So Many Murals

Many people have a dark past, but having such a painful one as Pansy's is a pain that not everyone can bear.

"But we can't say that," Harry suddenly said. "It's much better than when Voldemort disguised himself as a woman and fooled the entire Slytherin class in our first year."

Upon hearing Harry's words, Draco and Pansy couldn't help but chuckle.

Honestly, Draco was just laughing a moment ago.

"Huh?" Ron suddenly leaned closer to Seamus and whispered, "What's going on between you and Pansy? You two seem to be flirting and exchanging glances."

"Really?" Seamus was clearly playing dumb.

Judging from his reaction, Ron was basically certain.

"Ha, still pretending with me?" Ron said in a low voice. "I heard from Hermione that you and Lavender broke up more than a month ago, right? I never thought you were such a respectable guy, but you've been playing the field quite well."

"Hey, how can you talk like that?" Seamus protested.

Just then, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick walked in from outside.

Professor McGonagall, dressed in a neat dark green robe, with her usual serious expression, came in, greeted Harry and the others, and then the two professors went to inspect the items.

Professor McGonagall walked along the wall, using her wand to check the Protective Charm in every corner. Professor Flitwick, on the other hand, stood on a low stool, curiously poking at a Puffskein mural on the wall that was yawning, making admiring clicks of his tongue.

Hermione, Ron, Neville, Seamus, Draco, and Pansy were led to the entrance to make final preparations.

Hermione checked her whiteboard, which was covered with notes and lists; Ron nervously rubbed his hands, his eyes glancing every now and then at the second-floor corridor—which had been perfectly shielded, appearing from below as just a blurry halo, but the knowledge that five parents (including Mr. Lovegood, who insisted on coming) were sitting there still made his palms sweat; Neville was quietly soothing a few Chinese chomping cabbage used to decorate the corner; Seamus was strictly forbidden from bringing anything other than a wand.

"I still don't understand," Professor McGonagall pushed up her glasses, "Why did you bring such a dangerous plant as Chinese chomping cabbage here?"

"For decoration, Professor," Neville said in a low voice.

"Then I still suggest you put them away when you start. If you just want them for decoration, you should have better options, shouldn't you?" Professor McGonagall said seriously.

Neville nodded; he felt that Professor McGonagall's words made some sense.

At 1:40, there was a gentle knock on the door.

The first boy to enter was thin and small, wearing round glasses, and his name tag on his chest read "Stuart Ackley- Phally," indicating he was a first-year student.

However, it's already the end of the semester, and they are freshmen who are about to expire.

He gripped his wand tightly, his eyes wide open. He first glanced at Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick with awe, then his mouth slightly opened when his gaze fell on Harry.

"Mr. Potter?" he whispered, his voice trembling with disbelief and excitement.

It's normal to be excited, after all, Harry is now a living legend of Hogwarts, and everyone thinks he's even more amazing than Dumbledore.

Many parents disagree with their children's viewpoint, but what they don't know is that Dumbledore really couldn't gain any advantage against Harry.

After all, Dumbledore wanted to live a few more years.

"Just call me Harry. I'm one of your guides today." Harry smiled warmly. "Welcome, Stuart. Check in with Hermione first, then you can sit anywhere in the meeting area and relax."

Next came two girls, arm in arm, looking somewhat timid: Eleanor Branstone and Laura Madeleine. They curiously looked around the magical room, and when they saw the unusually quiet Chinese chomping cabbage next to Neville, they gasped in surprise, covering their mouths.

"It's very friendly today," Neville explained quickly, his ears turning a little red. "It's just decoration; I'll put them away in a bit."

After receiving Neville's assurance, the two girls breathed a sigh of relief and went hand in hand to sign in with Hermione.

Then there's Jesse Lingard: a short, chubby boy named Kevin Whitby; and finally, Mary Brown, who seems to have gotten lost and has rosy cheeks.

There were seven first-year students in total. They gathered in the assembly area like a flock of easily startled fledglings. They were not yet familiar with each other and were just looking at everything around them with curious and slightly nervous eyes, especially the professors and the legendary Harry Potter.

Harry walked up to them, clapped his hands, and said in a clear but not loud voice, "Hello everyone, welcome to the first lesson of Hogwarts' lower-years safety training. I'm Harry, and these are Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Seamus; we're your seniors. These two are Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick; they'll be with us today to make sure everything goes smoothly."

He tried to keep his tone steady and avoid sounding too formal.

"I know you might be a little curious, and a little unsure what we're here for. It's simple: we're not learning new spells or taking tests today. We're just playing a few games to help you get familiar with one thing: if you hear unusual sounds in the castle, or sense something is slightly off, what should your first reaction be?"

Her tone was gentle and persuasive, just like a kindergarten teacher.

He paused for a moment and saw the children looking thoughtful.

"It's not about rushing up to check, nor is it about freezing in place in fear. What we're practicing today is stopping, listening to instructions, and finding the nearest safe spot. It should be as natural as knowing to run indoors when it's raining, understand?"

The children nodded, their tension seemingly easing somewhat.

Eleanor and Laura glanced nervously at Neville again, and only then did Neville remember to put away the Chinese chomping cabbage.

"Alright," Harry stepped back, gesturing for Hermione to come forward. "Now, let Hermione explain the rules of today's first game, and where our Safe House are. Remember, these Safe House have glowing Runes, like Lighthouse, that will stay lit throughout the event."

Hermione stepped forward and began to explain in a clear but unhurried tone, gesturing to the Runes markers emitting a soft Blue Light throughout the room.

Professor McGonagall observed quietly from the side, while Professor Flitwick watched Hermione's teaching methods with great interest.

