A chill permeated the classroom the moment Hermione and Bill slipped in through the back door.

Every student was holding their breath, eyes glued to the front of the classroom. The air was thick with tension, like gunpowder before ignition. Professor Quirrell and Professor Umbridge faced off on either side of the lectern, the atmosphere so charged it felt like wands would be drawn any second.

"Professor Umbridge, if I recall correctly, I did not invite you to the front of the classroom," Quirinus Quirrell said coolly, his expression blank as he looked at the stout witch. "Of course, you have the right to observe any lesson, but I must ask you to respect basic classroom etiquette. Sit quietly in the corner, scribbling in your little notebook, rather than fluttering around the students like a bothersome fly—"

He paused for half a second, then offered a wry smile, his voice utterly devoid of apology. "Oh, pardon me, perhaps my analogy was not quite apt—flies, after all, do not obstruct my blackboard."

Most teachers at this school might have been wary of Umbridge's position, but Quirrell certainly was not.

The undercurrents swirling through Hogwarts were even more treacherous than they had been last year. If provoking the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic could lead to his "reasonable" dismissal from Hogwarts, he would not miss such a golden opportunity.

And on the other hand, if the "Dark Lords" ultimately prevailed, his current actions would certainly be seen as a plus.

"Ahem, ahem—"

Professor Umbridge made a coughing sound, but this time it wasn't the affected, delicate cough she usually employed.

She looked as if she had just been slapped hard across the face. Students could see her pale, fleshy face quickly shifting from white to red, then from red to green. Umbridge's chest heaved, clearly incensed by Quirrell's words.

However, when she spoke again, there was none of the roaring that one might have expected.

"Professor Quirrell, I believe you received my note, outlining some suggestions and requirements regarding your course—" Professor Umbridge said with a saccharine smile, her voice still that cloying tone. Had the students not just heard Professor Quirrell's barbed words, they might have thought she had only just arrived in the classroom.

"Indeed I did. Otherwise, I would have ‘politely’ asked you to leave, rather than inquiring about the reason for your presence," Professor Quirrell said, adjusting his notes. He glanced toward the back of the classroom, seemingly without intention.

Many students exchanged excited glances. The deliberate emphasis on "politely," and the way Professor Quirrell glanced at the doorway, both served as a more blatant provocation, practically begging for a fight.

"Ahem, ahem. Then I am at a loss," Professor Umbridge said, her smile unwavering as she looked at Quirrell, as if she hadn't heard a word of his insinuation.

"I believe I made it perfectly clear that, based on last week's evaluation, there are significant issues with your curriculum. The content and method of instruction are clearly far from what the Ministry wishes to see… If you continue to teach in this manner, I may have to request certain special rights to rectify the situation…"

"So… you're planning to teach me how to teach?" Professor Quirrell raised an eyebrow, his voice playfully soft. "For instance, by standing at the front of the classroom and instructing me on how to teach Muggle Studies?"

"Oh, not to instruct, but to point out some of the misconceptions you previously held—" Professor Umbridge said softly, still in that terribly unpleasant, saccharine voice.

However, her eyes were filled with wariness. She was acutely aware of the strange animosity emanating from the damned, arrogant, lowly young wizard. She had to be careful not to let him rile her up and provoke her into acting irrationally.

No normal wizard would dare speak so boldly and caustically. Someone must be pulling Quirinus Quirrell's strings.

According to information and speculation from the Ministry, all evidence pointed to one person: the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore—only he could give Quirrell the confidence to speak so freely.

As for the reason…

Umbridge narrowed her eyes slightly, recalling Cornelius Fudge's warning in his office.

"Hogwarts and the Ministry are in a delicate balance. In this collaboration, whichever side shows a weakness first will be forced to relinquish power. Your task is to find that weakness, but you are also their potential point of entry."

Therefore, the more brazen and disrespectful Quirinus Quirrell was, the more vigilant and cautious Umbridge became.

Umbridge had spent decades climbing to the position of Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic. During that time, she had encountered too many schemes and traps—in fact, she herself was adept at such tactics. If she were to draw her wand prematurely in response to Quirrell's taunts, it would be a disastrous scandal, and her political career would be over.

Moreover, she had noticed a noteworthy detail…

No matter how scathing his words, Quirrell never drew his wand. This was highly unusual.

In the wizarding world, wizards would often instinctively reach for their wands. Based on Umbridge's years of experience, there were only two explanations for such an unnatural situation: either the person was a terribly inept wizard, or they were deliberately controlling their actions.

As one of the only two Hogwarts graduates in the last century to achieve top marks in every subject, Quirrell was clearly not the former.

Undoubtedly, this was a silent war!

Umbridge was extremely wary, constantly reminding herself to be patient and avoid falling into the trap.

Of course, restraining her emotions didn't mean she had to yield at every turn.

Just as Quirinus Quirrell refused to give an inch, Umbridge, as the Ministry's representative at Hogwarts, had to find ways to assert the Ministry's authority—by using reasonable, codified means to seize the initiative.

"Perhaps you overlooked the supplementary notes in the Ministry's documents, Professor Quirrell."

Umbridge's toad-like mouth widened into a smile. She pulled a document from her bag and said sweetly, "If an 'Inspector,' that is to say, myself, discovers an obvious error during an observation, they should promptly alert the course's professor to prevent students from receiving incorrect information… For example, like right now."

"An… obvious error? Do you truly believe you understand this subject better than I do?" Quirinus Quirrell repeated softly, looking at the Ministry official with a playful expression.

Compared to a certain mysterious castle caretaker, the résumé of the Ministry-appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts professor was hardly a secret. Since arriving at the school, Umbridge had been emphasizing her Slytherin past and using it to demonstrate her familiarity with Hogwarts, her tone dripping with the arrogance of a typical pure-blood bureaucrat.

