---Stephen's POV---

---Stephen's POV---

After the fiasco with Harry and Ron, the two returned to Gryffindor House like decorated heroes. Something normal for guys who always seek adventures regardless of the danger.

The funniest part, however, came the next day when Ron received a Howler from Molly, demonstrating a mother's love and protection in a rather loud manner. It was so shocking that Ron had to hide from his classmates for a whole week.

School days didn't change much. There was only one notable difference: the clown, Lockhart. After spectacularly failing his first class with the second years by releasing Cornish pixies, his lessons now consisted of reading his books and even acting out his adventures in front of everyone, asking students to record him. It seems his dream is to star in a movie about his exploits. Ricky has to deal with his letters and recorded performances every day. Apparently, Lockhart hates me because he realized I appeared in the movie Dragon Warrior, even if it was only for a few minutes.

"Mr. Flamel, I saw your performance in the movie Dragon Warrior. As a professional self-taught actor, I'd like to give you some advice, if you'll allow me," Lockhart stopped me after class, just as I was about to leave.

"I deeply regret it, Professor. I would love to hear your vast wisdom in the field of acting, which is undoubtedly extensive. But I have something to do, so if you'll excuse me..." I responded elegantly, though sarcastically. I basically called him a fraud, but he seemed to take it as a compliment. Seriously, how can someone this idiotic be from Ravenclaw?

I quickly walked away before the idiot could stop me again. I had nothing important to do, so I started wandering around. The twins had disappeared somewhere along the way, probably planning a prank. They should mature one day, like me.

I arrived at the courtyard where the Gryffindor Quidditch team was training. It seemed that the Slytherin team wasn't going to leave them alone, as they also wanted to train their new Seeker and test their new brooms. Seriously? Nepotism from the so-called nobles?

"Yes, but at least Gryffindors don't buy their positions," Hermione said, hitting where it hurt.

That infuriated the mini Death Eater, who looked at her with disdain.

"No one asked for your opinion, you filthy mudbl—aaaaaaah!" He couldn't finish what he was saying because a red cloak grabbed him by the leg and flung him into the sky, spinning him dangerously.

"You, Flamel! What are you planning?!" a Slytherin asked, realizing I was the culprit and pulling out his wand. Seriously, these guys never learn.

"Go ahead," I said, gesturing with my hand. They started casting spells, but they were as harmless as soap bubbles. With a simple wave of my hands, I shattered their spells in the air. The angrier they got, the more ridiculous they looked. These kids were nothing compared to the criminals I captured alongside the Aurors during the holidays.

Ron tried to help with his broken wand but ended up hitting himself when no one was looking. Well, I saw it.

I approached the Slytherins, ready to teach them a lesson, when the professors arrived. Seriously, Hogwarts' anti-bullying response is pathetic. We had been fighting for several minutes, and if someone had lost control, we could have ended up in the infirmary.

"What are you all doing?!" Professor McGonagall shouted furiously as soon as she arrived.

"Hello, Professor. I was just defending myself from the joint attack of the Slytherins. As you can see, I haven't hit anyone," I replied with a smile.

"Then why is Mr. Malfoy hanging in the air?" asked my dear friend, stone-faced Snape.

"Oh, that. It's because he insulted my classmate with terms normally used by Death Eaters to mock her blood status."

Snape immediately understood which insult I was referring to, and his expression became even sterner.

"Lower Mr. Malfoy and go to my office," McGonagall ordered. I quickly brought the blond elitist down, who started screaming as soon as he touched the ground.

"I'll tell my father to expel you, you damn—"

"Malfoy, follow me," Snape interrupted, taking all the Slytherins with him.

McGonagall motioned for me to follow her, but before that, I turned to the Gryffindors, who weren't sure whether to take Ron to the infirmary. I walked over and, with a wave of my hand, expelled all the slugs from his stomach, making everyone recoil in disgust. The twins quickly burned them with their wands.

Then I approached Hermione, who was happy for her friend but a bit down, and ruffled her already messy hair. After that, I turned to Oliver Wood.

"Now you can practice in peace," I said. Amidst the gratitude of everyone—especially Ron, who avoided hours of vomiting slugs—I followed Professor McGonagall to her office.

"Mr. Flamel, what you did today in the courtyard was wrong. So take a cookie, and once you finish it, you may leave," the strict professor said.

Surprised by her attitude, I accepted the cookie. Sometimes, McGonagall reminded me a little of old Dumbledore, letting her students get away with things—especially me.

—You know, Professor, you're my favorite. But don't tell Snape, he'll get jealous —I said, earning a smile from her.

—If it weren't for your pranks with the twins, you'd be the model student of all Hogwarts —she replied with a smile before sitting down in her office to grade assignments.

