March Matters

During Charms the next day, Harry told Ron and Hermione everything that had happened. When he mentioned Voldemort's Horcrux, both of them couldn't help but show expressions of awe.

"Wow—" Ron whispered, "Harry, you... you're going to go with Dumbledore to deal with this... wow."

He unconsciously waved his wand at the ceiling, causing a flurry of white snowflakes to fall.

Hermione sighed, then casually waved her wand, making all the snowflakes that had covered the ceiling and the three of them vanish without a trace.

"Mind your image," Hermione said in a low voice, "Your girlfriend is watching you."

Harry followed her gaze and saw Lavender Brown, sitting a few rows away, staring intently at them.

Ron shook his head and muttered in a voice only the three of them could hear, "Lavender isn't bad, it's just... a little too clingy."

"You should be content," Hermione chuckled dismissively, then changed the subject, "By the way, did you guys notice— Hannah Abbott is back, and..."

Harry and Ron both turned their gaze to the back of the classroom, where they saw Hannah practicing magic with Neville Longbottom. The two were standing very close together, their coordination surprisingly seamless.

"What?" Ron's eyes widened in surprise. "They're together?"

"You're only noticing now?" Hermione asked, a mixture of amusement and pride in her expression. "I noticed it back in the Dumbledore's Army; their interactions were a little different—"

Her voice suddenly lowered, "Besides, Hannah just lost her parents; she really needs some companionship and comfort..."

Hermione's words sound reasonable, but that's not the case.

Hannah Abbott and Neville Longbottom did indeed just become a couple, but it was definitely not because of any "emotional comfort."

The real reason was that the day before returning to Hogwarts, Hannah received an undeniable order from Skylar —she had to become Neville Longbottom's lover, influence his behavior and thoughts in daily life, and ultimately bring him with her to join the Sleeping Dragon Society.

Skylar wanted to see what kind of expressions those Pure-Blood Traitor Faction elders would have when the only direct descendant of the Longbottom family fell into his control step by step.

Skylar didn't intend to subdue or eliminate all the Pure-Blood Traitor Faction. A healthy wizarding society should learn to accommodate different ideas and voices, as long as they weren't extreme ideologies like the Death Eaters.

He had previously recruited three elite young men to the Ministry of Magic, greatly weakening their strength among the younger generation, and then recruited the Abbott Family in Godric's Hollow. If Neville were to join his ranks as well, then with only the Weasley and Harry Potter remaining, the Pure-Blood Traitor Faction would hardly pose any threat to his power and position in future wizarding reforms.

Don't forget that the main reason Hermione was ultimately able to become Minister for Magic in the original books was simply because she carried the prestige of being a "Savior companion" who helped defeat Voldemort, as well as the deliberate support of the previous Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt. Ultimately, this was completely inseparable from the support of the Order of the Phoenix and the Pure-Blood Enlightenment Faction.

Now that Kingsley is dead, the remaining Pure-Blood Enlightenment Faction is also facing a generational gap after the defection of young talents such as Malfada, Gawain, and Milo. Unless either of the above two conditions are met, Hermione, who comes from Muggle family and has no background, will find it difficult to realize her ambitions, no matter how talented she is.

On the other side, Daphne, Morrie, and Susan completed their task almost simultaneously. In their flasks, the originally pungent, transparent vinegar had transformed into a clear and mellow liquor, its deep red color swirling slowly within the glass walls, its aroma subtly wafting out.

After being praised by Professor Flitwick and exempted from their homework, they found a seat and began to observe the performance of the others with indifference.

Although the Slytherin Little Snakes weren't as good as the three of them, at least they all successfully turned more than half of the vinegar into red wine before the end of class. The color was slightly cloudy, but at least the direction was completely correct. Professor Flitwick simply told them to practice more.

It's different in other colleges.

Aside from Hermione's consistently excellent performance, the performances of the others could only be described as mediocre.

Neville's flask shook violently for a moment. His magic was always abundant but lacked fine control, and this time was no exception. The liquid churned and bubbled in the flask, its color changing rapidly, only to quickly return to its original state, leaving behind a strange smell of burnt and sourness.

Hannah beside him wasn't much better off; the liquid in the flask was neither vinegar nor red wine, leaving her in an awkward, unbalanced state.

Harry's magic, unguided by his wand, seemed unusually stiff, almost as if it were being forcibly forced into the flask. Instead of transforming as expected, the liquid cooled rapidly, a thin layer of frost forming on the flask walls, and the vinegar was frozen solid into a murky block of ice.

This is better than Ron and Seamus.

Both of their flasks exploded—shards of glass flew everywhere. Liquid spilled onto the table, emitting a pungent, acidic smell, leaving the scene a complete mess. Even the usually good-natured Professor Flitwick punished them by putting them in solitary confinement and making them copy texts.

Daphne and the other two exchanged glances, all agreeing that Skylar's decision to drop out was very wise; attending classes at this level would only be a waste of his precious time.

In March, the Britain Wizarding World appeared to be devoid of any earth-shattering events; most were merely insignificant interludes.

