Although Leon looked happy, Hermione assumed he was merely putting on a brave face; she felt that he seemed to be isolated.
Then, she thought of the suggestion the Weasley brothers had made just moments ago.
“Why don’t you go see Professor McGonagall?
Maybe you really could transfer houses?” “Are you worried about me being isolated?” Hearing this and observing Hermione’s expression, Leon immediately realized she had misunderstood the situation and explained.
“I requested a single room myself.
The Slytherin prefects are actually quite nice, and I’ve been getting along really well over there.” “Oh.” Seeing that Leon’s expression didn’t seem feigned, Hermione realized she had overthought it and lowered her head in slight embarrassment, eating her meal in silence.
Leon saw this and found it difficult to continue chatting with her, so he also finished his breakfast quietly.
Unbeknownst to them, this interaction with Hermione had been observed by Professor Snape, who was standing in the corner of the Great Hall, having just walked out of the dungeons.
Snape didn’t know why he was hiding there, watching Leon and Hermione from afar, nor did he understand why he didn’t feel angry seeing this Slytherin first-year eating with those foolish and reckless Gryffindors instead of at his own house table.
He simply stared silently at Leon and Hermione’s backs, his gaze losing focus before he realized it.
“Professor Snape, good morning.
What are you doing here?” After some time, a Slytherin student emerging from the dungeons saw his teacher standing in the shadows of the corner, lost in thought, and asked instinctively.
Startled by the voice, Snape’s expression darkened, and he turned a cold, icy gaze toward the “little snake” who had interrupted his reminiscence.
“I am contemplating how to get you through your O.W.L.
Potions examination, Mr.
Quain.
You should know how abysmal your Potions grades are.
Even if you tied up a troll, I suspect it would make fewer mistakes during the brewing process than you do.” Listening to Snape’s cold, emotionless mockery, the student turned pale and lowered his head, not daring to meet Snape’s eyes, because he knew the professor was telling the truth.
“If you still wish to inherit your family’s potion shop in Knockturn Alley, you had better achieve an ‘Outstanding’ in your exam.
If you were willing to dedicate the time you spend on Quidditch to reading your Potions textbooks, I don’t think you would disappoint me so much.” After saying this, Snape walked away.
He didn’t even want breakfast anymore.
He only wanted to go to the Potions classroom and wait for his lessons to begin, because in that class, there were fifth-year Gryffindors waiting for his “guidance”!
On the other side, after finishing his meal, Leon invited an embarrassed Hermione and Neville to go find the Charms classroom located on the fourth floor.
The journey was, to say the least, full of obstacles.
The staircases of Hogwarts were like hyperactive Huskies, shifting wantonly between floors.
Originally, the three of them found a staircase leading directly to the fourth floor, but halfway up, it inexplicably turned toward the sixth, forcing them to wait on the sixth floor for a staircase that could take them down.
Even though the entrance to the fourth-floor corridor was clearly visible to the naked eye, it still took them nearly twenty minutes to reach it.
“Don’t these stairs ever just stay put?
What is the point of them moving around?” Hermione, who had finally reached the door to the Charms classroom, couldn’t help but voice her resentment.
“Because they’ve had magic cast on them?” Neville whispered.
“But why would anyone cast such an annoying spell?” Hermione countered.
“Because it’s one of Hogwarts’ defensive measures,” Leon explained at this moment.
“Students like us who attend Hogwarts year-round only need to experience it for a while to become familiar with the movement patterns of these stairs and quickly find the most suitable route.
But wizards from the outside don’t know this, and that’s when these stairs can fulfill their purpose: trapping any intruders with ill intent.” “A brilliant answer!
Pity I’m not the History of Magic professor, otherwise, Mr.
John, you would have earned at least five points for your house for that statement alone!” Just as Hermione was about to ask something else, a sharp voice reached their ears.
Fortunately, the three of them were still young and hadn’t hit their full growth spurts, so they didn’t need to look down to find the source of the voice.
It was none other than the Charms professor and Head of Ravenclaw—Professor Flitwick.
“I’ve just read about it in related literature,” Leon replied modestly.
“A thirst for learning is a wonderful spirit, and reading increases our knowledge.
Keep up that habit, my boy.” The smile on Professor Flitwick’s face grew even wider upon hearing this.
If he were tall enough, he would have patted Leon on the shoulder to encourage him.
“Right, let’s head in.
You are the first first-years to reach the classroom.
As a reward, I can tell you a bit about what Charms are before we start.” Under Professor Flitwick’s urging, the three entered the classroom.
Professor Flitwick was true to his word and really gave the three of them some “special tutoring,” explaining some tips and key points about Charms in simple, easy-to-understand terms.
It wasn’t until other first-years arrived one after another that Professor Flitwick finished his private lesson, clearly still enjoying it, and made his way to his podium.
The podium was ordinary, but the difference was that the chair behind it was padded with a tower of stacked books, and Professor Flitwick stood on this pile because only then could he have a sufficient view of the entire classroom.
It was an interesting sight, but Leon had no urge to laugh because he was still savoring the knowledge Professor Flitwick had shared.
Leon, who had already experimented with magic, had learned spells according to his mother’s notes.
While he had mastered a few, he had basically been “copying the gourd by the scoop,” learning through sheer trial and error.
This guidance from Professor Flitwick had cleared up the points that had been confusing Leon, giving him a clear understanding of the application and precautions of magic.
At the same time, he felt fortunate that his process of learning magic had been so peaceful; it was pure luck that no accidents had occurred.
According to Professor Flitwick’s explanation, if a mistake or accident occurred during the casting of a spell, the chain reaction could cause a wizard to lose their ability to cast spells entirely, becoming a Squib.
It had to be said that the professors at Hogwarts truly possessed real talent.
Aside from the annual turnover of Defense Against the Dark Arts professors whose skill levels were uneven, there wasn’t a single slacker in any other subject.
At this moment, Leon truly wanted to find the Sorting Hat and wash it again—only this time, not with a spell, but with murky, mud-filled water.
If it weren’t for the interference of that ragged hat, he would have gone to Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw.
As a student of those houses, it would have been easy to build a rapport with Professor Flitwick or Professor Sprout, and subsequently study Charms and Herbology more deeply and systematically.