Hogwarts starts with stealing power.

After breaking the time loop.

The first thing Hermione did was to have a nice meal with her family.

She was very talkative at the dinner party, and even her parents could feel her good mood, asking her repeatedly if there was some good news.

Hermione replied, "I just feel happy being with my mom and dad. I love my current lifestyle, and I wouldn't trade it for any amount of money!"

The Grangers exchanged a smile.

After having dinner with her parents, Hermione used some roundabout methods to get to a more remote but hidden fireplace and teleport to Diagon Alley using Floo Powder.

She cannot time loop again. If she accidentally makes a huge commotion while using the fireplace in the Royal Library, causing chaos in the eyes of Muggles, and then the Ministry of Magic finds out afterward, it will cause a lot of trouble.

Hermione would rather spend time avoiding these troubles than seek momentary pleasure and get entangled in them.

Upon arriving at Diagon Alley, the first thing she smelled was the sweet aroma emanating from the ice cream shop, forcefully intruding into her nostrils.

Hermione happily bought a vanilla mint ice cream, and on the way, she passed a grocery store, exchanged some Galleons, and bought a few servings of Floo Powder.

There's still some time before school starts, so she'll probably visit Diagon Alley a few more times.

The scene was familiar, the road was familiar, but the time was not familiar.

Hermione walked up to a dilapidated little wooden house.

Although she had said goodbye to Isaac yesterday, seeing the cabin at this new juncture in time stirred up a sense of nostalgia within her.

Hermione gently knocked on the door of the cabin, again and again, slowly and patiently.

After a while, a rustling sound came from the dimly lit wooden house.

Even though there is sunshine outside, once you come to the wooden house, it seems to be shrouded in shadow.

A middle-aged wizard with a haggard face, pale complexion, and sinister, cold eyes opened the door.

His exposed skin had dark lines.

These patterns look a lot like tattoos, but if you look at them for a while, you'll find that they seem to be wriggling, as if they're alive.

Isaac stared expressionlessly at the little witch who barely reached his shoulder, and said impatiently:

"Whose child are you? Didn't your parents tell you not to come to this area? Do you want to be carried off by wolves coming down from the mountains?"

Or have you lived long enough to want to experience what it's like to be killed?

Before Hermione could speak, Isaac said in an extremely curt and cold tone, "Don't knock on my door again. I don't want to see you again!"

Just as the door was about to close, Hermione suddenly took a step forward and went into the cabin.

This action startled Isaac, who quickly took a few steps back as if avoiding a plague.

Hermione looked at him with a smile: "Hello, my name is Hermione, and I came here specifically to find you."

I need your assistance in conducting research on the topic of 'whether low-level infected individuals can resist the intrusion of the evil god's whispers by rekindling their fighting spirit.' After numerous investigations, I believe you are the most suitable candidate."

She extended her hand: "By the way, I haven't introduced myself to you yet, have I? I'm a researcher in the team that studies radiant candles."

If you cooperate with my research and provide me with some data, I might be able to develop some items that can resist the delirium of evil gods.

Isaac was shocked, and it showed on his face.

The way he looked at Hermione was as if she were a fraud.

He said impatiently, "I don't know how you started targeting me, and I don't care what you want to do or what your purpose is in contacting me."

Now, immediately, right now! Get out of my room! Otherwise, I'll let you experience the taste of death!

Isaac threatened loudly.

But at the same time, a strange feeling also arose in his heart.

This scene felt like it had happened somewhere before; he seemed to have encountered a similar situation before.

In the instant he had this feeling, many memories flashed through his mind, but he couldn't find anything and came up empty-handed.

Isaac was certain that he had never experienced such a scene before, and he didn't know where the sense of familiarity in his heart came from.

No matter how eloquent the words, they are not as effective as concrete actions.

Hermione ignored Isaac's threat. After spending several years with him, she knew that this middle-aged man was cold on the outside but soft on the inside.

