Want to Teach Me? Study First

The Centaur are truly tough; for the sake of their tribe's dignity, they dare to fight even enemies ten times stronger than themselves.

But when it comes to shrewdness, they are no slouch either; they would never fight to the death with someone who could easily wipe out their entire clan.

Previously, the only person in the entire Hogwarts who could make them bow their heads was Albus Dumbledore, Albus Dumbledore's bottom line was the bottom line for the Centaur.

The last time Tom and Orion clashed, Magorian backed down because she knew that Tom had Albus Dumbledore backing him up.

But in less than a year, this young wizard had already gained the strength to raze the Centaur Tribe to the ground.

The Usachi pose a greater threat to the Centaur than their archenemy, the Acromantula.

Not to mention that Usachi can fly, and is incredibly fast, the Centaur ' arrows can't even touch its edge.

They can fight or leave whenever they want, completely controlling the situation.

Furthermore, with the suppression of the dragon's might, weaker Centaur would go weak in the knees just standing in front of Usachi, unable to unleash even 70% of their abilities.

Go complain to Albus Dumbledore? If Tom were to intervene personally, Magorian might actually swallow her pride and ask for help.

After all, the survival of the group is more important than face. But as Tom said yesterday, what right does Albus Dumbledore to interfere in the fights between Fantastic Beasts?

Today it's Usachi, tomorrow the Acromantula will attack. Are we going to have to beg Albus Dumbledore again?

The Forbidden Forest isn't exclusive to Centaur, and Albus Dumbledore isn't their hired ranger; the idea is simply impractical.

So, the moment Tom released Usachi yesterday, Magorian knew that if she didn't want her race to be wiped out, she had no choice but to submit.

An ordinary tribesman might act rashly and fight to the death, but he is the leader and cannot act impulsively.

Magorian gritted her teeth, her voice filled with resentment. "Riddle, I can teach you about Centaur ' herbal knowledge."

"But you must promise me that you will not tell any other Centaur except for Firenze."

Yesterday, Firenze only told him about Tom's threat; the other Centaur were kept in the dark.

They mistook the Usachi for a mysterious, Fantastic Beasts passing by, completely unaware that it was a death god eyeing their lives.

Magorian also planned to keep it a secret, knowing that if the information leaked, some Centaur would definitely fight Tom to the death.

The situation will be completely out of control, and the Centaur will be the ones who suffer.

To put it bluntly, he made a decision that went against his ancestors' wishes: as long as no one knew about it, it would be as if nothing had happened.

"No problem, I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to talk too much," Tom readily agreed.

"All I want is knowledge; I can't be bothered with your tribe's messy affairs."

Magorian breathed a sigh of relief, her expression softening somewhat. "The Centaur ' understanding of herbs is no less than their perception of the stars."

"But if you want to learn, you have to learn the language of the Centaur first. A lot of knowledge changes meaning when translated into human language."

Tom pondered for two seconds, then made the decision. "Then, from Monday to Friday, we'll have two hours of classes here every day."

"Okay," Magorian nodded. "Firenze will teach the language, and we'll take turns with the herbs."

"Don't worry, Firenze's skill level is quite good; he's the second-best herbalist in the tribe after me."

Once the terms were agreed upon, Magorian turned and left, not wanting to stay even a second longer.

Usachi didn't follow; instead, she wrapped herself around Tom's neck like a fluffy purple scarf, and occasionally nuzzled his chin with her head.

Without wasting any words, Firenze led Tom on a leisurely stroll through the Forbidden Forest.

When encountering a blade of grass or a small animal, first describe it in Centaur language, then translate it into human language to help expand his vocabulary.

After two hours, Tom had filled a notebook with notes.

After returning home, I found an automatic Quick-Quotes Quill and transcribed everything Firenze said into a dictionary for future reference.

Putting aside the mess Tom made of threatening the Centaur, Firenze actually quite admired his studious nature.

The problem is, he can't get rid of that mess! He can only be torn between being "threatened" and "admiring his student," and Tom relentlessly squeezes every last bit of knowledge out of him.

Four days passed, Tom was already able to communicate with Firenze in the language of Centaur.

He had memorized most of the common herbs in the Forbidden Forest; he could learn the rest slowly.

When they parted on Friday, Firenze hesitated for a long time before finally asking.

"Riddle, we'll officially start learning about herbs next week. There are so many kinds and so many uses. Which aspect do you mainly want to learn?"

He wasn't thinking of Tom's best interests; he and Magorian had only one thought: to quickly appease this scoundrel and prevent him from ever having to deal with Centaur again.

Without a second thought, Tom said, "I want to learn how to stabilize magic, enhance magical sensitivity, repair items, and protect against spell interference."

Firenze frowned on the spot. Apart from protection against spell interference and magic stability, he and Magorian had not studied the other two things in depth at all.

So, even if they become teachers, they have to tutor themselves first?

Tom himself was unaware that he had a strange trait: no matter how good the teacher was, they had to recharge themselves first before they could teach him.

The invincible Andros is still struggling to learn modern magic, and he's being taught as he learns.

Gellert Grindelwald, the first Dark Lord who swept the world, spent his days researching magic from other countries.

He was trying to figure out how to make it easier for him to understand the differences in magic between different cultures.

Nicolas Flamel, a pinnacle figure in the world of alchemy, abandoned the centuries-old, cost-insensitive practice of alchemy.

I work myself to the bone every day to help him figure out how to reduce the cost of "IChat," and the two of us talk about progress every day.

Potions Master Snape was completely baffled, holding that bottle of Thunderbolt Elixir.

When Tom saw him yesterday, his hair was a complete mess, probably from boiling medicine and it exploded. Now, it's the Centaur's turn to suffer.

If Tom succeeds in the future, he'll probably say something like, "Versailles."

"I don't have any special skills; I just stood on top of a bunch of Giant stacked on top of each other and managed to achieve some success."

Firenze left with a bitter face; he needed to go back and give Magorian an emergency lesson.

We need to figure something out in the next few days, so Tom doesn't think the Centaur is deliberately hiding something.

Getting involved with this brat is practically paying back the debt the Centaur have owed for their centuries of Forbidden Forest.

Tom returned to his dorm room, and his "IChat" phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw it was a message from Hermione:

[Know-It-All: Tom, if you're free tomorrow, could you give me a tutoring session?]

[The Charmer: Sure, I've just finished tinkering with a new, half-finished gadget. I'll use it as a teaching aid for you and Daphne. Just so you know, don't cry later.]

[The Know-It-All: You should say that to Daphne, then I won't cry.]

[The heartthrob: Let's have afternoon tea together tomorrow morning and afternoon. Let's invite Hannah too.]

[Know-It-All: Okay, I'm going to do my weekend homework now.]

Hermione disappeared as soon as she finished speaking; she's probably off to finish her homework.

Tom turned to Daphne and said something. Daphne replied immediately, adding that she wanted to bring Astoria along, and Tom naturally had no objection.