Ignoring the students who had started seriously reading their books—or pretending to—Ezio pushed open the door and left. But as he stepped into the hallway, Professor McGonagall stood there with her arms folded, her face stern.
"You owe me a proper explanation," Professor McGonagall said gravely. "Taking the Slytherins and some of the Ravenclaws out of the classroom, and showing Professor Quirrell disrespect during class, is not acceptable at Hogwarts, Mr. Auditore."
"But as you can see, I didn't take them away so they could neglect their studies. Quite the opposite: studying here will help them learn the material better and faster. I've assigned them work, and Professor Quirrell can collect it from them every week to make sure they're actually studying the subject instead of letting their education go to waste."
"That's why I'm willing to give you a chance to explain yourself." Professor McGonagall rubbed her temples. If she hadn't overheard Ezio's plan just now from outside the door, she certainly wouldn't be taking this tone. What he'd done was highly improper, but the outcome didn't seem all that bad. As Ezio had said, studying here might actually be more effective.
"Then first, Professor McGonagall, I'd like to ask you something that's been bothering me." Ezio gestured invitingly. The hallway wasn't a good place to talk.
"Go ahead." Professor McGonagall set off, and she and Ezio headed toward a nearby courtyard.
"If Hogwarts's goal is to help young witches and wizards succeed, why let a wage thief like Quirrell join the teaching staff and lead students astray?"
"We could simply cancel Defense Against the Dark Arts. The fact that the subject is cursed and we can't find a suitable long-term teacher isn't an excuse."
"Hogwarts could easily introduce a new class, like Defense, or something else entirely. Why cling to Defense Against the Dark Arts, a subject that's completely lost its purpose?"
"I gave Quirrell a chance, but all he can do is stammer and fail to get out a single complete sentence. If he's just going to read straight from a book, I'd rather have Miss Granger teach the class. At least she could recite the whole thing from memory."
"We only have seven years at Hogwarts, and every one of them is precious. Wasting our time in the classroom of a professor who's utterly useless—I think Hogwarts owes us an explanation."
Ezio's sharp tongue made it hard for Professor McGonagall to come up with an answer they could both accept. But she couldn't get angry, either. Ezio had merely stated the facts. She couldn't accuse him of slandering Hogwarts just because he'd described something Hogwarts had done. That would be a ridiculous charge, and Professor McGonagall wasn't about to make it.
"Hogwarts doesn't have many options when it comes to choosing professors," Professor McGonagall sighed. "Quirrell was an excellent student, and we thought he could teach this subject. But something unexpected happened."
"Yes, unexpected things are always part of life. I can understand that. But now that things have gone wrong, shouldn't we start working on a solution?" Ezio softened his tone, no longer as confrontational as before.
"I admit I acted inappropriately earlier because I was angry. But my intentions were good. I want my classmates and me to have a fulfilling education at Hogwarts. If doing this means I'm bound to offend someone, then I'd rather grit my teeth and keep going. I know it's the right thing to do. We shouldn't avoid doing what's good for most people just because it might upset one person."
"I'm sorry for the trouble, Professor McGonagall."
"You have been a great deal of trouble," Professor McGonagall said, glaring at Ezio. Even the troublemakers in Gryffindor couldn't match him. "But Hogwarts has never had a professor teaching a class while the students teach themselves."
"History is made by people, after all. Besides, I haven't taken all of Professor Quirrell's students away. He can still go and torment students in the other years, waste their time, and squander their youth. After all, I'm only a student, and there's not much I can do to help. Of the people who came out with me just now, I'll be sending a good number back to Professor Quirrell."
"Only a small number of students will choose to study on their own, while most return to class. I don't think there should be any problem with that outcome."
This troublesome student was giving Professor McGonagall a headache. Yet she also felt that although what he'd done shouldn't have happened, it was the right choice. As a Gryffindor, Professor McGonagall had a daring streak and a desire to break with old rules herself. Otherwise, she would have gone to Ravenclaw. She wasn't an inflexible old relic who couldn't adapt.
"What do you plan to do?" Professor McGonagall relented.
"Those who can keep up with the work I set can stay; those who can't will be cut. I'm not the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. All I can do is share what I know, not teach them everything. The rest is up to their own efforts. That's all I can do."
Ezio was careful in how he put it, but he'd made his expectations clear: fools and dullards need not apply. He didn't have time to teach anyone. The only students who could join him were talented, hardworking, and eager to improve—and those students certainly shouldn't waste their time breathing stale air in Quirrell's classroom.
"I'll talk to Professor Quirrell later," Professor McGonagall said with a slight nod. "But I must remind you that students at Hogwarts are expected to show their professors respect. Slytherin loses five points. I hope you'll remember that in the future."
She'd raised her hand high, then brought it down gently. The token five-point deduction was nothing serious, and that settled the matter.
"Thank you, Professor McGonagall. You're a fair and understanding teacher. It's an honor to be taught by you."
"Flatterer." Professor McGonagall shook her head slightly, concealing a faint smile. "Don't forget the club meeting on Saturday. You'll meet some very talented students there."
"I'll set an alarm. I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to share."
Ezio gave a slight bow, then took his leave.
Now that he had some free time, he planned to explore Hogwarts properly—perhaps even reveal a little of the map.
He launched himself off the castle's outer wall, gripping the cracks and hauling himself upward from one narrow foothold to the next. The towering Hogwarts Castle gradually fell beneath his feet. After a while, Ezio reached the castle's highest point: the top of the Astronomy Tower. The view from the pointed tip was magnificent, with all of Hogwarts spread out below him. A stretch of level grass lay in the distance, where Flying Class was held. Beyond it stood the enormous Quidditch Pitch, with the Forbidden Forest not far beyond. Its deep green treetops stretched to the ends of the earth and sky.
A piercing eagle's cry rang out above Hogwarts. Neil beat his wings and soared high, taking in everything below.
[New Map—Hogwarts (Unlocked)] [Map Exploration: 0.35%] [New Milestones Unlocked (Area-Limited)] Conqueror of the Sky (Complete a precise aerial assassination by falling from an altitude of ten thousand meters. Target must be humanoid or human-like.) Phantom Assassin (Complete a frontal assassination while being watched but not detected. Target must be humanoid or human-like.) Hidden Milestone (Explore to unlock this time-limited hidden milestone. Countdown: 302 days, 8 hours. Perhaps you need to break in.)
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