Duel, but Cassandra vs. Veratia (16,000 Words)

wrong...

Veratia suddenly sensed that something was wrong.

Her intuition told her that Mr. LeMay seemed to be working on something very new.

Just then, Mr. LeMay slowly looked at her and gave her a mysterious smile.

"Well, children," Mr. LeMay said with a smile, "This is exactly what I want. You should understand the heart of an old man who has seen so much life and death. Although he is used to parting, he will still pursue the most beautiful and sincere feelings in this world."

Upon hearing this, Cassandra recoiled as if she had been electrocuted.

"Don't worry," she said nonchalantly, waving her hand. "I only touched Potter to prolong my life, not because my head is full of pink bubbles like yours, Grindelwald."

"Oh—" Veratia gave a meaningful smile, "Okay, I'll assume that's the case for now."

Mr. LeMay nodded in satisfaction and sat back down at his computer.

"Mr. LeMay."

Veratia stood up and walked behind Mr. LeMay.

"I'm listening," Mr. LeMay said intently, clicking the mouse on the computer screen. "At least I'm listening right now."

"I think you seem to have gone astray," she said, "About this computer."

"A wrong path?"

Mr. LeMay put down the mouse he was fiddling with, looked up at Veratia with interest, and asked, "Tell me, what wrong path have I taken?"

"I don't think we should develop in the direction that Muggle have set. We can learn from Muggle, but I don't think we should lose our qualities as wizards."

When Veratia said those words, she leaned forward slightly, her tone carrying a natural seductive quality.

Austria seem to have a natural talent for producing orators, like Veratia...

Of course, the thing Austria are most proud of is that everyone thinks Beethoven was Austria, and that everyone thinks the mustache was Germans.

"Go on," Mr. LeMay said, seemingly persuaded by Veratia, nodding to let Veratia continue.

"For example... it seems we can use Crystal Ball?" Veratia reached for a Crystal Ball from the side, "We can make Crystal Ball into something like a computer, or... make it have the function of a monitor. We can achieve that using Crystal Ball..."

As she spoke, Veratia used Charms to draw something like a virtual screen in front of her and showed it to Mr. LeMay.

"Like this, it seems to be... Holographic Projection? We can understand it this way, interacting with it by clicking with our hands, which can also train wizards' skills in manipulating magic."

Mr. LeMay was truly persuaded by Veratia this time, and his eyes shone with great interest.

"Very good, very good," he murmured. "This is indeed a great idea... Let me think about how to make it happen..."

Seeing that Mr. LeMay was already captivated by her blueprint, Veratia turned slightly and saw Harry secretly giving her a thumbs-up in front of her lower abdomen.

Now that the matter had been temporarily resolved, and seeing that Mr. LeMay had once again immersed himself in creating a new type of wizarding computer, Harry and his friends returned to the castle to continue their classes.

Veratia didn't return to the castle with Harry and the others. In front of Cassandra, she tightly gripped Harry and absorbed some magic for a while before hurriedly leaving Hogwarts to continue her studies in the Muggle world.

Pabbie ran back into the Forbidden Forest, leaving only Cassandra and Harry on the way.

"Don't look at me like that. I know what you're thinking, Potter." Cassandra looked at Harry with disdain. "But I won't be like that shameless Grindelwald, clinging to a member of the opposite sex."

At this point, Cassandra suddenly stopped.

She looked down at Harry, her arms crossed over her thin chest, and smiled faintly.

"Of course—if you beg me, I'll do it for the sake of our good friendship..."

Harry glanced at her, puzzled.

"Oh, please," he said with a slightly sarcastic tone, "But thank you for your kindness, my clothes aren't dirty yet, they don't need to be washed in the river."

Without pausing, he walked into the castle.

Cassandra thought for a long time, but still couldn't figure out what Harry was talking about...

How could a pampered young lady who never lifts a finger, and is also a pure-blood wizard, possibly know how Muggle do laundry?

But this did not prevent the two from falling into a cold war again, just like Harry often experienced a hundred years ago.

Harry had no idea how to start the conversation, while Cassandra was a little awkward.

She didn't actually want to distance herself from Harry, but somehow, whenever the words were on the tip of her tongue, they always came out differently, becoming, if not exactly the same as, at least completely opposite to, what she really thought.

Just as Cassandra reached the castle gate, Professor McGonagall, who was already waiting there, called her away, leaving Harry alone to return to the long table.

It's dinner time now, and the Great Hall is quite lively.

"Harry!"

Hermione saw Harry approaching from afar and raised her hand to wave at him.

Harry walked to the Gryffindor long bench and sat down next to Hermione and Ron.

Hermione was holding her new timetable, while Ron stood beside her, his hands supporting his chin, looking at the timetable with a clearly less cheerful expression than Hermione's.

"Wow, that's great! I'll have a few new classes to teach tomorrow," she said happily.

"Let me see," Ron said, looking over her shoulder at her timetable and frowning. "They've messed up your schedule. Look—they've given you ten classes a day, but you don't have enough time."

"I'll figure something out. I've already spoken with Professor McGonagall," Hermione said confidently.

"But look," Ron said with a laugh, "see tomorrow morning? Nine o'clock, Divination ...and below that, nine o'clock, Muggle Studies, and—" Ron moved closer to the timetable, he could hardly believe his eyes, "Look—and below that is Arithmancy, nine o'clock...I mean, I know you're great, Hermione, but nobody's that great. How can you take three classes at once?"

"I have my ways, Ron." Hermione looked up and smiled at Harry. "Of course, I also know why Veratia was able to complete four years of Muggle university studies in less than a year..."

