I Swung a Sword at Hogwarts

"I hope you will treat this place kindly and become an excellent and kind wizard."

"Lions are powerful, but they also need companions. You are strong, but I hope you can help more people."

Gryffindor's body was falling apart in wooden flakes. Seeing this, John snapped back to his senses and asked, "Are you leaving?"

"Child, I've been dead for a long time. This is just a remnant of my soul left behind."

As the woodchips fell away, they revealed a face with a red beard. Gryffindor looked kindly at John and said, "I see the future of the wizarding world in you. You possess great talent."

"Thank you, Headmaster Gryffindor."

John sincerely thanked him. Though their acquaintance had been brief, Gryffindor's strength and broad-mindedness had left a deep impression on him.

As the last of the woodchips fell away, leaving only his mouth, Gryffindor suddenly remembered something and cursed:

"That damn hat must be malfunctioning to sort you into Slytherin!"

Well, if Gryffindor weren't already dead, he might've wanted to toss the Sorting Hat into water to see if its brain had gathered dust.

John awkwardly rubbed his nose. He didn't know what the Sorting Hat had been thinking, but now that he was in Slytherin, he didn't mind too much.

Gryffindor vanished, and the training ground transformed into a cozy room.

John picked up a book that recorded Gryffindor's forging techniques.

This would be quite helpful for John. He also saw another book that looked like a combat manual.

It was Gryffindor's book on magical swordsmanship.

Looking at the book, John realized just how lucky he had been to win.

If Gryffindor had been given a sword, John would've lost so badly he'd have to call him "dad."

Tucking the book into his pocket, John thought he could study it for reference.

...

Great Hall.

John, lacking sleep, stuffed bread into his mouth. It had been late at night by the time he finished the three challenges yesterday.

On his way back, he even ran into his Head of House doing a nighttime patrol. Luckily, he used the Disillusionment Charm to avoid being caught.

"Neville, maybe you should stand up for yourself."

Seeing Neville's cheeks swollen like meat buns, John helped remove the hex.

"Thanks, John. I want to, but I'm just too weak."

No need to ask—clearly, Malfoy's doing. As for Malfoy, John still hadn't decided how to deal with him.

Looking at Neville, John spoke with a tempting tone:

"Neville, do you want to become strong?"

"Strong?"

"Yes! Strong enough that no one can bully you ever again."

John's serious expression told Neville he meant it sincerely.

Thinking about being bullied by Malfoy and the image of his parents, Neville looked into John's eyes, hesitated, and asked:

"What should I do?"

"After class this afternoon, wait for me by the Whomping Willow."

John checked the time. Class was starting soon. He quickly finished the bread and stood up.

As he passed Neville, he patted him on the shoulder and said seriously:

"Neville, you are not mediocre. You just haven't discovered your strength yet."

Neville stared blankly as John walked away. During class, John's words kept echoing in Neville's mind. He was so distracted that Professor Flitwick even noticed.

...

Afternoon.

John walked out of class. In Transfiguration, he had successfully transformed a beetle into a delicate button.

For someone who had reached Level 3 in Transfiguration, this was too easy.

Gryffindor's legacy had given him three free stat points. After using one on Transfiguration, he had two left.

Although he wanted to keep boosting Transfiguration, it was currently maxed out for his level, so he decided to save the remaining points.

On his way to the Whomping Willow, he ran into Daphne.

"John, are you going to join the Quidditch team?"

Daphne walked beside John, and her best friend Pansy very tactfully left them alone.

John was stunned. Daphne leaned closer and said mysteriously:

"Draco's father donated a bunch of new broomsticks to the Quidditch team. You flew really well in first year—you should try out."

"Quidditch? I'm interested, but I don't have the time to join extra activities."

John couldn't help but shake his head—Malfoy using money to buy his way in showed how insecure he really was.

The Slytherin team's previous Seeker had left, and the position was vacant.

Even without donations, Malfoy could probably earn the Seeker spot on his flying skills alone.

But this was just money talking. It might help Malfoy quickly become the team's centerpiece.

Seeing John uninterested, Daphne changed the topic to the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

She had expected a powerful wizard, but after yesterday's class, she realized the truth about Lockhart.

"I told my mum, but she didn't believe me. It's awful."

Daphne vented to John, who nodded sympathetically. Then, suddenly, she said:

"Honestly, I think they should let you teach the class. At least we wouldn't get our ears pulled by house-elves."

John just laughed. No matter how bad things got, Hogwarts would never let a student teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.

He took it as Daphne venting and didn't dwell on it.

After parting with Daphne on the first floor, John headed to the Whomping Willow.

Before he saw Neville, he noticed a little girl nearby.

She seemed to be searching for something near the dangerous tree. John warned her:

"You should step back. The Whomping Willow could send you flying."

The girl stopped and turned around. In a dreamy voice, she said:

"I'm looking for a Crumple-Horned Snorkack. It's a very shy creature."

John paused and looked at her, unable to hide his bewilderment at her strange attire.

She wore Ravenclaw robes, a necklace made of Butterbeer corks, and odd trinkets on her ears.

John didn't comment. Instead, he walked up and said:

"Crumple-Horned Snorkack? I haven't seen one around here. I'm John Wick. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, John Wick. I'm Luna Lovegood."

They shook hands and became acquainted.

John looked her over—she had long, messy, dirty-blonde hair reaching her waist and bulging grey eyes that looked a bit vacant. Her eyebrows were pale.

Combined with her outfit, she gave off a rather eccentric vibe.

"You're a new Ravenclaw first-year?"

"Yes. I know you—you're John from Slytherin."

Her airy voice sounded like she was singing. John shrugged:

"Hopefully that's a good thing."

Apart from her odd looks, she seemed nice enough. John actually enjoyed chatting with her.

He poured some dragon dung near the Whomping Willow, making the tree pause longer than usual.

He snipped some branches and leaves. Looking below the tree, he found a hidden passage.

"What's that for?" Luna asked, stepping closer.

She didn't seem the slightest bit concerned about how long John could keep the tree frozen.

John already knew. He'd seen it on the Marauder's Map. He said casually:

"Probably a tunnel to some haunted house or something."

It was the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack. John felt a strong urge to explore.

But remembering his appointment with Neville, he decided to wait.

After a while, Neville arrived, panting heavily.

"Sorry, John. I only remembered after I went back to the dorm."

Leaning over, hands on his knees, Neville noticed the girl beside John and got nervous.

"This is Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw first-year," John introduced.

"Hi," said Luna.

Neville's face flushed red, whether from running or shyness.

"H-hi, I'm Neville Longbottom."

After the introductions, John looked at the passage under the tree and smiled kindly at Neville:

"Shall we begin your first training session?"

"Training?"

"Yes—to make you strong."

John led the way. Neville followed, and oddly enough, Luna came too.

They arrived under the Whomping Willow. Neville looked nervously at the dark tunnel.

John patted his shoulder reassuringly:

"Relax. There are no ghosts… well, unless Peeves lives down there."

Mentioning Peeves made Neville even more anxious.

Before he could protest, John had already nudged him to go first, with himself following behind.

Luna trailed along, curious about everything.

The tunnel was very dark. Neville was terrified. He even forgot to cast the Lighting Charm until John reminded him.

Neville nervously tried several times before finally succeeding. With the light on, things didn't seem so scary anymore.