Harry Potter: Archmage of Another World

Snape glanced back at Harry. Their eyes met briefly before Harry quickly lowered his gaze to his potion, which had congealed into a murky, foul-smelling mess that reeked of burnt rubber.

"Zero points again, Potter," Snape snarled, waving his wand to clear Harry's cauldron. "You'll write me an essay on the correct method of brewing this potion. Detail exactly where and why you went wrong. Submit it by the next class. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Harry replied angrily.

The second class of the morning was Divination. The weather had turned gloomy, with ominous dark clouds looming over Hogwarts Castle. Augustus and Lilian Malfoy ascended the spiral staircase. Through the ancient windows, bone-chilling gusts of wind howled past.

"This season's rains are always like this. Once they start, they last a long time," Lilian said, gazing wistfully at the dull horizon through the staircase windows.

Draco Malfoy was paying close attention to the trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione below. It had to be said, Draco's uncanny ability to locate Harry was almost supernatural—he could spot him within a kilometer without fail. It wasn't so much an instinct as it was a case of bad luck bringing them together time and again.

"Hogwarts is situated in northern England, near London, so it's no surprise we're influenced by its long rainy seasons," Augustus explained, his pale hand extended as dull thunder rumbled outside. Tiny blue arcs of lightning flickered and danced across his slender fingers. "Rainy days, however, are excellent for training water and lightning element magic. During this time, elemental spirits are unusually active. Utilizing natural conditions as a shortcut for training is a fundamental skill every wizard should master."

"Mr. Augustus, you've delved into lightning magic as well?" Lilian's deep crimson eyes flickered with surprise.

"A modest proficiency," Augustus said with a nod, his tone calm.

They pushed open the old wooden door to the Divination classroom. The room was warm, but the overwhelming scent of perfume was far from pleasant.

Professor Trelawney was distributing copies of The Dream Interpretation Guide with visible irritation. It was clear she was in a foul mood. She slammed a copy onto Augustus and Lilian's table, pouted, and stormed off to throw another at Seamus and Dean. The book narrowly missed Seamus's head, and the last copy was shoved so forcefully into Neville's hands that he slipped off his chair.

"Ha! Looks like her tactics against Umbridge didn't work," Draco snickered gleefully. "She probably got the results of the investigation."

Augustus shook his head slightly. On a personal level, he had a certain respect for Professor Trelawney and had even helped her discreetly once. Unfortunately, Umbridge seemed unfazed by such mysterious phenomena. His intervention might have backfired.

"Let's begin!" Trelawney shrieked, her voice bordering on hysteria. "You all know what to do! Do I teach so poorly that none of you have learned to open your books?"

The principle of looking beyond appearances was fundamental to Divination. In essence, both magic and science sought to interpret and explain the world's elements. However, neither a wizard nor a scientist could easily grasp disciplines that relied on intuition and speculation.

Fuming, Professor Trelawney returned to her high-backed chair. Her magnified eyes brimmed with angry tears.

"Professor?" Parvati Patil asked timidly. She and Lavender Brown had always admired Trelawney. "Is something... wrong?"

"Wrong!" Trelawney cried, her voice trembling with emotion. "Baseless accusations! Malicious insinuations! Profaning the art of death omens!"

"She thinks she can challenge the great-grandchild of a true Seer?" Trelawney's frail shoulders quivered, and her lips turned faintly blue. "To fabricate a false narrative to deceive the mundane?!"

"Authority figures!" she proclaimed theatrically, her trembling voice low and dramatic. "We Seers have always been feared, always persecuted. Such is—ah—the curse of our gift!"

She drew a small embroidered handkerchief from her sleeve and blew her nose with a sound that resembled Peeves spitting. Ron snickered quietly. Lavender shot him a scornful glare.

By the first class of the afternoon, the oppressive skies finally released a torrential downpour. The rhythmic drumming of rain on the Charms classroom windows set the mood.

"Tomorrow marks the start of the first group training session," Lilian said, prodding a frog on her desk with her wand out of boredom. "Mr. Augustus, have you decided on the location? Will it be the Room of Requirement?"

Augustus gestured to a raven perched before him and replied casually, "Silent and unseen." The raven immediately stopped cawing.

"Excellent work, Mr. Augustus!" Professor Flitwick said in his high-pitched voice. "Ten points to Slytherin. Always flawless execution."

Augustus nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "There are two possible locations. I'm still considering them."

"Are you really going to teach elemental magic to those Mudbloods?" Draco looked worriedly at Augustus. Elemental magic had always been a closely guarded secret within their circle, a key to maintaining their dominance. If Harry and his friends learned it, Draco feared losing his advantage.

"Silent and unseen!" Draco commanded repeatedly, but the ugly raven before him only cawed louder, mocking him.

"For too long, aside from Lilian, you and Lokisor have lagged far behind in magical mastery," Augustus said, his expression turning cold. "Your lack of ambition stems from the vast talent gap. Now, the inclusion of outsiders might actually be beneficial for you. Will you stand by and let them surpass you one by one, or will you take control of your fate? The choice is yours."

Draco stared blankly out the window at the relentless rain. The raven continued its mocking cries. The darkened sky, heavy with clouds, seemed to mirror the uncertainty of the future. Perhaps, Draco thought silently, it was time to make a change.

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