After an excruciatingly boring hour had finally crawled past, the class bell rang with merciful finality. Not only did the young wizards listening to the tedious lecture breathe collective sighs of relief, but even Quirrell himself released a long, weary exhale.
Hastily gathering his teaching materials, Quirrell hurried from the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom with obvious urgency. His desperate rush to escape, not daring to linger even momentarily, resembled someone frantically rushing to complete a master's urgent task.
Observing Quirrell's theatrical performance, Leo remained utterly speechless. The man was completely overdoing this act of playing the incompetent fool.
Anyone who could secure a professorship at Hogwarts couldn't possibly be entirely useless! Although Leo could certainly learn Defence Against the Dark Arts through independent reading, having proper instructor guidance would accelerate his progress immeasurably.
Who doesn't want to improve their abilities?
But who would fill this glaring gap in magical education? Leo glanced down at his Defence textbook, which remained frustratingly theoretical throughout. Real combat duels were decided in split-second moments. The crucial decisiveness and tactical response techniques required couldn't be fully mastered through mere rote memorisation.
The prospect of enduring an entire year of Quirrell's half-hearted, deliberately incompetent teaching made Leo internally groan with frustration.
If not for Dumbledore's obvious suspicions about Quirrell's true nature and his wariness regarding Voldemort's potential return to Hogwarts... given the headmaster's characteristic preference for keeping problematic individuals under direct surveillance rather than dismissing them entirely, he probably would have fired Quirrell long ago for such abysmal performance.
Wait a moment. Leo's thoughts paused on a crucial detail. Fire a professor?
This realisation sparked a sudden, brilliant idea. Since Quirrell was officially his instructor, shouldn't the man at least teach him something genuinely useful?
Perhaps it was time to extract some valuable knowledge from Professor Quirrell. Leo's smile turned slightly predatory. Maybe he could even gain some insights from Tom Riddle himself...
After bidding farewell to Harry and his companions, Leo gathered his books and departed the classroom with purposeful strides. His scheduled classes had concluded for the day, leaving him free to pursue more important objectives.
Destination: the library!
Upon entering Hogwarts' legendary repository of knowledge, the entire atmosphere shifted to respectful quiet. This silence wasn't due to naturally well-behaved young wizards consciously avoiding noise. Rather, a thin, sharp-eyed elderly woman wielding a feather duster patrolled the vast space like a territorial lioness surveying her domain.
If any student dared make excessive noise or damage precious volumes, she would brandish that feather duster threateningly and escort them from the premises without ceremony.
Leo scanned the library efficiently and quickly located his target. "Madam Pince?"
The stern librarian acknowledged his quiet inquiry with a curt nod.
Leo withdrew Professor Flitwick's carefully prepared reading list and presented it respectfully. After rapidly scanning the document's contents, Madam Pince's weathered features creased into a pronounced frown.
She studied Leo from head to toe with obvious skepticism before asking sharply: "What year are you?"
"First year."
Leo's straightforward answer caused Madam Pince's frown to deepen considerably. The books listed on Flitwick's recommendation included: "Achievements in Charming," "The Development of Silent Spells," "Applications of Combination Spells"...
These represented advanced texts that only senior students preparing for N.E.W.T. examinations would typically attempt borrowing, usually requesting just one or two volumes at a time for intensive study.
Examining a list containing no fewer than ten sophisticated magical texts, Madam Pince strongly suspected this first-year student was orchestrating some elaborate prank. However, the document bore Professor Flitwick's personal signature alongside an unforgeable magical authentication mark.
After several seconds of internal debate, Madam Pince responded with characteristic terseness: "Wait here."
The librarian turned and navigated between towering bookshelves with remarkable confidence. Without hesitation or consultation, she moved through the maze of knowledge, apparently knowing the precise location of every volume without needing to pause for thought.
Watching Madam Pince manually retrieve books rather than employing simple Summoning Charms, Leo deduced she must genuinely love these literary treasures, choosing to handle them personally rather than risk rough magical transport.
