Slytherin's Ancient Magic Awakening
Since Remus Lupin became the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, the course has completely changed.
He never resorts to dry theories or intimidating teaching methods; every lesson is both solid and engaging. When faced with dangerous creatures like Boggart, Red Cap, and Kappa, he always explains how to deal with them in the safest and clearest way, allowing everyone to experience it firsthand while always protecting the students' safety. He is gentle and patient, knows how to encourage, never mocks timidity, and never tolerates perfunctory work. Even the students who were initially most afraid of this class gradually dared to pick up their wands and try.
Red Cap are short, sturdy, and malevolent creatures, resembling withered dwarves with ashen skin and a perpetually blood-stained hat atop their heads. They prefer to lurk in ancient battlefields, abandoned castles, and the deep pits or dead ends of secluded paths, specifically targeting lost, lone, or injured individuals. Red Cap are agile and quite strong, adept at ambushing with clubs and stones. Once they succeed, they soak their hats in the victim's blood to maintain their ferocity. Defeating them doesn't require particularly powerful magic; a calm demeanor and basic Banishing Charm are sufficient to frighten them away. However, if one is alone and unprepared, they are easily at a disadvantage.
Kappa, on the other hand, is a dangerous Magical Creatures that inhabits water. Resembling a monkey, it has smooth, sticky skin covered in green scales and sharp claws. Its most distinctive feature is a small, sunken pit on its head, which must be filled with water to maintain its strength. They mostly inhabit ponds, lakes, and slow-moving rivers, actively dragging creatures near the water's edge into the water to suck their blood. Kappa are incredibly strong, especially troublesome in water, but their weakness is also quite obvious—if you use a spell or trick to lure it down, causing the water in the pit on its head to drain, it will instantly lose its strength and be unable to harm anyone.
With its practical knowledge, engaging classes, and reliable and approachable professor, Lupin's Defense Against the Dark Arts became, without us even realizing it, the most anticipated and popular class among Hogwarts students.
However, this intense interest in dark Magical Creatures soon became the training target for a large group of Slytherin snakes.
Every night, many Slytherin students would sneak out of the castle in groups and head towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest or the shore of the Black Lake. They thought that with the number of Acromantula decreasing, there wouldn't be as many targets to hunt. But no one expected the surprise to come so suddenly; now the first-year students would have training partners.
Under the cover of night, faint commotions and the flashing of wands could be heard from the depths of the Forbidden Forest, and people would always tentatively approach the surface of the Black Lake, trying to lure the Kappa out of the water.
It wasn't until Professor McGonagall announced one morning that Slytherin students were no longer allowed to continue their massacres that they began to restrain themselves. However, they were still unconvinced. How could they be accused of massacring these murderous monsters? Sure enough, in times of chaos, the saintly are killed first, and they silently added Professor McGonagall's name to the list as well.
Su Yu was stunned by their actions. He turned to look at Ka-jie Ka-jie, who usually led the training. Ka-jie lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly, as if she had over-brainwashed them. She would be more careful next time.
Fa-jie also thought it was pretty good; these new Slytherin students all looked like fanatics, and seemed quite teachable.
Su Yu rolled up the notebook, gave each of the two girls a tap on the head, and then patiently explained to them that Slytherin was not a religion and that they could not continue like this. Although the two girls wanted to argue, they had to listen to Su Yu on this matter.
For Defense Against the Dark Arts, this wasn't the end of it; Neville now lives in constant fear at the school.
Back in Boggart's class, Neville's greatest fear had always been Professor Snape. Lupin gently guided him, letting him imagine Snape dressed in a ridiculous old lady outfit—a wide skirt and a comical hat—completely dispelling his fear. The whole class burst into laughter, the atmosphere incredibly relaxed, but the story eventually reached Snape's ears.
From then on, Snape's gaze toward Neville grew increasingly cold and harsh, and he found fault with him at every turn. He deliberately made things difficult for him in Potions, made sarcastic remarks when they bumped into each other in the hallway, and even the smallest, most insignificant mistake would be seized upon and severely reprimanded. Neville, who was already timid and cowardly, was now constantly on edge, afraid that he might accidentally run into Snape's gun again.
Ever since the Hippogriff incident, not a single student truly enjoyed the Care of Magical Creatures. Initially Hagrid was eager to demonstrate dangerous and novel creatures, but Malfoy deliberately provoked Buckbeak, leading to a fight. The fact that Fantastic Beasts could fight caused widespread panic throughout the school. After this incident, Hagrid completely lost confidence and dared not introduce anyone to interesting Magical Creatures again. Instead, he spent class after class tediously explaining how to care for lifeless Flobberworm. The classes were extremely dull and utterly uninteresting; students were either drowsy or full of complaints. Compared to Lupin's lively and practical Defense Against the Dark Arts, this course became everyone's most hated subject.
