章 56: 56: Pixies and Deterrence
"Tsk, tsk, almost no one remembers my favorite color is lilac. I mentioned it in 'Year with the Yeti'."
"Several students need to read 'Wanderings with Werewolves' more carefully. In Chapter 12, I clearly state that my ideal birthday gift is peace between all magical and non-magical people. Though, I wouldn't refuse a large bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey!"
Lockhart reviewed the quiz papers, expressing extreme disappointment that most students couldn't answer his 'simple' questions. However, he playfully winked to comfort the young wizards.
At this point, even Ron wasn't the only one struggling to keep it together; the other young wizards were close to losing it too. The entire class, except for Hermione, was visibly disinterested. When Lockhart suddenly mentioned her name, Hermione jumped in surprise.
"But Miss Hermione Granger knows my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and to market my own range of hair care potions."
Lockhart looked at the quiz paper with delight and satisfaction, recognizing that outstanding individuals stand out no matter where they are.
He cheerfully said, "One hundred points! Where is Hermione Granger?"
Hermione, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness, raised her hand. Lockhart smiled and added, "Excellent! Ten points to Gryffindor!"
This acknowledgment made Hermione tremble with excitement, as it was the first time she had earned points before John.
Immediately, Hermione glanced at John, her eyes filled with a sense of hard-won victory. John saw the challenge in her eyes and thought to himself, 'This is not good.'
Miss Know-it-all Hermione Granger was back in full force, and she saw a chance to outshine John.
Over on the other side, Lockhart, unaware that his unintentional action had restored the confidence of a heartbroken top student, placed a large cage covered with a cloth on the podium, dramatically using his body language to draw attention.
"Now, beware! My task is to teach you to defend against the most evil things known to the wizarding world! In this classroom, you will face the most terrifying creatures!"
His words carried a tone of intimidation, seemingly intended to scare the young wizards.
Perhaps thinking he might have gone too far, he shifted his tone, exuding boundless confidence, and said, "But remember, as long as I'm here, you won't be harmed. I only ask you to stay calm."
Some of the young wizards were frightened by his words, and the laughter ceased. Neville, in the front row, felt very insecure and shrank back.
"I must ask you not to scream, as that would provoke them!"
He emphasized again in a low, intimidating voice, finally creating an atmosphere of sufficient terror that made the whole class hold their breath.
With everyone watching nervously, he opened the cover...
"Pfft!"
Seamus rarely laughed out loud in class, unless he couldn't help it.
In the setting created by Lockhart, as if he had caught a bunch of Dementors, what was actually under the cover was a group of Cornish Pixies.
These pixies were a bright blue color, with small pointed faces and shrill, high-pitched voices, chattering like a bunch of noisy parakeets.
But even with their appearance, it couldn't change the fact that they were just little creatures no more than eight inches tall.
Seamus's laughter made Lockhart feel a bit embarrassed, and he said with a touch of irritation, "They can be just as cunning as devils!"
But his words only elicited more laughter, which left Lockhart somewhat annoyed, swearing to himself that he meant no harm.
Raising his voice, he declared, "Alright, let's see how you deal with them!"
He opened the cage, intending to let the students have a taste of the mischief, but the released pixies immediately caused chaos.
They zoomed around the classroom like tiny fireworks, yanking on the students' ears and lifting them up. Some darted out of the windows, shattering the glass and scattering shards everywhere.
Lockhart wasn't wrong; these creatures were like little demons when it came to causing havoc.
Ink splattered all over the place, and a pixie flew towards John, attempting to grab his ear. With just a stern glance from John, his intimidation took effect, and the pixie quivered in fear.
Cornish Pixies wouldn't dare to touch the whiskers of a dragon, so the frightened pixie squealed and flew away.
Lockhart frantically directed the students to gather the pixies, chanting improvised spells in an attempt to regain control.
It was completely ineffective, and poor Neville was lifted by his ears.
John frowned as he saw a pixie chasing a girl with a bottle of ink.
"Enough!"
In the midst of the chaos, John stood up.
With a cold shout, he released a wave of dragon-like intimidation that froze all the mischievous pixies in place.
