Hermione eagerly raised her hand to answer, "A stone axe, Professor."
She paused, then added, "Around 2 million years ago, early humans began using it for hunting and cutting food."
"Correct," Professor Abigail said.
"Back then, Muggles who used such weapons regarded wizards, who wielded magic, as gods. They knelt and prayed for the protection of wizards, and offered their best food, clothes, jewels, and even their own children to them."
"And then, their weapons evolved into these—"
Spears, iron blades, and bows and arrows floated in mid-air, slowly spinning. Professor Abigail picked up the bow and arrow, nocked an arrow, and fired effortlessly.
The arrow struck a distant tree trunk with a sharp thunk.
Behind the tree, faint rustling noises followed—the sound of leaves being pushed aside and small twigs cracking underfoot.
Students with sharp eyes caught glimpses of centaurs partially hidden in the shadows of the trees.
Two young centaurs stood at the edge of the Forbidden Forest with bows in hand, they watched the professor and students with wary eyes.
"This is a bow and arrow," Professor Abigail continued. "Centaurs still use these weapons to this day. With the invention of the bow, Muggles could hunt from a safe distance, greatly reducing the risk of confronting dangerous beasts directly."
"They could also use these weapons to ambush wizards—no one can maintain a Shield Charm at all times. I can't, and you young wizards who don't even know how to cast a Shield Charm certainly can't either."
"By that time, Muggles were no longer in awe of wizards. Even the legendary wizard Merlin was merely a close friend and mentor to King Arthur. Muggles stopped revering wizards as gods and even learned to exploit their power."
"But over time, wizards were no longer seen as prophets or companions. People began to believe that all disasters were caused by wizards, and that their magical abilities were the result of demonic possession."
More weapons were displayed next—cannons from the 13th century, matchlock guns from the 15th century, and flintlock rifles from the 17th century.
A loud bang accompanied a puff of white smoke as a gun was fired, and it startled the centaurs at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. One seemed ready to charge out but was quickly held back by a companion.
Professor Abigail said, "And so, from the 15th century onward, the witch hunts began."
She pointed to a nearby target riddled with bullet holes and asked the students, "Tell me, if several, or even dozens of these weapons were aimed and fired at you, how many of you would survive?"
Silence hung in the air for a moment.
Ron muttered, "It wouldn't take dozens... even one, and I'd probably be dead already."
Professor Abigail said, "Your textbooks tell you that during the witch hunts, most of those killed were actually innocent Muggles falsely accused of witchcraft. That is indeed true."
"Your textbooks also tell you about powerful wizards who toyed with Muggles, such as Wendelin the Weird, who was burned at the stake 47 times,"
"But what many of you might not realize is that the Flame-Freezing Charm is an exceptionally advanced spell, mastered by only a handful of wizards."
"Many young witches and wizards, the same age as you, were killed—because they lacked the skills to escape Muggle persecution or to protect themselves from fire or gunshots."
"Now imagine, if you were tied to a stake, could you, like Wendelin, mock the Muggles' foolishness? Could you walk away alive?"
The students fell silent. The laughter that had filled the group earlier was completely gone. They stared at the professor, and their imaginations conjured the horrors of the past. Their faces turned pale, and their eyes filled with unease and fear.
"And back then, children, Muggle weapons were crude compared to what they have now. Yet, they never stopped improving their methods of killing each other."
"By comparison, most wizards become powerless once they lose their wands."
"Take, for example, Sir Nicholas of Gryffindor, whom you know as Nearly Headless Nick. After being captured by Muggles and having his wand confiscated, he was unable to escape their dungeon. In the end, they struck his neck more than forty times with a dull axe."
Previously, the students had always found Nick's story to be both unfortunate and amusing. But now, they could feel the horror behind it.
At that moment, a sad voice interrupted, "Why use me as an example? That's so disrespectful, Professor!"
Nick floated away in distress, followed closely by a few ghosts trying to console him.
Only then did the students realize that the ghosts, including Peeves, had been silently attending the class. Peeves, surprisingly, hadn't caused any mischief, to the point where everyone had forgotten he was there.
Professor Abigail paused briefly, then dismissed the interruption and patted a large object beside her that resembled a telescope.
"This is a Maxim machine gun," she said. "It's an old relic invented about a century ago. Who wants to come up and experience its power?"
The students, still shaken from the earlier discussion, thought the professor was inviting them to face the gun's bullets directly. They recoiled in terror, afraid that she might overestimate their courage.
As the others backed away, Wade stepped forward and immediately stood out. His classmates looked at him as if he were a martyr.
"Professor, I'd like to try," Wade said, raising his hand.
He had never operated a machine gun like this, though he had seen one on display at a military museum.
"Very well," Professor Abigail said.
She guided Wade through loading the canvas ammunition belt and adjusting the barrel.
Then, with a flick of her wand, rows upon rows of targets appeared on the distant lawn, standing stiffly like a crowd of people.
"You may fire," she instructed.
Wade followed the instructions.
"Rat-tat-tat-tat..."
The sound of rapid gunfire echoed like a string of firecrackers. The ammunition belt moved swiftly, and metal shell casings clattered to the ground.
Wade's arms trembled under the rapid vibrations of the gun. He struggled to keep the barrel steady, but still ensured the bullets didn't veer wildly off course.
In the distance, the targets fell like wheat being mowed down.
The students, who had crowded closer after realizing Wade wasn't going to be harmed, immediately retreated in fear. A Hufflepuff student even stumbled backward and landed on the ground in a startled heap.
In less than a minute, the long ammunition belt was entirely spent. As Wade stood up, he felt his arm muscles twitching involuntarily from the strain.
Then, they heard Professor Abigail's cold, matter-of-fact voice:
"This is a harvester of life. On the battlefield, it once killed over 60,000 people in a single day."
"…60,000?" someone murmured in disbelief, questioning if they had misheard.
"That's correct," Professor Abigail replied. "This machine gun can theoretically fire 600 rounds per minute."
She moved the Maxim gun aside and continued, "Now, let's take a look at some others."
Note: In the first war, Voldemort did not place a curse on his name. The curse was only introduced in the seventh book, allowing Death Eaters to locate those who dared speak it.
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +227 Chapters
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