Pepper-Up Potion, Boring Defense Against the Dark Arts

As time passed, more and more students came to the Great Hall for lunch.

Many people are talking about Harry Potter because the Daily Prophet portrayed him as a fraudster, a conman who loudly proclaimed the return of the Dark Lord.

As Harry and his two companions entered the Great Hall, the other students deliberately kept their distance from him, as if getting too close to Harry Potter would bring bad luck.

"Good morning, Aaron," Harry greeted listlessly.

"It's obvious you're not in a good position," Aaron said, glancing at the whispering students around him. "Everyone's avoiding you like the plague."

"We're not the only ones!" Ron said casually. "Not everyone distrusts Harry."

"Yes, and you're the only ones who believe him." Aaron pointed to a student who was holding a newspaper. "Most people would choose Harry Potter's side of the story over the Daily Prophet, which is backed by the Ministry of Magic."

"You saw Voldemort rise from the dead," Harry said hesitantly, "If you'd be willing to testify..."

"If I were to testify, there would be one more person being pointed at," Aaron said calmly. "Rumors stop with the wise, but the wise are always in the minority."

The situation won't change just because there's one more witness. All I can do is make sure I don't end up as troubled as you are now.

"But doesn't the Ministry of Magic respect your family a lot?" Harry said defiantly.

"That's not the same thing at all," Aaron said casually. "Fudge used to Dumbledore, but what is he doing now? He's using public opinion to smear Dumbledore."

He was willing to offend a highly respected and respected Great wizard for power; another influential Warlock family would be nothing more than a matter of gritting his teeth... though he certainly couldn't afford to take the fall later.

Harry seemed thoughtful, then continued, "Then Phoebe, Cedric, Viktor also saw the Dark Lord and those Death Eater, they..."

"Come on!" Aaron chuckled. "Their combined influence can't compare to yours, and nobody believes anything they say anyway."

"How long will this continue?" Hermione said angrily. "Dumbledore wanted us to be united, but it's only been two months since You-Know-Who was resurrected, and we've already started fighting each other."

"It might not end until Voldemort appears in the Magic World," Aaron shrugged. "Facts speak louder than words. When the truth comes out, everyone will realize you were right, apologize guiltily, and beg for your forgiveness."

Hearing this, the three of them recovered somewhat, but Yu's expression was still rather complicated.

When that time comes, Harry will no longer be looked at with strange eyes, but the situation will be even more severe.

At that moment, Professor McGonagall came over and handed out the class schedules for the first-year students one by one.

"History of Magic, Potions Class, Divination, Defense Against the Dark Arts..." Ron muttered with a gloomy face, "All the classes we dislike are showing up today."

"To correct you, that doesn't include me," Aaron said. "Apart from Defense Against the Dark Arts, I'm quite interested in the other three classes, especially Potions Class you all dislike the most."

"I'm not as exaggerated as him, but I'm not far off," Hermione said smugly.

Harry and Ron exchanged a wry smile; neither of them, being academic underachievers, had such a good mindset.

"I really hope George and Fred can get those Pepper-Up Potion out of here."

"What kind of candy?"

"Pepper-Up Potion," Fred's voice rang out from the side.

"If you take it, you'll get a fever, a cold, nosebleeds, prickly heat, and even sudden coma," George added. "But you'll recover once you take the antidote, and the teacher will never find a flaw in it."

"You guys actually developed this thing?" Aaron asked with interest.

"Uh... it's still in the research stage," George said embarrassedly, "But we've made some progress, and we should be able to invent it in a while."

"Aaron, you're not interested in skipping class, are you?" Hermione asked, frowning slightly.

"Skipping class?" Aaron curled his lip in disdain. "Hogwarts classes aren't worth it for me to do that. But skipping classes at home is still very necessary. Those tutoring classes can crush you to death."

And I have to say, Hermione, your vision is too narrow. Are these inventions only good for skipping class?

"At work, I can avoid tedious tasks; during my rest time, I can decline invitations from friends; and even when I encounter trouble, I can scare people."

Hermione's lips twitched slightly, and she was speechless for a moment.

