Headmistress Umbridge struggled for nearly half an hour, repeatedly struck by the spells ricocheting off the stone creature, looking utterly humiliated.
Unfortunately, she never managed to break through its defenses.
In the end, the new Headmistress had no choice but to give up, slinking back to her former office on the first floor.
The unscathed stone creature lay lazily in the middle of the path, its tail flicking smugly, as if mocking her.
Headmistress Umbridge left the scene, abandoning the group of Slytherin students behind her. They exchanged awkward glances.
"I'll give it a try!" Jon volunteered, then cautiously approached the stone blocking the entrance to the Headmaster's Office.
Unlike when Umbridge approached, the stone creature stayed perfectly calm as Jon drew near.
Jon moved slowly and carefully. Behind him, several girls gasped in surprise.
A tiny voice, a whisper so faint it was barely more than a breath from the creature: "Ever since Dumbledore left, the little cats in the portraits around the Headmaster's Office have all pulled back… If you come at night, it will be safe."
"Alright." Jon lowered his head and whispered back, "You can knock me back now."
The statue, motionless only moments earlier, suddenly snapped open its eyes. Its tail whipped forward—Jon jumped back, but the tip still struck him square in the chest.
"Christopher!" Crabbe and Goyle rushed over and dragged him away.
They stared at the now-frenzied statue with lingering fear.
"This thing's completely gone mad!" Draco Malfoy yelled behind them.
"Let's go. It's too dangerous…" Jon muttered, clutching his chest in pain.
Stupid statue… couldn't it have hit a little softer? he cursed silently.
...
The next day was probably the most chaotic Jon had ever experienced at Hogwarts.
Members of the Investigative Task Force spent every minute prowling the corridors, coming up with every ridiculous excuse imaginable to deduct points from other houses.
"Granger, for disrespecting our new Headmaster, I'm deducting five points from Gryffindor."
"Weasley, you're too ugly. I'm deducting ten points from Gryffindor."
"Smith, your voice is too loud. I'm deducting five points from Hufflepuff."
…And the absurd reasons kept coming.
By evening, Jon saw that Gryffindor's hourglass had nearly hit the bottom. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had lost more than half their points, while Slytherin's was nearly full.
Of course, his new position came with some perks.
As head of the Investigative Task Force and the Headmaster's Assistant, Jon could now leave the dormitory at night under official authority to conduct patrols.
He patrolled from the first floor all the way to the eighth, then casually headed toward the stone creature's location. He passed a few Gryffindor students along the way; the moment they saw him, they bolted in terror.
Jon walked right up to the stone creature, calmly surveying the area as though he were checking for curfew violators.
"No one's around. I've been watching closely," the stone creature whispered from the left, poking its head out and signaling Jon to go in.
It slid back into place, motionless once more.
...
Jon pressed a hand against the griffin-shaped brass knocker and gently pushed open the oak door.
The instant he stepped into the Headmaster's Office, he was hit by a wave of deafening voices.
"You finally showed up, you little brat!" Jon immediately recognized Headmaster Phineas Black's shrill voice. "Put my portrait upright this instant—it's unbearable being crooked like this!"
"And mine is covered in dust…"
"My portrait's practically in four pieces — though salvageable!"
More than thirty Headmasters were crammed into the uppermost intact portraits, all shouting at Jon at once.
"Alright, alright…" Jon soothed them, sounding more like a babysitter than anything else.
He pulled out his wand and pointed it at Phineas Black's crooked portrait. "Reparo!"
Crumbled stone fragments lifted off the floor and floated back into the wall, and Phineas Black's portrait slowly shifted back into its proper place.
"Well done!" Phineas Black shrieked excitedly before darting back into his frame.
But only seconds later, he was shouting again: "Dust! There's dust everywhere—clean it at once!"
Jon pointed his wand again. "Scourgify!"
The dust faded gradually, revealing the freshly cleaned portrait.
"Finally back!" Phineas Black looked thoroughly pleased. He turned to the other headmasters, boasting loudly, "You have no idea how wonderful it feels to return to one's own portrait… Cromwell's portrait smelled disgustingly bloody…"
"I suggest you try not to provoke anyone, Headmaster Black," Jon whispered.
Seeing all the hostile glances directed his way, Phineas Black's grin froze.
He quickly switched to a serious expression. "Actually, Jon, you can add 'Max' after 'Reparo.' It's much more efficient."
"Keep your hand steady—don't lose control of your wand, or things will end badly," advised the plump, red-nosed wizard, Headmaster Dexter Fortescue.
"Ahem… And remember, the 'Max' must be spoken softly—no louder than half of the first half of the incantation," added Headmaster Armando Dippet between coughs.
...
Jon listened carefully to each of their suggestions, committing them all to memory.
"Try it," Headmaster Oliver Cromwell said in his thin, cold voice—yet one that somehow felt reassuring.
Jon nodded, took a deep breath, and cast:
"Reparo—Max!"
A powerful gust erupted from the tip of his wand, almost tearing it from his grasp. But remembering Headmaster Fortescue's warning, he gripped it tightly with all his strength.
Wind roared through the Headmaster's Office. Stone fragments flew up one by one, returning to the walls, and the shattered portraits knit themselves back together...