Готовый перевод Тейлор Поттер и философский виал / Taylor Potter and the Philosophical Vial: Глава 5. Первые уроки и учителя

Chapter 5. First Lessons and Teachers
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The next day, Wormwarts presented its first surprises. While descending to the Great Hall for breakfast, five girls — Lisa, Amy, Taylor, Parvati, and Lavender Brown ( Changer - 4, the fifth occupant of the first-year girls' dormitory at Herofindor) — suddenly found themselves lost.

"Okay, stop," Lisa said when the group realized they didn't know where they were. "We were going the same way as yesterday, right?"

"Right,” Taylor nodded.

“Yes, the same,” Parvati confirmed, “the texture of the walls and a couple of stains matched."

"So, part of the path changed, and," Lisa paused, then continued confidently, "we were transported to a different part of the castle. The configuration of the rooms, walls, and corridors remained unchanged, so the castle itself didn't change; we're simply in a different part of it."

“But why?” Lavender asked warily.

"Oh, I remember!" Amy clasped her hands. "That's right, Eric and Crystal were telling me about this! The castle is rebuilding, changing, setting traps where there weren't any yesterday, moving things randomly, changing signs and markers, giving false directions, sealing rooms, and displaying paintings in the windows that don't correspond to what's actually there. And you think you're in the south wing, but in reality you're making your way through a huge shooting range where McGonagall brought the seventh year to practice with grenade launchers!"

Her words did not add any peace of mind to the other girls.

"Good training," Lisa remarked, grinning and looking around. "Even with cameras, interactive screens, and scanners everywhere, the system knows where we are and won't let us disappear completely."

"What system?" Taylor looked around.

"The system that controls Wormwarts, of course," Lisa smiled admiringly. "A real Artificial Intelligence... mmm, I sense a challenge... no, Challenge with a capital C!"

She pulled out her tablet and started tapping on it.

"So, work access, map, hmm, everything is blocked."

The other girls stood and looked at Lisa, not forgetting, however, to glance warily around. Yes, it was a featureless corridor with lamps and darkened windows, but who knew what might happen next?

"There's no one around," Taylor whispered to Amy, just in case. "There aren't many insects here, but there are some, and there's no one around."

By this point, Lisa was already tapping her fingers on the interactive screen hanging on the wall. The image of the flag being raised on Iwo Jima stubbornly refused to change. All Lisa had achieved was turning the US soldiers into samurai and the flag into a Japanese one.

And suddenly, out of nowhere, a huge, one-meter-tall, grey-black cat appeared.

"Trespassers!!" the cat meowed shrilly. "Trespassers! Attempted break-in!"

"Knock her out!" Lisa shouted. "I'm almost there!"

Parvati fired a green beam that slid off her fur, and in response, the cat spat a small black ball at her. The ball stuck to her sleeve and began to rapidly grow in size. Lavender clenched her fist, covered in spikes and growths, and struck, sending the ball flying into the wall. The cat was already spitting at Taylor, who deftly dodged.

"She's not alive!" Amy screamed hysterically, managing to get to the side and touch the tail.

"Everyone, stand still and don't move!" a menacing voice rang out.

Taylor turned around, and yes, there stood the man Dumbledore had introduced yesterday as the caretaker of Wormwarts.

"I am Tagg Filch, young offenders," the tall and almost bald man grinned unpleasantly, "and if you don't know, every crime in Wormwarts is followed by a punishment!"

He rubbed his hands together so smugly that Taylor felt scared and melancholy. She associated punishment with being locked in the closet and spanked, so she vividly imagined how this Tagg would take her somewhere far away, deep inside the castle, beat her, lock her up there, and forget about her forever.

"Only this time it will be small, tiny," Lisa, the only one who did not lose her composure, showed with her fingers how small everything would be.

"Smart, huh?" Tagg croaked, glaring at Lisa.

"Not without it," she said, smoothing her tousled ash-blond hair with a dramatic gesture and turning to the others. "TSR, three-strike rule."

"Yes, you were caught the first time," Tagg managed to squeeze out, still wheezing, "but at least you were caught red-handed! Mrs. Norris filmed you resisting!"

"Who?" came a chorus of surprised voices.

"Mrs. Norris," Tagg pointed at the cat, "Miniature System: Violations, Identification, Tracing, and Containment."
T.N. абревиатура

"Miniature?!" Amy couldn't help but laugh nervously, also pointing at the meter-high cat.

"The standard model of this robot, unlike the school one, is disguised as a tiger and is equipped, in addition to restraining devices, with serious weapons," Lisa intervened.

"That's it. So next time I advise you not to resist," Tagg declared maliciously. "One point each from Potter, Weasley, Patil, and Brown, and minus five from Granger for interfering with Wormwarts' systems."

