"Are you very worried?" Gerald had already noticed her unease and spoke in a calm tone. "Afraid Harry Potter will become the target of public criticism?"

"P-professor... H-how did you..." Hermione was stunned, her expression somewhat disbelieving.

This should currently be a secret only their trio knew. How could this young professor before her state it so confidently?

"I was present at your duel class that day," Gerald replied with a smile.

During that duel class, because Harry Potter used Parseltongue to control the black snake Malfoy summoned, he came to understand that he possessed the ability of Parseltongue.

Of course, most young wizards, and even some professors, were not aware that what he had used before was actually Parseltongue. It was Harry and Hermione themselves who had consulted various materials to confirm it.

"Professor Zickrein, I can guarantee it!" Hermione quickly sat up straight and said loudly, "Harry is not the heir, absolutely not! Please believe me!"

"Don’t be nervous, of course I know he isn’t," Gerald said with a chuckle. "After all, when Cedric was attacked, you were still in the basement of the main building brewing potions."

Oh.

Hermione froze, dazedly asking, "You... how do you even know that?"

"Because that was originally the place I used to practice potion brewing," Gerald shook his head. "Didn’t you find it strange why the ingredients there were so complete?"

"We... we thought it was a storeroom Professor Snape had abandoned..."

"It seems you really don’t understand Snape. Even if he abandoned a room, he wouldn’t leave a single herb behind."

"I’m sorry, Professor Zickrein... I’m truly very sorry."

Hermione felt she could hardly bear to stay any longer, her cheeks burning hot with embarrassment.

"The recipe you obtained is already far too ancient. Polyjuice Potion should not continue to include Ghoul Spinal Fluid; that would damage the potion’s stability. You should change it to the venom sac of a Rammous Rat; the effects would be much better."

Hermione was stunned, staring blankly at the young man before her. She never expected that not only did he not punish her, but he actually offered advice on improving the potion?

"You are my assistant, Miss Hermione," Gerald said without looking at her again, continuing to focus on drawing his magic circle circuit diagrams. "I am saying these words not from the position of a professor, but from the position of a collaborator."

Speaking from the position of a professor, naturally, he couldn’t give her any advice on potion improvement. Because the brewing of Polyjuice Potion was already beyond the academic scope of a second-year young wizard.

As a professor, he certainly couldn’t encourage students to break the rules.

But if said from a collaborator’s standpoint, then it was no problem. Every collaborator hopes their partner is highly skilled. That’s only human nature.

Time passed bit by bit, and the night gradually grew deeper.

"That’s enough; we’ve pretty much completed today’s progress," Gerald said plainly, closing the drawing before him. "There’s class tomorrow. You should head back now."

"Yes, thank you, Professor Zickrein." Hermione politely stood up, bowed, and turned to walk out of Gerald’s quarters.

*Hum.*

Just seconds after she left, the air before Gerald began to distort. A house-elf dressed in a tailcoat slowly materialized, bowing in a very standard aristocratic manner. "Greetings, great Lord Zickrein, your faithful servant salutes you."

"You should know this, Aura," Gerald’s expression remained unchanged, his tone calm. "I dislike these empty formalities."

"Of course, from four hundred years ago you were always the least aristocratic of nobles," Aura’s tone carried a hint of nostalgia, sighing. "You detest all cumbersome rites. But as your servant, even if it disgusts you, I must persist in my own principles."

"Are you trying to use magic to defeat magic?" Gerald retorted helplessly.

"Precisely so, great Lord," Aura said, pulling out a delicate small wooden box from behind him. "The Shadow Wolf Fang you requested. It is still quite fresh."

Gerald opened the box. Before his eyes lay a black fang nearly half a meter long, emanating an extremely savage and bloodthirsty aura.

"Thank you, Aura," Gerald said plainly, accepting the box. "Next, we can begin the second step. Let’s start with the pure-blood families of the English wizarding world."

"Your will is my direction, Lord," Aura bent down, his form slowly disappearing. "Also, I think that Miss Granger really does have the potential to be a mistress." Having said that, he vanished completely from Gerald’s sight as if fleeing.

So, liking to be ’cheeky’ is truly something that transcends species.

Gerald looked at the empty air, gaining a new insight in his heart. Shaking his head helplessly, he pulled up the group chat interface.

Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Should we start from Tokyo Bay? I think it’s quite suitable there, and there’s the Self-Defense Forces stationed. I’ll deliberately make a big scene, flamboyantly take out those Self-Defense Force members, and our villain persona will definitely be established.

Machete Girl: I don’t think Tokyo Bay is good. According to the crowd segmentation Eri provided, the population density over there is too high. If we cause a battle there, it will definitely affect the civilians.

Curly-haired Guy: Are we still worried about that bit of impact nowadays? Compared to the impact of a battle, the negative influence of those filthy rulers is greater.

Machete Girl: We shouldn’t compare ourselves to those filthy ones. We need to be clear about what kind of group we are.

Discussing the strategic direction over at Eri’s side?

Looking at the group members’ chat logs, Gerald realized. He quite approved of this method of discussion. Even if it got heated, it still had significant positive meaning.

Truth becomes clearer through debate, after all.

Amegakure Village’s Angel: What Kotonoha says makes sense; we should avoid civilian casualties. But in the current situation, we also need a swift, decisive strike. Tokyo Bay is a good entry point. Just try not to involve ordinary people.

Doujin Artist: How about I go do evacuation and mobilization work first? In the name of our team, we’ll just say there’s a powerful energy fluctuation detected over there.

Machete Girl: Hmm, if that’s the case, then it should be fine.

Doujin Artist: I’ll go do that now. Ruiko, you prepare on your end as well. This time, let’s give that corrupt ruling group of the island nation a proper, big lesson.

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