Chapter 390
Chapter 390
After the Opening Feast, Liam and Hermione began gathering the Gryffindor freshmen in front of them. The new young lions looked obedient, but Liam knew that in just half a semester, these little guys would become quite a handful.
After a few calls, Liam managed to gather all the freshmen together. He stood at the back of the line, watching them walk upstairs. Hermione, meanwhile, led the way, introducing them to some basic facts about the school. The freshmen, just like they had been, were filled with curiosity about everything in the castle, often asking questions about new and interesting things. It took them about ten minutes to finally lead the freshmen to the Gryffindor Common Room.
Once they discovered that Liam was the champion of last year's Triwizard Tournament, the freshmen started surrounding him with questions. It took Liam quite a while to extricate himself. By then, he noticed Harry and his roommates discussing something, with Hermione and Ginny listening with interest.
"How does it feel to be a celebrity?" Hermione teased, seeing Liam's slightly flustered expression.
"Oh, it's terrible", Liam shook his head and quickly changed the subject. "By the way, what are you guys talking about?"
"We're discussing how the Daily Prophet has completely lost it since the end of last term", Seamus said, a bit agitated. "My mother thinks it's absurd that Fudge did nothing after those ten Death Eaters escaped, and he even had the nerve to say everything was fine. Especially since recently, someone was allowed to destroy evidence right in front of the highest-ranking trial members and only got a 100 Galleon fine. She thinks Fudge has gone mad."
"You're right, mate", Ron patted Seamus on the shoulder. "And it's even crazier that the guy who murdered a witness in front of everyone is now our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."
"What? I'm going to write to my mother right now. They can't let a criminal be a professor." Seamus leaped up and rushed off to write his letter. Hermione watched him go, then turned to Liam and said, "Public opinion is on our side now, at least among the Gryffindors. No one believes the lies in the Daily Prophet that Dumbledore is a madman and Harry is a conceited brat."
"That's a lot better than before", Liam thought. "At least we're not in the same dire situation as in the novels. This is a good start."
The next morning, Liam noticed at breakfast that more people supported Professor Dumbledore than he had expected. Almost all of Gryffindor, half of Ravenclaw, and a large portion of Hufflepuff believed Dumbledore and Harry, thinking that the Ministry of Magic under Fudge's leadership was a joke. This belief was especially strong after they learned that the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Umbridge, was the one who had murdered a witness in court.
"But thinking about it now, the Dark Lord's plan has already succeeded", Hermione said, not sounding optimistic. After all, she knew that without Liam's butterfly effect, Harry and Dumbledore's situation would be much worse.
"The Dark Lord has only been back for half a year, and we're already fighting among ourselves", Hermione said bluntly. "The Sorting Hat's warning was clear: unity—"
"Listen, Hermione", Liam interrupted, pulling her to a corner of the Great Hall. "We're facing a war. Don't expect everyone to stand with us. Take the Lestranges and other Purebloods, for example. As beneficiaries of Pureblood ideology, they are fundamentally on the opposite side of us, unless we're willing to surrender and become their slaves."
Hermione’s slightly open mouth made it clear that she found the prospect of a life-or-death struggle hard to believe, but eventually her gaze grew resolute as she looked over at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall. “One side must be completely defeated, even if it means killing them or being killed. Is this what war is?”
“Yes, this is what war is,” Liam nodded slightly.
Hermione then fell into a contemplative silence. Despite her experience with killing, facing familiar faces was a different matter entirely. However, the Wizarding World was small, and Britain had only one school. Such situations were inevitable. After all, the Order of the Phoenix members who were brutally killed in the past likely knew the Death Eaters well. It was better to be prepared in advance rather than scrambling at the last moment.
This year was Liam’s O.W.L. year, which, in his understanding, was similar to the high school entrance exam from his previous life. Every professor emphasized the importance of the exams, except for Professor Binns, who wouldn’t let a death stop his class, let alone a small exam.
Take Snape, for instance. On the first day, he presented everyone with the complex Calming Draught, a challenging elixir. Fortunately, Liam managed to complete the task by the end of the class, his cauldron emitting a gentle, silver-white steam. However, the joy of success was short-lived. Snape assigned a twelve-inch essay on the properties of Moonstone and its uses in potion-making.
“At least I made an oral recording quill in advance, so my hands are free to do other things,” Liam boasted after class, trying to cheer Hermione up. It seemed to have some effect; by lunchtime, she had mostly returned to normal. Of course, Liam thought it had something to do with the times he had taken Hermione to see other worlds, breaking certain boundaries that, once crossed, could be crossed again and again.
The afternoon Arithmancy class started with two large sheets of tests. After grading them, the homework was another two large sheets. This gave Liam a strong sense of déjà vu, like he was back in his final year of high school, especially when the sheets were filled with mathematical calculations.
The last class of Monday was Defense Against the Dark Arts, which turned out to be a complete mess. Umbridge insisted that everyone greet her as a group, saying “Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge,” and only allowed them to read from their books, not to practice any spells.
What surprised Liam the most was that Umbridge genuinely believed that as long as the theory was solid, students could cast a spell successfully on their first try, even during the exam.
“This woman is so obsessed with power that she’s lost her mind,” Liam thought. He had been struggling with the Rose Madonna Fragment’s concoction, feeling like he was on the brink of madness. He had all the knowledge, yet still made mistakes in practical application. If knowledge alone could ensure success, life would be much easier.
Harry was furious but remembered Dumbledore’s instructions. He used the escaped Death Eaters as an excuse to challenge Umbridge’s claims, calling her assurances of safety a lie. As a result, he lost ten points. However, Umbridge’s methods also sparked a sense of solidarity among the entire class.
“Calm down, human.” Seeing Harry about to explode, Liam quickly made a gesture under the table to activate Life Magic. The magic worked, and Harry seemed to be doused with cold water, suddenly calming down and sitting back in his seat without a word. This was partly because no one had died the previous year, making Harry’s emotional response less intense.
“I repeat, all claims that the outside worlds are no longer safe are baseless. The Ministry of Magic guarantees that you will not encounter any danger from Dark Wizards. If you have any doubts, please come to me after class. I am always ready to help you. I am your friend. Now, please continue reading page five, ‘Basic Principles.’”
The rest of the class passed with the rustling of pages and Umbridge’s constant praise for the Ministry of Magic. After the bell rang, everyone packed up their things and left the classroom as quickly as possible, not wanting to stay a second longer.
(End of Chapter)
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