As for the possibility that Madam Pince might be a Squib incapable of using magic, Leo considered and dismissed the theory. The library's Restricted Section contained countless precious and dangerous volumes. How could the school possibly assign someone without magical understanding to guard such materials? That would essentially invite students to infiltrate using magic at will.
Madam Pince efficiently gathered all requested texts and presented them to Leo with stern authority: "You absolutely must not damage these books. Violators will face severe punishment! The borrowing period is one month. If you require extensions, return to register renewal personally."
Leo nodded his grateful acknowledgement. He then located several additional volumes on advanced Transfiguration theory and experimental Potions techniques, registered them with Madam Pince, and prepared to depart the library sanctuary.
Just as he exited the library and rounded a corner, Leo's vision became completely blocked by his towering stack of borrowed books, preventing him from noticing an approaching figure.
"Ouch!"
A surprised feminine cry rang through the corridor as the collision sent both students reeling. Leo stumbled backward while books threatened to scatter everywhere across the stone floor.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
Leo's reflexes proved superior, drawing his wand and immediately casting a Levitation Charm with practised precision. The dispersed volumes floated steadily through the air before restacking themselves in perfect order.
"My apologies, are you injured?" Leo moved to assist the fallen student.
"You're Leonardo!"
Leo studied the pale golden-haired girl sitting on the floor rubbing her wrist with obvious discomfort. He felt certain they'd never been introduced, yet she clearly recognised him.
She grasped his offered hand and rose gracefully to her feet. "I'm Daphne Greengrass, eldest daughter of the Greengrass family."
Hearing Daphne's formal self-introduction, Leo raised a curious eyebrow but maintained polite courtesy: "Hello, I'm Leonardo Grafton."
"I'm quite familiar with your reputation. Your performance during the opening ceremony was rather outstanding." Her smile held calculated charm. "Didn't we also attend History of Magic together this afternoon?"
Leo noticed the serpent crest adorning Daphne's robes, immediately identifying her house affiliation. Observing her continued wrist massage, apparently having strained the joint during her fall, Leo acknowledged partial responsibility for their collision.
He raised his wand with practised efficiency. "Episkey!"
Gentle white light enveloped Daphne's injured wrist, instantly eliminating her discomfort completely.
"A Healing Charm? How impressive! Thank you very much!"
Daphne expressed her gratitude with elegant poise, internally confirming her assessment. Anyone capable of such effortless magic mere days after term began clearly represented an extraordinary individual worth cultivating as an ally.
"You're quite welcome."
Leo acknowledged her thanks briefly and prepared to continue toward his dormitory. He planned to collect dinner from the Great Hall before retreating to begin his evening of intensive study.
Finally gaining access to truly advanced magical knowledge, no longer limited to basic texts available through commercial channels, filled Leo with anticipation and genuine excitement. Learning silent casting techniques, attempting experimental potion brewing... tonight promised another wonderfully productive evening!
"Leonardo, would you care to join me for dinner?"
Seeing Leo preparing to depart without further conversation, Daphne quickly extended her invitation with practised social grace.
An elegant, perfectly calculated smile graced her lips while her chin tilted slightly upward, revealing her slender, pale neck. Her entire posture suggested that receiving her invitation represented some significant honour.
Leo observed this young woman's affected expression and artificial bearing with growing familiarity. How did she manage to make visiting the school cafeteria sound so extraordinarily refined?
Greengrass... one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pure-blood families. No wonder her mannerisms seemed familiar. During formal banquets attended with Aunt Penelope, virtually every aristocratic young lady had displayed identical pretentious behaviour.
Pure-blood family heiress combined with Slytherin house affiliation... these characteristics were definitely stacking up ominously. Leo's intuition strongly suggested this particular girl would prove tremendously troublesome to associate with.
He possessed so many advanced texts awaiting his attention, such vast knowledge demanding his focus. Where could he possibly find time to waste on social complications?
"Thank you for your gracious invitation, but I apologise... I have pressing commitments this evening."
After delivering his polite but firm refusal, Leo stepped around Daphne and continued toward his destination without pause.
Her carefully crafted smile froze completely as she processed being dismissed so casually, barely having time to register the rejection before he'd already departed.