Yes, Time-Turner.

Harry saw the necklace around Hermione's neck, but he didn't intend to tell Ron about it.

Since Hermione wasn't going to tell him, he naturally wouldn't be so quick to reveal someone else's secret.

"Spread some jam on me," Hermione instructed Ron. "If I'm in a better mood, I'll help you with your studies, Ron."

Just then, Cassandra, who had been called away by Professor McGonagall, returned, and judging from her expression, she was in a very bad mood.

Harry was always good at reading people, and he would never go looking for trouble at this time.

Draco, on the other hand, asked his great-aunt, who was standing silently beside him, with concern.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"It's nothing." Cassandra carefully put away her timetable, a glint of light seeming to flash in her eyes. "I just never imagined that a descendant of the Trelawney family would be teaching at Hogwarts..."

"Do you know Professor Trelawney?" Draco asked tentatively. "I heard my father mention her. He said she's a complete madwoman and he doesn't know why Dumbledore would hire her at the school."

"Your father has a good eye, Draco." Cassandra gave Draco an approving look. "The Trelawney family has never lacked madmen or liars."

She certainly had a problem with Trelawney —not just Professor Trelawney Sybill Trelawney, of course, but with everyone with the surname Trelawney.

After all, a hundred years ago, she was severely humiliated by the Oracle Trelawney, who even mocked her, saying she should become a carpet weaver.

Cassandra's voice was so loud that even Harry could hear it.

Hermione lowered her head and whispered to Harry, Ron, and the Ron, "Good heavens, how could she do this? It's definitely Malfoy... Why is she targeting Professor Trelawney like this? Professor Trelawney hasn't done anything to her..."

No, Trelawney really did offend her, Harry thought to himself.

Although it's not the same Trelawney.

In the afternoon, Cassandra went to the library.

Thinking about what Harry had said, she went to the library to look it up. When she saw that in the 15th and 16th centuries, Muggle women were washing clothes on washboards by the river, Cassandra was furious.

Especially the accompanying image of the soul; Cassandra felt that the lines on the washboard looked so much like her own ribs...

"Potter!!!" she growled like a lioness.

"Quiet!" Madam Pince roared back angrily.

But to Harry's surprise, Draco secretly arrived at the entrance of the Gryffindor Common Room that very night.

Since he wasn't Gryffindor, the Sphinx wouldn't let him in—and even if Sphinx did, he wouldn't dare go near it.

He stood there waiting for ages before Percy, who was late, finally arrived.

"Weasley!"

Draco called out, beckoned to him, and strode over to him.

Percy seemed a bit distracted and absent-minded.

He was nearly startled when Draco called his name.

"Malfoy?"

Percy frowned at Draco. "What are you doing at the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room? You should know that students aren't allowed to stay out at night. I'll deduct points from your record!"

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Weasley." Draco raised an eyebrow at Percy. "I'm here to see Harry, Harry Potter. I have something urgent to discuss with him."

Upon hearing that it was Harry, Percy's furrowed brows relaxed.

"You wait here, I'll go get someone for you."

He had just turned around to enter the Common Room when he heard Draco call him from behind.

"Hey, Weasley!"

Percy turned around, somewhat annoyed, and asked, "Is there anything else?"

"I don't really want to meddle, but..." Draco mischievously pointed to his face, "You have a lipstick mark on your face, Weasley. Do you want to be laughed at by your two clones?"

Percy froze for a moment, then reached out and rubbed his face repeatedly as if he had been electrocuted.

It's reasonable to suspect that if you apply more force, you might scrape his face raw.

After rubbing against each other for a while, Percy looked up and asked, "Is there any more?"

"That's all." Draco nodded and said, "Go and call Harry for me, Weasley, I'm really worried."

Percy nodded, and after walking to the door, he turned back to thank Draco, saying, "Thank you."

"It's an equal exchange, Weasley," Draco, raising an eyebrow.

As Prefect, Percy has certain privileges, such as not having to answer the Sphinx's questions when entering the Gryffindor Common Room.

Upon entering the Common Room, Percy found Harry looking up information.

Sebastian had entrusted him with the task, asking him to help find out if any of these books contained a way to break the Dark Magic Curse.

"Harry," Percy said, "Someone outside is looking for you."

"Who is it?" Harry put down his book. "It's almost ten o'clock, isn't it? Percy?"

"It's Malfoy," Percy said. "Alright, I've relayed the message. Now I'm going back—"

Upon hearing that it was Malfoy, Harry immediately stood up.

Cassandra actually came to find me?

This is truly... truly rare.

Could it be that she has come to a realization?

With that thought in mind, Harry hurriedly walked out of the cave guarded by the Sphinx.

However, the slicked-back hair in front of him told him that the person who came was not Cassandra, but Draco.

Harry couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, and he didn't even know why.

He even felt a little pathetic, always eagerly seeking out Cassandra to humiliate him.

"Draco," Harry said, "What are you doing here? Is something the matter?"

"Of course." Draco turned his head and cleared his throat.

But after clearing his throat, he glanced around furtively, like a thief, and after making sure no one was around, he spoke up under Harry's bewildered gaze, "Harry, when does our Dueling Club open?"

"Just for this?" Harry took a shallow breath.

You made a special trip to see me in the middle of the night just for this?

I thought...

"Of course." Draco frowned and glanced at Harry. "Of course, I'm not asking for myself, but for my great-aunt."

As soon as Harry heard Cassandra, he was wide awake.

You should have said you came for Cassandra!

"Oh, does she want to join the Dueling Club?" Harry asked.