"That's absolutely right," George and Fred said in unison.

"We've wasted such a great invention on skipping classes," George said, somewhat agitated. "It's a shameful waste."

"Not just students, but adult Warlock will also be in high demand," Fred said. "These inventions are sure to sell like hotcakes, there's no doubt about that."

"I'll pre-order a batch," Aaron said immediately. "Give me ten of each item."

"Oh, this..."

The twin brothers hesitated.

Is there a problem?

I'm just making a reservation, not expecting you to give it to me right now.

"No, you've misunderstood," Fred said somewhat awkwardly. "We wanted to give you a free meal, since we secured a large investment thanks to you."

Without this seed money, our business would probably have been delayed for several years.

"If all ten were free, it would be a huge expense, and for us, whose business hasn't even started yet, it would be quite a blow."

"How about a 20% discount?" George said in a low voice. "Or let's go for cost price!"

"No need, I'm not short of money," Aaron said generously. "Just let me know when the invention is finished."

"All right!"

"I can't control what you invent." Hermione took a deep breath, then looked coldly at George and Fred. "It's not allowed to post advertisements on the Gryffindor bulletin board to recruit test subjects."

Aaron spat out the half-finished juice he had just drunk.

He stared at George and Fred in astonishment, speechless. "Why are you two asking students to do experiments?"

"That's not true," George said seriously.

"You've already posted the advertisements on the bulletin board, and you still say there's nothing there?"

"We'll pay you!" Fred said. "And it's clearly stated that this is a temporary off-campus job, and apart from some negative consequences, there's no risk whatsoever."

"Heh!" Hermione sneered. "As Prefect, we absolutely refuse to agree."

"This has nothing to do with me," Ron said immediately, afraid that Fred and George would include him in the mix.

"You're such a coward!" Aaron said.

"That's what they want, and I know them both too well," Ron said with a frustrated look. "No one can stop George and Fred from doing what they want."

"He truly is our good younger brother," George said with satisfaction.

Hermione glared at Ron and then said, "I can write to Mrs. Weasley."

George and Weasley's expressions changed immediately. They were fearless, except for their father's roar.

You can't do that.

"We're doing this for your own good. Grade 1 is the OWL year (Ordinary Wizarding Level exam).

The sheer volume of exams can be overwhelming; for students, it's practically a nightmare.

"I don't care," Aaron said nonchalantly. The exam was nothing to him.

"Me too," Hermione said smugly. "I always say, don't let me catch you, or I'll definitely write to Mrs. Weasley."

"Pepper-Up Potion isn't for top students," Harry reminded him.

George and Fred exchanged a glance and reluctantly compromised.

"Alright! Let's just take the notice down."

We won't hire students to do experiments, but market research will do, right? We need to figure out the students' needs before we officially open!

Hermione didn't speak, but that wasn't tacit agreement; it meant she knew she couldn't stop the two of them on her own.

In the first Potions Class of the second year, Snape asked the students to concoct a Potions called Soothing Agent, which can calm and soothe feelings of irritability and anxiety. It is also a potion that often appears in the Ordinary Wizarding Level exam.

Unsurprisingly, he specifically picked a fight with Harry Potter during class and gave him a good dressing down.

Although Harry was angry, he was used to it.

However, he also received good news: after the Ordinary Wizarding Level exam are over in June next year, he can give up Potions Class.

In other words, if we persevere for another year, the miserable days of being tormented by Snape will be over.

In Professor Trelawney's Divination, they will learn a method of Divination.

It's not about interpreting tea leaves, looking at Crystal Ball, or observing celestial phenomena; it's about interpreting dreams.

Aaron flipped through the "Dream Interpretation Guide" in his hand with great interest. The dreams in the book were very interesting to him, but the homework assigned by Professor Trelawney made him feel a little difficult.

Recording the dreams I have every day for a month is an impossible task for someone who doesn't dream much.

After a moment's hesitation, he decided to leave the assignment to the Thought Form.

It's okay if you don't dream; there's a "Dream Interpretation Guide" that you can make up anytime.

