Great Hall.
Today was Divination class.
Firenze had been appointed by Dumbledore as the new Divination professor. Thanks to his handsome face, he gained a group of appearance-based fans even before class started.
Malfoy sneaked up to John mysteriously and whispered, "John, do you think centaurs prefer horses or humans?"
There was a time when John had wondered the same thing—but now…
He glanced at Malfoy. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Could you ask him for me?" Malfoy was genuinely curious.
John pointed in another direction. "For something that rude and reckless, you can go ask a Gryffindor to do it for you."
Malfoy chuckled awkwardly. "I'm just curious."
He had no intention of getting involved with any Gryffindors—last time, John had punched him precisely because he was acting like a Gryffindor.
During breakfast, Daphne returned to the kitchen ranks.
John didn't even bother checking what she made.
He popped it into his mouth, chewing through the stiff texture, then fell into deep thought.
"…Isn't this Hagrid's rock-hard biscuit?"
He looked at Daphne, and Daphne said, "Hagrid said you love eating this."
"..."
John didn't recall ever admitting that, but Daphne's version of rock-hard biscuits did have one upside—they were good for grinding your teeth.
After painfully swallowing the biscuit, John decided it was time to tell Hagrid to be a little less confident.
It seemed Daphne had officially begun experimenting with Western dark cuisine. Wonderful.
Picking up a magazine to flip through, he waited until it was time, then got up and headed for Divination class.
The location of Divination had changed—from the Astronomy Tower to Classroom 11 on the ground floor.
Most likely because Firenze's horse legs couldn't handle the moving stairs.
John reached the classroom door, pushed it open, and walked in—only to find himself standing in the middle of a forest.
He was standing in a clearing in the woods.
The floor had turned into soft moss, and thick leafy branches stretched in fan shapes across the ceiling and windows.
Beams of soft, dappled green light filtered gently throughout the room.
He found a spot leaning against a tree trunk and sat down. Looking up, he saw the centaur Firenze gazing at him.
Firenze gave John a warm smile and extended his hand. "John Wick."
John grasped the offered hand and nodded. "Professor Firenze."
"I heard others mention you," Firenze said to John. "You made some centaurs very angry that time."
"Heh~ Then let them be angry," John replied with a smile. "If they want to come find me, I'd be more than happy to receive them."
Firenze said, "Centaurs do not hunt the young."
"If that's their excuse," John said noncommittally, "I suppose I can reluctantly accept it."
Firenze was momentarily speechless.
From John's tone, it was clear he didn't particularly like centaurs.
Having been banished himself, Firenze looked helpless and said softly, "Mars is flickering—I hope you won't hold onto those matters."
Mars, also known as the Fire Star, is an omen of war.
Centaurs possessed a complete and powerful tradition in stargazing, able to glean many things from the stars.
John glanced curiously at the hoof-shaped bruise on Firenze's chest and said, a bit surprised, "You still speak up for them even after being cast out?"
"I bear them no grudge," Firenze replied. He simply didn't want his people doing anything foolish.
John shrugged and sat back down.
After a while, Harry and Ron arrived.
If Parvati and the others hadn't led them over, they probably would've gone straight to the Astronomy Tower.
Just like when he greeted John, Firenze nodded politely at Harry.
Once the door closed, it signaled the beginning of class.
Firenze didn't hide the fact that he had been banished—in fact, he brought it up himself.
The students were very curious about centaurs. Harry's dormmate Dean eagerly asked, "Does Hagrid feed you the same way he feeds Thestrals?"
John really wanted to drag Malfoy over and show him—this kind of clueless and reckless question truly suited a Gryffindor.
When he saw Firenze slowly turn his gaze toward him, he realized his mistake.
"I didn't mean that—I mean, I'm sorry,"
Thankfully, Dean had some sense.
"Centaurs are not servants or pets of humans," Firenze said calmly. He was probably the most even-tempered centaur among them.
Parvati raised her hand with a question—she was more curious about why Firenze had been banished.
Firenze explained that it was because he had agreed to work for Dumbledore.
With that, Firenze made it clear he didn't wish to dwell on the subject, and moved on to begin the lesson.
The classroom was enchanted. He raised one hand, and the surrounding light dimmed.
Stars appeared on the ceiling, sparkling and breathtaking.