Hearing Harry's words, Draco sighed helplessly, rubbing his forehead.

"Harry, how could you let the girl speak first?" Draco said, sounding exasperated. "Good heavens, Cassandra may be of a high generation, but she's still a girl—you admit it, right? She hasn't actually lived that long. As a gentleman, how could you let the girl take the initiative?"

After saying that, Draco added, "I remember Headmaster Black taught you Gentleman's Bow, didn't he? Harry, don't make me teach you how to be a gentleman!"

Don't tell me...

Harry thought Draco's statement made some sense.

Yes, I really shouldn't have let the girl take the initiative to speak.

"Hmm, you make a good point." Harry nodded seriously. "How about this, I'll personally invite her to our Dueling Club in a few days. What do you think?"

"It's not what I think, it's what you think!" Draco reached out and patted Harry on the shoulder. "Alright, think it over carefully—and by the way, whatever you do, don't tell her I came to see you, okay?"

"Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret," Harry nodded.

Back in his dorm, Harry realized that Draco's words made sense.

Then he felt a little relieved that Draco had come to remind him, otherwise if he had forgotten about Cassandra, she might have ignored him for a very long time.

in addition...

Yes, we can't forget about Veratia either. Let's write to her and ask what she thinks.

It wouldn't be good to invite Cassandra but not Veratia, otherwise Veratia would be angry...

Oh my god.

Harry rubbed his head. What did I do wrong?! Why do I have to endure this torture?

Thinking this, he took out a pen and paper, bit the nib of the pen in his mouth, and dipped it twice into the ink bottle.

Veratia:

How are the courses in the Muggle world? Are they almost finished recently?

I think it's necessary to invite you to our Dueling Club, if you have the time...

Your faithful

Harry Potter

After writing the letter, Harry handed it to Hedwig and asked her to take it to Veratia.

After sending the letter, Harry stretched and lay down on the bed, drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, the first day of the new term, when Harry walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, the first person he saw was Cassandra Malfoy.

It was as if Cassandra had been waiting for him on purpose. When Harry went over to greet her, Cassandra stomped on his foot and swaggered back to the Slytherin's long table. Like a victorious queen, she gracefully began to cut a roasted tomato with a knife and fork, as if she were cutting Harry himself.

Harry was feeling guilty, after all, he had described Cassandra as a washboard yesterday...

But in fact, he was exaggerating a bit. Cassandra... well, how should I put it, although it was a bit barren, it wasn't exactly a washboard.

But compared to Veratia, she pales in comparison—and compared to Pabbie in human form, she's simply catastrophic.

When Pabbie was still human, she had to put her books on the table when she read them, otherwise they would be very uncomfortable to hold.

"She's kind of like Hermione," Ron complained to Harry after they sat down. "Hermione also likes to step on me—but I don't think Hermione means any harm. She's the same way; at least it's because we offended them that we get stepped on."

"You have a keen eye, Ron," Harry said, his words carrying a heavy weight.

He took some sausages and Meiji, not the Britain emulsified high-fat offal tubes, but proper Germany sausages, and two roasted tomatoes.

"What's our first class today?" Ron asked with interest. "I hope it's not Potions Class, so at least we can have a better mood today."

"Why do you say that?" Harry asked, biting into a roasted tomato.

"Think about it, what's going to happen in Potions Class? There'll be a venom-spitting Old Bat!" Ron chewed on a sausage, completely unconcerned that he was talking badly about the professor behind his back. "Right? You don't want to get sprayed with his venom."

"I need to remind you that bats do not have venom; they rely on ultrasound to locate themselves."

A greasy, dragging voice came from behind them. Ron, with a sausage in his mouth, turned around in shock and was met with Snape's sinister face.

"Speaking ill of the professor behind his back will cost you five points in Gryffindor."

With that, Snape was swept away.

"You never learn, Ronald," Hermione sighed, shaking her head. "You know he always shows up behind you when you're talking bad about him, and you still say—good heavens, when will you ever be more careful?"

Ron wrinkled his nose and angrily poked the sausage in front of him, as if the sausage were Snape himself.

After breakfast, Harry and Hermione, along with Ron, who was still feeling gloomy, headed towards the Divination Class classroom.

Harry was also quite interested in Professor Trelawney, after all, Professor Dumbledore had once said that this professor was a descendant of the Oracle.

To become a professor at Hogwarts, one must have some skills.

The Divination Class class was held in the North Tower, a place no one had ever been before.

The distance from the castle to the North Tower was long, and although they had been at Hogwarts for two years, they were still not familiar with everything about the castle.

Fortunately, Harry knew the way, and by using a few classic landmarks, he quickly found his way to the North Tower.

The path leading to the Divination Class teacher was a spiral staircase, so steep that Ron started to feel dizzy as he climbed it.

"My God, how much longer until we get there?" he asked, panting heavily.

"We've arrived." Hermione heard a buzzing sound upstairs, the kind of whispering that's typical of classrooms.

The noise would never stop unless the teacher came to the classroom.

They climbed the last few steps to a small platform. Since Divination Class was not a required course, not everyone was in this classroom.

There was no door on the landing. Harry nudged Ron and pointed to the ceiling, where there was a round Trapdoor with a brass plaque on it.

"Sybill Trelawney, the Divination teller," Hermione read. "How can we get up there?"

As if in response to her question, the Trapdoor suddenly opened the moment she finished speaking, revealing a silver ladder placed in front of the three of them.

Ron was the first to climb up, followed by Hermione, and then Harry.

He had been to this classroom before; the person who taught them Divination Class was Professor O'Neil, a... hard-to-describe person.

