great-warnovel Chapter 160 The Growth of the Group
Chapter 160 The Growth of the Group
Chapter 160 The Growth of the Group
Regarding Hermione's Animagus form, the two professors certainly didn't go around telling everyone. In fact, even without the Ministry of Magic, Professor McGonagall had helped many students master shapeshifting, but she had never revealed to anyone what the students' animal forms were.
It has to be said that when it comes to keeping secrets, Magi is more reliable than the Curse of Loyalty.
Although Harry, Harry, and his two friends also wanted to share it with others, they were sensible enough to know that the wizard's Animagus form was a very important secret, so they all refrained from watching.
"Hermione, now that you've mastered Transfiguration, when can you teach us?" Harry looked up from the Pensieve again, scratching the back of his head in apparent pain.
"Greek is too difficult to deal with. His battle axe techniques are like a storm, so fast and so powerful, but that's not all." Ron also looked up and complained.
"After he connected the faucet to himself, the sheer volume of fire he unleashed was something I couldn't stop by myself!"
"Is it possible for us to kill him before he cuts off his own hand?" Neville asked.
Hermione looked up from the parchment; she hadn't expected Neville to be a Protector.
After enduring this period of suffering, they finally broke through the fog gate of Grik and began to challenge the weakest descendant of the Golden Dynasty again and again.
They couldn't find the rotten tree spirit hidden underground; they were probably lost in the city of Stoneville. However, that was a hidden boss, and in some ways, it was more difficult to deal with than Grek.
Hermione had originally planned to turn into the moon recently, so that the boys could have some "mental stimulation" boost while they were engrossed in the Pensieve. However, after Professor Flitwick reminded her, she realized that it was already more than three months and she hadn't even started writing her second paper yet.
The previous paper on shattering the rock mass had already generated some buzz. Although the wizards were puzzled as to why the new paper was a mining spell, it was indeed much more difficult than the previous one. At least three months had passed, and only a handful of wizards had mastered it.
Fortunately, after completing the Animagus, Hermione's thinking speed increased significantly. In her moon form, she was able to quickly conceive ideas and then confidently write her thesis. She estimated that she would be able to complete her thesis on the magic of falling from the sky in just one week, before the next practical class.
"Your Transfiguration skills are far too poor. Even Harry, who is the most advanced, can only be said to have barely mastered the third-year level," Hermione said sternly.
"If I were to teach you Animagus now, your mother and the professor would kill me."
"They wouldn't want to part with it," Harry muttered.
"I just feel that our progress has slowed down recently. We've been stuck with Greik for too long and haven't found a good way to beat him."
"Don't try to take shortcuts," Hermione warned.
"Sometimes it's not that your methods are wrong, but that you lack the necessary capabilities."
She looked at Ron: "If your Ironclad Charm can expand its range to protect three people while also resisting the weakened version of dragon breath, then you won't fall in the same place every time."
He then looked at Harry: "If your magical weapons were to advance further, would it really be possible, as Neville said, to defeat him before he could cut off his own hand?"
To ensure the three wouldn't resort to any underhanded tactics, Hermione designed the scene where Grik cut off his hand as a forced plot point, forcing them to watch helplessly. This prevented them from interrupting him while he was in a frenzy, or from running to the dragon's body at the start and destroying its head.
After all, this was the original process for the Faded Ones, and she didn't want to change even the slightest bit of it.
"Furthermore, even if you learn Animagus, what if your animal form is an ant or a duck?"
"I'm afraid it won't be of much use." Hermione poured cold water on the idea mercilessly.
"Well, it looks like we'll be stuck here for a while. We need to master the Ironclad Charm. Maybe if the three of us work together, we can hold off the dragon fire." Harry scratched his head, trying to come up with a solution.
Seeing that the three had regrouped, Hermione didn't keep criticizing them. Instead, she said, "Actually, your progress is already quite obvious. In the recent practical classes, Draco has already fallen out of the top four."
Although Hermione no longer participates in student-versus-student duels, she still ranks students in each second-year practical class.
She will always be number one.
The second, third, and fourth places were taken by Harry, Ron, and Neville, with Harry and Ron alternating in second place. It all depended on how well Ron countered Harry's shield; if he succeeded once, he could immediately turn the tide and pin Harry to the ground.
Neville, despite possessing the incredibly powerful Kalia Swiftsword, lacked proficiency and magic power, making it difficult for him to break through Ron's defenses in the short term. Moreover, his weapon was lighter, making it easier for Ron to deflect the shield.
His duels with Harry often ended in defeat due to Harry's superior fighting talent. Neville was a slow-paced person who rarely made mistakes in battle, but he lacked Harry's quick wit and resourcefulness. However, Hermione was optimistic about his future development. If he laid a solid foundation with his methodical personality from a young age, he might become a legendary swordsman in the future.
As for Draco, although he defeated Neville at the beginning of the school year, after a year of hard work, Neville surpassed him in terms of footwork, breathing, distance control, and spell usage. He won easily without even a hard fight.
Hermione still remembers Draco's expression at that time, a mixture of shock and resentment. Only he knew how hard he had worked. While other children were playing, he patiently spent time in the library. In the second year, no one except Hermione could do what he did.
He also mastered the Occlumency technique, even to the point of being able to fool Death Eaters, a feat that Lockhart greatly praised.
He had thought that even if he wasn't Harry's match, he could at least hold his own against Ron, but he never expected...
He couldn't even beat Neville, the weakest member of Gryffindor, and the difference in skill level was quite significant.
In his eyes, Harry and Ron's combat skills were even better than those of many fifth and sixth graders.
Their every attack and retreat seemed pre-planned, employing melee weapons and spells in rapid succession.
It was so unexpected that he put himself in either of their shoes and was dismayed to find that he had no chance of winning.
The Gryffindor trio, now in their second year, have even earned the nickname "The Lionhearts" at school. They are a rare group of wizards who all use melee wands, and they are incredibly powerful. Many upperclassmen would travel to the second-year area specifically to watch them spar.
"You may not realize it, but during your time at the border, you endured countless life-or-death battles, and of course, you really did die countless times," Hermione said with a smile.
"Even setting aside the magic I taught you, your combat experience and fighting spirit alone have already far surpassed those of others."