Hermione's Resolve

Gryffindor Common Room.

The flames in the fireplace flickered, reflecting off Hermione's tightly pursed lips and slightly reddened eyes. The common room was quiet, save for the crackling of the fireplace and the howling wind outside.

Ron hesitated for a moment, then spoke, "Hermione... are you alright?"

Hermione lowered her eyes, her hands gripping her robes tightly, as if trying her best to suppress her emotions. Her chest heaved violently, Skylar's indifference and words still echoing in her mind, over and over again, like a knife cruelly cutting through her pride and beliefs.

"I'm fine." Her voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable firmness.

Ron and Harry exchanged a glance. Harry frowned slightly, as if trying to offer some words of comfort, but Hermione had already raised her head, her eyes no longer filled with disappointment, but with an unprecedented burning fighting spirit.

"I won't let him look down on me." Hermione's voice was so firm that it startled both Harry and Ron.

She clenched her fist and continued, "He thinks only Slytherin can 'have their own way'? Well, we Gryffindor will have our own way too."

Harry stared at her blankly, while Ron asked nervously, "Uh... what do you want to do?"

Hermione took a deep breath, her eyes flashing with an unprecedented sharpness. "Umbridge won't teach us anything useful. The Mysterious Man has risen from the dead, the war has begun, and we can no longer wait passively." She slowly looked at Harry and said earnestly, "Harry, you will teach us Defence Against the Dark Arts."

Harry didn't react for a moment. "What?"

"I think that's a really good idea," Ron said. "I mean, like Harry said in his first lesson at Umbridge, we need to be prepared for whatever awaits us outside. We need to make sure we can really protect ourselves."

"Umbridge has absolutely no intention of teaching us anything truly useful," Hermione said calmly and firmly, but her eyes betrayed her anxiety. "Her courses are a complete waste of time; we're not learning any practical combat skills. If we waste a whole year like this... what will we use to fight when war comes?"

Harry smiled; these two were definitely joking with him.

"No matter how bad Umbridge is, I'm not a teacher, I can't—"

"Harry, Gryffindor, you are the best in the entire year at Defence Against the Dark Arts," Hermione said.

"Me?" Harry said, his smile widening. "No, you always get better grades than me—"

"Actually, no," Hermione said calmly. "You surpassed me in third year—only that year did we both go through that ordeal together and have a truly knowledgeable teacher. But I'm not talking about test scores, Harry. Think about what you've done!"

"That was just luck," Harry said, shaking his head somewhat absentmindedly. He couldn't believe what would happen if he started his own Defence Against the Dark Arts club. Would the Slytherin laugh at him and give him nicknames like "Potter, the presumptuous Potter?"

"Those things are quite remarkable, but they were all based on luck—half the time I didn't know what I was doing, it wasn't planned at all, I just acted on instinct, and almost always got help."

"Harry!" Hermione jumped to her feet, like a majestic lioness. "Listen to me, you have to believe in yourself, and you have to believe that we Gryffindor are no worse than Slytherin —I'm not just asking you to teach the two of us, we're going to form a student organization..."

Harry's breath hitched slightly. He looked at Hermione and saw that the light in her eyes was so firm, even with a touch of stubborn madness.

This was a look Hermione had never had before.

She was once the Hermione who upheld the rules and respected the system, but now, she wants to create her own rules, she wants to become stronger, and she wants to prove to Skylar that she, Hermione Granger, is no less than anyone else!

Harry didn't agree immediately; he only said he needed some time to think about it.

Meanwhile, in the Prefect's private lounge.

The firelight from the fireplace flickered gently, illuminating the faces of the six people. Skylar leaned casually against the sofa, his gaze sweeping over the others present—

Daphne was flipping through the latest issue of the Daily Prophet, while Morrie and Susan were discussing the recent Quidditch tournament. Cedric Diggory and Elusi Montgomery each held a hot drink, listening to the conversation and occasionally offering their opinions.

