Professor Holmes's First Patrol

Wednesday soon arrived.

The whole atmosphere at school had been unusual over the past two days.

The tension that should have belonged to the fifth- and seventh-years.

Under the pressure of Douglas's courses, which broke with Hogwarts tradition.

The Ravenclaw students felt that Gryffindor and Slytherin were threatening their house's position as the academic powerhouse.

The clearest sign came at mealtimes, when some Gryffindor and Slytherin students could always be found in the dining hall, holding textbooks and reciting loudly.

And after every sentence, the two sides exchanged hostile looks.

It was as though, once they finished reciting the sentences describing Boggarts, Inferi, and vampires, those creatures would be summoned to attack the other side.

The Ravenclaw students sat at the table between them.

While reciting from the textbooks in their hands, they quietly asked the people beside them how far they had memorized.

When some Gryffindor or Slytherin students recited something incorrectly, the Ravenclaws even kindly corrected them.

This made the glaring students from both houses freeze in embarrassment, glance at their textbooks, and continue reciting with undiminished hostility.

The Hufflepuff students drank pumpkin juice, watched the show, and read the textbooks in their hands all at once.

They split their attention three ways, and by the time they finished eating, they had remembered nothing.

Fortunately, this situation in the dining hall was confined to the lower years.

Meanwhile, the fourth- and fifth-years who had yet to attend Douglas's classes held copies of the test questions that had circulated from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.

They quietly memorized the answers on them.

Those who had already taken the tests snickered as they watched the students painstakingly memorizing the answers.

Whatever the relationship between the four houses.

They certainly would not tell the other houses that Douglas set different questions for every year and every house.

When those students went to answer the questions full of confidence, they would discover that not a single answer they had memorized matched.

As for the unusual atmosphere of study that had emerged at school.

The heads of house did not interfere much. After all, academic competition was better than drawing wands and dueling.

They even wondered whether their own subjects could be studied this way.

After all, memorizing foundational knowledge really was important.

Douglas had not been idle over those two days either.

The seventh-years, who were not originally scheduled to have Defense Against Dark Magic until Friday.

Were summoned by him ahead of time.

He assigned them to extensively modify several empty classrooms according to his requirements.

All the modifications were kept secret from students below seventh year.

During this time, Professor McGonagall even came to inspect things once.

After confirming that everything Douglas had arranged was within controllable limits, she left him to it.

After finishing his classes on Wednesday evening.

Douglas took the gifts he had prepared.

And arrived at Filch's office, behind the marble staircase in the entrance hall.

As soon as he entered, he smelled damp and decay.

Argus Filch was the caretaker of Hogwarts.

In just about everyone's eyes, he was an ill-tempered, unpleasant man.

Yet as the castle's caretaker, he was extremely conscientious.

He also kept a cat named Mrs. Norris, who was practically his entire emotional support.

As someone who also loved fussing over cats, Douglas could be called the only student Filch had treated tolerantly during his time at school.

Of course, all of this was the result of Douglas's careful efforts.

As a young man from the modern world who had been through life's harsh lessons.

He knew very well that, in many places, getting along with people at the bottom often produced extraordinary results.

So, during his school days, while everyone else took the initiative to avoid Mrs. Norris's patrols.

He deliberately sought her out, drawing on his experience raising cats in the Muggle world and the advantages offered by the Hogwarts Kitchens.

Step by step, he became the only student at Hogwarts who received special treatment during detention with Filch.

Even when he got lost in the castle, he could secure Mrs. Norris's friendly assistance for the price of a small dried fish.

After letting Douglas in, Filch gave a cold snort and said nothing.

Douglas showed no embarrassment either and opened the gift in his hands straightaway.

It was a jar of catnip paste he had mixed himself.

He held it up to Mrs. Norris's mouth as she sat in Filch's arms.

"Oh, Mrs. Norris, it's been years. Do you still recognize me?"

Mrs. Norris sniffed it, then immediately stuck out her tongue and began licking with relish.

At this sight, Filch could hardly keep scowling:

"I thought the illustrious Mr. Holmes had forgotten a humble caretaker like me."

Douglas lifted Mrs. Norris straight out of Filch's arms and explained apologetically:

"How could I forget? It's just that I've been rather busy these past two days since coming to Hogwarts.

I had these gifts ready back when I was still in the Muggle world."

Hearing this, Filch's face showed a hint of a smile.

It was just that a smile on his face always looked somewhat unsettling.

"Professor McGonagall has already given me instructions. Since today is Professor Holmes's first day on patrol duty at school.

She asked me to show Professor Holmes around the patrol area first.

And point out a few little brats to watch out for."

It took two hours.

For Douglas to complete a round of the castle's patrol route amid Filch's rambling.

Filch also told him about several secret passages in the castle.

Then Filch took his cat and went off to patrol his own route.

Watching Filch leave, Douglas smiled helplessly.

In fact, Douglas already knew everything Filch had told him.

As a transmigrator with foreknowledge, how could he possibly not have his eye on the famous Marauder's Map?

As early as his second year, he had obtained the Marauder's Map from Filch's office.

It was only when he graduated that he quietly returned it.

He had to admit that the Marauder's Map was an incredibly impressive magical item.

It was not until his sixth year, when he was nearing graduation, that he figured out some of the principles behind the Marauder's Map.

Then he took the opportunity to remove his own presence from the Marauder's Map.

That had been far from easy.

After ten that night.

George Weasley and Fred Weasley.

Avoided Percy, who was busy studying to outdo everyone else.

Carrying the collective will of every fourth-year Gryffindor.

They slipped quietly past the Fat Lady.

And carefully made their way to a corner on the Seventh Floor, far from the Headmaster's Office.

George took a sheet of parchment from inside his robes and said with relief:

"I nearly showed this map back there."

Fred murmured with his wand, "Lumos!"

Then he said:

"Ugh, it's all Professor Holmes's fault. He nearly ruined our nighttime adventure!"

George pointed his wand at the parchment and recited, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!"

As soon as George Weasley finished speaking, ink lines began spreading across the previously blank parchment, revealing a map of Hogwarts.

And the names of everyone in the castle appeared on it.

Fred and George carefully checked everyone's locations.

"Dumbledore's in the Headmaster's Office!"

"Mrs. Norris is on the second floor, and Filch's on the ground floor!"

"Peeves is in the abandoned girls' bathroom on the first floor. Oh, my goodness, Peeves is amazing. We wouldn't even dare go into the girls' bathroom!"

"Mum would kill us if she found out."