Willie Widsing and Willie Wagstaff were arrested by the detectives for burglary while impersonating the Inferius. Under Albert Runcorn's harsh interrogation, the two quickly broke down and confessed everything they knew—they had sensed something was wrong when Fudge fell from power and had fled beforehand, since which they had been barely making ends meet by petty theft.

Even more valuable, they also revealed the whereabouts of several other people who had sided with Fudge back then—

Bounty hunter Grisham and gangster Scarborough have joined Fudge's Death Eaters; while former Auror Darryl, after refusing to join, was cursed by Umbridge's Imperius Curse and forced to serve Voldemort.

However, behind these fragmented pieces of information, there was a vaguely unsettling undercurrent.

For some reason, the Death Eaters' activities suddenly became more frequent this month, with attacks, disappearances, and strange events occurring one after another, like the low pressure before a storm, making the entire wizarding community feel suffocated.

In southern England, an adult wizard named Octavi Pepper mysteriously disappeared from his home; shortly afterward, a nine-year-old boy was subdued while attempting to murder his grandparents. Subsequent investigations revealed that the child was clearly under the influence of the Imperius Curse.

This is precisely the most difficult part of the problem.

The Imperius Curse is becoming the Death Eaters' most terrifying weapon. As long as this curse exists, they can continuously create "new soldiers"—soldiers hidden in everyday life.

Even more fatal is that very few people are truly capable of deciphering the Imperius Curse; most wizards can't even detect the anomaly, making it virtually impossible to defend against.

As for Skylar, all of the Sleeping Dragon Society's plans continued to proceed efficiently and without interference.

At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Daphne managed the Sleeping Dragon Society with remarkable efficiency—her selection process was extremely rigorous, never compromising her principles based on birth, reputation, or short-term gains. Students who only sought refuge with the strong and did not align with the Sleeping Dragon Society's ideals were ruthlessly rejected. For instance, Zacharias Smith, a coward who bullied the weak and feared the strong, despite his illustrious background and status as Chaser on the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team, was firmly barred from joining.

These almost harsh standards, ironically, solidified the foundation of the Sleeping Dragon Society.

Existing members realized that this organization was not a safe haven for everyone, but a path that required paying a price; while the very few new members this year cherished their hard-won membership even more. The scarcity of membership quickly transformed into a strong sense of belonging and spontaneous loyalty— the Sleeping Dragon Society was no longer just a student group, but a recognized symbol of honor.

After two years of training, Luna's Dragon Wing Team began to prove its worth.

The simulated battle that took place in the Suitcase Space was considered a high-intensity live-fire exercise. Under the joint direction of Daphne and Sarf, the battle environment was deliberately designed to be complex and chaotic, with limited visibility, terrain, and perception.

Instead of a direct confrontation, the Dragon Wing Team used a vast array of magical plants with diverse attributes as their main focus, supplemented by a small number of exquisitely shaped Fantastic Beasts with special abilities, to construct a tactical system that advanced layer by layer and constantly disrupted the enemy's judgment.

The growth, spread, and trapping of plants were intertwined, while animals were responsible for relaying information, creating illusions, and cutting off escape routes. Under multiple interferences, the Dragon Head Group's defenses were gradually torn apart, and ultimately, unable to mount an effective counterattack, the Dragon Wing Team seized the target flag symbolizing victory.

In Daphne's concise report, the Dragon Wing Team perfectly exemplified the essence of "surprise attack" with its precise timing and high level of coordination. It clearly demonstrated that the Dragon Wing Team is capable of being deployed as a "surprise force" on the real battlefield, and can change the course of the battle at key moments.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Tail team, coordinated by Astoria, has completed full preparations. A large quantity of first aid and recovery Potions have been categorized and stockpiled, covering a range of situations from minor injuries to near-death experiences.

In order to ensure that this logistical force was truly valuable on the battlefield, Skylar also arranged for Latifa to take time out every Sunday morning to go to the Mirror Chamber on the fifth floor to provide systematic guidance to the outstanding students specially selected from the Dragon Tail Group.

This specially formed medical and emergency team must master all first aid and treatment-related magic and is required to quickly assess injuries, cast spells accurately, and allocate resources effectively under high-pressure conditions. The team is led by Joanna de Winter and consists of twenty members. This ratio is approximately one to four with the number of non-medical members of the Sleeping Dragon Society, which Skylar considers more than sufficient.

Outside of Hogwarts, progress on Avalon Island is equally satisfactory.

The establishment and expansion of the Runespoor breeding farm proceeded exceptionally smoothly. The Greengrass Family dispatched professionals with extensive experience in the field of Fantastic Beasts, including many authoritative figures renowned in both academia and practice. Under their guidance, site planning, magical barriers, breeding environment, and safety measures were rapidly perfected and finalized.

Sarf was in charge of overall coordination and technical decision-making, while Gadelle, Natalie, and Kreacher assisted with daily operations. With the cooperation of all parties, the farm quickly entered a stable operating phase. For Runespoor hatchlings was good, and it was expected that production would begin around this time next year.

Just when Skylar thought that this relatively peaceful March would end like this, reality slapped him hard once again.

Author Wind of the Sleep God highly recommends: I hope you enjoy the story of <Hogwarts: The Rise of Malfoy>.