But then again, this room is not really a classroom; it's more like a mix of an attic and an old-fashioned teahouse.

At least twenty small round tables were crammed into the classroom, each surrounded by an armchair with Indian calico and a bulging little cushion.

Everything was illuminated by a dim, scarlet light; the curtains were drawn, and many lamps were covered with deep red lampshades.

The classroom was so warm it was almost oppressive; the fireplace was stuffed full, and a large copper kettle was burning on the fire, giving off a dull, cloying aroma.

The circular wall was surrounded by shelves filled with dust-covered feathers, candle stubs, worn-out Poker Cards, countless silver Crystal Ball, and a large collection of tea sets.

"Look at those feather ornaments," Ron said, pointing to the feather ornaments on the shelf. "I think these must be from Native Americans. I've heard they're quite fond of Divination."

"I think so too," Hermione nodded, then looked around curiously and asked, "Yes, where is Professor Trelawney? I don't see her."

As soon as Hermione finished speaking, a voice came from the shadows, a soft and indistinct voice.

"Welcome," the voice said. "It's good to see you in the physical world for the last time."

As soon as she finished speaking, Professor Trelawney walked into the area illuminated by the firelight.

Professor Trelawney looked very thin, her large glasses magnified her eyes several times over, her eyes were somewhat listless, yet seemed to be staring intently in another direction; she wore a light, transparent, Winky shawl, her slender neck was adorned with countless necklaces and beads, and her arms and hands were covered with bracelets and rings.

Harry recognized the professor's abilities almost instantly.

She definitely has real skills in Divination, otherwise she wouldn't be so... crazy.

To determine whether a professor of Divination truly possesses Divination skills, one must observe whether the professor is somewhat unconventional.

Just like judging whether a male barber has real skills, you have to see if he is effeminate or not—the more effeminate the barber, the better his skills.

"Sit, my children, sit," Professor Trelawney said, gesturing with her hands like a zombie.

Upon hearing Professor Trelawney's words, the students climbed onto the armchairs or sank into the bulging cushions.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down together around a round table.

Harry clearly wasn't planning on sitting on the hard chair; he reached for a beanbag chair cushion and reclined inside.

The soft, fluffy feeling made him feel as if he were sinking into a cloud, and he even wanted to lie down and take a nap—after Professor Trelawney introduced herself, he felt even more sleepy.

"Welcome to the Divination Class," said Professor Trelawney, sitting in a winged armchair in front of the fireplace. "I am Professor Trelawney, whom you may not have seen before. I have found that going down into the hustle and bustle of school life too often has blurred my Heavenly Eye."

Everyone was stunned by this unusual declaration.

No one knew what Professor Trelawney really meant by saying those words.

But Harry was clearly different. He whispered to Hermione and Ron, "Maybe she didn't wash her face when she got up this morning, so her eyes are covered with sleep."

Ron let out a "t" laugh, but thankfully he managed to hold it in.

Hermione had originally intended to talk about Harry, but she couldn't hold back and covered her mouth while her shoulders shrugged for a moment.

Professor Trelawney didn't notice Harry's subtle movements, or perhaps even if she had, she wouldn't have cared much. She carefully adjusted her shawl and continued, "You've chosen Divination Class, the most difficult of all the magical arts. I must warn you from the beginning: without 'vision,' there's very little I can teach you. In this respect, books can only take you so far..."

After saying that, Professor Trelawney made a gesture that would definitely get her banned in Korea.

"Many male or female witches, despite their great talent in creating violent explosions or in Herbology, cannot see the future because they have no talent in Divination."

At this point, Professor Trelawney glanced at Seamus and Neville respectively. Seamus puffed out his chest, while Neville shrank back.

"This kind of talent is possessed by only a few...you, boy," she suddenly said to Neville, Neville nearly fell off his cushion, "How is your grandmother?"

Should I say yes or no?

Neville said, trembling, that Trelawney's sudden attack had made him a little insecure.

"I'm so sorry, dear," Professor Trelawney said regretfully, the firelight flickering on her long emerald earrings.

Neville felt a little breathless. If the professor said that, did that mean his grandmother...?

"Oh, don't overthink it, dear," Professor Trelawney added. "I'm not saying anything bad happened to your grandmother; I'm just expressing my regret that you don't have a talent for Divination."

Neville took a deep breath and decided not to argue with Professor Trelawney.

Professor Trelawney, seemingly oblivious to Neville's displeasure, calmly continued, "This year we've been learning various basic Divination methods, spending the first semester interpreting tea leaves, and next semester we should be learning palmistry—by the way, dear."

He said this while looking at Ron: "Watch out for bald men."

"A bald man?!" Ron frowned, his expression a mixture of surprise and disbelief.

He didn't really know any bald men—even in Britain, baldness wasn't a rare genetic trait.

"In the summer term," Professor Trelawney continued, "We will learn to read the Crystal Ball —if we have already learned the Fire-omens. Unfortunately, this month, a terrible flu outbreak will force the class to close, and I myself will lose my voice... Around Christmas, one of us will leave us forever."

After she finished speaking, there was a tense silence in the classroom, but Professor Trelawney seemed completely oblivious to it.

"I suppose, my dear," Professor Trelawney said to Harry, since they were the closest, "Could you pass me the biggest teapot?"

Harry stood up and handed the largest teapot to Professor Trelawney.

Professor Trelawney took the teapot, but instead of immediately beginning her lecture, she said to Harry, "Thank you, dear—by the way, the thing you're most worried about will happen tomorrow night."

Tomorrow night?

Harry scratched his head.

What am I most worried about?

What do I have to worry about?

