Chapter 24: The only thing that's tainted...

It had been a week since Leonard Taylor took on the role of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Over the past few days, there had been a significant reduction in impromptu attacks in the corridors and the Great Hall. However, this didn't mean that planned attacks, where students teamed up and ambushed others in the corridors, had disappeared entirely. So far, no student had managed to damage Leo in any way, and his defensive strategies remained a mystery. Still, some of the more talented students, led by Hermione, were beginning to brainstorm countermeasures.

On a holiday, Leo was summoned to the headmaster's office.

"Well then, Leo. It's been a week since you became the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. How's it going?" Dumbledore inquired.

"It's been fine so far. No issues to report. Regarding the exemption assignments, no one has succeeded yet. It seems the upper-year students are cautiously observing for now," Leo replied.

"Ho ho ho, I see. However, those exemption assignments are causing some problems. Madame Pomfrey, the school nurse, and Mr. Filch, the caretaker, are quite upset about the frequent hallway brawls and the subsequent overcrowding in the infirmary, as well as the mess in the corridors. We need a solution promptly. Do you have any good ideas?" Dumbledore asked.

Leo had suspected that the repeated cycle of attacks and retaliation since the exemption assignments were announced might lead to such complaints. He had considered an alternative and was ready to propose it.

"Yes, indeed. It seems not specifying the time and location has caused issues. As an alternative, we could pre-determine the location and date, recruit participants, and conduct it as an event of sorts. The Quidditch pitch is available and should provide ample space. If we hold it once a month, like a Quidditch match, and make it observable from the spectator stands, it could encourage student improvement and countermeasure planning," Leo suggested.

Hmm, hosting more events is a good idea. I'll grant permission for that," Dumbledore agreed.

"Thank you. May I visit the Quidditch pitch for an inspection then? I've never actually seen a Quidditch match," Leo inquired.

"You're not interested in Quidditch? It's quite an exciting sport. I believe it's on par with Muggle bowling. The stadium shouldn't have any restrictions on entry, so you're free to visit anytime. Just avoid disturbing the Quidditch teams if they happen to be practicing, especially those from other houses," Dumbledore advised.

After leaving the headmaster's office, Leo returned to his office. As it was a holiday, he expected Hermione to be waiting there. When he discussed his conversation with Dumbledore, she expressed interest in visiting the Quidditch pitch together.

At the Quidditch pitch, the Gryffindor team was beginning their practice. However, the Slytherin team arrived, and the atmosphere immediately became tense. Leo and Hermione, oblivious to this tension, continued to discuss the exemption assignments and teaching while approaching the pitch. The first to notice them among the Gryffindors was Ron.

"Taylor! You didn't come here to spy, did you!? Hermione, you are from Gryffindor, so you shouldn't be hanging around with this guy!" Ron exclaimed.

Harry and Captain Oliver Wood frowned at Ron's spy accusation. On the other hand, the girls and the Weasley twins greeted them politely. Since the girls had participated in Leo's study sessions, they recognized him.

"Spying? Well, even if I wanted to... I don't know anything about Quidditch rules. I came here to scout the location for an event related to the Defense Against the Dark Arts class that might use this place. If it's going to disrupt your practice, I can come back another time," Leo explained.

As they were about to leave the pitch, a voice came from the Slytherin side.

"Hahaha! It turns out that there are things that honor student Leonard Taylor doesn't know. You miss out on a lot in life because all you can do is study. a Muggle-born, is hanging out with this guy. You should take a lesson from the filthy Muggle-borns behind you." Draco Malfoy sneered.

Laughter erupted from the Slytherins, while Hermione was verbally attacked and condemned as a Muggle-born by the Gryffindors. 

"Malfoy! How dare you say that!" Ron shouted angrily.

Before Ron could cast a curse at Draco Malfoy, with the exposed core of his wand. However, before the curse could take effect, Malfoy was sent flying.

"Whooaaa!" 

Malfoy tumbled through the air, leaving both teams in stunned silence. In the place where Malfoy had been, Hermione stood in a hand-waving posture.

"Ugh," 

Malfoy groaned as he picked himself up from the ground. It seemed the blow hadn't done too much damage, as he quickly got back on his feet. He glares at Hermione and starts yelling at her.

