Sixth Year's Provocation

By afternoon, things seemed to have changed slightly.

When Li Wei walked into the classroom, the second-year Gryffindors were already eager to try, their excitement visible on their faces.

It seemed they had already learned about the morning's lesson from the older students and guessed what was about to happen.

In stark contrast were the Slytherins, who were clearly still completely unaware of the situation.

Li Wei had no intention of changing any of this.

The usual opening remarks were followed by sheets of parchment flying through the air.

Upon seeing the same questions, Ron Weasley couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He could already imagine how ugly Malfoy's face would be when Gryffindor got full marks and Slytherin lost points.

Harry Potter met his gaze, and the two shared a knowing smile—it seemed they were thinking the same thing.

Hermione Granger glanced at the two of them, slightly speechless at their unpromising behavior. When she heard at lunch that the Weasley twins were going to leak the questions to them, she immediately left.

The new Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts seemed very reliable. Cheating on the questions he had painstakingly prepared would be a waste of his effort and something she disdained.

"These are all very simple questions."

Hermione muttered to herself, quickly finishing three questions. She looked up and found Harry and Ron clutching their wands, staring intently at the parchment in front of them as if it contained some kind of monster.

Hermione quietly shifted her gaze back to the professor on the podium. He was leaning against a bench (where did this chair come from? Did he transfigure it?), staring blankly at the ceiling.

As if sensing Hermione's gaze, he turned his head and met her probing eyes directly.

!!!

Hermione quickly averted her gaze, her heart involuntarily quickening.

This new professor was far too handsome. For a moment, she couldn't tell whether she was stunned by his appearance or his behavior.

"Alright, time's up."

Li Wei clapped his hands, and everything proceeded as usual.

Even though the second-year Gryffindors had been forewarned that the parchment would transform into pixies, the outcome didn't change much.

Understanding something intellectually was one thing; facing it in reality was another.

Ron was too nervous when casting the Freezing Charm, mispronouncing the spell and using the wrong wand movement.

Not only did he fail to freeze the pixie in front of him, but Harry beside him was also affected by the backlash. At risk of frostbite, Harry desperately grabbed his wand and wrestled with the pixie, doing his utmost to prevent it from snatching it away.

Neville Longbottom, despite knowing what would happen, cried out in panic when he saw the pixie before him, showing no intention of fighting back.

It turned out that even with psychological preparation, without knowledge and wisdom, these people still couldn't handle the simplest pixie.

"Besides showing off their weaknesses or having a burst of brilliance, is there no other option for Hogwarts students besides these two extremes?"

Li Wei watched the farce unfolding before him with a blank expression. A minute later, Hermione, finally snapping out of it, used the Freezing Charm to help all the Gryffindors resolve their troubles.

As for the Slytherins, it was even more of a disaster.

These were the houses known for their cunning and ambition, so when had they devolved into this state?

Li Wei expressionlessly dispelled the Transfiguration, awarded Gryffindor five points, appointed Hermione as class representative, and continued the lesson.

Friday.

As the last class ended, Li Wei let out an unconscious sigh as he walked out of the classroom.

The situation at Hogwarts was even worse than he had imagined.

After wasting an entire year, the third-year students had lost more than half of the knowledge they had learned in their first year, falling into the same category as first and second-year students, becoming blank slates.

The fourth-year students performed quite well and were the most suitable for Li Wei to test his hypotheses.

They possessed a certain theoretical foundation and practical ability, and at the same time, they didn't have to worry about the fifth-year O.W.L. exams, making it their most liberated time.

With a certain amount of training, they could barely meet Li Wei's requirements for conducting experiments.

As for the fifth-year students, there was nothing to say; Li Wei was prepared to drown them with a barrage of practice questions.

The next year would likely be the hardest for this year group.

As for the sixth-year students, the curriculum had changed, and students needed to pursue advanced studies in subjects relevant to their future career paths.

It was worth mentioning that to enroll in the advanced classes for specific subjects, one generally needed at least an 'E' or higher in the O.W.L. exams. Snape, in particular, required students to achieve an 'O' in Potions to be eligible to continue studying with him.

Due to the lack of handover, the school had defaulted the requirement for advancing in Defense Against the Dark Arts to 'E'. Eight students from the four houses met the standard. Li Wei had reviewed their records; seven of them were from pure-blood families.

For these students, rather than directly starting teaching, it was necessary to spend some time determining their direction first.

"Your foundations are quite good, all eight of you. If you start working hard this year, depending on your effort, achieving an 'E' or 'O' in your N.E.W.T.s next year won't be difficult."

"Oh, come on, Professor."

A young man with light blue hair waved his hand.

"Who doesn't know that the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts changes every year? Even if we study with you this year, won't we have a different professor next year?"

"Besides, we don't trust you yet."

Severus scrutinized the professor before him.

"Professor Li Wei, forgive my bluntness, but you clearly come from Slytherin, yet none of our parents remember you.

During your time at school, you left no achievements worth remembering, and you don't seem to have made a name for yourself in the wizarding world.

Although you achieved eight 'Outstandings' on your O.W.L. exams, you did not take the N.E.W.T.s in your seventh year."

"What are you trying to say?"

"We've already wasted a whole year with Professor Quirrell. His teaching was useless, yet he wouldn't allow us to use class time for independent study of other subjects, as if that would somehow interfere with something. If you're going to be like Professor Quirrell, I hope at the very least you won't waste our time."

"Perhaps. Would you mind demonstrating your abilities to us?"

Li Wei didn't rush to answer him. He looked at the others. "Do all of you feel the same way?"

Seeing everyone nod, only one witch, standing at the back, clasped her hands tightly and remained silent.

Li Wei shook his head and said calmly:

"With your foundations, even if you studied independently, many of you would still pass your N.E.W.T.s with 'Exceeds Expectations' next year. I'd be happy to lighten my teaching load.

It's just a shame that I wouldn't be able to report back to Professor McGonagall. To prevent her from worrying that my teaching quality might be an issue--"

Li Wei drew the wand from his waist and slowly aimed it at the crowd.

"How about this: I'll give you three minutes. All eight of you, attack me together. No restrictions on spells or methods.

I will only defend, not counterattack. If even one of your spells affects me, you can have self-study for your sixth-year classes from then on."