Harry assumed Professor Trelawney was just talking nonsense, after all, people who practice Divination are usually a little slow-witted and not very normal.

Professor Trelawney began her lesson, which involved examining the tea leaves in an empty teacup to identify popular Divination elements based on their shape.

Let's identify the shape of the tea leaves that were popular in class.

"Open your minds, my dears, let your eyes look beyond worldly things!" Professor Trelawney called from the darkness.

Harry sipped the tea in his cup and looked down at the bottom of the cup.

"What's this?" Harry asked, showing the teacup to Hermione and Ron with interest. "It looks to me like... a crab?"

"How could this be a crab?" Ron scoffed. "Good heavens, I think you're craving crab... I think this should be an eagle... The book says that eagles represent mortal enemies, and your mortal enemy is the Dark Lord, so this makes sense, doesn't it?"

"If that's the interpretation, it makes sense," Hermione said hesitantly, swirling her teacup. "I think it's wedge-shaped, or maybe a triangle... You seem to be involved in a three-way relationship, or perhaps someone is hindering your relationship with another person?"

"A three-way relationship?"

Upon hearing this, Professor Trelawney followed the scent and came over.

She took the teacup from Hermione's hand, swirling it around, and said, "Let me see... let me see... how can this be a triangle? I think it's a jackal... oh no, this is Grim!"

Professor Trelawney screamed and slumped into a chair nearby.

Startled by Professor Trelawney's words, Neville loosened his grip, and the cup fell to the ground, shattering with a clatter.

"Professor, what's wrong?" Hermione asked with concern, her brow furrowed.

"My dear child—my poor, dear child..."

Professor Trelawney, panting, looked at Harry in horror. "No, it's better not to say it... Good heavens, no—don't ask me..."

"What's wrong, Professor?" Harry didn't seem to think anything was wrong, but instead asked Trelawney with concern what had happened.

"My dear," Professor Trelawney's large eyes snapped open, "You are an Grim!"

"Am I Grim?" Harry asked, frowning.

"Yes, ' Grim,' my dear, ' Grim!'" Professor Trelawney cried out.

She was shocked because Harry didn't understand and even asked her a question.

"That monstrous dog wandering the cemetery! My dear child, it's an ominous sign—the worst ominous sign—a harbinger of death!"

Professor Trelawney raised her hands and waved them exaggeratedly.

"And jackals—oh my god, jackals... Darling, if I were you, I would..."

"I think she's talking nonsense." Hermione suddenly felt she understood Cassandra a little. She tugged at Harry's arm and said, "Forget it, I don't think this is any dog or jackal at all, just a cup of tea leaves."

"Perhaps Professor Trelawney is mistaken, and that tea leaf actually looks like a donkey?" Seamus teased from the side.

Whether it was a donkey, a wolf, or a dog, Professor Trelawney seemed to be suffocating.

Her lips moved, and it took her a long time to utter a single sentence.

"That's all for today's class—" she said tremblingly, "We should end get out of class early. Please pack your things and be careful when you walk—especially you, darling."

Her last words were about Harry.

The next class after the Divination Class is Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration Class.

When I entered the classroom, the students were still enthusiastically discussing the "Grim" news about Harry.

They didn't feel there was anything to be afraid of, after all, Harry, the person involved, was laughing and joking and didn't take the "Grim" thing seriously at all.

"It seems you all learned a lot in the last lesson."

After Professor McGonagall entered the classroom, she heard the students whispering among themselves. Smiling, she asked them, "What did you learn in the last lesson?"

Hermione stood up and said quickly, "Professor, we just had Divination Class. We read tea leaves, and—"

"Ah, of course," Professor McGonagall interrupted Hermione, frowning. "Well, I think you don't need to say any more, Miss Granger —tell me, which of you will die this year?"

Professor McGonagall spoke in a very relaxed tone, as if she were talking about something extremely ordinary.

"Me," Harry said succinctly, raising his hand.

He seemed more composed than Professor McGonagall.

"Oh, it's you again," Professor McGonagall said in a flat tone. "I'm not one to speak ill of my colleagues. Perhaps that's Professor Trelawney's hobby; she always uses death as a welcoming ritual to Prophecy for everyone. But what I need you to understand is that Divination is a muddled discipline, and I have the least patience for Divination because very few people can truly foresee the future."

"Professor, I think so too," Hermione laughed.

Professor McGonagall gave Hermione an approving look, pleased that Hermione was willing to support her point of view.

By lunchtime, news of Professor Trelawney's Prophecy Harry's death had spread throughout Hogwarts, and the entire school treated it as a joke.

Okay, Potter is dead...

He's the Boy Who Lived, the boy even Voldemort couldn't kill!

However, Cassandra didn't seem to think that way. During lunch, she would glance at Harry from time to time, and when Harry looked up, she would nonchalantly lower her head and continue cutting the food in front of her with her knife and fork.

Draco did notice his great-aunt's subtle actions. He lowered his head and didn't dare to speak, only sighing inwardly.

well...

Great-aunt!

Can't you be a little braver?

If you care about someone, just say so! Look at yourself, no wonder Miss Grindelwald beat you to it!

He now understands to some extent what it means to be disappointed in someone who is hopeless and what it means to be hopeless.

With your hypocrisy, it would be a miracle if you could even snatch Harry away.

The afternoon Care of Magical Creatures, and Hagrid is temporarily filling in for everyone.

Newt has taken a temporary leave of absence because he was invited to the America during the summer to investigate the Magical Creatures incident and will not be able to return home for a few days.

Hagrid lectured everyone by simply reading from the textbook and following the schedule set by Professor Scamander.

