Flames exploded violently across the battlefield.
Everyone outside the barrier stared nervously toward the burning inferno.
Gradually, the fire began to fade.
Three black-robed corpses lay motionless on the ground.
Hermione's eyes instantly widened.
"We're close!"
Then suddenly her expression changed violently.
"No! Charlie, defensive spell now!"
But this time—
Charlie hesitated for a fraction of a second.
That tiny delay proved fatal.
Two curses instantly shot from different directions and slammed directly into Charlie and Hermione.
The battle ended immediately.
Less than a minute later, the team was ejected from the barrier once again.
Charlie scratched his head awkwardly.
"Sorry, Hermione." His face looked guilty. "That loss was my fault. I reacted too slowly."
After all, this had been the closest they'd ever come to victory.
But surprisingly, Hermione merely shook her head calmly.
"It's alright."
Her eyes remained completely focused.
"We still need more coordination." Then she looked seriously toward everyone. "From now on, everybody must follow commands immediately."
"No hesitation."
The atmosphere around the team subtly changed.
After repeatedly experiencing life-and-death combat together, Hermione's relationship with Charlie and the others had improved at terrifying speed.
At this point, Hermione no longer looked nervous around Slytherins at all.
Charlie himself suddenly stepped forward and spoke seriously:
"We're comrades now."
The surrounding students instantly quieted.
"We've already faced death together." Charlie's voice became firm. "So from now on, trust your teammates completely."
Then he glanced toward Hermione.
"And trust our commander."
The next second, the surrounding students burst into applause.
"Well done, Hermione!"
"You're amazing!"
Hermione's cheeks instantly turned red.
Almost unconsciously, she looked toward Sean nearby.
Sean simply nodded calmly toward her.
Approval.
Just that alone made Hermione feel strangely happy.
Meanwhile, Sean himself sat quietly beneath a dead tree while absentmindedly manipulating something with his wand.
His thoughts moved rapidly.
"With Hermione leading them," he thought quietly, "Slytherin should produce plenty of excellent commanders soon."
Then he glanced toward the battlefield again.
"And at this rate… some of them should clear the first level within a week."
At that point—
They could finally begin fighting griffins.
Because Sean had already realised a terrifying truth.
The second level was never designed for solo players.
No individual wizard at their current level could kill a griffin alone.
Driving it away was possible.
Surviving was possible.
But actually killing it?
Impossible.
Unless someone possessed overwhelming strength on Dumbledore's level, solo-clearing the second level simply couldn't happen.
Crack.
A brittle sound suddenly interrupted Sean's thoughts.
He looked down.
The skull he'd been absentmindedly rotating in his hand now had a shattered jawbone.
Sean casually tossed it aside.
"Again."
.....
Four hours passed quickly.
Sean finally dismissed the training room and looked toward the exhausted Slytherins.
"Everyone should rest early tonight."
Unexpectedly, the little snakes still looked energised.
"It's alright, Boss!"
"We can still help the younger students train!"
Sean smiled helplessly.
"Don't forget to clean the dormitories and feed your mice."
Charlie scratched his head awkwardly.
"But Boss… house-elves already handle cleaning."
Sean suddenly paused.
Then he chuckled softly.
Interesting.
The Slytherins themselves had unconsciously started taking responsibility for things they previously considered beneath them.
The changes truly were becoming obvious now.
At this rate, the entire house might completely overturn Hogwarts' impression of Slytherin sooner than expected.
"Come on, Hermione." Sean glanced outside. "It's getting late. I'll walk you back."
Hermione immediately followed him out happily.
The two quietly walked through the dim castle corridors together.
After hesitating for a long time, Hermione suddenly asked softly:
"Sean… does your spell affect time?"
Sean's footsteps instantly stiffened slightly.
He answered almost immediately:
"That's impossible."
Then he calmly shook his head.
"You're imagining things."
Hermione studied his expression carefully.
But eventually she simply nodded without pressing further.
"Alright."
Then she happily skipped several steps ahead.
Suddenly—
"Meow."
A cat with eerie blood-red eyes appeared ahead in the corridor.
Immediately afterward, Filch emerged slowly from the darkness carrying a lantern.
His yellow teeth looked especially frightening beneath the flickering light.
"Well now…" Filch sneered unpleasantly. "A first-year boy and girl wandering the corridors late at night?"
Sean frowned slightly.
"I'm escorting her back, Filch." His voice became indifferent. "You can leave."
Filch stared at Sean silently for several moments.
Finally, he spoke hoarsely:
"I'll be watching carefully, Mr Sebastian."
Then he slowly turned away.
But as he walked, he muttered darkly under his breath:
"Muggle-borns… filthy Mudbloods…"
Hermione instantly froze.
Her eyes immediately reddened.
Sean's expression also darkened slightly.
But he quickly spoke calmly:
"Hermione, ignore him."
His tone softened slightly.
"He's just a bitter Squib."
Then Sean lightly patted her shoulder.
"Come on. You're commanding tomorrow."
Only then did Hermione's mood improve slightly.
Sean personally escorted her all the way back toward Gryffindor Tower.
But after Hermione disappeared inside—
Sean's face completely darkened.
Filch's words had genuinely touched a nerve.
"Mudblood."
That insult carried enormous hatred within wizarding society.
Goyle had used similar language before, but Sean hadn't cared much at the time.
Because Goyle was an idiot child who barely understood what he was saying.
But Filch was different.
Filch understood perfectly.
And for the first time since arriving in this world—
Sean genuinely felt murderous intent toward someone.
Of course, the feeling vanished quickly afterward.
Sean wasn't stupid enough to ruin his own future over a worthless Squib.
Filch's life simply wasn't valuable enough.
.....
Meanwhile, inside Gryffindor Tower, Hermione slowly opened her palm.
A silver pocket watch rested quietly there.
It was something Sean had secretly slipped into her hand earlier.
Hermione carefully compared the pocket watch time against the Gryffindor common room clock.
Then her eyes slowly widened.
The watch was exactly two hours ahead.
.....
The following morning, Sean had barely exited the dormitory before he saw Hermione already waiting outside.
The moment she spotted him, she immediately looked deeply aggrieved.
"Sean!"
Only then did Sean finally notice—
Hermione's hair had exploded too.
Originally, her hair was already naturally fluffy.
Now, after receiving the training room punishment, it resembled a magical puffball struck by lightning.
Sean stared blankly for one second.
Then—
"Pfft."
.....
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