Chapter 394 - 395: The Simp Uprising!

A few days later, on a gloomy afternoon, the tranquillity of Hogwarts Castle was suddenly shattered.

Sagres was explaining the finer points of casting Protego to a group of fourth-year students when a dull crash suddenly came from the eastern side of the castle.

The entire castle trembled slightly.

The classroom immediately descended into panic. Several students screamed, while others knocked over ink bottles on their desks.

"Stay calm!"

Sagres's steady voice rang through the classroom as he quickly walked towards the window.

Through the thick glass, he saw a rare sight.

Three giants, each around five metres tall, stood at the edge of the Forbidden Forest like moving hills.

Their rough, greyish-brown skin almost blended into the dead tree trunks around them.

One of them pried a huge boulder from the ground and hurled it towards the castle like a trebuchet.

The boulder arced through the air, but when it came within several dozen metres of the castle walls, it seemed to strike an invisible barrier and instantly shattered into countless fragments.

At the point of impact, ancient protective magic rippled outward in golden waves, like stones dropped into a calm lake.

"Merlin..." a student whispered, trembling.

"Quiet," Sagres said calmly. "Continue with the lesson."

The panicked students seemed to be affected by his composure. Gradually, they quieted down and returned to their seats.

The giants in the distance appeared dissatisfied with the result of their probing attack.

They let out low growls, exchanged a few gestures, then turned away and lumbered back into the depths of the Forbidden Forest.

The entire attack lasted only a few minutes, but the panic it caused quickly spread throughout the castle.

As soon as the lesson ended, students hurried back towards their common rooms.

The corridors were crowded with frightened students, their conversations and cries rising and falling around them.

"Will they come back?"

"How long can the castle's defences hold?"

"My mum said she'd come and get me if things became dangerous..."

The professors also sprang into action at once, maintaining order in the corridors and urging students to return to their respective House common rooms.

Not long afterwards, Professor Carbok's triumphant voice echoed through the Great Hall.

"See? Hogwarts's defences are impregnable! Those foolish giants are helpless against our ancient magic!"

But Sagres noticed that Professor Ninas Buckle was speaking quietly and solemnly with the Headmaster.

Judging from the movement of her lips, Sagres inferred that she was concerned about whether their various supplies would be sufficient to withstand a prolonged siege.

At the emergency staff meeting that night, the atmosphere was even more sombre than before.

"This was only a test," Professor Kelly said, pointing to the damage report from the eastern side of the castle. "The giants' next attack will certainly be stronger."

Carbok, however, continued to insist, "Our protective enchantments repelled the attack perfectly! As long as we continue reinforcing them..."

"And then what?"

Professor Kelly interrupted him.

"Wait for them to gather more giants? Or join forces with the witch hunters?"

"We should close the school temporarily," Professor Ural suggested once again. "As far as I know, Beauxbatons has already suspended classes..."

"They've always been like that, weak and incompetent!"

"Exactly. Durmstrang hasn't closed..."

Sagres sat quietly in the corner, observing everyone's reactions.

He could tell that although everyone was outwardly discussing strategies to defend the castle, the divisions between the factions were becoming even more obvious under the pressure of the crisis.

During Charms class the following day, Sagres was demonstrating a later-improved wand movement for Protego.

This simplified version eliminated several unnecessary motions, making the spell more efficient to cast. It was a method that had been refined through centuries of teaching.

"Pay attention to the range of movement in your wrist," he explained clearly. "If the motion is too wide, your magic will disperse. If it's too small, the spell won't form properly..."

Just then, the classroom door opened.

Professor Ninas Buckle appeared in the doorway.

She was dressed in silver-white robes that day, her golden hair meticulously pinned back, and her expression carried its usual air of superiority.

"Excuse me, Professor Samdron."

Her voice was cold and flat, devoid of emotion.

"I happened to be passing by and couldn't help noticing that the gesture you just demonstrated has serious flaws."

She walked straight into the classroom without invitation and addressed the students.

"The standard textbook clearly states on page 147 that this spell requires a full swing of the arm. Your shortcut will only cause students to lose marks in their examinations."

The classroom immediately fell silent.

The students watched the scene with strange expressions. They were already accustomed to Professor Buckle publicly criticising Professor Samdron, while he usually responded by meekly nodding and admitting fault.

Sagres slowly lowered his wand.

If it had been about anything else, he might have ignored it for the sake of maintaining his disguise.

But when it came to teaching, he would not back down.

He tilted his head slightly and looked calmly at Ninas.

"Thank you for your concern, Professor Buckle. However, this is my class. Please leave."

Ninas froze, clearly not expecting such a direct refusal.

"Of course I know this is your class... but that's not the point! What matters is following the curriculum..."

"The curriculum describes casting methods from three hundred years ago," Sagres interrupted, his voice still calm but firm. "Magic itself is constantly evolving. The improved gesture I demonstrated not only reduces magical consumption, but also nearly doubles casting speed."

He turned towards the class.

"Has anyone read 'The Five Great Exceptions to Standard Spells' in A History of Magical Development?"

A Ravenclaw girl immediately raised her hand.

"Are you referring to Gamp's theory of spell-gesture optimisation, proposed in 1412?"

"Exactly."

Sagres nodded, then looked back at Ninas.

"Some of your knowledge may need updating."

Ninas's face went from pale to red.

She opened her mouth as though preparing to argue, but for a moment no words came out.

She stared at Sagres in disbelief.

This man, who had always been meek and submissive in front of her, was now calmly refuting her, and with sound reasoning.

"You... how dare you... alter the teaching material without permission..." she finally managed, her voice trembling with anger.

"Of course I dare, because the facts support me."

Sagres raised his chin slightly.

"If you're interested in the latest developments in Charms, I'd be happy to recommend some authoritative works. Of course, that's assuming you're willing to look up from those outdated textbooks long enough to read them."

A few suppressed gasps came from the classroom as the students exchanged astonished looks.

Professor Samdron had publicly embarrassed Professor Buckle in front of others.

That had never happened before.

A series of complicated emotions flashed across Ninas Buckle's face: surprise, anger, and even a trace of panic.

In the end, she simply glared at Sagres, turned around, and left without another word.

The classroom door slammed shut behind her.

The entire class fell into dead silence.

Was that really all it took to make her lose her composure?

Sagres picked up his wand as though nothing had happened.

"Let's continue. We were discussing the optimal angle for rotating the wrist..."

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