Everyone had thought Hagrid would be able to pull off some amazing feats, but unfortunately... he wasn't.

After dinner, Harry sat alone in the library, bored, and pulled out the Marauder's Map that the Weasley twins had given him.

He also wanted to see if Black was actually at school.

"I solemnly swear that I will not do any good deeds!"

He tapped the Parchment with his wand until it turned into a map.

Harry searched the entire first floor, even checking the bathrooms, looking for any trace of Black.

They finally found the Gryffindor Common Room, where Harry was surprised to see the Sphinx's name on it.

Yes, it's called the Sphinx.

There were only two people in the Common Room, named Oliver Wood and Peter Pettigrew.

Harry recognized Wood, but Harry had no recollection of this Pettigrew.

Harry didn't pay much attention, assuming it was just some upperclassmen wandering around the Common Room.

In fact, he is not a social terrorist and does not know the names of all Gryffindor.

Having found nothing, Harry recovered the map, put it back in his pocket, and bumped into Sebastian as soon as he stepped outside.

"Ugh." Harry felt a chill run down his spine. He turned around and complained, "Hey, Seber, can you please stop playing pranks like that?"

Sebastian turned around, waved to Harry, and smiled happily.

Being able to prank your best buddies is always a good thing.

The following afternoon, Veratia returned to Hogwarts.

Harry was studying in the Great Hall when he felt someone tap him on the back. When he turned around, he found it was Veratia.

"Oh, you're back?" Harry said with delight. "I also have..."

"Come on, come out with me first." Veratia smiled and pulled Harry up from his seat. "Let's go to the Black Lake..."

Harry happily followed Veratia out of the Great Hall.

Cassandra, Slytherin's long table, witnessed all of this, and her hands clenched involuntarily.

She suddenly remembered that she had an Invisibility Cloak, so she stood up and decided to follow them to see what was going on.

"Hmm! I can't let that wicked woman take advantage of Potter!" Cassandra thought to herself as she went to a secluded corner, put on her Invisibility Cloak cloak, and followed Harry and Veratia until they reached the Black Lake.

The two arrived at the Black Lake and sat on the lush green grass.

In the distance, the sun shines brightly, while a gentle breeze caresses your face, as soft and soothing as a lover's hand.

"Come on." Veratia sat down on the grass and patted the person next to her to make Harry sit down.

When Harry sat down, Veratia reached out and pulled Harry to the side, and Harry lay down on her lap.

It smelled wonderful, with a floral fragrance. Harry, resting his head on the soft lap, was momentarily lost in thought.

Veratia's cascading hair fell across his face, making him feel a little itchy and flustered.

Cassandra watched all this from a distance, her hands clenched tightly together.

That shameless Germany woman!!!

She roared in her heart, wanting to stop it all, but she didn't know what reason to give.

"I've considered what you mentioned," Veratia said with a smile. "Join the Dueling Club? Of course, I have no objection."

"It's great that you can join us," Harry said with a smile, turning over to find a more comfortable position.

But when he turned over, he couldn't see Veratia's face; her eyes were completely blocked by Justice.

Veratia reached out and gently stroked Harry's face, a touch so tender it was intoxicating.

Cassandra clenched her fists tightly to the side.

This can't go on! She thought to herself, if things continue like this, poor Potter will be completely taken advantage of by that guy Grindelwald...

Before she could make another sound, a series of urgent barking came from not far away.

Harry jumped up and turned to look in the direction the sound came from. Sure enough, he saw a big Black Dog barking at him and Veratia.

"What's wrong?" Veratia asked casually.

"It's a Black Dog," Harry said. "It looks a bit angry; I wonder who upset it."

Veratia turned her head, but the Black Dog had already quietly slipped away.

"Professor Trelawney gave me Prophecy," Harry added. "She said I have an ' Grim ' omen, and the Grim is a Black Dog. Could that have anything to do with it?"

"Is it that Black Dog?" Veratia frowned thoughtfully. How did a Black Dog get connected to Harry?

"No, it's from the Prophecy book." Harry then explained the tea Divination to Veratia in detail.

After listening to Harry's story, Veratia smiled and reached out to pinch Harry's little cheek.

"Oh my god, Harry, you're so cute to believe such nonsense— Gellert would have told you if something Grim were to happen to you."

Harry thought, "Gellert told me?"

He'd love to capture me and boil me into soup...

However, to their surprise, the Black Dog... was indeed after Harry.

Its cry just now was also intentional.

This Black Dog was none other than Sirius Black, who had just escaped from Azkaban.

He was running through the Forbidden Forest, and as he ran, he suddenly burst into tears.

Prongs!

He roared inwardly.

I'm so sorry, Prongs!

Our dear son, Harry! He was actually fooled by a Slytherin woman!

The woman looked several years older than him, and she had him completely under her thumb!

He howled and roared in grief and anger, his two front legs pawing the ground incessantly.

Prongs! I'm so sorry!

No, I have to keep a close eye on Harry. I absolutely cannot let him be fooled by the Slytherin women!

How could our adorable little Harry have a Slytherin girlfriend!

Slytherin are all inherently evil... bad guys, we absolutely cannot let Harry be led astray by them!

With that thought in mind, Sirius made up his mind.

This time, besides catching that traitorous rat, we also need to stop Harry from being deceived by the wicked Slytherin woman!

After the Black Dog's meddling, Harry felt he should go back to the Great Hall.

He didn't know that the Black Dog was his Godfather, Sirius Black.

Cassandra was not far away, was very happy.

This Black Dog is really good, so well-behaved...

