Slightly skilled in combat

George closed the spellbook in his hands and looked at the three of them with some amusement.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I'm rather fond of this bed. I don't want to give it up."

"You don't seem to understand what's going on here?"

The three young wizards stepped forward at the same time, threatening looks appearing on their faces.

"You should know that although the school forbids us from attacking with magic, it never said we couldn't use our fists."

In their eyes, George was much thinner and weaker than them in both height and build. Besides, there were three of them, and George was alone.

If George did not understand the situation, they did not mind teaching him a lesson.

"As far as I know, Slytherin tradition says that whoever is more outstanding is the boss. If, in our later studies, you're better than me and get better marks, then I'll be willing to give up my bed.

What do you think?"

George suggested with a smile.

If possible, he still did not want to beat up children.

After all, he could now be considered a proper wizard.

And the most important thing for a wizard was elegance. Rolling up one's sleeves to beat people up was something warriors did.

"What is he saying? Does he mean that a half-blood like him will get better marks than the three of us pure-bloods in the future? That's simply the funniest joke I've ever heard!"

When the young wizard in the lead heard this, he immediately burst into laughter, and the two young wizards beside him quickly followed suit.

"I now order you to take your luggage and that stupid pet of yours and get to the bed all the way inside. Otherwise, you'll definitely regret it."

"Forget it. Since you're unwilling to compete in grades, then I also know a little about fists and feet."

Seeing how lacking in self-awareness his three new roommates were, George placed the spellbook by the bed, then stood up and moved his hands and feet.

Without using magic or abilities, relying only on pure physical strength, at his current level, never mind the three in front of him—even if all the First Year young wizards came at him together, he could beat them all until they cried.

It was not that his fighting skills were especially brilliant. It was purely that his strength and speed far surpassed these young wizards.

"Looks like you really need to be taught a lesson."

Seeing George get up, the three young wizards said no more. They rolled up their wizard robes and charged at him.

Two minutes later, George sat back down elegantly, picked up his spellbook, and said while reading:

"I advise you not to think about going to the teachers or prefects to complain. Otherwise, the fact that the three of you fought me alone and still ended up like this will spread, and for the next seven years, you'll—"

"We know. Don't... don't get smug. You're just a little stronger. If you have the guts, we'll compete in grades and magic from now on!"

The three young wizards lay on the floor, bruised and swollen, tear tracks still on their faces. When they heard this, their expressions changed at once, and they stammered in reply.

Just now, they really had been thinking of going to the teachers to complain and have the teachers punish George harshly. Only now that they thought about it, if they really did that, they might truly become the laughingstock of the entire school.

So they could only use the excuse of competing in grades to save a little face.

"I said we should compete in grades from the start, but you insisted on fists and feet. Sigh."

George shook his head, and the three young wizards' faces turned even uglier. Clearly, they were also extremely regretful.

The next morning.

While the three bruised and swollen young wizards were still sleeping soundly, George, who had already slept a full seven hours, opened his eyes right on time.

After a simple wash, he went to the Common Room.

Because when the prefect left yesterday, he had said that after six in the morning, the timetable for the week would be posted in the Common Room.

It was now seven twenty. Young wizards normally started class at nine, so most people had not yet gotten up.

There were only a few especially diligent senior students revising their lessons in the Common Room. They were probably fifth years, because this year they would be taking the most important wizarding O.W.L., the Ordinary Wizarding Levels exam.

"Only one class today?"

After finding the posted timetable, George discovered that on the first day of school, Slytherin First Years only had one History of Magic class at two in the afternoon. The rest of the time was free.

However, after looking further down, it was not that easy every day. On Tuesday, there were two Transfiguration classes in the morning and one Defense Against the Dark Arts class in the afternoon.

On Wednesday morning, there were two Herbology classes, with the afternoon off.

On Thursday morning, there was Transfiguration plus Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms Class in the afternoon, and another History of Magic class in the evening.

On Friday morning, there were two Potion classes, one Herbology class in the afternoon, and one Astronomy class in the evening.

There was also an additional note saying that Flying Class would begin from the second week onward, scheduled for Thursday afternoon after Charms Class.

Moreover, the timetable also marked the name of the house that would attend each class together with them.

Because teaching staff were limited, and the number of students in each house was too small.

So at Hogwarts, classes were basically held with two houses at the same time, with a little over twenty people in one classroom.

For classes like Potion and Flying Class, they would be attending together with the Gryffindor First Years.

Charms Class and Transfiguration would be with Hufflepuff.

Herbology, History of Magic, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Astronomy would all be with Ravenclaw.

At the same time, it also marked the classroom locations for each subject.

"Charms Class is way too scarce."

After memorizing the entire timetable, George could not help frowning.

For him, of all the subjects, the most important was Charms Class, because most magical principles and basic spells were taught in that lesson.

But on the timetable, there was only one class a week, the same as Astronomy, a subject that was of no damn use.

After thinking about it, though, it did make sense.

This was First Year, and among them were many children from Muggle families who knew nothing about magic. There was no need for them to rush into mastering so many spells; building a solid foundation was more important.

"Looks like I'll still have to rely on myself."

Classes of this intensity were far too little for him. If he wanted to master more magic, he would still have to spend more time studying on his own.

Fortunately, unlike in Knockturn Alley, even self-study at Hogwarts was far more efficient.

Because if there was anything he did not understand, he could ask the teachers at any time, and he could also go to the library to consult that vast collection of free magical books.

"Since classes aren't until this afternoon, I'll have a good look around this morning."

George did not continue reading. Instead, he began wandering around the entire Hogwarts Castle.

He would be studying here for the next seven years, so he definitely had to scout the place first and figure out every location. That way, it would be convenient if anything happened later, and it was also a good chance to recognize the classrooms in advance.

After leaving the Slytherin Common Room, he first walked through the entire dungeon.

Do not underestimate the dungeon. The area beneath Hogwarts Castle was enormous, full of twists and turns. Just making a rough circuit took him nearly an hour.

The Boathouse, Dungeon Storage Room, the room where ghosts often gathered to hold the Deathday Party, the Potions Classroom, the Head of Slytherin's Office, the Fifth Underground Classroom, the Hogwarts Kitchen, and the Hufflepuff Dormitory.

The kitchen door was shut, and he could only hear the House-elves inside clattering away as they used magic to make breakfast.

At the entrance to the Hufflepuff Dormitory was a large pile of wooden barrels. One had to knock in a specific pattern to get in, so he did not go in to look around either. Instead, he went up to the First Floor Great Hall, ready to have breakfast.