The last class in the afternoon was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and all the Gryffindor and Slytherin students rushed to the classroom before class started.

Aaron sat in the last row, occupying a double desk by himself. In front of him sat Draco and Pansy.

He skillfully took out his little magic circle and patiently began practicing Forbidden Elemental Magic Array on it.

Although he cannot yet cast Ultimate Elemental Magic instantly or in multiple forms, he still wants to master a forbidden Elemental Magic as a trump card.

Good morning, children.

Dolores Umbridge, dressed in pink, entered the classroom, and the entire room immediately fell silent.

With a standard fake smile on her lips, she took out her Wand and pointed it at the blackboard, where several words gradually appeared.

"The Ordinary Wizarding Level exam, OWLs, are generally called O.W.L.s," Dolores Umbridge said in a melodious tone. "Study hard, and you will definitely be rewarded; if you don't, the consequences may be... serious."

"In the past, the teaching of this course was quite unsystematic."

But now there is finally good news: from now on you will be learning a carefully prepared Defense Against Magic course approved by the Ministry of Magic.

Everyone stared at the lesson plan on the table, which resembled a children's book, and was speechless.

However, no one raised any questions, since they knew nothing about this Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, and perhaps her teaching ability was exceptionally outstanding.

But they soon lost hope, Dolores Umbridge actually just read from the book and taught them the content of the lesson.

Defense Against the Dark Arts that teaches students how to deal with evil Dark Magic spells and evil creatures, but Dolores Umbridge treats it as a History of Magic, making it even more dry and boring.

Perhaps the only advantage of this course compared to the History of Magic is that... it's taught by a living person.

"Boring, utterly boring," Draco said with a hint of disdain. "Does she even need to teach me this?"

"Of our previous professors, Lockhart is the only one who can compare to her." Pansy Parkinson, sitting next to him, was also finding it hard to bear. "But even though Lockhart doesn't have any major issues, her classes are at least more interesting."

Aaron looked at Abei, who was fast asleep on the table, and Crabbe and Goyle, whose eyelids were constantly drooping, and nodded in agreement.

Lockhart is indeed a Clown, but his classes are very relaxed, whereas Dolores Umbridge's classes are more oppressive, and his hypnotic effects are exceptionally strong.

"Just take it as a break," Aaron comforted her. "If it's just about preparing for an exam, this course is actually the easiest."

"Just lie down and give up, because according to her teachings, at least one out of ten Warlock will be unqualified."

Draco and Pansy exchanged glances. What they said was true, but something just didn't feel right.

At this moment, Hermione raised her right hand high, her face expressionless, staring motionlessly at Dolores Umbridge.

The other party ignored this and continued to explain the knowledge from the lesson.

"Ha!" Pansy sneered. "Granger must be out of his mind to dare challenge the teacher's authority in the very first class."

Shut up!

In a way, this can be considered Gryffindor's courage. Aaron looked at Hermione sitting in the front row and sighed speechlessly.

A few minutes later, more and more people noticed Hermione's actions, and whispers began to circulate in the classroom. Dolores Umbridge also felt that she could no longer remain indifferent.

"Honey, do you have any questions?"

"This book doesn't seem to explain how to use defensive spells."

"Use spells?" Dolores Umbridge seemed to have heard an amusing joke. "I don't see any need for spells in my class."

"Can't we use magic?" Ron asked.

"You need a very safe, risk-free way to learn defensive spells," Dolores Umbridge explained in a charmingly coquettish tone.

"What good is that?" Harry demanded loudly. "There's no such thing as an attack without risk."

"You have to raise your hand before you can speak in my class," Dolores Umbridge said calmly.

As soon as Harry raised his hand, Dolores Umbridge turned around.

But when she tilted her head back again, several more students raised their hands.

A flash of annoyance crossed Dolores Umbridge's eyes, but she quickly masked it and casually pointed at a Gryffindor.

"May I have your name?"

Dean Thomas.

"Okay! Thomas, do you have a question?"

Dean glanced at Harry, "Just like Harry said, it's impossible for us to be without risk if we're attacked."