Hogwarts’ John Wick

Chapter 572 572: 572: The Popular Professor

Pansy was the kind of person whose emotions outweighed her reason. That much was obvious from the way she found a new boyfriend every time.

A complete hopeless romantic.

Then again, that was practically a Slytherin tradition.

A fake hopeless romantic acts sweet and looks lovestruck.

A real hopeless romantic learns that the person they secretly love is in danger, immediately turns traitor to act as a double agent, and even gives up their life to protect that person's son.

Isn't that right, my dear Head of House?

John silently mocked his hopelessly romantic Head of House in his heart. Slytherin's association with evil had its roots in this kind of obsessive devotion.

John knew perfectly well what Theodore had done.

During the final Battle of Hogwarts, Theodore had shown some remorse.

He had not cast an Unforgivable Curse at Dumbledore, nor had he resisted later on.

"I thought you had already accepted your fate," John said calmly as he looked at Theodore. "But now it seems you still want to struggle."

"Theodore, no matter where you go, traitor is never a pleasant title."

John raised a hand and sealed Pansy's mouth shut before she could speak for Theodore again. Staring directly at Theodore, he said slowly and clearly, "Tell me, Theodore. Give me a reason to forgive you."

The pressure burst forth toward the person before him without the slightest restraint.

In Theodore's eyes, John transformed into a world-destroying dragon.

And the dragon's claw hovered directly above his head.

Death.

The sheer, tangible sensation alone was enough to make an ordinary person collapse.

Theodore's face turned pale as he clenched his teeth tightly.

His body trembled uncontrollably. That was unavoidable.

It felt as though he had been shackled with chains dozens of times heavier than his own weight, every inch of his bones crying out in agony.

Pansy's mouth had been sealed shut, leaving her unable to speak. She looked anxiously at Theodore.

John slowly walked over to Theodore and placed a hand on his nearly collapsing body, whispering into his ear.

"Only those who betray and still possess enough value can be acknowledged."

"Show me your value, Theodore."

That hand became the final straw that broke the camel's back.

Theodore collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath as his body shook uncontrollably.

With great difficulty, he raised his head to look up at the king he had once followed.

"Stand up, Theodore." John's indifferent gaze swept down across Theodore's sweat-soaked face. "I taught you this before. Power above all else."

If he could not even stand before his king, then he had no value.

Blood trickled from Theodore's lips as he bit down hard enough to draw blood. Bracing himself against the floor with his arms, his body trembled violently.

A single movement felt as though it would cost him his life.

Pansy wanted to step forward to help him, but one glance from John stopped her in place.

Like a dog with a broken spine, Theodore continued struggling, shaking, writhing, and letting out beast-like growls.

That overwhelming pressure remained fixed upon him the entire time.

His mother's figure appeared before his eyes, followed by his father's.

His father had been a fanatic who had instilled pure-blood supremacy into Theodore from childhood.

Yet Old Nott had never once fulfilled the responsibilities of a father.

His mother had also been a pure-blood witch, but unlike his father, she had taught him the importance of family.

After his mother died, his father became his only remaining family.

Theodore clung to the Nott name until Voldemort came to him, using his last remaining family member as leverage.

And so the young Slytherin chose betrayal.

The plan failed, and he could not protect his last family member.

Slytherin abandoned him.

Having lost everything, Theodore turned all of his unwillingness and resentment into strength.

He raged against his fate.

Little by little, his body began to rise.

A beast driven into a corner let out a furious roar.

"Ahhhhhh!"

He stood up.

Though his body trembled violently and veins bulged across his skin, he still managed to stand.

Because he wanted to return to that place.

Because he wanted to follow his king.

Shaking uncontrollably, Theodore reversed his wand and pointed its tip toward his own heart as he offered it forward.

"All of this," he said with difficulty, "I am willing to offer it all."

John watched him quietly.

For Theodore, every second felt like an eternity.

Sweat gathered into puddles beneath his feet as he maintained the same posture without moving.

Every bone in his body felt as though it had been crushed.

John slowly reached out and took the wand from Theodore's hand.

The overwhelming pressure vanished instantly.

Theodore's body gave way, and he collapsed to his knees before John.

"You have shown your value, Theodore," John said as he examined the wand in his hand. "Hawthorn wood, dragon heartstring, twelve and a quarter inches."

"You are someone filled with inner conflict, unable to decisively abandon things, forever caught between black and white."

John released the wand, letting it fall before Theodore.

