Hogwarts Wasteland: The Witch from the Borderlands

On the third day of school, the classes were much more relaxed, with only flight lessons in the morning and the afternoon time left to the students' own devices.

But the students were especially excited, particularly the children from wizarding families, who were eagerly anticipating the flying lesson.

"I attended the Trooping the Colour parade at Malfoy Castle with my dad. They were equipped with the best flying broomsticks in all of Britain—the Nuclear Ring 2000!" Malfoy was talking animatedly with another group of freshmen. After a few days of rest, he no longer looked weak. The flight lessons had only fueled his desire to show off.

"That's the fastest flying broomstick right now. It can fly stably in high-altitude radioactive dust, and it's equipped with 20 Thunder Explosion Balls. The handle has also been specially treated so that it can be broken off and used as a makeshift wand in an emergency!"

Ron curled his lip in disdain and said to the two of them, "It's not like he did it himself. I saw it with my own eyes when the wand was chosen. He was carried off the castle by his snake father and was so scared that his face turned pale."

"My dad said he won the Quidditch Cup at school and was the best Chaser back then," Harry said, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"I believe my talent is no less than my dad's. At home, I tried using a toy broom, but it was too slow. When I tried to fly in a double '8' shape, I looked like a toothless old lady!"

"You're already trying out high-difficulty goalkeeper moves?" Ron exclaimed in surprise.

"Unfortunately, with the decrease in students, the school's Quidditch matches have been forced to be canceled, and almost every house is finding it difficult to assemble its own team." Ron sighed, "Even the World Cup has been suspended for a long time, but it is said that a few places, such as Ireland, are still trying to revive the World Cup, but without the national ministries of magic, it is too difficult for wizards to unite on their own."

"In the past, the best pilots were the national team players, but now, they're probably all in the air cavalry of the various powers, right?"

"It's only like this in Europe. I heard that the Middle East prefers heavily armored flying carpet cavalry. Three wizards form a group, carrying an exaggerated number of magic bottles. They throw them down at anyone they see. They are not afraid of agile flying broom cavalry, as they have three people taking turns to cover them."

"So what? They still got thrashed and cried for their mothers by the Polish Winged Hussars, didn't they?"

Hermione couldn't get a word in edgewise during the conversation; she wasn't particularly interested in flying and just listened quietly from the sidelines.

The flight lessons were held on a small patch of grass next to the castle. Beyond that was a steep cliff surrounded by an "iron fence" planted by Professor Sprout. However, the fence served more as a warning than a practical tool, as any young wizard could easily climb over it.

The flight lessons were taught by Lady Hooch, a witch with eyes as sharp as an eagle's. Her hair had a fluorescent green tinge, and her forehead was covered with scale-like flakes, supposedly from long-term flight in radioactive clouds.

"Before we begin class, I must emphasize one thing! You are only allowed to fly around Hogwarts. You are not allowed to go far away, and you are absolutely not allowed to chase after any strange-looking flying creatures!" Madam Hooch shouted with great force, like a giant dragon in human form.

Under her command, everyone had to summon the brooms by giving orders, but Hermione's brooms weren't very obedient. This made Harry and the others proud as they finally found something the girl wasn't good at.

With a stern face, Hermione kicked the broom aside, placed the staff horizontally and levitated, then sat diagonally on the staff and flew up, swinging in the air.

However, sitting on a stick without the cushion spell is really uncomfortable; the feeling of it digging into your buttocks is like being tortured.

"Miss Granger, I must remind you that using a levitation charm to lift yourself and your wand into the air will not count towards your score," Madam Hooch retorted mercilessly.

"Also, the next point I want to make is that sitting at an angle is a major taboo for wizards flying. Only some vain witches like to show off like that in front of Muggles, or maybe you're a frail old witch who can't even straighten your legs? But when facing an enemy's spell, your inability to change direction makes you a sitting duck!"

Hermione had no choice but to jump down and try to command the broom again, but deep down she felt that flying on a cleaning tool was too foolish. If the Finger Witch flew like that, she might be expelled from the Two-Fingers' list.

To make up for her lack of flying ability, she decided to prioritize practicing gravity magic. By then, not only would she be able to fly, but anyone who dared to overtake her would be dragged down and rubbed into the ground!

Having finally endured their flying lesson, the young wizards enjoyed half a day of free time. Harry and Ron decided to continue exploring the castle, while Hermione stayed in the common room with her unfinished Anti-Witchcraft Defense textbook.

Tomorrow is the young wizards' first anti-wizarding defense class, and it's foreseeable that Lucius Malfoy won't let Hermione off so easily; she needs to prepare early.

"Countering Danger: A Wasteland Survival Guide" is written by Gilderoy Lockhart, a famous ranger wizard who graduated from Hogwarts with outstanding grades and is considered a model of postwar Hogwarts education.

After graduation, he was passionate about eliminating evil, traveling the world, touching Muggle military fortresses, venturing into the underground lairs of aberrant beasts, exploring the ruins of numerous nuclear explosion centers, clearing out inhuman cult strongholds, and helping countless wizards and Muggles. His experiences were as dazzling as a legend, and everyone he helped praised him as an extremely reliable and good person, a great white wizard who had the potential to become the second Dumbledore. Malfoy Castle even extended an invitation to him, hoping that he would serve as the captain of the Auror, but he declined.

What's even more remarkable is that, in addition to adventure and helping others, he was happy to write down his experiences and adventures in books and spread them to all those who needed them. Hogwarts, as his alma mater, waived all fees when using his works as teaching materials, and even thoughtfully inquired whether there were enough Galleons for printing. Furthermore, because he added new knowledge to the book every year, he would also send a copy to Dumbledore with his letter.

Hermione was very fond of such a person, placed him in the Borderlands, and was even willing to become his Finger Witch to help him ascend to the throne of Elden.

Lockhart's book is indeed very well written. It clearly categorizes and summarizes the various dangers that young wizards will encounter, and organizes a set of logically clear ways to deal with them.

Even though Hogwarts chose the book with the worst story but the strongest educational value as its teaching material, it did not prevent Lockhart from vividly and lively depicting various dangers.

Hermione read with great interest. With such a textbook, even if old Malfoy deliberately targeted her, she wasn't worried about not learning the course well.

It wasn't until evening, when Harry and Ron returned from their stroll, that Hermione finally finished reading the entire textbook. Reluctantly, she closed the book, finding a good book a pleasure, and she lingered there, unwilling to put it down.

"You've been watching all this time? You haven't even had dinner?" Ron asked in surprise. Hermione was usually the most enthusiastic eater—the Gryffindor table sweeper.

Harry pulled out a wrapped skewer of roasted rat from his pocket: "Here, have this. I was saving it for our nighttime stroll."

Hermione's eyes lit up, and she immediately took the package: "Thank you! After I finish reading the textbook, I'll definitely help you find treasure at school!"