Hogwarts starts with stealing power.

Everyone was speechless.

Because they knew that what Snape said was true.

Excellent students are able to become excellent because they are smarter than their peers and are also very perceptive in certain aspects.

Once they realize that the school is secretly monitoring them, they will definitely develop negative feelings towards the school, or even distrust it.

The more talented someone is, the more freedom they should give others.

“But if we don’t keep a close eye on these outstanding students, we won’t be able to find out which one of them made a deal with the evil god. Are we just going to let them get away with it?”

Another professor said in a serious tone.

Even the more conservative professors chimed in, saying, "It's better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free!"

"We cannot afford another Dark Lord!"

"As long as we can mistakenly kill the one who helped raise a demon king, any sacrifice is worthwhile."

McGonagall frowned, realizing that the professors who had said these words were all professors who did not have teaching duties.

They don't interact with students, so they tend to be more detached from things.

But the professors responsible for teaching remained silent.

They don't want to give up on any student, especially the top students recognized in the school; these past few cohorts of outstanding students have all done exceptionally well.

"How about we draw up a list first, and keep a close eye on the outstanding students on the list?" a professor suddenly suggested.

Professor McGonagall was about to say something when a clear, melodious cry rang out.

A shimmering phoenix appeared before everyone.

Everyone recognized that this was the phoenix that Dumbledore had conjured using the Patronus Charm.

Unlike a real phoenix, it appears ethereal and light, exuding an aura of holiness.

The phoenix circled around the group of professors, hovering above their heads, and then let out another clear cry.

The next second, Dumbledore's words echoed in the minds of all the professors.

“I have other plans for this matter, so you don’t need to do anything on your own.”

If someone else had said it, the professors would have had some doubts, but since it was Dumbledore who spoke, they were relieved.

Dumbledore had already proven himself.

He noticed Tom Riddle's unusual behavior when he was still a professor at Hogwarts.

At that time, no one doubted Tom, except Dumbledore, who was very strict with him.

As a result, Tom became the Dark Lord not long after graduating.

In retrospect, Dumbledore was more perceptive than any of the professors.

With Dumbledore's intervention, the matter was put to rest, and even if McGonagall had other ideas, she decided to leave it alone.

She then said, "Although we don't need to worry about the students, the school still needs to conduct investigations. From now on, we will patrol the school every day and deal with any unusual signs as soon as possible."

"Moreover, the evil god may not actually descend upon the student. It is also possible that the student found some items related to the evil god, which triggered the evil god's aura. Although this possibility is small, it cannot be ruled out."

……

End of the meeting.

Snape strode up to McGonagall and asked her what Ron, Harry, and Neville had done during the winter break.

A look of confusion crossed McGonagall's eyes.

"What happened to them? Why are you asking about the three of them alone?"

Snape said slowly and deliberately, "This afternoon, I gave them a pop quiz in Potions class and found that these three are even more capable than they were at the end of last semester. They are truly excellent."

Minerva, although the talent for potions is not as demanding as that for transfiguration, which almost determines the level a wizard can reach from birth.

Even so, it is still very difficult to improve one's talent in potion making. It requires great patience and plenty of materials for them to practice with.

Harry always goes back to the Muggle world during holidays, so he has no chance to train. As for Ron, we've all been to the Weasleys' house, and the Weasleys can't provide Ron with the same opportunities.

Needless to say, Neville was always quiet, timid, and cowardly. His grandmother doted on him like the apple of her eye, and had practically ruined Apricot!

Snape was quite blunt in his assessment of the three students.

McGonagall was used to his speaking style and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Neville may have other plans for the winter break, but Snape, I have to remind you."

Neville is actually very intelligent; he has a great talent for herbs, and herbs and potions are inseparable. A herbalist is not necessarily an outstanding potions master, but a potions master must be proficient in herbs.

Neville clearly has an outstanding talent for both herbs and potions. With a little nurturing, he could very well become an excellent young man who is proficient in both.

