Although Vid still had some doubts about Professor Abigail, he wasn't overly worried since he had Dumbledore's assurance.
The accumulated age of his past and present lives was not even half of Dumbledore's, so Vid didn't think his judgment could surpass the old man's.
However, Vid could also be sure that Dumbledore had left many things unsaid.
Of course, considering their age difference, Vid wasn't particularly dissatisfied with this.
Or rather, when he felt uneasy, he would switch perspectives and imagine—would he disclose secrets to a twelve-year-old child?
Of course not.
After thinking this way, he became calm again and even felt that Dumbledore was a bit too lenient with him.
...
By the end of March, the weather was gradually warming up. Although it rained continuously for more than half of the month, the drizzle and muddy ground couldn't stop the students' enthusiasm for outdoor games.
The Maze Challenge once again became the most popular game at Hogwarts.
After an entire winter, the students' enthusiasm for the game reached an alarming degree. Almost all the time outside of curfew, the maze was always crowded.
Professor Abigail almost immediately fell in love with the sport. She also found that as long as she was in the game, she could knock down her opponents at will without worrying about being scolded by Madam Pomfrey.
Of course, the professor finally understood that children were much more fragile than adults, and once injured, they would bring trouble from their "protectors," so she acted with more restraint.
The students rarely got injured but were always knocked down before they could even see clearly and then sent out of the maze, resulting in a very poor game experience.
They protested to the "referees" several times, but the professors just offered a few words of comfort and didn't stop Abigail's actions.
Full of resentment, the students formed various alliances, with clear divisions of labor in luring the enemy, reconnaissance, attack, and defense, trying to defeat the unscrupulous Professor Abigail with superior numbers.
To the young wizards, this was just a way to play the game. But the adult wizards watched the changes in the children with a sense of apprehension.
"It's almost like... a real army..."
Snape stood by the window, watching the students in the distant game field trying to surround Abigail from all sides, cautiously hiding behind cover as they ran and jumped.
He asked softly, "Dumbledore, is this your intention?"
"Believe me, not everything is within my expectations," Dumbledore also said in a surprised tone, "At first, I just wanted the kids to become more familiar with the use of spells."
Snape looked at him doubtfully, but he couldn't tell from Dumbledore's face if he was telling the truth.
"Alright," Snape said, "Anyway, don't let Fudge see this... he might get scared and fall on his butt."
"You underestimate our Minister of Magic," Dumbledore said, "He should have a bit more courage than that."
Snape chuckled sarcastically, saying nothing.
Watching the bustling scene outside the window, his expression gradually turned sullen again.
He couldn't help but think—if they had undergone the same training in school back then, would Lily have...
Then Snape thought that the training must be occurring on both sides, and he was a Death Eater at the time.
They were enemies.
The stronger they became, the more brutal the war would be.
But in any case, seeing these children become more capable day by day, the professors felt truly happy for them, despite the increasingly challenging management.
Perhaps because Abigail's combat desire had been fully satisfied in the maze, or perhaps Madam Pomfrey's anger eventually intimidated her, the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class finally became a bit more normal afterward.
Abigail began to teach how to deal with various common dark creatures according to the textbook, but mostly how to prevent sneaky attacks by dark wizards and describe their various means.
When in high spirits, she would also, like the previous professor, have students participate in demonstrations of restraint and counterattack.
However, in Lockhart's class, students would merely flail around and shout a few times before being defeated by the "brave Lockhart champion," and that was the end of it.
In Abigail's class, though, she would truly demonstrate counter-attacks, often leaving the performing students bruised and battered.
"Honestly, Professor Abigail is better than I initially thought. What she teaches is very useful—if only she'd go a bit lighter when hitting us,"
Anthony said through gritted teeth, asking Michael to help apply potion on the bruises on his back.
Many students agreed.
Now, after Defense Against the Dark Arts class, most had developed a new habit—heading to the empty classroom next door to apply potion on each other after class.
The girls went to a different classroom.
A few bruises and scrapes weren't worth bothering Madam Pomfrey, and visiting her might invite a scolding, at least a lecture. Applying the potion themselves, typical bruises would usually dissipate in just over ten minutes.
Most students from Ravenclaw and Slytherin were good at Magic Potion. Even Goyle and Crabbe could occasionally concoct passable potions.
Of course, the best potions were courtesy of Vid in Ravenclaw and Malfoy in Slytherin.
Thus, they were always surrounded by others.
The relationship between the two houses last term had been strained to the extreme, but as Vid displayed increasingly powerful abilities, those grudges seemed to fade.
They're all teenagers who see each other every day, practice spells together in class, sit at adjacent tables during meals, and participate in maze challenges only to be thrashed by a certain professor together...
Most had long forgotten the reasons for their arguments and gradually returned to laughing and joking with each other. Some Slytherins returned to Malfoy's side, although Malfoy was much colder to them now.
After the Spell Class on Friday, Professor Flitwick asked the Ravenclaw students to stay and informed them of something important.
"Starting next week, it will be the Easter holiday."
Professor Flitwick, standing atop a tall pile of books, said seriously to his students, "During this holiday, you need to consider what elective courses to take in the third year."
"This concerns your future, so you absolutely cannot choose carelessly! Before making a choice, I suggest you discuss with your parents. If you need any information, feel free to come to me."