Defense Against the Dark Arts Class Was a Disaster
Vincent, a happy fan, held a classic felt hat in his left hand and a black jacket in his right, his face beaming with a blissful smile.
He got his hands on some limited-edition merchandise, plus a brief chat and photo session before the awards ceremony. He was so happy with what he got that he couldn't stop smiling even after returning to the hotel.
Hermione could understand his feelings, but wasn't it a bit much to sleep with a wool hat and jacket?
"Heh heh—" Her cold laugh finally made Vincent realize that he had neglected her.
I was soothing her in bed until dawn.
I dozed off for a while, and it was 8 a. m.
The first thing Hermione did upon waking was to take a bottle of golden Brain-Boosting Potion from her makeup box, which had been used to cast the Undetectable Extension Charm.
As expected of Potions Master's creation, one sip completely dispelled drowsiness, two sips gave me full energy, and after three sips, I was back to peak condition.
She glanced at Vincent, who was still fast asleep beside her, and carefully got out of bed barefoot and went to the wardrobe.
After changing into her Hogwarts uniform, she gently waved her hand, causing the remaining clothes to automatically fold neatly and be placed in her suitcase.
When Vincent woke up, he saw her fixing her messy hair. He quietly came up behind her and hugged her tightly.
"Ah—" Hermione was startled and punched him a few times with her soft little fists. "Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"
Vincent loosened his grip on her slightly. "If I continue sleeping, you'll quietly go back to school alone."
Hermione lowered her head. "You don't need to see me off. I can go back by myself."
"No," he said, lifting her chin with his hand. "I won't fall asleep until I've personally gotten you safely back to school."
Hermione loosened her tightly pursed lips and took out another bottle of golden Brain-Boosting Potion from her makeup case. "Then you can drink one of these first."
"Smuggled from the Bat Cave?"
"Um."
The potion that Snape personally brewed was extremely effective. After drinking it, Vincent felt better than ever before, and he could fight for three days and three nights without any problems.
Feeling his intense gaze, Hermione hurriedly pushed him away with her small hands, saying, "Stop it, I have class at 9 o'clock."
What class?
"History of Magic"
Vincent "Oh," and quietly picked up a comb to tidy her messy hair.
The class with the highest truancy rate at Hogwarts is Professor Binns' History of Magic, but this year is different. Umbridge is eagerly waiting for Hermione to accidentally break the rules, so that she will not only have an excuse to retaliate, but also make a big fuss and issue a few more Educational Decree.
Hermione's hair is naturally curly, but it's much better now. In her first and second years, even with careful maintenance, her hair would easily become messy.
Vincent combed her hair and put on her makeup.
Instead of leaving the room through the main entrance, the two opened the window and ascended into the Invisible La Voiture Noire.
A strong gust of wind blew by, and citizens on the streets of New York all looked up at the sky.
Twenty minutes later, Hermione jumped into the bedroom with the window open.
She took her textbooks and walked out of the girls' dormitory as if nothing had happened.
It's great news that Umbridge isn't here.
As soon as Hermione entered the History of Magic classroom, Lavender and Parvati pulled her aside.
"You've finally decided to come back."
"You weren't at school all weekend, did you go on a date with Vincent?"
Hermione whispered in their ears to satisfy their curiosity.
The three little witches remained completely unaware until Professor Binns walked through the wall and entered.
Lavender and Parvati were envious, having traveled across the ocean to attend a Muggle music awards ceremony and witnessed an unforgettable performance.
"Hermione, I have good news for you. Umbridge slipped on a banana peel and broke her leg yesterday when she went downstairs."
"Huh? Who did this?"
"I don't know. We asked Fred and George, and they said it wasn't them."
In the vast Hogwarts, besides the Weasley twins, only Peeves could pull off such a prank.
Hermione smiled knowingly.
Vincent was right; after all, Umbridge was a professor, and her student could never openly confront her.
But Peeves is different. Hogwarts has been around for nearly a thousand years, and it has always been the most troublesome problem for every headmaster.
Although things improved significantly after Dumbledore became headmaster, if he went all out, coupled with the curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, he would either be pranked or encounter all sorts of bad luck, so he wouldn't have the mind to keep an eye on Hermione.
Time quickly came to Potions Class, Snape seemed to be in a good mood today, giving everyone's homework a barely passing grade.
Ron muttered to himself, "It must be because of Umbridge, what's that principle called again?"
Harry thought for a moment, then couldn't help but smile. "Are you trying to say that like repels like?"
"Yes, that's it. Umbridge's in trouble. No wonder Snape's in a bad mood."
A cold wind blew by, and Snape, like a ghost, floated behind them from the podium.
Ron shuddered inexplicably. "Harry, do you think Snape might have put that banana peel there?"
"Huh?" Harry's lips trembled involuntarily. "Snape doesn't seem like the type to do something like this."
With a loud bang, Snape slammed their heads together with both hands.
His cold gaze swept over Harry and Ron, who were clutching their heads in pain. "I don't think Professor Umbridge would like students talking badly about her behind her back, would you, Potter? Weasley?"
Harry and Ron nodded their little heads vigorously.
Snape snorted and returned to the podium.
There were no harsh words or sarcastic remarks, no heavy deductions, no detention, and even less homework. He was in a really good mood.
The Little Lions' joy didn't last long, because the afternoon arrived, and two consecutive Defense Against the Dark Arts followed.
"Thump—thump—" The sound of heels hitting the floor instantly ruined everyone's good mood.
Even though her leg wasn't fully healed, Umbridge still walked into the classroom with her signature sweet smile.
She staggered to the podium. "Class, let's start taking attendance. Lavender Brown."
"Arrive."
"Seamus Finnegan".
"Arrive."
Umbridge suddenly widened her eyes and gritted her teeth as she uttered the next name, "Hermione Granger."
"Arrive."
Umbridge stared intently at Hermione, as if she wanted to devour her whole.
"Neville Longbottom".
"Here... here."
After taking attendance, Umbridge ordered the students to put away their wands in an almost commanding tone.
"Last lesson we finished Chapter 1. Today I want you to turn to page 19 and start reading 'Chapter 2, General Defense Theory and Its Origins'. Do not talk while reading."
Even the students who had held onto a sliver of hope let out a clearly audible sigh.
Reading books, more reading books. What's the point of this lousy Defense Magic class? It's not even worth a hair's breadth of Binns' History of Magic class.