Tears Cannot Save Hogwarts

When Dumbledore arrived at Quirrell's office, he saw Horatio wearing a mask and oxygen tank, playing the Great Compassion Mantra on repeat through a speaker directed at a lantern.

"What are you doing? Where's Quirrell?" Dumbledore asked.

Without removing his mask, Horatio wrote in the air with his wand: "I'm conducting an experiment on rehabilitating Voldemort. As for Quirrell, you might have inhaled some of him when you were breathing."

"???"

Horatio briefly described what had just happened and handed Dumbledore an oxygen tank and mask.

Dumbledore silently put on the mask and, mimicking Horatio, wrote in the air with his wand: "Come to my office."

In the Headmaster's office, Horatio and Dumbledore, one large and one small, sat around the lantern, observing it.

"Child, you've certainly given me a difficult problem," Dumbledore said with emotion.

"???"

Horatio, full of question marks, said, "Old man, I'm calling you out for trying to pin this on me. I clearly solved a big problem for you. If you don't give me an explanation today, you won't have an office."

With that, Horatio took the nuclear warhead out of his cloth bag and placed it on the table.

Dumbledore was startled and quickly put the item away. "Calm down, calm down. This thing is too dangerous; I'll keep it safe for you first."

Dumbledore explained the prophecy about Voldemort and Harry in detail, as well as the plan for Harry's growth.

For a transmigrator with ambitions and other goals, there was no interest in helping Harry grow. But Horatio was different; he was a fun-seeker and insisted on being involved in such matters.

He then made a contract with Dumbledore.

1. Horatio would help train Harry, but he could not teach him dark magic. Other than that, he could do whatever he pleased as long as he didn't take Harry's life. 2. Horatio would participate in setting up the challenges for the Sorcerer's Stone defense, again without using dark magic or taking Harry's life. 3. Horatio would be the final boss, and he could not use dark magic on Harry.

Finally, Horatio left with Dumbledore's authorization.

The next morning, as Harry and Ron were eating breakfast, Horatio found them.

"Harry Potter, I am now officially informing you that because you have repeatedly violated school rules and caused irreparable damage to the school's reputation, you will have to obey the orders of Horatio, the most rule-abiding student, for the rest of this semester."

Harry pointed to himself. "Huh? Me?"

He then looked at Horatio. "You? The most rule-abiding?"

Horatio slammed Dumbledore's authorization onto the table in front of Harry. "Enough nonsense. This is Dumbledore's authorization. Get up and come with me now, or you can wait to be expelled."

Harry looked at the authorization on the table, feeling like the sky had fallen. Under the sympathetic gazes of the other young wizards, he followed Horatio out of the Great Hall.

Harry followed Horatio into a large greenhouse, which was already filled with lush green knotweed. Neville was watering them.

"House-elf model 1, stop for a moment. This is house-elf model 2." Horatio pushed Harry towards Neville. "Explain the greenhouse rules and precautions to him, and then work with him to complete today's tasks."

Neville looked at Harry with a look of pity. "Let's go, I'll show you the tools and herbs here."

"Oh, right, house-elf 1, is it time to pay me my wages for today?" Horatio extended his hand to Neville.

Neville fumbled in his pocket and handed Horatio a Silver Sickle.

"House-elf 2 doesn't need to pay today, as it's his first day. Remember to give me your wages tomorrow, one Silver Sickle a day." Horatio said and left the greenhouse.

"Huh? Neville, why do we have to give him money to work for him?"

"Horatio said it's a great honor for us little wizards to work for him here. Plus, the variety of herbs here is no less than those at Hogwarts. It's a great deal that we only pay one Silver Sickle to learn here."

"..."

"Whoa!!!" A completely black crow flew to the support beam above them and cawed loudly at them.

"I'm sorry, Lady Nephthys, we'll get right to work, right to work."

Neville pulled Harry over to a pile of fertilizer and began shoveling it into small buckets.

"Harry, Hathor, Isis, and Nephthys will take turns on duty here. You absolutely cannot be caught slacking off, or those three will deal with us."

"Why? They don't look like they have much combat power?"

"I thought so too, until they put on their mechs. Anyway, I spent a whole day lying in Madam Pomfrey's infirmary after that."

"Harry, you need to know that our status here is barely higher than the stones on the ground."

"..."

That evening, Harry and Neville returned to the dormitory exhausted, lying on their beds, wanting nothing more than to sleep.

A few days later, during Herbology class, Harry and Neville skillfully repotted, fertilized, and watered the Devil's Snare bulbs. Professor Sprout happily awarded them two points.

Ron asked Harry why he was so skilled.

Harry replied that anyone would become skilled after repotting dozens of Devil's Snare bulbs every day.

One day, Horatio took Harry and Neville to an open space outside the school.

Horatio said, "House-elf 1, 2, today I'm giving you some employee benefits and teaching you some real skills."

Harry and Neville were very excited. Horatio's strength was undeniable.

Harry: "Really? You're going to teach us magic?"

Horatio took a yellow cube out of a cloth bag and said, "Do you know what Gryffindor's greatest characteristic is?"

Harry replied, "Not following school rules?"

Neville answered, "Likes to cause trouble?"

Horatio put his hand to his forehead and said speechlessly, "It's courage. Gryffindor's greatest characteristic is courage."

Horatio threw the yellow cube onto the ground. As the cube transformed, it turned into a giant yellow jeep.

Harry, looking at the jeep whose tires were almost as tall as him, trembled and asked, "Ho... Horatio, we... we're not going to have to deal with this thing, are we?"

Horatio gave Harry a wicked smile, then backflipped onto the jeep and started it up.

Harry and Neville were so terrified by the huge roar that they turned and ran.

"Harry, Neville, don't run!!! Face me bravely." Horatio chased Harry and Neville in the jeep.

Harry and Neville desperately fled ahead, "Who wants to face you? People will die."

"Harry, what's that look on your face? Can your tears defeat the Dark Lord? Can they save Hogwarts?"