As October began, a strange phenomenon quietly emerged at Hogwarts —more and more students in the Slytherin Academy were awakening rare and unique abilities after learning Ancient Magic.
This ancient power, originating from the very source of magic and far surpassing conventional spells, began to manifest in Slytherin students. In classrooms, corridors, and common rooms, Slytherin students frequently experienced sudden awakenings of special abilities, causing magical fluctuations. Their eyes held a secret fervor, and they frequently exchanged their awakening experiences in private. This unusual magical trend quickly spread throughout Slytherin, making the already turbulent Slytherin even more mysterious and dangerous.
Draco Malfoy was the first to master the Ancient Rending Wind, able to conjure invisible, sharp Wind Blade with a mere wave of his hand, both elegant and highly aggressive; Theodore Nott, on the other hand, awakened the Ancient Magic Severing Touch, able to forcibly sever the flow of magic and spells in others with a simple touch, rendering all magic instantly ineffective.
Blaise Zabini possesses Mental Intimidation; a single glance can leave a target's mind blank and body stiff. Pansy Parkinson, on the other hand, can easily discern others' emotions and amplify fear and agitation through Emotion Perception and Manipulation.
Crabbe's Lava Fist is scorching and domineering, with astonishing destructive power at close range; Goyle's Petrifying Skin is as hard as iron, enough to withstand most physical and magical damage.
Meanwhile, one night, Fa-jie awakened the Ancient Temporal Stasis in Su Yu's dormitory. It could temporarily freeze attacks and spells within a small area around her, allowing her to seize the initiative. However, that night tormented Su Yu quite a bit.
Daphne Greengrass, on the other hand, possessed the Ancient Magic Mirror, which could reflect all incoming magic and attacks, turning their own methods against them.
Even Hermione Granger was blessed by the power of ancient knowledge, awakening Ancient Omniscient Analysis. She could see through magical structures, biological weaknesses, and spell loopholes at a glance. No magic could hide from her. As expected of a top student, she could now learn anything from Ka-jie and the others with even greater ease.
Amidst the Slytherin snakes who had awakened Ancient Magic abilities, Cho Chang also displayed her own unique brilliance. Her power was rooted in the primordial power of the Eastern cultivation lineage, coupled with the Power of Free Transformation bestowed upon her by Su Yu, allowing her already remarkable talent to fully erupt. Now, she no longer needed paper and pen; with a thought, her fingertips could draw runes in the air, each rune taking shape out of thin air, agile and sharp, forming a style of its own, making her exceptionally special among the crowd.
That morning, sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows of the Hogwarts Great Hall, falling on the long table covered with breakfast, and the air was filled with the aroma of toasted bread and Pumpkin Juice.
As the students were chatting and laughing in hushed tones, Professor McGonagall stepped forward, coughed lightly to signal for quiet, and then announced in a clear and solemn voice:
"Attention students, this is an official announcement that the school will be organizing a trip to Hogsmeade Village for students in Grade 3 and above at the end of October, just before Halloween. Eligible students should submit a signed consent form from their parents to their Prefect as soon as possible. Please be sure to observe school rules and return to school on time during the trip."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Great Hall erupted in an uncontrollable burst of cheers and discussions.
Amid the noise, Hermione crossed her arms, frowned, and looked aggrieved as she approached Su Yu, muttering a complaint in a low voice.
"I'm so angry with Ron," she said in a low voice, her tone full of helplessness. "It's all because of Crookshanks and Scabbers. He insists that my cat wants to eat his mice and he's been arguing with me about it all day long, refusing to listen to my explanations."
As soon as she finished speaking, the displeasure on her face was immediately replaced by anticipation; her eyes Winky, and her tone became excited:
"Seriously, going to Hogsmeade would be amazing! I've already decided where we'll go—we can start with Honeydukes, where they have tons of amazing sweets; then we can check out the new magic books at Elegance Bookstore; and if we have time, we can grab a Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. I've been wanting to go with you for ages!"
Su Yu gently pulled Hermione into his arms, patted her back, and softly comforted her:
"Don't be angry anymore. If you don't want to play with him, then don't. It'll be good for him to calm down. Wherever you go, I'll go with you. If it really doesn't work, you can ask Daphne and the others in the group chat."
