feel uncertain and anxious.

Seeing the young wizard wilted like a flower battered by wind and rain, Owen nodded with satisfaction, sat down in the Great Hall, and pulled out a piece of parchment to make a schedule for himself.

Harry picked up the Daily Prophet from this morning's edition and glanced at the front page headline. As expected, it was about the attack on the Hogwarts Express. He hadn't dared to open the paper all day, worried that others would blame him for the attack, and only now had he mustered the courage.

After a whole day, he was glad that his classmates didn't look at him like he was a walking troublemaker. Aside from the unusually large number of mail-delivering owls, the day wasn't much different from usual.

Although he could sometimes sense people whispering about him, and occasionally someone would cast a pitying glance his way, Harry was immune to that level of attention.

He read the front page of the newspaper and found that it only reported on Bellatrix and Peter Pettigrew's attack on the train, without mentioning him.

"Sigh—" He put down the newspaper, sighed deeply with inexplicable emotions, and looked somewhat old-fashioned.

Irving glanced at him questioningly, then stood up wearily and went to astronomy class. He had used the time-tamper to travel back quite a distance that day and had been dozing off for the entire class.

Finally, astronomy class ended, and he sleepwalked back to his dormitory, collapsed onto his soft four-poster bed, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, he finalized his schedule, intending to use the Time Converter to live each day of the year as if it were two. Yesterday's long and busy day had left him with virtually no time to study magic in his meditation space, and it had also disrupted his biological clock, making him extremely uncomfortable.

"This way, I'll have more time for studying and research, and it won't disrupt my usual routine." Looking at the schedule in front of him, Owen nodded in satisfaction. He took some time to make some arrangements in the Room of Requirement, dividing it into a study and research area, a dormitory, and a dining room, turning the Room of Requirement into a place where he could live long-term.

Irving was very satisfied with his scientific routine, but in the eyes of his friends, he was becoming increasingly elusive.

The next two days passed peacefully.

Professor Snape's Potions class remained the same. In the first lesson, they brewed a shrinking potion, a potion that could shrink ordinary animals into their juvenile form.

Snape is no longer so fixated on picking on Harry, because Potions has become one of Harry's best subjects. He can brew potions quickly and well every time, and those studious and expectant eyes always leave Snape speechless.

So he focused even more on causing trouble for Gryffindor. Coincidentally, he had been in a bad mood lately, and at the beginning of the class he threatened to force Neville's potion down his toad's throat, and he actually did it just before the class ended.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Neville was so nervous he almost cried. Ultimately, his toad Rafer successfully turned back into a tadpole, making Professor Snape even more upset.

"Five points deducted from Gryffindor," Snape said grimly. "I told you not to help him, Miss Granger."

The smiles on the little lions' faces disappeared, but they had sadly grown accustomed to this routine of Potions class.

The first Defense Against the Dark Arts class was quite different; it only lasted one class period, yet it was already considered the coolest class by many young wizards.

When they entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, the students were somewhat surprised to find that the spacious classroom had no desks or chairs, but rather thick mats on the floor.

Sirius Black, dressed in a simple black robe, leaned casually against the blackboard, gesturing for everyone to stand on one side of the classroom.

The students were all curious about the new professor. Everyone knew about Professor Black's past: he had been unjustly imprisoned in Azkaban for over a decade, only to be exonerated a few months ago and now became their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

"Hopefully his level is a bit higher than it was two years ago," Draco muttered, not one to mince words.

Once everyone had arrived, Sirius Black said with a smile, "In my class, you can put your textbooks aside. What I'm going to teach you is far more than just sitting there and studying with your textbooks."

Facing the curious gazes of the crowd, he smoothed his long, shiny black hair, his smile casual yet exuding an unhurried elegance: "Originally, I did intend to teach you some gentle things, but Mr. Dumbledore would prefer me to get serious..." He suddenly grinned, his expression taking on a mischievous glint.

"I've looked into what you learned in this class in previous years, and frankly, it's quite disappointing." He curled his lip. "Due to certain unavoidable factors, you didn't learn much usefulness in this class. Only the Disarming Charm and Obstacle Charm learned last semester were somewhat useful, but unfortunately, many of you haven't mastered them yet."

"I want you to understand that those fun little curses you know are practically useless in a real wizarding duel. You can't expect to end a fight by chanting 'Grin Hoo-la-la' when facing an enemy who really wants to hurt you..." Sirius shrugged.

His words amused the students, and a low chuckle filled the classroom.

After the students' laughter subsided, Sirius's expression turned serious: "In this lesson, I will teach you real wizarding duels. Not just the spells you can use in duels, but also how to protect yourself and defeat your enemies..."

"I will make you understand that in a real wizarding duel, simply standing there like a wooden puppet chanting spells is far from enough. You must understand when to defend, when to dodge, when to counterattack, and when to run away!"

"In a duel, running away is not a shameful thing; avoiding the opponent's strength is the wise choice."

Sirius Black glanced at the expressions on everyone's faces and continued calmly, "At the same time, I will cultivate your ability to adapt to changing circumstances, improve your reaction speed, and teach you how to deal with sudden crises..."

"What I want to teach you is the ability to protect yourself, the skills to defeat your enemies. I hope you will treat every Defense Against the Dark Arts class from today onwards as a battle, and do your best to defeat the enemy... and survive."

