To take back the right to cast spells from the Ministry of Magic?
The young wizards were puzzled, unable to understand Ivan's meaning.
Hermione, on the other hand, was able to understand some of it, and reluctantly translated Ivan's words. "You're saying that the Ministry of Magic made Umbridge ban us from learning protective magic, so we have to learn it ourselves?"
"That's one way to put it…" Yvonne nodded, but didn't argue.
'I hope you haven't forgotten Umbridge's speech at the Welcoming Feast.
She told us on behalf of the Ministry of Magic that the British wizarding community was peaceful, there were no disputes, no chaos, and that each of us could put down our wands and stay at Hogwarts in peace and study magic…"
"But I think you should all know that this is a complete and utter lie!" Ivan scanned the room, his gaze sharpening as he silently added a Voice-Sound Charm to his spell.
"Think about it, people! Quirrell four years ago, Lockhart three years ago, Dementors and Pettigrew two years ago, and that riot on the Goblet of Fire a few months ago!"
"All of which you and I have personally experienced, which shows that the Ministry is lying, that danger is never far away, and that the wizarding community is not safe!"
"And what did Minister for Magic Fudge and his Auror subordinates do when we were in danger and isolated?"
"They have not been of any use to us!" Ivan asserted. "Nor have they fulfilled all the promises they have made!"
"The Ministry has only disappointed us time and time again by letting the Dementors loose on Hogwarts and making a mess of everything, even locking up the hero of the wizarding community in Azkaban for thirteen years in the wrong place!"
Ivan's face took on a sardonic expression as he enunciated each word. "The Ministry of Magic excels at issuing security statements after the fact, maintaining non-existent harmony and peace, suppressing anyone who will speak the truth, and attempting to deceive our parents about all dangers being an accident…"
"Yet it is the Ministry of Magic, full of lies, that continues to boss us around, telling each and every one of us to give up magic that will protect us and wear us down with dull, pointless lessons…"
"They are afraid! Afraid that we will see through their lies, that we will know the truth, and even more afraid that we will be free of them, and strong enough to protect ourselves…"
Ivan's booming voice echoed through the Shrieking Shack, his rhythmic speech quickly stirring up the wizards' anger and bringing back memories of the dangers they had faced in the castle.
The Dementors' terror two years ago was something that many people still remember!
At the same time, they will never forget that when those disgusting creatures descended from the sky and tried to harm them, it was not the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic who stood in their way, but the hero of Hogwarts, the great Dragoon Ivan Hals!
Seeing that the time was right and the young wizards had accepted their beliefs, Ivan pointed at the door of the hut and said,
"If any of you are still willing to believe the Ministry's claims and expect the Aurors to arrive in time when you are in danger, you may leave now. I will not try to stop you!"
"But… if you have made up your mind to protect yourselves and your cherished family and friends with your wands, I would very much like to welcome you to the Defence Against the Dark Arts Society!"
As soon as Ivan finished speaking, Luna stepped forward and said briskly, "I believe you, Hulse, the Ministry of Magic is full of liars! My dad says they're worse than molesters…"
"Right! The Ministry of Magic has no right to stop us from learning protective magic, and we're going to get our spell-casting rights back!" Ernie Macmillan chimed in, expressing his strong support for Ivan's ideals.
After the two of them spoke, more and more young wizards raised their hands and announced that they were joining the Defence Against the Dark Arts Association. In the end, even the Slytherin students joined in, and no one left!
"I'm very happy to have your trust!" Ivan said, smiling at the eager young wizards. "The next time you come here, I'll show you what the Ministry is hiding!"
Ivan's words aroused everyone's curiosity. Was there something else the Ministry was keeping from them?
However, Ivan did not answer their questions, and instead changed the topic of the day, arranging for the 168 young wizards present to be sorted into groups according to their grades and house, with each prefect in charge.
"Are we going to train here?" someone shouted from the crowd after Ivan finished dividing the team.
Ivan glanced over and saw that it was Colin, who was a year younger than him, but that the other young wizards were more or less unhappy with the training ground.
After all, the Shrieking Shack had been abandoned for a long time. It was dirty and messy, with dust everywhere. Even the air was filled with the smell of decay. Other than the fact that it was relatively open, it did not look like a training ground at all…
Ivan naturally understood this, and immediately asked with a smile, "What do you think a qualified training ground needs, Colin?"
"Um…some combat dummies?" Colin said uncertainly after a moment.
"Very good, Battle Dummies!" Ivan nodded, then pointed his wand at a corner of the Shrieking Shack. The rotting tables and chairs floated up from the ground and twisted in midair. In just a few seconds, over a hundred Dummies were standing on their feet.
Not only that, but there were also two wheels at the bottom of these combat dummies, which constantly changed positions under the influence of magic. They were not rigid targets, but magic dummies that could run, jump, and counterattack!
Such a wide range of transfiguration left Colin and the others speechless for a long time.
"Anyone else have any requests?" Ivan asked, lowering his wand and turning to the others.
The eyes of the students present lit up. Only then did they understand that Ivan was planning to use Transfiguration to create a suitable training ground for them.
"We also need a place where we can sit and rest, and clean the floor!"
"The windows need fixing, or they'll leak…"
"And shelves and cabinets…"
"How about adding some decorations there?"
… .
Ivan took their advice and waved his wand.
Under the influence of Transfiguration magic, the boards were replaced with shiny, neat stone tiles, the damaged walls were repaired, the collapsed bookshelves were propped up and refurbished, and even the broken tiles were collected and turned into elaborate ornaments.
Ivan, however, did not do everything by himself, and after settling most of the sets, he took the opportunity to explain the basics of Transfiguration, leaving the rest of the work to the junior wizards.
An hour later, the ruined Shrieking Shack had been refurbished…