Before long, the class bell suddenly rang.
Relief and reluctance intertwined in the children's hearts. Grindelwald's lesson successfully captivated them, but the fear of this name, this person, would always make them shiver unexpectedly.
Especially Grindelwald's sudden shifts in emotion from time to time.
That both stated that he had indeed suffered the backlash of Dark Arts.
It also made these youngsters wonder if he would suddenly strike and kill them the next second.
They wanted to listen to the lecture, but they were scared!
The Little Wizards streamed out of the classroom. Whatever the case, they needed to get some fresh air first.
"How was it?" some students who didn't have time to audit the class asked curiously. "Was it that old man who taught us?"
"Shhh!!" A fourth-year boy suddenly lunged over and covered his mouth.
"What old man? Do you know who that person is!" The boy whispered, "That's Grindelwald."
But very quickly, this boy's head was slapped again.
He turned around angrily, only to see his friend looking at him with a warning gaze.
"It's Mr. Green! Grindelwald is in prison, what nonsense are you saying!!"
"Oh right, it's Mr. Green," he quickly reacted.
Of course, some people didn't care at all.
While quickly walking away with his friends, he muttered, "Hogwarts is really crazy now, they'll do anything. I must write to my mom and report Hogwarts to the Ministry of Magic, I must!"
"Don't be silly, he can't possibly really be Grindelwald," someone next to him said with a laugh.
"Even if he is Grindelwald, so what? He's just a remnant of a bygone era. Are his words the truth? Did you notice his eyes in class? Like he was looking at some murderer."
"Looking at you? Wait, you didn't try..."
"Shhh!" The person motioned with his eyes for him not to say it. "Just know it."
"Anyway, I didn't feel any backlash. As for that so-called soul, he just used an image magic trick. Surely no one is foolish enough to believe it.
He talks big about backlash and erosion. If it's really like that, isn't it just that he's incompetent?"
Inside the classroom, Howl helplessly looked at Grindelwald and repeated what Professor Flitwick had said to comfort him earlier.
"Education has a lagging effect; you can never guarantee that everyone will be willing to believe your words.
Don't overthink it."
Grindelwald chuckled.
"You wouldn't think I'm a teacher who genuinely cares about students, would you? What concern is their future life or death to me?
Rather, it's you. You had me set an example, but it didn't yield much effect. You're the one who'll be disappointed, aren't you?"
"Heh heh, there was some effect, it's just that... yes, it's unrealistic to expect everyone to take advice," Howl shook his head helplessly, only sighing.
"New teachers are all like this," Grindelwald was very satisfied with Howl's current demeanor, a smirk on his lips as he spoke in a lecturing tone. "New teachers always shoulder the responsibility called [Teacher], and only after repeated failures can they understand that others have their own paths, and even if you are a [Perfect Teacher], you absolutely cannot change that.
Didn't Dumbledore try to change Riddle back then, hoping he would come to this place where his kind gathered, gain friendship, gain love? Did it work? Heh heh!"
"It doesn't matter," Howl shook his head, not dwelling on it. "Just do your best."
Soon, the new class bell rang again.
At the same time—outside the classroom.
Harry politely declined Hermione's invitation to go to the library and went outside the Castle alone.
Even now, Professor Grindelwald's warning still echoed in his ears.
Previously, he had never questioned himself.
One should stand tall for the achievements one has personally earned.
But it seemed that, unconsciously, had he become a bit too arrogant...?
The line between pride and arrogance was too blurry.
Constantly lingering in a comfortable environment, his own perception seemed to have developed some not-so-objective biases.
What he had just said: "I still have some self-awareness."
It sounded good.
But now, no matter how he thought about it...
He felt there was a kind of self-important foolishness in it.
Thinking this, he felt even more lost, idly picking up pebbles and throwing them into the Black Lake, quietly watching the ripples spread.
"Harry Potter?" A clear, pleasant voice sounded behind him.
Harry turned his head and saw several girls standing behind him, smiling. The one who spoke was a black-haired girl; the two beside her were just smiling.
"Hello," Harry nodded.
"Hello, why are you here? Aren't you attending Mr. Green's next class?" The girl asked curiously, then realized, "Oh, right. My name is Cho Chang. The Ravenclaw Seeker, I don't know if you recognize me."
"I think I've seen you on the Quidditch pitch. Sorry, you know, my eyesight isn't great," Harry smiled, shook the girl's hand, and then quickly released it. "It's nice to meet you.
As for this class... well, I just have a few small questions to think about. That soul materialization spell is amazing, isn't it?"
Besides his inner questions, Harry was also wondering if there was any shadow or trace of Lord Voldemort in his soul.
If that were truly the case, how should he deal with it?
Of course, he was just curious and had added this technique to his future learning list.
After all, Uncle Howl hadn't taught him yet, so there must be a reason for it.
"It certainly is amazing," Cho Chang nodded. "We're out for a walk, probably for similar reasons as you. There are many questions, and we just need to get some fresh air. Mr. Green's class is still a bit oppressive."
"Yes," Harry agreed, nodding.
"Harry," Draco's voice suddenly rang out as he came jogging over. "How did you just run off here?"
"Oh, it looks like your friend is here, so we'll go now," Cho Chang nodded, chuckling softly.
"Okay, goodbye," Harry nodded slightly, then looked at Draco. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Draco said.
Once Cho Chang was out of earshot, a smirk appeared on his pale face. "That girl is really pretty, quite exotic."
Harry looked at Draco helplessly. "You'd better think about your situation with Miss Farley. Besides, I was just chatting with her, don't make unwarranted assumptions."
"Damn it," Draco pouted dismissively. "What do you mean assumptions? What if?"
"No 'what ifs,' and I'm not interested," Harry turned and walked towards Hagrid's hut.
"Then who are you interested in?" Draco persisted.
Harry didn't want to answer, "Shut up!"
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