Hermione nestled in his arms, most of her grievances instantly dissipating, and she softly hummed in agreement.
Hermione nestled in his warm embrace, her pent-up grievances finally overflowing. She softly recounted the whole story to Su Yu. "Professor Trelawney told Lavender that her greatest fear would come true on October 16th, and today is that day." She paused, her tone a mixture of disdain for Divination and deep resentment. "Lavender received a letter from home this morning. Her rabbit, Binky, had been killed by a fox. Lavender and Parvati went crazy, thinking Professor Trelawney's Prophecy was incredibly accurate. I simply told them that the rabbit might have died a long time ago, and that the letter only arrived today; it wasn't some kind of miraculous Prophecy. Lavender cried even harder after hearing that."
At this point, her voice grew even lower, and her eyes reddened slightly. "And then Ron was standing there loudly siding with Lavender, saying to ignore Hermione, that she never cared about other people's pets, that he didn't understand me at all, and that he always accused me without any reason."
As soon as she finished speaking, she leaned tightly against Su Yu. The pent-up frustration in her heart finally had a place to be released, and the sadness she felt from arguing with Ron and being misunderstood by her classmates gradually dissipated.
Su Yu held Hermione quietly, gently comforting her throughout. He didn't say much, but his silent companionship dispelled the grievances and sadness in Hermione's heart.
Seeing Hermione's aggrieved expression, Daphne immediately raised her hand and gently summoned Egg Beater, asking him to bring over a few more delicate magical pastries. A moment later, Egg Beater brought over the sweet pastries and gently placed them in front of Hermione, showing his thoughtfulness.
Even the sensible Kurama, who was leaning over the table, immediately pushed his favorite cheesecake to Hermione's side, giving her all his beloved food in an awkward way to cheer her up.
Harry had been sullen these past few days, his heart heavy with the disappointment of not being able to go to Hogsmeade — Professor McGonagall had made it very clear that without Uncle Vernon's signature, he couldn't participate in the event. He sighed and lamented at the dining table Tenten, radiating an indescribable sense of loss, as if the excitement of the end of October was completely irrelevant to him.
Watching from the side, Su Yu secretly thought that Harry was too stubborn and inflexible. He could have simply put on the Invisibility Cloak, blended in with the crowd, and then revealed himself once they were outside. No professor would have noticed. Why did he have to get stuck on a consent form and make such a big fuss? Now everyone knows he can't go.
The wind at the end of October carried a faint scent of pumpkin and caramel, and the path from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade was filled with the laughter and chatter of students. Hermione, Su Yu, and Daphne walked side by side through the crowd, avoiding the congested main road, and leisurely made their way deeper into the village, enjoying this rare moment of relaxation.
As soon as you step into Hogsmeade Village, the sweet aroma of candy fills the air. The windows of Honeydukes are filled with colorful magical candies, with Fizzing Whizzbees, Chocolate Frog, and Every Flavor Beans piled high, and the mint hard candies in the glass jars gleaming with a faint silver light.
Hermione was immediately drawn in and pulled the two into the shop, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the dazzling array of candies. While selecting, she told Su Yu and Daphne about the wonderful effects of different candies. In the end, she picked out a large bag of fruit-flavored gummies and also specially chose several boxes of exquisitely packaged chocolates, intending to take them back to her dormitory to enjoy slowly, and also to get some for Harry. Daphne, on the other hand, elegantly selected several types of smooth, creamy candies, her every gesture still displaying the refined grace unique to Slytherin. She even prepared small gift boxes in advance to divide the candies into smaller portions.
Anyway, with Yousu paying for the whole trip, the two women were finally able to indulge in a shopping spree that only Fa-jie and Ka-jie usually enjoy.
After leaving Honeydukes, the three strolled leisurely into the Wiseacre's Wizarding Books. The store was filled with all sorts of magical books, from ancient tomes of History of Magic to illustrated guides to novel magical artifacts, the pages exuding a faint scent of ink. Hermione went straight to the section of books on Magical Theory, squatted down in front of the shelves, and carefully browsed through them, occasionally discussing the knowledge points in the books with Su Yu in a low voice. When she encountered a book that interested her, she would carefully pick it up in her hands, her eyes full of delight.
Daphne, meanwhile, was browsing through books on magical etiquette and Potions concoctions, occasionally pausing to discuss the contents with the two. The three of them spent a long time quietly in the bookstore, without finding it boring at all.
After browsing the bookstore, the three walked along the stone path to the Three Broomsticks. However, a commotion suddenly broke out inside, prompting them to venture further in to see what was going on.