A Chaotic Hogwarts

The consequences of Lin Du's new rules far exceeded expectations--

The most ecstatic were the students of Ravenclaw.

They had been runners-up in the House Cup for several years, and currently, due to Harry having just won a crucial Quidditch match for Gryffindor, Gryffindor was exactly fifty points ahead of Ravenclaw.

This meant that if Ravenclaw came out on top in this Monthly Exam, they could use these precious fifty points to overtake Gryffindor and touch the long-coveted House Cup!

Would the crown of wisdom be allowed to slip away again? Ravenclaws had completely thrown themselves into the fray.

The lights in their common room burned throughout the night (within the limits of curfew), and the sounds of recitation echoed everywhere in the corridors, all proclaiming their determination.

This immediately put the other Houses on edge.

Hufflepuffs were the first to face reality. Adhering to the "Doctrine of the Mean," their goals were clear and practical:

Maintain mid-tier status, absolutely do not come in last!

At some point, a hand-drawn poster appeared at the entrance of their common room, depicting a simple badger with the caption: "Steady, we can win! (As long as it's not last place)."

Slytherins attempted to leverage their "traditional advantages," trying to subtly inquire about the exam scope from Lin Du. However, they discovered that this Eastern Professor was unyielding, his smile gentle but his lips sealed tight.

Although Gryffindor had the "overachievers" Hermione and Percy leading the charge, their overall strength still seemed strained against the collective intelligence of Ravenclaw.

Since they couldn't surpass Ravenclaw in the intensity of their "grind," some "clever" young wizards began to hatch devious plans--

If they could prevent their rivals from studying peacefully, wouldn't that indirectly improve their own rankings?

Thus, a grand "anti-grind" raid quietly commenced throughout the castle, directly targeting those Ravenclaws clutching their books and the top students from other Houses.

In the corridors, outside the library, dung bombs, the Tarantallegra, the Leg Locker Curse... all sorts of prank jinxes appeared out of nowhere.

For a time, the vigilance of Hogwarts students and their proficiency in casting the Shield Charm improved by leaps and bounds.

This infuriated Professor McGonagall!

She saw good students--especially those from her own Gryffindor (as they had also become targets) and Ravenclaw--plagued by various jinxes almost daily, some even being carried to the hospital wing.

Professor McGonagall first sternly warned Slytherin, believing they were the ones accustomed to using such "despicable" methods.

This greatly displeased Professor Snape, whose aura of low pressure for several days made the candles in the dungeon corridors dim.

However, the tables turned quickly.

Three days later, Snape himself caught two Gryffindors red-handed at the dungeon entrance attempting to ambush a fifth-year Ravenclaw student with the Leg-Locker Curse!

"It seems the reputation of certain Houses for poor discipline is not entirely unfounded, Minerva," Snape said, a barely concealed smirk on his lips.

Professor McGonagall's face turned green with anger, and she immediately deducted fifty points from the two disappointing Gryffindors!

This deduction directly dropped Gryffindor, which had originally been a contender for first place, down the rankings, effectively putting Ravenclaw in temporary first place.

The Slytherins, who had been taking the blame, exploded instantly!

"Good one, Gryffindor, the guilty crying 'stop thief'!"

Settling old scores and new, the inter-House "firefight" officially began.

Thanks to Lin Du's earlier devilish training in Impedimenta and Immobilus, even the younger students could now skillfully wield them, while the older students had truly mastered their use.

The corridors became battlegrounds:

"Impedimenta!" a fifth-year Slytherin roared, raising a barrier.

"Shattering Curse!" a seventh-year Gryffindor attempted a forceful breakthrough.

"Protego!" a passing Ravenclaw calmly cast a shield on themself, continuing to read their book as they walked, muttering, "...Thus, it can be seen that the increased aggression of werewolves during a full moon is related to magical tides..."

Madam Pomfrey's hospital wing was overflowing with patients. She angrily complained to Professor McGonagall, who had practically become Hogwarts' human patrol guard, catching rule-breakers until her hands were sore every day.

The Ravenclaws were finally completely enraged.

They had previously disdained to get involved, but now, spurred by both the "House Cup" and "being ambushed," this group of exceptionally intelligent individuals became incredibly formidable once they got serious.

They even employed military tactics--

Setting magical traps at corridor corners, using Transfiguration to create decoys to lure enemies, and establishing an "Anti-Ambush Mutual Aid Group" to report "enemy activity" in real-time using magical mirrors.

Hogwarts had completely descended into chaos.

Students no longer moved alone; they felt the need to form an reinforced platoon just to go to the lavatory.

The nighttime prowls became even more chaotic, and Filch had completely given up.

It was rumored that the caretaker had recently taken up knitting, choosing to be selectively blind and deaf to the "bangs" and occasional flashes of spell light within the castle.

Most outrageously, even the common rooms were no longer safe.

It was unknown how the Weasley twins obtained the password to the Slytherin common room (rumor had it they kidnapped a lone Slytherin and conducted a "friendly" interrogation using truth serum obtained from who-knows-where), leading a dozen Gryffindor thugs in a surprise raid. Although it was quickly suppressed by Professor Snape, who arrived upon hearing the commotion, the incident greatly stimulated the fragile nerves of the Head of the Snake House.

Snape trembled with anger during Potions class, looking at his disappointing students and wishing he could immediately offer a course on "Defense Against Dark Arts and Countermeasures (Special Edition)."

But every time he couldn't help but explain how to cleverly break an Obstruction Charm, he would see several Gryffindors--especially Potter and Weasley--listening more intently than anyone else, causing a lump to form in his throat, nearly making him perform a "Cauldron Explosion Technique" on the spot.

In this school-wide carnival (melee), the only ones who remained calm were perhaps the Headmaster and Lin Du.

Dumbledore, upon seeing two students trading blows with obstruction and immobilization spells in the corridor, actually said with a smile to the ashen-faced Professor McGonagall beside him, "Look, Minerva, how quickly their practical combat skills are improving! This is more effective than any simulated training."

Professor McGonagall, clutching her glasses that were about to bend askew, was speechless.

Lin Du, the instigator, watched with satisfaction as the quality of the papers submitted by his subordinates improved by leaps and bounds, completely ignoring the chaos within the castle.

During one class, he even "casually" hinted, "Actually, sparring with others is the best practice. After all, dark creatures won't go easy on you."

As soon as these words were spoken, the conflict escalated once more.

By the time the monthly exams arrived at the end of the month, students from the three houses were already exhausted from constantly fighting each other.

Hufflepuff, however, unexpectedly took first place with a steady performance, earning fifty points for the house.

While the other houses were still reeling from this result, a knock sounded on Lin Du's office door.

Lin Du opened the door with some curiosity, only to find Harry, Ron, and Hermione standing outside.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger? What is it?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze fixed on Hermione, his tone laced with surprise, "Miss Granger, your face..."

Hermione Granger's face, usually filled with intelligent expressions, was now covered in a thick layer of ginger-colored cat fur. Behind her glasses, her eyes seemed rounder than usual, leaning more towards amber.

She tried desperately to cover it with her scarf, but the features were too obvious.

Ron, standing beside her, was pale, while Harry wore an expression as if the end of the world had arrived.

Lin Du instantly understood what had happened. He sighed softly and stepped aside, "I think you'd better come in and explain."

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