Before anyone could say anything, Tagg and his robot cat disappeared with a soft pop.

"I don't really feel like having breakfast anymore," Amy said.

"We just didn't know the cat's abilities, that's why we lost," Taylor said consolingly, and hugged her friend with one arm. "Next time we'll beat her, as a team!"

They were, of course, late for breakfast and had to run straight to class, grabbing a sandwich from the table.

In addition to optional classes, independent study, homework assignments, and practical training at countless training grounds and various laboratories in Wormwarts, first-year students had classes in seven core subjects.

Long, orderly rows of greenhouses, beyond Wormwarts, on the side opposite the lake, occupied a vast area. The horticulture teacher, Ray Sprout, also the dean of Legendpuff, rubbed his hands as he informed them that after his lessons, they would know everything about living organisms, not to mention that the students would have to grow their own new project! But for now, he allowed the first-years into only one greenhouse, where a variety of small, elbow-long trees grew in pots.

"I told you we'd have a proper education!" Lisa chuckled. "Basics of biology, starting with plants, trees, grasses, and bushes of all sorts."

"And then?" Amy asked, touching the nearest tree.

"And then more complicated living organisms, but that’s a separate subject,” Lisa answered, observing the changes in the plant after the touch.

She rubbed her temples and glanced at Amy, but she didn't get the hint. Ray, in a green suit, rubbing his hands contentedly, began giving a lecture on trees, accompanying his words with a demonstration of practical materials. Catching his breath, everyone began hurriedly recording the lecture on their tablets and memorizing Professor Sprout's words.

The teacher of the art of Power, Accord Fleetwick, Dean of Alexanclaw, was very small, shorter than the first-year students. However, this did not prevent him from looking and behaving as if he were taller and more important than everyone else in the room. The classroom was covered with maps and diagrams, filled with cabinets containing various teaching aids, and everything was kept in strict order, in a kind of ascetic, businesslike style.

"Open your textbook to the first page," the professor said when the students had sat down.

Everyone opened the "Book of Standard Tactics, Schemes, and Powers," tapping the textbook's icon.

"The most important thing for a cape is the ability to quickly formulate a proper plan," Accord said in a didactic voice, adjusting a crease on the sleeve of his suit. "To do this, a cape must be able to use its most important weapon. Who can tell me what it is?"

"Superpower!" someone exclaimed.

"Wrong!" Accord immediately replied. "The head! A cape's most important weapon is his head, the ability to think, reason, analyze, and compare! There are no bad or weak superpowers, only those who don't know how to use them! Those who don't want to think, but rush into battle, relying on their invulnerability!"

He looked around the silent class and said.

"This is exactly what we'll be doing: acquiring knowledge, learning to acquire knowledge, and learning to apply it in practice. As you can see, the first page lists the twelve classes into which the cape powers are divided. You should know the class descriptions and characteristics by heart, because the first task in combat is classifying the enemy. Read, take notes, and memorize; in twenty minutes, we'll have a short practical lesson on this topic. Time's up."

And he demonstratively clicked the button on the huge, glowing chronometer, which, like in the movies, began a countdown. The large red numbers and clicking sound were disconcerting, and Taylor thought it was probably part of the training, too.

The Survival Course was taught by the diminutive Missy Sinistra, with a thin, shrill, girlish voice. However, when the students took her lightly and tried to run away from the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Professor Sinistra immediately grew stern and unleashed her power. The space coiled around the classroom, and no one was able to escape, although the most persistent managed to circle it three times, constantly returning to the same clearing.

"Shaker - 9, no less," whispered an admiring Lisa right into Taylor's ear.

"So, as I said, once a week we'll be spending part of the day in the wild," Missy continued. "Learning how to make fire ourselves, navigate the cardinal directions, survive without using our superpowers, basically. Once everyone's passed the basic skills tests, the tasks will get more challenging. Night forays. Delving deeper into the Forest. Traveling to different climates, and so on! You must know the world you live in and be able to survive in it without using superpowers! It's easy to live in a cape enclave, with Tinker delivery lines, where you don't have to hide your powers. It's a little more difficult in the big cities, but it's also acceptable, and that's why we're learning something completely different here. Who can tell me why? Miss Granger?"

"Every cape must be prepared for any conditions, because a cape's life is unpredictable!" Lisa immediately rattled off. "A powerful teleporter can send you to the other side of the planet or even to another world! Enemies can disable your powers, and Tinker devices can malfunction! Therefore, every cape must be able to do everything without using their superpowers, and then they will be able to use their superpowers more effectively!"

"Okay, one point to Herofindor," Sinistra nodded. "Let's begin!"

The History of Capes was taught by Jess Beans, a middle-aged woman with sad eyes, sitting in a wheelchair.

"I thought capes could cure everything," Taylor said to Lisa, confused.