After the incident with the Slytherins, every time one of them saw me, they ran away as if I were the plague. I don't get along with them, but I know some just go with the flow. It's clear they've had a classist mindset ingrained since childhood; after all, many of their parents were willing to start a war for blood purity.

Something I forgot to mention is that, for a while, the three new kids joined our training. Of the three, Ginny was the best at martial arts. After all, she was the only girl among six brothers. The problem was Luna. She seemed to pick up Eldritch magic quickly, but she created really strange objects. And yes, Eldritch magic. It literally took her two weeks to learn it, leaving the Golden Trio a little depressed since it had taken them months.

So, seeing that she was doing well with magic but not so much with martial arts, I decided to teach her summoning magic. Basically, it's a magic I recreated from the one Strange used to summon the dark dragon Zom. Although, obviously, I can't bring dimensional creatures here, so I changed it to tangible illusion magic. It doesn't have much attack power and consumes a lot of mana, but it's interesting, and I'm sure Luna will like it.

—Luna, come here. I'll teach you a more interesting magic —I told the girl, who was playing with a mermaid-shaped dagger.

The twins, overhearing, started complaining.

—That's not fair, boss.

—We want something interesting too.

I ignored them and explained to Luna what the magic was about. She was immediately interested.

—If you have enough imagination, you can recreate any animal you think of. Also, you have to keep in mind their order. Like this —I said, summoning a circle from which two guanaco heads emerged, spitting at the twins' hair before disappearing. Everyone around burst into laughter.

—See? Do you want to learn? —I asked Luna, seeing her eyes shine like stars.

—Can I create Wrackspurts too? —she asked excitedly.

—S-suure, I guess. As long as you have a clear image in your mind, it's possible —I said, having no idea what kind of creature that was. I didn't give it much thought; after all, I'm no magizoologist.

"I want to learn," she said quickly, realizing she might fulfill her dream of seeing one.

And so, I taught Luna pseudo-summoning magic. The others were interested too, but it seemed much harder for them to use their imagination to create living creatures than to simply summon weapons. So, they quickly gave up. Meanwhile, Luna practiced relentlessly. Sometimes, I had to take her out for walks so she wouldn't hurt herself from overtraining.

It was quite common to see me walking around with a little girl hanging from my arm while she greeted people with a big smile.

I feel like I'm forgetting something, but oh well, it doesn't matter. It's quite interesting how things are going at Hogwarts. Though I should look for a new training spot because, after so much time, the students have become strong enough to destroy the entire courtyard if they don't hold back. That's why McGonagall punishes us once every two days.

—It'd be great to have a training chamber —I said, watching the others fix the courtyard with magic.

—Stop wasting time and help us. After all, most of the destruction was your fault —Angelina said, seeing me just standing there. And well, maybe trying to combine Eldritch magic with Hogwarts magic caused a couple of explosions.

So, I had to help. After a stretch of relatively normal days, Halloween was approaching. By the way, I got a call from Ricky. It looks like they're making a horror movie, so I asked for permission to leave school. While I was on my way to ask, I ran into Harry and Nearly Headless Nick. Apparently, Nick was inviting Harry to his deathday party or something like that. I didn't really catch the conversation because, when Nick saw me, he bolted through a wall in fear.

Honestly, all the ghosts at Hogwarts are afraid of me—except for Peeves. Ignoring Harry's questioning look, I kept walking and was granted permission for Halloween. After dinner... well, never mind, that works for me.

Halloween arrived, and after dinner, I ran out. But I forgot something in my room. On my way back, I saw all the students gathered near the girls' bathroom, returning after Dumbledore sent them to their rooms. As I passed through the crowd, including the professors watching me, something caught my attention, so I retraced my steps, doing a kind of backward march while everyone continued staring at me.

—Damn, that's what I forgot! —I said out loud, surprising everyone.

—Hey, a prophecy: the millennia-old giant snake has awakened once more under the command of the heir who once used it maliciously. Always protect yourselves from its direct gaze... Well, bye —I spoke as if I were one of those fake prophets. But it's better to use my fake prophetic powers than to let them know I know the future. In any case, it's almost the same, right?

I kept running even though I heard the professors trying to stop me. But I have more important things to do. Maybe I should call Misty to ensure no one dies, at the very least. In the original timeline, people only got petrified, but with my interference, something worse might happen. So I'll tell her to help only if someone is about to die.

I realized that maybe I give too much focus to the Gryffindors, especially in training.

And it's not for nothing, but I feel like they're more muscle-brained.

Meanwhile, Ravenclaws wouldn't be as interested in training—maybe just the magic.

And Hufflepuffs enjoy eating more.

As for Slytherins, they're the obvious antagonists. Although not all of them are bad... most are.

If you think differently, feel free to share ideas—I'm open to trying new things.

—-----------------------------

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