She walked briskly back into the Great Hall.

After Harry returned to the Great Hall, he and Veratia went to Cassandra's side.

"Cassandra," Harry said, "I need to speak with you—would you mind coming with me?"

Cassandra looked up at Veratia, then curled her lips to the side.

"Oh, isn't this Potter, the one with that bad woman?" She stood up and said, "Does Mr. Potter want to see me about something?"

Despite her words, Cassandra's actions betrayed her, and she followed Harry step by step to the empty classroom on the second floor.

"Speak, what do you want from me?" Cassandra asked.

"I'd like to invite you to my Dueling Club, Cassandra," Harry said bluntly. "As you can see, you're a good friend of mine, and I'd like to invite you to join me at the Dueling Club..."

"I see..." Cassandra said leisurely, "But I'm sorry to refuse you. I have no interest in your childish pretend play— Potter, have you forgotten something? You're a sixth-grade student, not one of these idle little kids. Why are you always so engrossed in pretend play?"

Harry wanted to argue, but before he could speak, Veratia spoke up.

"Just like our Dueling Club, Cassandra," Veratia said with a smile. "We practice Charms on each other, and we have some harmless duels—or perhaps I can interpret that as you not wanting to face me in a duel? To duel me?"

Cassandra's arrogance makes her very susceptible to provocation, especially from a rival in love.

As soon as Veratia said that, she immediately took the bait.

"So you're playing house with Potter too," Cassandra said, waving her hand. "Then I'll reluctantly join the Dueling Club —but I have one condition, Grindelwald."

"Harry is in charge of the Dueling Club, not me, Cassandra," Veratia said with a smile.

"Alright, my condition is that I want to duel you in the Dueling Club." Cassandra said, head held high. "It's been many years since our last duel practice, hasn't it? Grindelwald —I want to see if you've improved at all, having arrived a hundred years before me!"

"Okay," Veratia said with a smile. "Don't worry, Cassandra, I'll try to tone down my strength so that some people don't end up crying..."

The two women stared at each other, neither willing to back down.

Just then, a clap of thunder sounded outside, and a light rain began to fall.

"Alright, stop this." Harry quickly stood between the two, but his height was not enough to stop them.

Cassandra is nearly 1.8 meters tall, while Veratia... Veratia is already 1.8 meters tall.

And Harry? He's just a tiny little guy, only 1.6 meters tall—boys tend to develop in height later.

"See you tonight," Veratia said lightly. "I hope you don't cry, my dear Cassandra."

"Is that so?" Cassandra retorted sarcastically. "Oh, if only your words matched your abilities."

The two looked at each other, neither willing to give an inch.

Then, they both snorted in unison and looked away.

After dinner, around 7 p. m., Harry quietly gathered everyone in the Dueling Club and led them to the Room of Requirement.

Seeing the two older women who had joined the group, no one knew what to say.

Yes, they're all from Slytherin.

"I really miss this place..." Cassandra said as she entered the Room of Requirement and settled into her familiar seat. "Just like before, isn't it?"

"Alright." Harry sat down in the main seat and said to them, "As you can all see, the Dueling Club of the Room of Requirement will be expanded again this time—we will be welcoming two new friends. First is Cassandra Malfoy. Please raise your hand to welcome her to the Dueling Club."

Everyone raised their hands, especially Draco, who held them high.

"I didn't know you had France blood," Ron said sarcastically.

Most wizarding families are unaware of the France surrender reference; Ron learned it from Hermione.

"My family does indeed have France blood," Draco replied smugly, oblivious to Ron's sarcasm.

"Cassandra passes. Now, let's vote on Verathea Grindelwald," Harry said again.

It passed unanimously again. Even Draco reluctantly raised his hand because he didn't want to openly offend Veratia, that terrifying woman.

He had personally witnessed how Veratia dealt with the Slytherin students, and knew all too well just how terrifying the transfer student truly was.

"Since it was a unanimous vote, let's give a round of applause to welcome these two Lady to our team."

After saying that, Harry started clapping, and everyone else joined in.

Hermione cheered the loudest; she was a complete Grindelwald fangirl.

Of course, it's Veratia, the Grindelwald, not some Grindelwald who failed and was locked up like a parrot in a cage.

"The holidays are over, and this is our first Dueling Club event of the new semester," Harry said with a grin. "To test whether everyone has neglected dueling, I think we should all pair up and duel. Alright—let's start forming groups."

Both troublesome women gave Harry face; the moment he finished speaking, Cassandra stood up.

"Come on, Grindelwald," Cassandra said eagerly, standing up. "How about we two seniors—the upperclassmen—demonstrate for everyone?"

Everyone sat up straight. They had all heard about how Miss Grindelwald suppressed Slytherin, but they didn't know just how terrifying the process was.

And this Miss Malfoy is clearly no pushover either...

"Okay." Veratia stood up and took out her wand from her pocket. "We should move to the side a bit so we don't hurt our classmates, what do you think?"

The two of them arrived together in the middle of the dueling arena in the Room of Requirement. In fact, the Room of Requirement was quite spacious, fulfilling all of Harry's requirements by enlarging the size of the dueling arena.

It must be at least as big as a basketball court, Harry estimated.

Cedric and his companions arrived around the dueling arena with great anticipation and sat down on the chairs that had appeared in the Room of Requirement.

"Harry, you'll be the referee."

Veratia turned to Harry and said.

Harry stepped forward without hesitation, cleared his throat, and said, "Alright, get ready!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

As soon as they finished speaking, the two women raised their wands together and chanted the spell in unison.

"Expelliarmus (Disarming Charm)!"