"You... you filthy Mudblood! You dare to strike a pure-blood like me! Typical of a Muggle-born, resorting to physical violence when you can't even use proper magic. Your mind must be as twisted as your blood!" 

Hermione, in response, gazed back at him with icy indifference.

"I don't really care what you say about me, but could you please refrain from mocking Leo? Leo may not know much about Quidditch, but he's still amazing in his own way. People like you, with narrow minds, should keep your opinions to yourselves," Hermione replied, her voice firm.

"What did you say, you filthy Mudblood! I can't understand why people like you and Taylor, half-bloods and Muggle-borns, are even in the wizarding world. Wizards should be pure-blooded, aaargh!" 

Malfoy shouted, his words suddenly interrupted by a scream.

Malfoy's head had been severed mid-sentence, causing both Quidditch teams to scream in shock. In the spot where Malfoy's head had been, his decapitated body stood in a stunned state. 

"Aaargh!"

"Gyaaaa!!"

Amidst everyone's screams, Draco Malfoy's detached head cried out.

"My head... it's gone! I'm dying! Huh? It doesn't hurt? What's happening!?"

Amidst the confusion, nobody could provide an answer to Malfoy's bewildered questions, except for Leonard Taylor, the one who had caused this.

"Draco Malfoy, Shut up!. It's quite bothersome when you interfere with us. While you might insist on pure-bloods, I think it's the generations of inbreeding within pure-blood families that are truly tainted. And if you continue to insult Hermione, things might get even worse for you. Your head will return to normal by tomorrow. You can eat and move as usual. Now, Hermione, shall we go?"

"Wait! Do you realize what you've done?! My father... urk!"

Malfoy's head was now split vertically into two pieces, much like before. This time, he couldn't even voice his concerns, and the fear in his eyes was palpable.

"I forgot to mention, attempting to fix it with magic will remove the protection, and you'll die," Leonard explained calmly.

Draco Malfoy was terrified. Even if he could speak, he wouldn't dare to ask for help. It seemed that the Slytherin team felt the same way. Although Gryffindor had called Malfoy's fate justly deserved, there was still an underlying fear of Leo among them. Only the twins treated Leo as they always had.

They left the Quidditch pitch and returned to the study room to work on lesson plans and fine-tune the ring. As they walked back, Hermione expressed her gratitude.

"Leo, thank you for getting angry on my behalf. I think this might be the first time I've ever seen you angry. By the way, how did you do that with Malfoy's head?"

"I used spatial translocation to separate his head from his body. It's kind of like a partial application of the Disillusionment Charm. If left as it is, he'd die, but I've connected his blood vessels and nerves across the spatial gap, so his head is just in a different place. Hermione, I was really surprised when you hit him for my sake. But I was also grateful."

In the end, due to various reasons, they couldn't scout the Quidditch pitch that day. They would visit it on another day. The size was satisfactory, and even from the spectator seats, they would be able to observe the battle quite well. It should be fine even if all the members of a house challenged Leo at once.

Since the incident at the stadium, Slytherin students had clearly started to avoid Leo. They hadn't been participating in the study group from the beginning, but they now seemed to keep an even greater distance. Leo had become their nightmare, being the reason they lost the House Cup last year and not hesitating to attack him. To Slytherin students, he was like a dark omen.

Draco Malfoy had developed a trauma regarding Leonard Taylor. He would sprint at full speed the moment he saw Leo and would cower at the back during Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. Furthermore, he never mentioned the term 'Mudblood' anymore, even hearing that word made him shout at the top of his lungs.

Upon hearing this, Leo simply thought that it meant fewer troubles for him. Since the trouble was clearly on their side, there was no need to feel sorry for them. To master magic, one needed to eliminate anything that got in the way.

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Of course, the school nurse and the janitor lost their cool after the fights in the hallways.

From now on, fighting is only allowed in class.

Instead of the Dueling Club from the original story, there are plans for a Dueling Tournament where students can challenge Leo.

Malfoy goes flying, and then his head falls off.

It feels like he's had a rough time with all that "Mudblood" talk, but really, it's his own doing.

So, stay tuned for the next chapter.

I do want to give Harry and the others a chance to shine, but considering Leo's actions, their roles inevitably get reduced. Not sure what to do about that.