Hogwarts: Harry Potter's Return from the Witcher World

I'm unsure as to why my scheduled Chapters keep on appearing in Volume 1 therefore messing up the order.

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Ron stared at Hermione in shock.

Other students, who were beginning to grasp the kind of person Lockhart truly was, also looked at her with complicated expressions. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Miss Granger had always been intelligent.

How could she...

"The rest of you must be disappointed," Lockhart said, setting the graded quizzes aside. "If only you were as outstanding as Miss Granger and Mr. Potter, who clearly understand all of my secrets."

"Then you too could become as remarkable as they are."

The students hesitated.

There was no doubt that Granger and Potter were the top two students of their year. Could it be that Lockhart was... actually right?

Was this quiz not a reflection of his narcissism, but rather a genuine test of their capabilities?

"For our first lesson of the year," Lockhart continued, bending down to retrieve a cloth-covered cage from under his desk, "I'll introduce you to the most dangerous, most wicked, and most terrifying creatures in the magical world."

The students held their breath.

Those sitting in the front row tried to edge back, fearing they'd be showered with blood.

"Remain silent," Lockhart warned, lowering his voice dramatically. "Do not provoke them."

Slowly, he removed the cloth, revealing the creatures inside.

A group of Cornish pixies.

The tiny beings were barely seven or eight inches tall, with iron-blue skin and faces that looked as though they'd been smashed flat. Their personalities matched their grotesque appearances, and the sudden exposure to light sent them into a frenzy, screeching angrily with shrill, ear-piercing voices.

"Pfft." A student couldn't help but laugh.

Ron rubbed his face in frustration, muttering, "Bloody hell. I actually believed him."

Harry remained expressionless.

Pixies.

Some wizards called them "Cornish pixies," but that was merely a reference to their common habitat.

They weren't dark creatures and were mostly harmless, albeit extremely mischievous.

Essentially, they were the shrunk-down, ugly version of the Weasley twins.

"I know what you're thinking," Lockhart said seriously. "But these are classified as 3X magical creatures. Don't underestimate them!"

"They're nimble, cunning, and incredibly agile—perfect practice opponents for young wizards like yourselves."

With that, he reached for the latch on the cage.

Harry quietly grabbed his textbook and stuffed it into the Sorting Hat.

"Wait, you can't do this!" the Sorting Hat protested. "Too many things—no books!"

Ignoring it, Harry grabbed Ron and Hermione's books and stuffed them in as well.

Creak—

The cage door swung open.

The pixies erupted in chaos, zooming out with wild energy.

Some grabbed students' textbooks and hurled them around the room; others tore Lockhart's posters from the walls and shredded them into confetti, scattering the pieces.

A few even broke through the windows and escaped outside.

"Quick! Subdue them!" Lockhart called out in distress, clutching his head. "They're just pixies!"

But none of the students paid him any attention—they were too busy scrambling to protect their books, robes, hats, or themselves.

Lockhart raised his wand and attempted a spell.

Nothing happened.

He prepared to try again, but a pixie swooped down, snatched the wand from his hand, and tossed it out the window. The creature then stuck out its tongue at him, taunting him with exaggerated gestures.

Lockhart said nothing, turning to Harry with a mixture of hope and desperation.

Harry began to reach for his wand, but Hermione grabbed his hand.

"Let me and Ron handle it," she said. "These aren't exactly difficult opponents."

Harry nodded and stayed seated.

Hermione stood and cast a Freezing Charm, immobilizing two pixies in mid-air.

She followed it up with a Petrification Jinx, stopping a third that had been diving toward her wand.

Ron's accuracy wasn't as sharp.

After several failed spells, which didn't hit a single pixie and almost resulted in his own wand being snatched, he grew frustrated.

He tore off his robes and transfigured them into a fishing net. Using the Levitation Charm, he swung the net around, eventually capturing a wriggling bundle of pixies.

The rest of the class gradually regained their composure, and soon the remaining pixies were subdued.

They were shoved unceremoniously back into their cage.

"Well done!" Lockhart applauded. "It seems last year's lessons weren't entirely wasted—you handled that quite well."

"This was all part of my plan, of course," he added with a smug grin. "I pretended to be flustered to test your skills."