"Since you struggle so much over choices, then abandon everything from now on," John said calmly. "I will show you the path you should walk."

"Let that wand be wielded for me."

Theodore picked up his wand and stared blankly at it for a moment.

Slowly, he raised his head.

With a casual wave of his hand, John restored Pansy's mouth.

She immediately rushed over to help Theodore up and said gratefully to John, "Thank you, John."

"He'll hate me for this," John said noncommittally. "I destroyed everything he had."

Pansy looked worriedly toward Theodore, but Theodore lowered his voice and said, "I feel nothing but gratitude."

John turned and walked toward the Slytherin common room.

...

Seventh year was once again a busy time.

All the laziness from sixth year had to be paid back in seventh year.

Although very few students were actually held back because of poor grades, no one could guarantee that one unlucky student among the seventh years would not end up suffering that fate.

Goyle and Crabbe were among the worst cases.

The two had inherited their families' fine traditions perfectly. Both were the type with well-developed limbs and underdeveloped brains.

Malfoy had described them more than once as upright-standing wild boars and hairless gorillas.

Because of that, Pansy became their supervisor.

Why Pansy?

Because the one ordered to tutor them was Theodore.

This was the first task John had given him.

The two were nothing like the harmless fools they appeared to be in front of John. Toward Theodore, the traitor, they frequently mocked and ridiculed him.

And whenever that happened, Pansy would give the two large boys some "friendly greetings."

The classes were the same as those in sixth year, but the workload had increased dramatically.

Of course, none of that had anything to do with John.

At the moment, he was watching Hagrid end a third-year class with a face full of smiles.

The students were incredibly enthusiastic and all addressed him as Professor Hagrid.

During the Battle of Hogwarts, Hagrid's heroic figure had given people a sense of security no less than Dumbledore himself.

That enormous body of his had been tossing Dark Wizards around one-handed and knocking giants down two at a time.

Even Hagrid's armor had become one of the most famous weapons at Hogwarts.

If there were a ranking for Hogwarts's most popular professors, Hagrid would absolutely be among the top three, even competing with Professor McGonagall for first place.

What?

Professor Flitwick?

Well, regrettably, because of Professor Flitwick's height, almost no one had actually noticed him during his battles with the Dark Wizards.

The visual impact he brought simply could not compare to Hagrid's overwhelming presence.

Only Professor McGonagall, the witch who had directed the entire defensive battle, could truly compete with Hagrid in that regard.

As for Snape...

He ranked firmly within the top two on the most hated professors list.

Thanks to Filch's earth-shattering kick during the battle, he had gained a great deal of attention and successfully withdrawn from the competition for the top two spots.

That left Snape and Malfoy continuing to compete with each other.

...

Care of Magical Creatures.

There was still only one seventh-year student in the class: John.

After all, almost no one had chosen the subject the previous year.

"Grawp really liked the toy you gave him, John."

Hagrid patted his stomach and said, "Thanks for sending it during the holidays. Though Basil ended up attacking the owls in the owlery again."

Hagrid looked up at the sky first to make sure Basil was nowhere nearby before lowering his voice and saying, "I think Basil might need a mate, y'know? It's getting a bit..."

Hagrid spoke very cautiously. The last time he had criticized Basil to her face, he had needed to be extra careful whenever he went outside because an owl might suddenly swoop down and yank out his beard.

That owl was unbelievably domineering.

The famous magizoologist Professor Rubeus Hagrid guessed that it was probably because Basil did not have a mate.

In simpler terms, she had been single for too long and needed some balance in her life.

Hearing that, John silently turned to look at a nearby tree.

Hagrid looked over in confusion and saw a pair of huge eyes staring at him through the gaps in the leaves.

"Oh no," Hagrid cried miserably. "How long has she been up there?"

He stroked his beard painfully, feeling that it would probably be best not to leave the house for the next half month.

John said helplessly, "You don't need to worry too much. Maybe some snacks will convince her to spare you."

"Rubbish," Hagrid said gloomily. "I gave her something last time and she still didn't let me off."

"What did you give her?"

"A ferret."

John: "..."

Did Hagrid think Basil was Buckbeak or something?

Hagrid remained uneasy after being marked for revenge, and he finally suffered Basil's retaliation during a fifth-year class.

According to the students present that day, Hagrid had been chased all the way from the Forbidden Forest to the Black Lake, and a huge chunk of his beard had still been torn off in the end.

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