Sirius smiled knowingly, looked at each trembling young wizard, pointed at Owen and said, "Well then, before this lesson begins, I need someone to demonstrate what a real wizard duel is like. Owen, you go first."

Owen looked up with a hint of helplessness, stepped out of the crowd, and with a flick of his wrist, a straight, smooth wand slid out of his sleeve and landed in his hand.

Sirius Black drew his wand and said with a smile, "We won't use any spells that are too advanced, nor any potentially deadly ones... Owen, are you ready?"

Irving perked up, nodded with interest, and pointed his wand diagonally at the ground.

"Well..." Sirius raised his eyebrows at him.

The two faced each other and bowed. Then, they simultaneously raised their wands over their shoulders.

"Disarm you!" The two uttered the spell almost simultaneously.

Two beams of red light shot out from the tip of the wand and collided head-on in mid-air, sparks flying everywhere.

At the same time, Owen had already taken a step to the right, and a stun spell was immediately fired. Simultaneously, a streak of fire shot from the opposite side, the two spells clashing in mid-air.

"Protect yourself." Owen pointed his wand forward, and an invisible barrier deflected the flame. Then he waved his wand, and the mats on the floor around him were flung up one by one and flew towards Sirius.

At that moment, Sirius blocked the stun spell and pointed to the mat in front of him, saying "Obstacles."

The mat slowed down, and taking advantage of the mat blocking the other party's view, Owen immediately cast a stun spell, and his feet changed position again.

Sirius grinned, pointed to the cushion in front of him, and said, "Shapeshifting Slab."

The soft, rectangular mats instantly hardened like stones, blocking Owen's spell. Then he waved his wand, scattering the hardened mats throughout the classroom, where they flew haphazardly in mid-air.

Cushions everywhere blocked his view. Owen curled his lips into a smile, then suddenly pointed around and uttered, "Silent."

The noise in the classroom disappeared as Owen rushed into the space between the mats and enthusiastically started playing hide-and-seek with Sirius.

The young wizards, huddled on one side of the classroom, watched the duel with bated breath as the two figures appeared and disappeared among the obstacles formed by the mats. The flashes of spells were as dazzling yet dangerous as fireworks, and the whole scene was as magnificent as a passionate yet bizarre duet.

They were overwhelmed by the sights, nervously clenching their fists and silently cheering them on.

The brief game of hide-and-seek ended, and Owen and Sirius met face to face near the podium. They simultaneously cast a spell at each other, then in unison hid behind a floating mat.

"Shatter to pieces!" Owen unleashed a shattering spell at the cushion blocking their path. The cushion shattered into pieces with a "bang."

Dozens of ropes extended from all around, coiling towards him like nimble snakes. Owen nimbly dodged to the side, pointed his wand at the lectern beside him, and chanted, "Fire at the Top!"

The chalk, quills, and erasers on the lectern floated up and shot towards Sirius Black like bullets. Then, Owen lowered his wand and used a cutting charm to slice the surrounding ropes into hundreds of pieces.

By this time, Sirius had already dodged the flying debris. He waved to Owen to indicate that the demonstration was over, then shook his wand, and all the mats fell to the ground in an instant.

The two stood amidst a jumble of mats, nodding gracefully to each other.

Owen raised a hand to tidy his slightly disheveled hair and robes, and leisurely returned to the students. Sirius Black, meanwhile, waved his wand to return the cushion to its original position, watching him with great surprise.

Sirius Black had long known that Owen was an exceptionally capable young wizard. Whether it was at Number 12 Grimmauld Place or on the Hogwarts Express, he had demonstrated qualities and abilities far beyond his years. But he never imagined that Owen could match him so perfectly, giving a truly flawless demonstration.

You see, he originally wanted to take this opportunity to teach Irving a lesson.

Although he hadn't used any advanced or dangerous spells, he had certainly used all his strength within the limits of spell usage, yet Owen's reaction speed and adaptability were in no way inferior to his. Moreover, he felt that Owen didn't seem to be using his full strength either.

"This little guy... I'm really curious to see how far he can go." Sirius withdrew his gaze, clapped his hands at the other students, and had everyone split into pairs.

"Now, you two will come forward in pairs and take turns engaging in a duel to the best of your ability. I need to figure out your skill level," Sirius said. "I need you to give it your all! Don't worry, I'll be watching from the sidelines and make sure you don't get hurt... Ah, Owen, come help me too."

The rest of the class was chaotic, with students of varying abilities; some were in the study groups who performed exceptionally well, while others failed to even cast the disarming spell.

When the bell rang, the students excitedly chatted as they walked out of the classroom, all thinking the class was incredibly cool.

"I never imagined the gap between us had grown so large..." Harry glanced at Owen and muttered absentmindedly to himself.

He shook his head sharply, his expression hardening. Having been taught by Dumbledore himself, he couldn't afford to perform poorly. He had to work even harder and not fall too far behind Owen.

Owen glanced at him sideways, a look of amusement on his face, and said with a serious expression, "Go for it, Harry, you have to beat me!"

Harry felt his eyelids twitch and realized it was a daunting goal.

During dinner, a note silently floated down from mid-air and landed in front of Harry. He picked it up, glanced at it, and leaned over to say, "Owen, Mr. Dumbledore wants us to come to his office tonight!"

Irving raised an eyebrow, glanced at the somewhat messy handwriting on the note, and nodded thoughtfully. (End of Chapter)