"Especially you, Miss Granger. And..." He hesitated, glancing at Ron.

Ron awkwardly offered, "Ron Weasley."

"Yes, Mr. Weasley!" Lockhart said enthusiastically. "For your exceptional performance, I'm awarding each of you ten points!"

The bell rang just then, signaling the end of class.

Lockhart dismissed the students with a few self-congratulatory remarks.

As they walked out, Seamus turned to Harry.

"Can you believe it? Our first class of the year, and we filled out the stupidest questionnaire ever, only to get humiliated by pixies!"

"Yes," Harry agreed. "Without one of your explosions, it felt incomplete."

"Hey!" Seamus protested, his face reddening. "I've been a lot more stable lately! I hardly caused any accidents in Transfiguration!"

He paused, turning to Hermione. "Granger, don't tell me you're a fan of Lockhart."

Hermione scoffed. "Of course not!"

"Then why..." Seamus trailed off. Hermione didn't seem as fanatical as some of the other girls, but acing that ridiculous quiz was... suspicious.

"He's a professor," Hermione said matter-of-factly. "And did you see how many points he gave us for one class?"

She held up her left hand, spreading all five fingers. Harry offered one of his own fingers to complete the count.

"Sixty points! Sixty!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Last year, it took us an entire term to earn that many points."

They passed by the House Point hourglasses on their way to the Great Hall. Gryffindor's ruby hourglass had surged ahead, outstripping all three other Houses combined.

"Is there a professor more generous with points than Lockhart?"

"If we just act like good fans and play along, we'll rake in points like never before!"

Seamus nodded, convinced.

This seemed... logical?

Though Lockhart's self-satisfied smirk was grating, the thought of a flood of rubies made him seem much more tolerable.

After dinner, back in the common room, Seamus began brainstorming with the other Gryffindors about how to milk as many points as possible from Lockhart.

Meanwhile, Harry didn't linger.

He had a detention with Professor McGonagall.

By the time McGonagall found a reason to send him away, it was nearly curfew.

The next day, Harry spent most of his time in the dormitory processing materials.

When evening came, he headed to Snape's office.

The room had been cleared, with several rare specimens noticeably absent to make space.

"Potter," Snape said, standing tall. "Did you read the notes I gave you?"

Harry nodded. "Of course."

"Good." Snape's tone turned icy. "But let me remind you once again: Occlumency requires control over your thoughts, emotions, and mind."

"This might be particularly difficult for someone like you, Potter."

"Was it difficult for my mother?" Harry countered.

Snape's knuckles whitened as he gripped his wand. "You still have time to be snarky? You've underestimated tonight's lesson."

"Draw your wand."

Harry obeyed, pointing it at Snape.

"You're free to defend yourself however you see fit," Snape said ominously. "You'll need to—"

Before he could finish, Snape struck.

"Legilimens!"

The office blurred before Harry's eyes, replaced by a vision of Kaer Morhen.

The overgrown stronghold of the Wolf School came into focus, its moss-covered pathways unmistakable.

Axii!

Harry raised his hand instinctively, casting a Sign.

Snape let out a startled grunt.

Reality snapped back into focus. Harry found himself drenched in sweat.

So this was Legilimency? It could probe not just his current thoughts but his past memories as well.

"I didn't expect you to be so fond of Hogwarts," Snape sneered. "The memory you clung to most was of the place where you currently live."

"Because I don't have a home," Harry said coldly. "So I've made one here."

Snape's eyes narrowed. "Using your silly wandless tricks was clever, but if the Dark Lord ever invades your mind, will you Axii yourself?"

"Try again—without magic. Control your emotions, empty your

thoughts, and lock your mind."

He attacked once more.

"Legilimens!"

Memories of his parents' wedding by a lake and the family photo album flooded Harry's vision before he finally broke free.

Snape's face was pale, his grip on his wand trembling.

"Your brain works like your mother's," he muttered grudgingly. "At least that's one decent thing about you. Progress is passable. Next Thursday, same time."

Harry nodded and left.

Instead of heading back to Gryffindor Tower, he made his way toward the grassy area outside the castle.

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Powerstones?

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