Two beams of red light shot out from the head of the staff, intertwined, and vanished into thin air.

Cassandra moved swiftly; with a couple of deft wrist movements, the empty chairs beside her instantly transformed into giant snakes, roaring as they lunged at Veratia.

Veratia pulled the chair, turning it into Explosive Barrel, and threw it into the pile of snakes. Then she swung another chair, which had also turned into Explosive Barrel, and threw it in front of Cassandra.

"Vera Verto!"

Cassandra turned the Explosive Barrel into a white mouse, which landed on the ground and squeaked.

She cast several more red Charms and flung them towards Veratia.

Veratia used her enhanced Protego to block the Charms, and in the meantime, she retaliated with two Stunning Spell. The first Charms collided with Cassandra's Charms in mid-air, while the second Charms struck Cassandra was still in place.

"Hit!" Hermione shouted instinctively.

However, Veratia did not feel relieved; instead, she turned around warily.

Sure enough, Cassandra appeared behind Veratia at some point.

"Depulso (Pushing Charm)!"

The Charms grazed past Veratia's hair; one Charms wasn't enough, so Cassandra added another Inflating Charm.

"I suggest you cast this Charms on yourself, Cassandra," Veratia said casually, flicking her wand to deflect the Charms. "Look at you—sixteen years old and still so flat-chested. How can this be? I can draw a straight line that's more curvaceous than yours..."

"At least I'm not as shameless as you, Grindelwald." Cassandra transformed the chairs behind Veratia into fully armed Knight Armor, who charged at Veratia with swords drawn. "I'd much rather you focused your energy on your studies, instead of harming some underage children..."

Upon hearing Cassandra's words, everyone turned to look at Harry.

"Why are you looking at me?" Harry asked, scratching his head. "Is there something on my face?"

"They're obviously talking about you, man," Ron whispered a reminder.

Everyone nodded in agreement upon hearing Ron's words.

Everyone knows what Cassandra meant by "harming underage children"—because they occasionally see Veratia holding Harry, just like holding a child...

This is no secret at Hogwarts.

"Expelliarmus (Disarming Charm)!"

Veratia chained all the armored knights with a Disarming Charm, disarming them completely, and then threw those weapons at their necks.

While doing all this, she even had the strength to use her Shield Charm to protect herself from Cassandra's Charms, and she could also catch her off guard and knock her Stunning Spell.

"Looks like you're not so great after all, Grindelwald." Cassandra snorted, unleashing a bolt of lightning at Veratia. "I thought you were an insurmountable mountain—"

The lightning was annihilated on Veratia's shield, and at the same time, the lightning on Veratia's shield began to crackle and flicker, like a barrier formed by lightning.

"Lightning Shield, a good idea." Cassandra rarely gave a positive evaluation, and a water dragon suddenly spewed out from the wand in her hand.

The water dragon struck Veratia's shield, but Veratia suddenly lifted her feet off the ground and Leviosa in mid-air.

Cassandra followed up with Lightning Curse that struck the ground beside her.

"I studied physics and know some basic common sense, Cassandra," Veratia said with a smile. "Your little tricks won't work..."

Hermione cheered, "Veratia! You're amazing!"

Perhaps this is another way of saying, "If you master math, physics, and chemistry, you can go anywhere in the world without fear."

"You are indeed a formidable opponent, Grindelwald."

Cassandra's lips curled up, but her hands didn't stop. She conjured several giant pythons from the seats on either side, which stood guard in front of her.

Sure enough, the giant pythons fell to the ground one after another, petrified and unable to move.

"You know me, and I know you, Grindelwald," Cassandra said calmly. "Your Ancient Magic cannot be blocked by shields, but it can be blocked by objects... But... the game is over, Grindelwald."

Just then, two giant pythons wrapped around Veratia's legs.

"If you give up now..." Cassandra crossed her arms and chuckled, "I'll let you off the hook, Miss Grindelwald."

"Don't even think about it!" Veratia said, struggling.

"Unfortunately." Cassandra snapped her fingers, and the two giant pythons opened their blood-red mouths at Veratia.

However, she suddenly felt something was wrong, Cassandra quickly moved to the side, where a Charms flew past her nose.

"Not bad, a real fake, just like the real thing." Cassandra gave Veratia a thumbs up. "If I didn't know how cunning you are, I would have been fooled by you, Grindelwald."

"I agree with your assessment; you are also a formidable opponent."

Veratia spoke in sync with the fake body that was entangled by two giant pythons. The fake body was like a copy of her, and the voice it made was exactly the same as hers.

"So, which one is the real you?"

Cassandra did not give up; the two giant pythons constricted Veratia's avatar into a purple beam of light.

"It really was fake." She took two steps back and used her shield to block Veratia's two probing Charms.

The audience had never seen such an intense duel before. Everyone, including Cedric and Megan, watched the duel intently.

Is this the level of sixth and seventh graders? Hermione wondered to herself, still hoping to grow up quickly so that she could learn so many amazing skills when she was in sixth or seventh grade.

However, Cedric and Megan didn't think so—they knew what sixth and seventh year students were like... In fact, even if you tied all the sixth and seventh year students at Hogwarts together, they might not have such control over Charms.

Harry was a little worried; he was afraid the two women would really get into a fight.

The duel on the stage continued, and dark clouds gradually rose around Cassandra's body; while Veratia... a circle of purple flames ignited around Veratia.

Just what I wished for has come true; these two really look angry!

(Requesting monthly votes)

(My Astronomy, so I'll just write 16,000 words.)

(The last 4000 words are an extra chapter for receiving 25,000 monthly votes last month)