Lockhart felt as if he was facing a fire-breathing dragon, and he screamed in terror, running out of the room.
The pixies, even more terrified, huddled together on the ground, trembling pitifully.
Without anger but full of authority, John ended the chaos.
He drew his wand and cast spells at the pixies trying to escape.
With a transfiguration spell, he turned a desk into a cage, trapping the pixies inside.
The class bell rang, snapping the students out of their daze. John, under the gaze of many students, walked to the door and then, with some curiosity, said, "Aren't you leaving?"
"Oh, right."
The students, finally reacting, showed varied responses. Daphne stared at John with wide eyes, and even Malfoy shut his gaping mouth.
Slytherin students cheered, seeing John as the savior of the lesson.
"Cool, that was awesome!"
Seamus in Gryffindor exclaimed excitedly, "Did you see that? John just said one word and the pixies were too scared to move."
"I felt like he was a fire-breathing dragon, it was terrifying," added Harry.
Harry had the same feeling, even though he had never seen an adult dragon before. For a moment, he felt like he was facing an adult Norwegian Ridgeback.
Ron, still shaken, was scared not only by John but also by Lockhart's terrible teaching.
"I never want to attend Lockhart's class again; it's a nightmare."
Hermione tried to defend her idol, "Maybe he just wanted to give us a practical experience, perhaps."
The more she spoke, the less confident she felt. Ron laughed angrily, "Practical experience? He ran away himself."
Harry added, "I think he was scared off by John."
Two of the trio had strong opinions against Lockhart, and Hermione began to reconsider if she had chosen the right person to idolize.
Ron even started to doubt if Lockhart had actually done any of the things he wrote about in his books.
...
"Intimidation is very effective against low-level magical creatures," John thought.
John's shout had frozen the pixies in place, which was an outstanding result.
He realized that intimidation could be used as a group Petrification Charm for dealing with minor nuisances. This kind of intimidation came naturally from his bloodline.
Using his innate strength to exert pressure, John considered it another divine skill.
The afternoon classes ended in a state of chaos.
John headed to the greenhouse for Herbology and grabbed two large buckets of dragon dung to take to the Whomping Willow.
Since Dumbledore had tasked him with taking care of the Whomping Willow until it recovered, John didn't shirk his responsibility.
Upon reaching the Whomping Willow, John didn't immediately use his wand to immobilize it. Instead, he activated his intimidation and shouted, "Stop!"
Even before he stepped into the Whomping Willow's range, it started to wildly thrash its branches as if it had been provoked.
Unable to approach, John had to use the Petrification Charm to immobilize the Whomping Willow.
"It seems my intimidation isn't enough to stop the Whomping Willow," John thought.
He realized that, given the Whomping Willow's naturally aggressive nature, his intimidation might actually have the opposite effect.
He poured the dragon dung around the base of the Whomping Willow, knowing that it was beneficial for plants.
Once he stepped out of its range, the Whomping Willow calmed down.
John nodded, satisfied that he had fulfilled his duty.
Back in his dormitory, John refined the Whomping Willow's branches into a type of alert amulet that would warn him of approaching danger.
This amulet was more sensitive than the one made from the tail of a Blast-Ended Skrewt, even detecting malicious intent.
"Now I can try to tackle it," John thought.
Remembering the trials of Gryffindor and the tasks given by System about a forest, John prepared himself thoroughly.
With his handy bag, he packed various potions, including antidotes and fire protection.
Once everything was ready, he headed to the Room of Requirement on the seventh floor.
He silently repeated "training ground" three times in his mind, and a door appeared before him.
Inside, Godric Gryffindor was waiting.
John nodded and said, "I'm ready. Start the trial."
With a wave of Gryffindor's wand, the Room of Requirement transformed instantly.
Vegetation grew, encasing the training ground, and trees sprang up from the ground.
The changes continued for a while, and when everything finally settled, John found himself in a vast forest.
It was the first time John realized that the Room of Requirement could be used in this way.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he might have thought he had been transported to the Forbidden Forest... No, a different place similar to it!
_______
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