Chapter 59: 59: Changing Neville and the Crazy Girl
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"I hope you will cherish this place and become an excellent and kind wizard."
"Lions are strong, but they need companions. You are powerful, but I hope you will help more people."
Gryffindor's body began to disintegrate into wood shavings. Seeing this, John snapped out of his thoughts and asked, "Are you leaving?"
"Child, I am already dead. This is merely a fragment of my soul left behind."
As the wood shavings fell away, they revealed a kind face with a red beard. Gryffindor looked at John kindly and said, "I see the future of the magical world in you. You possess great talent."
"Thank you, Headmaster Gryffindor."
John sincerely thanked him. Although their time together was short, Gryffindor's strength and broad-mindedness were truly admirable.
As the wood shavings were about to completely dissipate, Gryffindor, now reduced to just a mouth, seemed to remember something.
He began cursing, "That wretched hat must have malfunctioned to sort you into Slytherin!"
Well, if Gryffindor hadn't died early, he might have considered throwing the Sorting Hat into water to wash it and see if its brain was clogged with dust.
John awkwardly scratched his nose. He didn't know what the Sorting Hat was thinking, but since he was already in Slytherin, he didn't have much of an issue with it.
Gryffindor disappeared, and the training ground transformed into a cozy room.
He picked up a book that detailed Gryffindor's forging techniques.
This was very helpful to John, and he also found a book that looked like a manual.
It was Gryffindor's Magical Combat Swordsmanship.
Looking at the book, John realized how lucky he had been to win.
If Gryffindor had been given a sword, John would have lost so badly that he'd have to call him "dad."
Tucking the book into his pocket, John thought he could learn a thing or two from it.
...
Great Hall.
John, feeling sleep-deprived, shoved a piece of bread into his mouth. After dealing with the three trials, it was already late at night.
On his way back, he had even ran into his house head catching students out of bed, but fortunately, he managed to avoid being caught by using the Disillusionment Charm.
"Neville, you might want to fight back a little."
Seeing Neville's cheeks swollen like two dumplings, John said while biting the bread.
"Thank you, John. I want to, but I'm too weak."
It was obvious that Malfoy was responsible. John found it hard to correct Malfoy's behavior in a short time.
He looked at Neville, his voice tinged with a hint of temptation.
"Neville, do you want to become strong?"
"Become strong?"
"Yes! Strong enough so that no one can ever bully you."
John's expression was serious and sincere, and Neville could tell he meant it.
Thinking about being bullied by Malfoy and his parents' situation, Neville met John's gaze and hesitantly asked, "What should I do?"
"Meet me by the Whomping Willow after class this afternoon."
John glanced at the time, realizing class was about to start. He quickly finished his bread and stood up.
As he passed by Neville, John patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Neville, you are definitely not a nobody. You just haven't discovered your own strength yet."
Neville stared blankly at John's departing figure. During class, Neville kept thinking about John's words, causing him to be distracted, which Professor Flitwick noticed.
...
Afternoon.
John left the classroom after the Transfiguration lesson, where he had successfully transformed a beetle into a delicate button.
For someone with Level 3 Transfiguration skills, this task was incredibly easy.
Gryffindor's legacy had given him three free points. After using them on Transfiguration, he still had two left.
Although he wanted to level up Transfiguration immediately, it was clear that he couldn't upgrade further at the moment.
So, he decided to keep the remaining points for now.
On his way to the Whomping Willow, he ran into Daphne.
"John, are you going to join the Quidditch team?"
Daphne walked beside him, and her friend Pansy had tactfully left them alone.
John was taken aback by her question, and Daphne continued mysteriously, "Draco's father donated a batch of new brooms to the Quidditch team. You flew really well in your first year, so maybe you should give it a try."
"Quidditch, huh? I'm interested, but I don't have enough time for additional activities."
John couldn't help but shake his head at the thought of Malfoy using donations to secure a spot. It was a sign of a lack of confidence.