She took the Radiant Candle directly from the Seamless Retractable Ring.

Isaac's expression changed instantly. "How do you have this kind of candle? It's a controlled item. Ordinary wizards can't get their hands on it, and you can't buy it on the market."

But the next second, he was so shocked that his mouth dropped open.

Hermione not only took out one Radiant Candle, but also took out dozens more from her ring, lining them up in a long row on the ground.

To convince Isaac, she lit all the dozens of glowing candles, illuminating the dilapidated cabin and instantly dispelling the chill inside.

The candlelight fell on Isaac, bringing him a long-lost warmth.

This warmth comes from the depths of one's heart, not from the physical warmth brought by sunlight.

He squinted his eyes slightly in comfort.

Isaac hadn't felt this comfortable and exhilarating in a long time!

His life changed after he was infected by the evil god's ramblings and became a low-level infected person.

His former companions gradually drifted away from him, and he dared not overuse spells anymore, for fear of accelerating the corruption of the evil god's ramblings.

As a combat-oriented Auror, Isaac always believed that his destiny was to die on the battlefield, rather than to live a life of mere survival because he had become a low-level infected.

He often wondered when this life, like that of a rat crossing the street, would finally end.

He had thought about ending his life more than once!
If it weren't for the appearance of Cold Pill and Radiant Candle, he might have long since lost all attachment to the wizarding world.

However, neither the Cold Pill nor the Radiant Candle can completely eliminate the evil god's babbling.

To avoid accelerating the infection in his body, he could only try to avoid using magic.

But being unable to use magic as a wizard was worse than being killed.

Isaac stared in shock at the glowing candles filling the room, took a few deep breaths, and a solemn expression crossed his face.

"Who exactly are you?" Hermione smiled slightly: "I've said it before, I'm just an ordinary researcher."

The reason she decided to come back to find Isaac after the loop ended was because, over the many years of time loops, Isaac had long since become her teacher.

She didn't want her teacher to give up on herself or become degenerate.

It's only a low-level infection, and Hermione is confident she can rekindle his determination to fight it.

And the research she mentioned was not fabricated.

She genuinely believed that uniting the will to fight was far more effective in resisting the invasion of the evil god's delusions than simply doing nothing and giving up.
-
Draco received replies from Ron and Harry a few days later, and that's when he learned that Lin Xia was not at Hogwarts.

The picture frames in the manor have become somewhat agitated, prompting Draco to give him a reply before he goes to school.

The old man said, “I don’t understand what you’re hesitating about. In the past, it was often the head of the Malfoy family who knelt before me, begging me to attach myself to them and provide them with information at any time.”

Grandpa took a puff of his pipe and exhaled a thick cloud of white smoke.

Draco said cautiously, "I just want to think about it carefully."

The old man in the picture frame stared sharply at him. At that moment, he seemed no longer to be an inanimate object in the picture frame, but a living person.

"You are hiding a great secret, and you don't want to tell me."

Draco felt a chill run down his spine.

The next second, the old man said, "It is precisely because your body contains a secret that I am attracted to attach myself to you and see how far you can go."

"But I am not one of those short-sighted geniuses who kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. I will not know your secret and then sell it to others."

You can sign a binding agreement with me, under which I cannot invade your privacy during certain periods without your permission.

We can also swear an oath to each other not to reveal the other's secrets to anyone else, unless that person is someone we both agree on and can trust.

Upon hearing this, Draco's eyes flashed with a thoughtful expression, and he replied cautiously:
"I will consider your proposal. Please wait a few more days and I will get back to you."

Once he was out of the frame and out of the viewer's field of vision, his brows relaxed.

The picture frame was more human-like than he had imagined.

After only a few days, the picture frame popped up on its own, telling him about the favorable terms for him.

If we wait a few more days, will the restrictions on his use of the picture frame be further reduced?

Draco was about to agree immediately upon hearing what the picture frame said.