"Norway Golden Salmon and Swedish Short-Snout dinosaur meat have finally entered the Britain market," Montgomery said first, his tone quite expectant. "I've heard they taste excellent, and they've already started importing them from France as well. Another delicious dish will be added to our tables soon."

"It's not cheap." Susan shook her head and put down her teacup. "My aunt tried it when she went to Switzerland on a business trip. She said the caviar from the Golden Salmon melts in your mouth and has a faint magical aroma. But dragon meat... if it's not prepared properly, it can give you mouth sores."

"The Britain never miss out on anything new or exotic," Cedric chuckled. "But more than that, I'm more concerned about when Hogwarts will resume its regular Defence Against the Dark Arts classes."

The atmosphere noticeably froze when this topic was brought up.

"Normal?" Montgomery scoffed, setting down his cup. "If Umbridge continues teaching, the word 'normal' will likely never be associated with Hogwarts again."

Cedric's expression turned cold. He put down his cup, his voice tinged with suppressed anger. "Frankly, I've never seen a Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts like her. An entire semester, and she hasn't let us practice a single spell. Class time is spent copying her ridiculous theories or listening to her imply that Dumbledore is a madman."

"Sometimes I really wonder if she's here to teach or to brainwash people," Montgomery scoffed. "It's utterly absurd."

Skylar tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly for a moment, but no one noticed.

"Hogwarts' current situation may seem precarious to outsiders," he said casually, his tone carrying a hint of ambiguity and mockery, "But have you heard? Durmstrang recently implemented a shocking educational reform."

This statement immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"Oh?" Daphne put down her newspaper and raised an eyebrow. "I just saw a report that Karkaroff has announced the reopening of admissions for Muggle-born students."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked surprised.

"Really?" Morrie frowned. "Didn't Durmstrang always insist on the Pure-blood tradition? After Karkaroff came to power, they became even more conservative than before. Why would they suddenly do something like this?"

"It's probably a matter of necessity," Skylar said calmly, his gaze thoughtful. "Durmstrang's development in recent years has actually lagged far behind Hogwarts and Beauxbatons, especially after we won the highest rating in the European Magical Education Assessment last year, their student quality has clearly declined. Coupled with the growing dissatisfaction within the international Wizarding World with the idea of Pure-blood Supremacy, Karkaroff had no choice but to make adjustments."

"Who would have thought?" Daphne chuckled. "The magic school that once most shunned Muggle-born is now forced to bow to reality."

Skylar narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint hint of coldness flashing across them. In fact, Durmstrang's reforms were not a decision made on a whim by Karkaroff —but rather the result of his behind-the-scenes maneuvering.

But he didn't intend to tell them.

"However..." Cedric pondered, "Beauxbatons seems to have been affected as well."

All eyes turned to him, waiting for what he would say next.

"Beauxbatons recently hired Desiree Akhahet of the Silver Spear as a resident advisor, specifically responsible for the students' dueling training and development," Cedric continued. "I've heard she's brought a completely new dueling system, aiming to help Beauxbatons achieve greater success in international magical dueling competitions."

"The Silver Spear?" Morrie raised an eyebrow. "Is Beauxbatons really determined to increase their combat strength this time?"

"Desiree Akhahet..." Skylar repeated the name softly, a slight smile playing on his lips, a meaningful glint in his eyes.

Like Durmstrang's reforms, Beauxbatons' changes also bear his influence. However, from the outside, all of this appears to be merely adjustments made by those schools to protect themselves.

"This shows that they have realized that the future era will no longer be about academics and lineage, but about real strength," he said softly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

In contrast, while Hogwarts was the winner of this year's European Magical Education Assessment, internal affairs were far from peaceful. Umbridge's Defense Against the Dark Arts had already caused the school to regress.

"... Hogwarts is now the most backward of the three major magic schools in Europe." Susan sighed, her brow furrowed with worry. "Umbridge's courses are a complete waste of time; we're learning nothing."

"When the real storm comes, we will pay the price." Skylar's voice was low and calm, his fingertips tapping lightly on the table, as if he could already foresee the near future.