Hogwarts Wasteland: The Witch from the Borderlands

On the open ground of the flight training area, the senior students' practical training had already begun. The intense exchange of spells, the ever-changing application of shapeshifting techniques, and even the use of potions and magical plants and animals were dazzling to watch.

Professor Flitwick, with his keen eye on everything, along with several other professors who came to help, ensured that the students would not suffer any serious accidents. However, there were still occasional instances of spells going out of control or potions being thrown in the wrong direction. Every now and then, students would be rescued and sent to the medical wing after receiving simple treatment.

Meanwhile, in the first year, Lucius is also providing classroom instruction to Draco.

"You're rolling too slowly! Don't hesitate! Watch my arm movement!"

"Make good use of the surrounding clutter. You're not just a bouncing experimental rabbit; use your wand to create hiding spaces for yourself!"

"Didn't you just learn the Levitation Charm? Use it on the dummy to block its view!"

"If you can't release it instantly, then forget about your damn hand gestures!"

Perhaps because Lucius was teaching his son without holding back, he did his best, and Hermione had to admit that Lucius's practical lessons were full of valuable information and very much in line with the needs of first-year students.

"Your meager magical power is no match for the defenses of an adult wizard. It's more important to conserve it for your own safety!"

"Don't think about head-on confrontation! Confuse the enemy! Disrupt the situation! Conceal your tracks when sneaking and escaping! This is the first thing you need to learn! There's an old Eastern saying: Before you fight, learn to take a beating!"

As Lucius spoke, his cane continuously emitted spells, chasing after Draco, who was running wildly through the circle. Behind him, three black snakes with heads that had turned into three-edged spikes were relentlessly pursuing him.

Draco's adaptability changed Hermione's perception of his abilities; his survival skills were far superior to his offensive ones.

To be able to withstand Lucius's attacks for so long, even if he was clearly holding back, is something that probably no first-year wizard could do better than her, except for herself.

Lucius was secretly pleased. As the professor of the Anti-Wizard Technology Defense course, he had put a lot of effort into Draco's preschool education, so that even if the boy were to take his final exams now, he could easily get an O.

With such performance, Draco naturally established his authority among the students, and his future competition for prefect and student council president was a piece of cake.

Even Lily Potter, who was standing aside watching, gave Draco an admiring look.

"Hermione, Draco is amazing!" Ron exclaimed, his mouth agape, to the girl beside him.

Lucius gave a barely perceptible smile.

"How did you manage to beat him half to death?" At this moment, Ron's loud voice proved its power, and everyone looked at Hermione with strange eyes.

Lucius nearly lost his guard on the spot, and the Stunning Spell in his hand was faintly turning green, almost hitting Draco's head.

Draco himself stumbled and nearly got bitten by the three cone-headed snakes.

"Alright! Take a break." Lucius stopped his attack with a hint of annoyance, pretending not to hear Ron's words.

He ushered the panting Draco back into the group, then turned to him and said, "Draco has already demonstrated most of the material that first-year students learn. Your task this year is to master it."

"Now, I need to find another student to come up and experience what just happened. Who would like to come up?" Lucius scanned the crowd.

The group, who had initially been eager to try, now hesitated. Both Lucius's relentless barrage of spells and the serpent with its blades were terrifying. Without Draco's training, they were sure to bleed.

"Is nobody here? Well then..."

A hand was raised: "Professor, may I try?"

Very well, it's that annoying little brat again.

Lucius felt disgusted, but there was nothing he could do; Hermione was an obstacle he couldn't avoid.

"Are you sure, Miss Granger? I won't hold back." He tried to discourage the girl.

But Hermione was a witch from the Borderlands, and the higher the difficulty, the more excited she became. At this moment, the eagerness on her face was almost overflowing.

"Of course! I don't care if they live or die!" she said cheerfully.

This contrasted sharply with the stunned expressions of the students around him.

"What stupid Gryffindors," Lucius cursed inwardly, but still let Hermione come up.

When the two of them stood still.

"Remember, there is no preparation, no start. You need to guess when I will attack," Lucius said expressionlessly, his final reminder as a professor.

"Of course!" Hermione was already in battle mode. She took the staff off her back, held it in front of her chest with both hands, and held her breath.

"Snap!" Without warning, a beam of red light shot out at an odd angle, even faster than when it was used against Draco.

Hermione had barely finished speaking when, for a normal child, this sneak attack would have been impossible to avoid.

But Hermione had mastered the essence of the "fast and slow" technique, and with just a sidestep, she dodged the Stunning Curse.

"How despicable! Hitting a child and then sneaking up on him!" Ron shouted indignantly.

Lucius turned his head expressionlessly: "On the battlefield, no one will give you advance notice. Weasley insulted the professor, Gryffindor loses 5 points."

The next second, three beams of red light shot out almost simultaneously.

At the same moment, the three cone-headed snakes that had just turned to stone came back to life and pounced on Hermione.

The latter then took a step back and jumped, gently hooking his left hand. The three ferocious shapeshifting creatures were suddenly subjected to an upward force, which accelerated them to collide with the three stun spells, instantly thwarting Lucius's two-hit combo.

Hermione was not content with passive defense. At the border, the Faded Ones who could only roll around could not survive the Omen Demon's big cane!

A ghostly blue light flickered on the staff, the radiant power remaining on the demon core metal, which Hermione had compressed into the staff head when it was reforged.

"Pyroxene Magic Shard!"

A blue meteor streaked through the air, shooting straight at Lucius.

"Foolish! What did I just teach you!" Lucius said coldly, "A waste of magic! How could a novice wizard possibly break an adult wizard's armor charm!"

He stood confidently, intending to use the armor spell in front of him to withstand the girl's magic head-on.

As expected, the result was as he predicted: the magic gravel struck the Ironclad Curse, leaving only a fluorescent blue spot and causing no further damage.

"You're the one who injured Draco with this, aren't you?" Lucius's expression grew increasingly grim. "Is that radiation curse something you were born with from your irradiated womb? Did you think you could get away with this?"

Hermione knew, of course, that the Brilliant Stone couldn't hurt Lucius; the magic couldn't even penetrate Draco's armor, let alone the Ironclad Curse.

Her only goal was to provoke Lucius.

"I heard from Professor McGonagall that your magical outburst rebounded the Death Curse and killed a Green Flame Party member, right?" Lucius unleashed his full magical power, pressing down the surrounding grass and causing it to collapse to the ground.

"Not every wizard is foolish enough to just exchange killing curses. Today I'll teach you a lesson!"