But then he thought again that he didn't know much about spells and oaths, so he might as well delay a while and take this opportunity to look up relevant forbidden books to see if he could create an oath that he couldn't escape.

If, after the frame is there, someone else jumps out and offers suggestions that are favorable to him, Draco will naturally accept them with pleasure.
-
At the same time, Mikel had been waiting for a long time and finally saw that Professor McGonagall had prepared all the materials she needed to resist the evil god's ramblings.

On the day everything was ready, Professor McGonagall approached Mikel.

Without hesitation, Mikel entered the restricted book section that very day.

They were having lunch when Professor McGonagall arrived.

Ron and Harry watched as the professor and Mikel exchanged a few words before leaving together.

Ron said enviously, "Harry, did you hear their conversation just now? Mikel is going into the forbidden section."

I heard Lin Xia mention this place before, saying that the forbidden books there are very magical, and that opening the books can directly instill knowledge into your mind.

I originally thought only the most outstanding talents could receive such treatment, but seeing that Mikel became an excellent student, I think I might be able to try my luck too.

Since Ron and Harry became unofficial members of the Patrol last term and signed an agreement, Hogwarts has opened some secrets to them.

Previously, under the constraints of some kind of rule, whether it was Lin Xia, Draco, or Hermione, if they told Harry and Ron some secrets that were beyond their knowledge, Harry would forget them in an instant.

Or perhaps Lin Xia and the others simply couldn't reveal these secrets, so Harry and Ron couldn't hear a thing.

But once the two became unofficial members of the patrol team, these secrets were no longer kept from them.

Only then did they realize how good the treatment of outstanding students Lin Xia and others received.

Harry said, "Lin Xia is naturally gifted; she demonstrated an exceptional research mind in her very first semester."

"As for Draco, he comes from a noble family and received an elite education from childhood. He also got his wand a few years earlier than us."

"Hermione has an excellent memory and is often seen reading a book. She is called 'know-it-all' by others. These three people showed their extraordinary abilities from the very beginning."

Harry hesitated for a moment, then said, "But Mikel is different. We've witnessed him transform from an ordinary student into the outstanding one he is today. His growth is traceable, so not only you, but I also think I have a chance."

Ron said to himself, "Harry, I think we should both be more confident. Didn't you hear what Mikel said? We both know the Patronus Charm, and that's enough to defeat a lot of wizards, including adult wizards."

What we lack is combat experience. I plan to join Professor Flitwick's fighting club at the start of next semester; I want to learn fighting techniques from him!

Harry hesitated.

But his hesitation wasn't because the fighting club wasn't fun or interesting; it was because he had too many things to do!

Every weekend he was busy, going with Lin Xia and others to Hagrid's place to help, learn about the habits of all sorts of magical creatures, and clean their bodies.

In addition, he is the Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team and receives extra training from Wood every weekend.

In addition, Hermione always liked to take them to the library to read books.

Oh, by the way, Lin Xia's lab also needs their help!
Harry had never specifically calculated how busy he was, but when he did, he realized he was absolutely swamped.

Ron was just as busy as him, except he didn't participate in the Quidditch team's training.

Moreover, Quidditch training is mostly concentrated in the early morning hours, and Ron and the others only slowly wake up after he finishes training.

Although he increased his training with the team, he usually kept pace with Ron.

So, does Ron really have time to attend a fighting club?

This question stumped Ron.

"Am I usually this busy... Well, I seem to be very busy, but I look forward to the weekends when I don't have to go to class. I find all this busyness interesting."

Thinking of this, Ron said, "I wonder if we can accept Professor Flitwick's after-school tutoring. If we really can't find the time on weekends, then we can try to find some time on Monday to Friday evenings."

Harry stammered, "Ron, if we really do that, don't you think we won't have any free time at all, and we'll be much busier than other students?"

Ron sighed, "I don't want to get involved either, but believe it or not, Lin Xia and the others are even more determined than us. We're friends, after all, and I don't want to fall too far behind them." (End of Chapter)