Snape, you need to put your prejudices aside.

Snape did not speak.

He worked with Neville's parents, who were both exceptionally talented members of the Order of the Phoenix.

So he couldn't imagine that such an outstanding person would raise a son who was just an egg.

A flicker of disgust crossed his eyes, just like Harry Potter's.

Despite having a pair of bright green eyes, she has absolutely no talent for potion making and can only mechanically follow the steps to create the potions.

He looks nothing like his mother!

"As for Harry and Ron, their transformation may be related to the tests they participated in during the winter break. You may not know this, but Harry and Ron did not go home during the winter break. Instead, they chose to stay at school to participate in experiments."

Snape raised an eyebrow, then frowned, and said incredulously, "You mean the trivia puzzle game?"

He participated in the early development of this game, mainly writing out the key points of potion classes for each grade and distinguishing them into various important and difficult points.

He devoted the most effort to making the various knowledge points as simple and detailed as possible.

Make sure that even a fool, as long as he can read, can make a potion by following the instructions.

He was very reluctant to participate in this work; if Dumbledore hadn't personally assigned it to him, he would have wanted to quit.

After providing the content, he did not participate in the next stage of research and development, and he did not know how the knowledge-based puzzle game was progressing.

Snape didn't believe, deep down, that such games could help a wizard's studies.

His ideas are very Slytherin-like.

It is believed that a wizard's learning ability depends on talent, and a wizard with high talent will not be bad no matter how much he studies.

This little game is clearly designed for wizards with poor talent. Can a wizard with poor talent really rise to become a high-level wizard?
Snape scoffed.

Wizards with poor talent can only dabble in low- to mid-level knowledge.

Snape said expressionlessly, "I thought their potion-making talent had improved because they had some kind of adventure, but it turns out it was honed through the training in the knowledge-based puzzle games."

This kind of training relies on persistent practice to avoid mistakes when making potions. Once they reach higher grades, they quickly fall behind.

McGonagall said calmly, "Most of the level-based mini-games have been completed. If all goes well, they will be available throughout the school this semester, and even the older students will be using them."

It's pointless to say anything now; we'll let the data speak for itself once it's been widely adopted.

Evening, in Hufflepuff's common room.

Cedric pulled Linxia and Draco aside to discuss patrol times and routes.

Cedric: "The professor has other things to do. This patrol has been assigned to the prefects of each college. The student council was supposed to get involved, but since the president is not an outstanding student, he was assigned to the prefects of each college to make arrangements."

Lin Xia thought of Percy; every time she saw him, he would repeatedly rub his student council president badge with his hand.

Draco asked, "How do you want to arrange this?"

Cedric quickly replied, "I want to mentor newcomers with experienced ones."

"This year, several outstanding students have emerged from Hufflepuff. Although these outstanding students are in the fifth or sixth grade, none of them have patrolled before. You guys are more experienced, so you can guide them and help them get started as soon as possible."

Draco hesitated.

They had all agreed to form a team for patrols, but Ron was terrified of patrols.

Lin Xia immediately agreed, "Okay, no problem."

She glanced at the patrol schedule Cedric had sent and crossed out the 3 a.m. time slot.

"Don't assign anyone during this time period. I'll talk to Professor McGonagall again. Patrolling between 3 and 4 a.m. is too dangerous."

Students are often fatigued and drowsy during this time, which is also when many strange phenomena tend to occur. Students are more prone to doing bad things due to mental health issues. I suggest that professors be assigned to patrol during this period.

Cedric smiled, his handsome face radiating an indescribable freshness and vitality.

Lin Xia thought to herself, "No wonder he's Hufflepuff's undisputed heartthrob; even Draco can't compare."

"I also think that patrolling between 3 and 4 a.m. is too dangerous, so last semester this period was assigned to experienced and outstanding students."