John didn't even bother lifting his eyelids as he listened to the gasps and exclamations of awe around him.
Ron let out an exaggerated shout, and Firenze instructed them to lie down.
They were going to learn how to observe the stars—completely different from what Trelawney had taught.
Firenze also mentioned the flickering of Mars, which signified that war would break out again soon.
They even burned sage and observed the thick, choking smoke.
The lesson was vivid and engaging—far better than Trelawney's classes.
Even Lavender and Parvati, Trelawney's most devoted fans, started to waver.
When class ended, John noticed that Firenze had asked Harry to stay behind—Ron was also pulled into staying along with him.
John wasn't surprised. Compared to him, Firenze clearly had a closer relationship with those two.
...
Harry was puzzled as to why he had been asked to stay.
Firenze asked, "Harry Potter, you're a friend of Hagrid's, aren't you?"
"Yeah," Harry nodded.
"Then give him a warning for me. His efforts are pointless," Firenze said with a shake of his head. "He'd best give up."
Harry looked confused. What exactly was Hagrid working so hard on?
"I wanted to warn him myself, but since I've been banished, getting close to the Forbidden Forest isn't wise right now."
"But… what exactly is Hagrid working so hard on?" Harry asked doubtfully, suspecting that maybe Hagrid had adopted some new creature again.
But Firenze, citing his respect for Hagrid, refused to elaborate—he simply repeated that Hagrid's efforts were futile.
"John's also a friend of Hagrid's. Why didn't you tell him?" Harry hesitated for a moment before voicing his question.
Firenze was silent for a while, then said, "He's too dangerous."
"Dangerous?"
Now it wasn't just Harry—even Ron looked baffled.
Hearing such a word from a centaur, a race known for their temper and pride, was about as rare as winning the Galleon Prize.
Their understanding of John was still stuck at the level of "schoolmate."
In school, no matter how capable John might be, he was still just a student.
Firenze didn't want to speak much more about John, but he added one last sentence:"He's more dangerous than any creature you've ever seen, Harry Potter. You'd do well to stay away from him."
When Harry left, those words were still echoing in his head.
"More dangerous than any creature I've ever seen?"
He looked at Ron and asked, "What do you think he meant by that?"
"Well, I mean, John is kind of intimidating," Ron said uncertainly, "but I don't think he's dangerous-dangerous… right?"
It was rare for Ron to say something that actually sounded thoughtful.
Their relationship with John was in a delicate place now, and Harry also felt like Firenze's words were a bit much.
Was it because John was just too outstanding?
Every time he practiced Occlumency with Snape and got compared unfavorably to John's brilliance, it left him feeling suffocated.
But this incident was just a small blip—after two more classes, they'd probably forget all about it.
By the time it was time for Care of Magical Creatures, Hagrid was back in his usual anxious mode.
Trelawney's dismissal had left him deeply worried that he might be next.
Unlike her, he didn't have the bloodline of a Seer. If he got kicked out, he'd truly be left homeless.
John picked up on Hagrid's unease and quietly reassured him during class, "Don't worry, you'll be fine."
"That's not for sure," Hagrid muttered gloomily, stealing nervous glances at Umbridge who was observing the lesson.
While feeding worms to the Fwoopers, he mumbled, "Sybill Trelawney got dismissed, and now I've got the lowest evaluation score."
He looked a little defeated—he had always relied on Trelawney to be the bottom, and now that she was gone, the lowest score belonged to him.
John didn't quite know how to explain to him that if Umbridge did try to fire Hagrid, her entire Inquisitorial career would probably come to a premature end.
Umbridge glared at the two of them chatting away like she didn't exist—she really wanted to expel both of them right then and there.
But thinking of John's threat, Umbridge could only grit her teeth and endure it, silently keeping a tally of the score to settle later.
After class, John saw Harry loudly exclaiming that he'd forgotten to bring his book back, then turning around and walking toward Hagrid's hut.
Malfoy snorted and mocked, "He looks just like a comedy actor."
Even Malfoy could see through the act—how bad did it have to be?
John could only say it truly broadened his horizons.
…
In certain matters, Neville actually had an advantage over John.
Like right now.
Holding the Sword of Mavolo, Neville looked at the door that opened to let in students one by one, and the red gem was shining.
_________
o(*￣▽￣*)ブSupport and Read 12 Chapters ahead: Patreon/Dragonel