And as far as Quirrell knew, pure-bloods, Slytherins, and the Ministry were precisely the groups most disconnected from the Muggle world.

"More accurately, I understand reality better than the books suggest—" Professor Umbridge said softly, glancing at the top line of Quirrell's lecture notes, a triumphant glint in her eyes.

"In the past two days, I reviewed Hogwarts' previous exams and was astonished to find the Muggle Studies curriculum to be so childish, outdated, and riddled with errors, especially since you took over as professor. You seem to be obsessed with promoting the idea that Muggles possess magical powers comparable to those of wizards, deviating from the essence of this course."

"The essence of this course? Isn't Muggle Studies about studying the daily lives of Muggles?" Quirrell shrugged, frowning at Umbridge and trying to guess what the witch intended to say.

As one of Hogwarts' elective courses, Muggle Studies mainly focused on understanding the daily lives of Muggles, including their use of electricity and technology, and was primarily aimed at wizards who had little direct contact with Muggles. Previously, if a wizard wanted to pursue a career closely related to Muggles after graduation, they had to take this course.

However, with the reform of the new curriculum and the promotion of professional titles, the course was gradually trending toward becoming a required subject.

"Of course not. The most important aspect of this course is to observe Muggles from a wizarding perspective…" Umbridge said softly with a sneer, her tone laced with disgust.

"Wizards do not study Muggles to become Muggles. The reason for offering this course is to help more wizards understand the limitations of non-magic and how to conceal the secrets of magic from Muggles. You spend too much time and effort describing how Muggles imitate wizards, and much of it is incorrect!"

"Let me be more explicit, Professor Quirrell," Professor Umbridge said, smiling at Quirrell in a particularly irritating way.

"You teach everyone to stay away from large Muggle appliances, warn students to be wary of the cars that traverse the streets, and to avoid lingering near Muggle airports… These are indeed mentioned in the textbook, but your reasoning should be—doing so could lead to serious breaches of secrecy, not that it's dangerous. You are too ignorant of the limitations of the non-magical world."

"Incorrect? The limitations of the non-magical world?" Quirinus Quirrell gave a silent, wry smile. Perhaps a month ago, he would have agreed.

But the more time he spent at the research institute outside Hogwarts, the more clearly he perceived how stagnant the wizarding world had become. Much of what he was teaching as common knowledge was known to children as young as ten outside the magical community.

"Muggles are not insignificant, and magic is not omnipotent, Professor Umbridge—" Quirrell said bluntly, his expression growing serious as he waved his lecture notes with some impatience.

"There are already too many people in this world who believe in wizarding supremacy and consider Muggles worthless. This lesson is meant to teach everyone how to live in the non-magical world, how to be wary of things that might harm them… If one day they must live in a world without magic, they must first learn to protect themselves and how to survive."

"Live in a world without magic?" Umbridge raised her eyes, thoughtfully scrutinizing Quirrell.

"This is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and students belong to the wizarding world after graduation," she said softly.

"But in the wider, more expansive world, isn't it true that Muggles live everywhere?"

"The magical and non-magical worlds have existed separately for centuries. An excellent wizard has no need and should not lower themselves to imitating the lives of Muggles, Mr. Quirrell—that is what you should be telling the children."

"Oh, really? How long will this arrangement last—ten years, twenty years, fifty years?" Professor Quirrell scoffed. He waved his hand in annoyance, a problem that plagued him as well.

"Wait, excuse me, I think I may have misunderstood something…" Professor Umbridge sneered, her voice terribly affectionate. "This sounds as if you believe the magical and non-magical worlds should merge into one?"

"I never believed that the world was separate—what defines a wizard is knowledge, not magic," Quirinus Quirrell said stiffly, slamming his lecture notes on the podium. "If you believe I intend to violate the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, or if you have any doubts about my teaching content, you are welcome to report it to the Ministry. But until the school dismisses me, I am still the professor of this course. Dolores Umbridge, you have seriously disrupted the normal progress of this class. Now, please leave—"

As he spoke, he drew his wand, quickly moving it from Umbridge to the direction of the back door.

With Professor Quirrell's action of drawing his wand, the entire class held their breath.

They looked nervously at Umbridge standing by the podium, as if anticipating something to happen, while Bill Weasley, sitting in the last row, wryly drew his own wand, preparing to carry out a certain young lady's orders.

[In the event of a battle, disarm Umbridge first.]

However, Professor Umbridge did not draw her own wand in response.

"Oh, very well—very well—" Her gaze lingered on the dark shadow at Quirrell's waist, her pupils contracted slightly, and then quickly returned to normal.

"As you wish, Professor Quirrell. I will accurately report what I have learned to the Ministry," Umbridge said, picking up her handbag and hurrying toward the door. Her vicious, satisfied expression made it seem as if she was the victor of this exchange—she had finally discovered Hogwarts' hidden secret.

Hogwarts, or rather, Albus Dumbledore, was likely plotting something terrible.

Of course, perhaps that was not the old wizard's true plan, but some incriminating evidence could certainly be found from Quirinus Quirrell and the few new professors who had just joined Hogwarts.

For example…

Umbridge's eyes flickered.

As a half-blood witch, she certainly knew what Quirrell was carrying on his waist.

A handgun—a Muggle killing weapon.

And this was the reasonable excuse the Ministry had been desperately seeking to further interfere in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

In less than half a minute, her footsteps disappeared outside the door.

At the same time.

"I am lost—"

Hermione snapped her fingers expressionlessly and said softly, "Bobert, from now on, lock down Hogwarts and impound all owls flying out. Also, tell Professor Apophysis that a guest from the Ministry may have seen some unpleasant things. Prepare to evaluate treatment options—"

She may have found a leaker.

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Hooray!