The Slytherin Quidditch team had a vacancy for the Seeker position. Even without the donations, Malfoy could have earned the spot with his flying skills.
At its core, it was all about money. Perhaps securing a position this way would allow Malfoy to quickly become a central figure.
When Daphne realized John wasn't interested in Quidditch, she changed the topic to the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Initially, she thought he would be a powerful wizard, but after yesterday's class, she had seen through Lockhart's facade.
"I told my mom, and she didn't believe me. It's so frustrating," Daphne complained to John, who nodded in agreement. Then, she suddenly suggested, "The wayv you said 'enough' and the cornish pixies started trembling! I think it would be better if you taught the class, John. At least we wouldn't be pulled by some pixies."
John just smiled at her comment. No matter how bad things got, the school would never let a student teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. He took her words as just venting and didn't think much of it.
After parting ways with Daphne on the first floor, John headed to the Whomping Willow.
When he reached the Whomping Willow, he didn't see Neville yet, but he did spot a little girl.
The girl was near the Whomping Willow, seemingly searching for something. John called out, "I think you should step back. The Whomping Willow will knock you away."
The girl stopped and turned around, her voice ethereal as she said, "I'm looking for a Crumple-Horned Snorkack. It's a shy creature."
John paused and looked at the girl, unable to hide his puzzled expression at her strange attire.
She was wearing a Ravenclaw robe, a necklace made of Butterbeer corks, and had odd decorations on her ears.
John didn't mention the strange creature she was looking for. Instead, he approached and said, "Crumple-Horned Snorkack? I haven't seen any around here. My name is John Wick. Nice to meet you."
"Hello, John Wick. I'm Luna Lovegood."
They shook hands, marking their introduction.
John studied Luna. She had waist-length, dirty blonde hair, and a pair of dreamy, protruding gray eyes with faint eyebrows. Combined with her outfit, she exuded an eccentric aura.
"You're a new Ravenclaw student?"
"Yes, I am. I know you, John from Slytherin."
Luna's ethereal voice sounded almost like she was singing. John shrugged at her remark, saying, "I hope that's a good thing."
Apart from her unusual attire, John found Luna to be quite pleasant to talk to.
Pouring dragon dung on the Whomping Willow, John managed to extend the time it remained still. He cut some branches and leaves from it, and as he moved below, he discovered a passage.
"What's this for?" Luna asked, leaning in curiously.
Luna didn't seem to doubt John's ability to keep the Whomping Willow subdued for long.
John, who knew the secret from the Marauder's Map, replied casually, "Maybe it leads to some haunted house."
This passage led to the Shrieking Shack, and John felt a strong urge to explore it. However, remembering his appointment with Neville, he decided to wait.
After a while, he saw Neville running up, slightly out of breath.
"Sorry, John, I only remembered after I got back to the dormitory," Neville said, leaning over with his hands on his knees, panting. He noticed the girl standing next to John and immediately looked a bit nervous.
John introduced them, "This is Luna Lovegood, a first-year Ravenclaw."
"Hello," Luna greeted.
Neville's face turned red, whether from running or shyness. "H-hello, I'm Neville Longbottom."
After introducing Neville to Luna, John turned his attention to the passage beneath the Whomping Willow. With a friendly smile, he said to Neville, "So, let's start our first training session."
"Training?" Neville asked, puzzled.
"Yes, to make you stronger."
John led the way, with Neville following and Luna tagging along out of curiosity. They reached the dark tunnel entrance beneath the tree, and Neville looked apprehensive.
John patted his shoulder reassuringly, "Relax, there won't be any ghosts. Well, unless Peeves decided to make this his new home."
Mentioning Peeves made Neville even more uneasy. Despite his reluctance, John encouraged Neville to go ahead, while he stayed close behind.
Luna followed them in, curious about everything. The passage was dark, and Neville was clearly frightened. John noticed that Neville had forgotten to use the lighting charm, so he reminded him.
After a few nervous attempts, Neville finally managed to cast the charm. After the light, he didn't seem so scared.
________
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