However, with a group of outstanding students busy with graduation matters and not participating in patrols this semester, the pressure fell on the other students.

"If you don't mention it to the professor, I plan to patrol this time period myself."

Lin Xia disagreed, saying, "You'll tire yourself out too much that way."

Cedric waved his hand dismissively and said, "It's okay, I'm fine, I can adapt."

After discussing the patrol schedule, Lin Xia returned to the golden cabin.

This time, she only dared to do simple cultivation and did not dare to unleash her abilities to absorb magic power as she had in the past.

During this period, Hogwarts conducted very strict checks, monitoring energy fluctuations throughout the school.

If her magic drain is too abnormal, it will attract unnecessary attention and trouble, so it's better to keep a low profile.

Although Lin Xia didn't know why there was an aura of evil gods at the school, just because it happened that she discovered a passage to the world of evil gods hidden in her heart that very night, and that the aura of evil gods was overflowing out, she would never open that passage again at Hogwarts.

Don't be afraid of anything, just be afraid of ten thousand.

Moreover, her intuition told her that the unusual situation at school was likely caused by her.

-

Gryffindor common room.

Harry and Ron will also be participating in patrols, but the schedule hasn't been finalized yet, so they can relax a bit.

Since I didn't have any research projects on hand, I lazily hid in the lounge to play chess.

Ron couldn't help but laugh when he thought of Snape's unpredictable expression that afternoon.

Harry looked at him helplessly: "Ron, this is the sixth time you've suddenly started laughing today."

Ron was stunned: "So many? I didn't know anything about this!"

Harry repeated, "I guess you laughed because you were thinking of Snape."

Oh, by the way, the first five times you laughed, it was for this reason.

Ron couldn't suppress a smile and nodded at him: "Yes, that's the reason!"
I feel so happy every time I think of Snape's bewildered expression, haha!

He'd never guess that I, Ron! A student he constantly scolded in Potions class, would actually make a complete potion and pass the test on the very first day of the new semester!

"Harry, you should have seen the look on his face. He stared at my potion for dozens of seconds, his frost eyes practically tangible, as if they could pierce through that thin potion bottle!"
But no matter how he looked at it or smelled it, the aroma told him that this was a mature and effective potion!

Ha, he could only angrily purse his lips and leave without even looking up.

I knew he wanted to mock me, but faced with the perfect potion I created, all his sarcasm vanished.

Harry glanced at the fourth-year textbook, *Intermediate Potions (Part 2)*, lying on Ron's lap, and couldn't help but ask:

"So you want to start learning next semester's material right now so you can become a top student in Potions?"

Ron's legs trembled slightly, and he stubbornly said, "No, I just suddenly realized that I have a talent for potions and want to teach myself."

Harry: "But after you brought this book over, you only flipped through it for a few minutes and then put it down again."

Ron remained defiant: "I think the content inside is too simple; I'd rather play chess with you."

Harry blinked but didn't say anything.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, and Ron gave up, saying somewhat dejectedly, "Okay, I found reading and studying too boring, not as fun as playing knowledge puzzle games."

He felt a sense of longing: "I wonder when the knowledge-based puzzle game will complete its final testing and be officially promoted in schools. I hope I can use it this semester."

Harry: "It will be soon. The professor mentioned it when we finished the last test. It will soon be available throughout the school."

Even if we can't prepare them for everyone within a week of the start of the semester, at least there's hope for this semester.

Ron said enthusiastically, "I hope so! I can't wait to use it to learn!"

He seemed to be thinking of something and then said, "I wonder what Mikel's situation is. Luckily, it's only the beginning of the semester and the workload isn't too heavy. He's already finished all the third-year material. Otherwise, I'm really worried he won't be able to keep up."

Harry, however, seemed to have a sudden thought and said, "I remember Mikel mentioned that he wanted to study in the forbidden section, and he applied to Professor McGonagall. Perhaps the professor has some information about him?" (End of Chapter)