A New Milestone

Ignoring the students who had begun to seriously flip through their books—or were pretending to—Ezio pushed the door open and left. However, as he stepped out, Professor McGonagall was standing there with her arms crossed, her face tight.

"You owe me a proper explanation for this," Professor McGonagall said sternly. "Taking students from Slytherin and a portion of Ravenclaw out of the classroom, and showing disrespect to Professor Quirrell during his lesson—this is not permitted at Hogwarts, Mr. Auditore."

"But as you can see, I did not take them away to abandon their studies. On the contrary, self-study here allows them to learn more effectively and quickly. I have assigned them work, and Professor Quirrell will receive their completed assignments on a weekly basis, which will confirm that they are indeed studying the curriculum rather than wasting their time."

"That is the only reason I am willing to give you a chance to explain." Professor McGonagall rubbed her temples. If she hadn't overheard Ezio's arrangements from outside the door, her attitude would certainly be different. Although this action was highly excessive, the results did not seem poor; just as Ezio said, self-study here might actually be more effective.

"Then I must ask Professor McGonagall to resolve a doubt of mine first." Ezio made a gesture of invitation; the corridor was not a suitable place for a conversation.

"Please, speak." Professor McGonagall began to walk, heading with Ezio toward a nearby courtyard.

"If the purpose of Hogwarts is to cultivate young wizards into talent, then why allow a salary-thief like Quirrell to join the faculty and mislead the students?"

"We could simply cancel the Defense Against the Dark Arts course. The fact that the position is cursed and we cannot find a suitable, long-term professor is no excuse."

"Hogwarts could easily open a new course—perhaps a general defense course, or anything else for that matter. Why hang ourselves on a Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum that has completely lost its meaning in this day and age?"

"I gave Quirrell a chance, but he could only stutter without being able to finish a single complete sentence. If I am to follow a textbook and recite the original text, I would rather have Miss Granger take the podium; at the very least, she can recite the entire book from memory."

"There are only seven years to learn at Hogwarts, and every year is precious. Wasting our valuable time in the classroom of such a useless professor—I believe Hogwarts owes me an explanation."

Ezio's sharp tongue made it difficult for Professor McGonagall to provide an answer that would satisfy both parties, yet she could not be angry, for Ezio had merely stated the facts. She could not accuse him of smearing Hogwarts simply because he pointed out what the school was doing; that would be a ridiculous accusation, and Professor McGonagall was not the type to make one.

"Regarding the selection of professors, Hogwarts does not have many choices." Professor McGonagall sighed. "Quirrell was an excellent student in his time. We originally thought he was capable of teaching this course, but accidents happened."

"Yes, accidents always accompany our lives. If that is the case, I can understand it. But since a dire situation has arisen, shouldn't we be working to solve the problem now?" Ezio softened his tone, no longer as aggressive as before.

"I admit that I acted inappropriately earlier out of frustration, but my intentions were good. I hope that my classmates and I can have a fulfilling academic career at Hogwarts. If doing this inevitably offends someone, then I would rather grit my teeth and continue, because I know that what I am doing is right. One should not refrain from doing what is good for the majority simply because it is unfavorable to one individual."

"I am very sorry, Professor McGonagall, for causing you trouble."

"You certainly have caused me trouble." Professor McGonagall glared at Ezio; even the troublemakers of Gryffindor weren't as restless as this one. "But in the history of Hogwarts, there has never been a situation where a professor is teaching, yet students choose to study on their own."

"History is always created by people. Besides, I haven't taken all of Professor Quirrell's students. He can still go and harm the students of other years, wasting their time and their youth. After all, I am only a student, and the help I can provide is actually quite limited. Of those who followed me out, I will still return a large portion to Professor Quirrell."

"It is only a small portion of students choosing to study independently, while the majority return to the classroom. I think there shouldn't be any problem with such an outcome."

The prickly student before her gave Professor McGonagall a massive headache, but she herself felt that while this shouldn't have happened, it was indeed the right choice. As a Gryffindor, Professor McGonagall actually possessed a spirit of adventure that wanted to break old rules; otherwise, she would have gone to Ravenclaw to study. She was not an old fossil incapable of flexibility.

"What do you intend to do?" Professor McGonagall conceded.

"Those who can keep up with the study tasks I arrange will stay; those who cannot will be eliminated. After all, I am not the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. All I can do is share the knowledge I possess, not teach it to them. Everything depends on their own efforts. That is all I can do."

Ezio spoke conservatively and clearly stated his requirements: fools and idiots need not apply. He had no time to teach people; those who could be with him were only the talented and hardworking students. And such students, indeed, should not be wasting time in Quirrell's classroom, breathing in stagnant air.

"I will have a talk with Professor Quirrell later." Professor McGonagall nodded slightly. "But I must still remind you: at Hogwarts, students need to maintain respect for their professors. Five points from Slytherin. I hope you will remember this in the future."

Raised high but let down gently, the symbolic deduction of five points was harmless, and the matter was thus put to rest.

"Thank you, Professor McGonagall. You are an understanding and fair teacher. It is my honor to receive your guidance."

"Smooth talker." Professor McGonagall shook her head slightly, hiding a faint smile at the corner of her mouth. "Don't forget the club meeting on Saturday. You can meet some very talented classmates there."

"I will set my alarm, and I look forward to the knowledge you will share."

Ezio bowed slightly, then took his leave.

Taking advantage of his current free time, he planned to have a good look around Hogwarts—for instance, to light up the map.

Kicking off the outer wall of the castle and leaping, he caught the gaps and climbed upward. The towering Hogwarts castle was gradually trampled beneath his feet. Ezio spent some time climbing to the highest point of Hogwarts: the top of the Astronomy Tower. The view from the pointed spire was excellent, overlooking the entirety of Hogwarts. In the distance lay the flat grass, the site for flying lessons; further ahead was the massive Quidditch pitch, and the Forbidden Forest lay not far beyond the pitch, its verdant treetops stretching to the ends of the sky.

A loud eagle cry echoed over Hogwarts as Neil spread his wings and soared, taking everything into his view.

[New Map—Hogwarts (Unlocked)]

[Map Exploration: 0.35%]

[New Milestone Unlocked (Area Limited)]

Conqueror of the Sky (Perform a precise aerial assassination from a height of ten thousand meters; target limited to human or humanoid creatures)

Phantom Assassin (Perform a frontal assassination while being observed but remaining undetected; target limited to human or humanoid creatures)

Hidden Milestone (You need to explore to unlock this limited-time hidden milestone. Countdown: 302 days, 8 hours. Perhaps you need to break in)