Ron leaned close to Harry's ear and asked in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Is the second floor really okay? I have a feeling Mr. Lovegood is staring at the back of my head—good heavens, he's always been so unconventional, what if I end up in his writing—"

"It's alright, he doesn't have many readers anyway," Harry reassured him. "The shielding charm was cast by Professor McGonagall herself; they can't see the details, only the general outline, and they can't hear us either. Relax, just treat them like a mural."

Training has begun.

The first time, it was just a simple matter of sound localization. Seamus was at the other end of the room, striking a specially made little clock with his wand that only made a clear "ding" sound (generously sponsored by the Weasley twins).

Hermione was responsible for issuing instructions to find a safe spot.

The children were initially a little flustered, but seeing Professor McGonagall and several older students calmly standing in place and pointing the way, they quickly calmed down and ran towards the nearest glowing Runes.

"Very good!" Professor Flitwick's high-pitched voice encouraged, "Good direction! Eleanor, you run very fast, but remember to watch your step and your companions beside you!"

The second time, very faint, shifting colored light was added to simulate unstable magical fluctuations.

Neville was responsible for gently disturbing the air with his wand, creating ripples that were almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

This time, the children need to stop first, point out the approximate direction of the fluctuation, and then act according to the instructions.

Jesse Lingard did a particularly good job during the stop segment; he even pulled Kevin Whitby back when he tried to move forward.

"My dad said, if you encounter any uncertain signs of magic, don't act," Jesse whispered to Kevin, as if to herself, "Observe."

Professor McGonagall nodded slightly.

This kid named Lingard looks pretty good—especially since he seems quite cheerful.

The activities were conducted in a gradual manner, and the content was always kept at the most basic level of perception and reaction training, without exceeding the capacity of first-grade students.

There was no fright, no competition, only patient guidance and positive affirmation.

The children's initially tense faces gradually relaxed, and some even began to smile, especially after successfully completing an evacuation and receiving an exaggerated praise from Professor Flitwick or an encouraging nod from Professor McGonagall.

Harry watched these children, who were four or five years younger than him, and watched them gradually build up their initial sense of crisis and confidence in coping, all in a safe environment.

He recalled the panic he felt when facing Professor Quirrell in his first year of university—both Professor Quirrell's and Quirrell's panic.

No, it should be back in first grade a hundred years ago. If Cassandra hadn't systematically taught them some of the most basic things back then, perhaps—

Although Cassandra's attitude wasn't very good, and she was arrogant, she genuinely wanted him to become stronger.

"Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall's voice interrupted his thoughts. She had appeared beside him unnoticed, her voice low, "It's almost time for the final summary."

Harry snapped out of his daze and nodded.

He walked to the center of the room, clapped his hands, and attracted everyone's attention.

"You all did a fantastic job," he said sincerely, his gaze sweeping over each new student. "Remember how you felt today—stop, stay calm, listen carefully to instructions, and then move towards the safe spot with light. This isn't just the rule for today's game; at Hogwarts, this is the first thing you can do whenever you feel uncertain or hear something strange. Of course, you can always find any professor or Prefect, or even us upperclassmen."

The children looked at him with bright, sparkling eyes.

"Alright, that concludes today's activities." Hermione stepped forward, smiling. "Thank you all for participating. Now, please follow Mr. Weasley and Mr. Longbottom; they will lead you back to the Common Room, where the House Elf have prepared some hot cocoa and cookies."

The freshmen cheered and followed Ron and Neville toward the door, glancing back every now and then at the Magic House and the professors.

Professor McGonagall highly praised their pilot program and allowed them to continue, provided that they finalize the plan this week.

The next morning, Hogwarts Great Hall was filled with a familiar rustling sound and bursts of suppressed laughter.

The latest episode of "The Quibbler" is here.

Hermione's owl landed first, tossing a rolled-up magazine next to her bowl of oatmeal, splashing a few drops of milk.

The cover, in fancy font, proclaims. "A Safety Lighthouse Appears at Hogwarts! Is it an educational revolution, or a new form of whimsical magic in the castle? Exclusive eyewitness account: A group of young wizards with glowing guardian Runes."

The accompanying image is a blurry, seemingly aerial photograph of a magical object, in which only a few glowing dots and moving figures can be vaguely seen Room of Requirement.

In the photo, a bespectacled figure with a question mark is speaking to a group of even smaller figures.

"Merlin's beard," Ron leaned in, his mouth still stuffed with sausage, "He actually drew it."

"You know what," Seamus said to Harry, suppressing a laugh, "He drew you in a pretty Coke."

Harry took the magazine from Hermione and flipped directly to the relevant article.

The article title, as always, is eye-catching: <Shocking! Dumbledore and His Secret Army!>, authored by Xenophilius Lovegood (Guest Observer and Mural Enthusiast).

It's clear that he has quite a lot of murals.

I have to say, this sensationalist "Dumbledore and His Secret Army" is definitely damn eye-catching.

The article begins with Lovegood- esque leaps of thought, clearly written by Luna's father.

When an editor is invited to observe an event ostensibly designed to teach young wizards to recognize danger, only to discover that the only danger present is Chinese chomping cabbage being forced to remain silent, it's hard not to question the true nature of the event.

What followed was a lengthy and detailed text, which did not simply praise the event, but instead began a thought-provoking discussion.

It has to be said that this explains why Xenophilius Lovegood's "The Quibbler" was unpopular; it really does involve singing a dissenting tune.

Mr. Lovegood even thought the event was a bit too cautious—in other words, not exciting enough.

In his view, such training was actually ineffective, and it would be better to let the young wizards face real difficulties directly.

"He's a guy—" Ron thought for a long time before deciding on an adjective, "I'm a little hesitant to comment, but I know why ' The Quibbler ' sold so poorly."