She scratched her nose thoughtfully, her usual grin not yet appearing.

\\Wheelchair-bound, unable to walk. Can't walk, couldn't walk before receiving superpowers. Her powers are tied to her legs. She couldn't walk before, and tried to heal her legs by receiving powers. Forced acquisition of powers, an attempt to heal, but something went wrong. Artificially acquired powers, illegally, and the powers became tied to her body. Attempts to heal failed; healing her legs removes her superpowers. She has given up on healing, valuing her powers more than her legs. She has become accustomed to her wheelchair and doesn't want to lose power. Her wheelchair is a Tinker's wheelchair, can fly, doesn't need her legs, and wants to become a ballet dancer.

Lisa shook her head and pressed her hands to her temples. This happened when she pushed the power too hard, trying to find answers. Not only did she get headaches — the eternal scourge of all Thinkers — but the power would occasionally begin to provide false information, based on guesses and incorrect assumptions.

"Maybe you could help her, Amy?" Taylor asked in the meantime.

"Since she still hasn't recovered and replaced her legs with Tinker prosthetics," Amy replied, eyeing Professor Binns, "it's something psychological, or at least something mental, and I don't treat what's in the head. So don't rub your temples so demonstratively, Lisa, I won't treat your headaches!"

"You won't, or?" Granger's voice became ingratiating.

“I won’t, because I can’t,” Amy turned away with an angry look.

Lisa looked at Weasley's back, squinting and biting her lip, but said nothing.

"Let's begin the lesson," Binns said, releasing the projection.

The shining woman flew across the classroom, through the lectern without even noticing her, and flew up to the interactive whiteboard.

The history of the Capes began one hundred and thirteen years ago, Jess said in a pleasant, calm voice, while the projection pointed its fingers at the board, displaying images and text. On June 30, 1908, the so-called Tunguska meteorite crashed into Earth. What exactly happened then is unknown, since no Tinker has yet built a time machine, and no Cape with similar powers has ever appeared. There are three main hypotheses about the events, more or less correlating with the theory of the origin of Shards. Let's look at them in order.

The class bent over their tablets, Lisa bit her lip, trying to ease the pain in her head.

The weapons lessons were taught by Hannah McGonagall, Head of the Herofindor House, a familiar figure to the young students. She began the lesson with a lecture on the importance of every cape being proficient in weapons.

"But we have superpowers, why do we need weapons?" Dean Thomas shouted.

Taylor, turning at his scream, saw him begin to dissolve into something like mist, but he still didn't have time. A rubber bullet hit him in the chest, sending him flying into the wall. Hannah McGonagall calmly lowered her gun and said,

"Good reaction, Mr. Thomas, one point for Herofindor!" She turned to the others. "If Dean had a little more experience, he would have had time to change, and my bullet wouldn't have harmed him. So, when dealing with Breaker, always attack from behind and, if possible, when they're in an unaltered state."

She took out a huge bag from the table with a red cross depicted on it.

"So, here's the standard field medic kit! Come closer, don't push, I'm about to tell you the basics of initial wound assessment and first aid!"

Having completed the examination (a slight redness at the site of the blow), having demonstrated the contents of the first aid kit and how to apply a bandage, McGonagall made a statement to the attentively listening students.

"The weapon can handle any cape, and if the bullets, say, don't take out a high-ranking Brute, all you have to do is change the caliber!" A menacing-looking grenade launcher appeared in Hannah's hands, with a tube so wide you could stick your head inside.

At the end of the lesson, when everyone had firmly grasped the difference between a pistol and a submachine gun, Professor McGonagall announced that theory wasn't everything, and there would be lots and lots of practice.

Hand-to-hand combat and the ability to fight with improvised objects, first aid, basic weapon care, weapon classification, weapon handling skills, target shooting, and the use of firearms in combat! I'll also share your project for the year in my subject right away – customizing a standard suit! Coloring, armor, weapons, and adapting to your power!

No one, not even Lisa, dared to question McGonagall, who was enthusiastically shaking her machine gun.

Taylor eagerly anticipated the self-defense class on Thursday, practicing daily with a baton in the Herofindor Tower gym. She tried to get her friends involved, but they resisted. Lisa would proudly declare that, as a Thinker, she understood the superiority of firearms over bladed and wooden weapons. Amy would cringe and say she didn't want to fight because it reminded her of home, and then Taylor would resort to comforting hugs.

The self-defense instructor, a middle-aged man with a muscular body, a neatly trimmed beard and mustache, a straight haircut, and a small knife in his hands, did not give the impression of being a man capable of fighting off a cape in a dark alley.

My name is Jack Quirrell, and I'll be teaching you DPTS (DADA). It stands for "Defense and Protection: Tactics and Strategy." But don't be fooled," Jack's voice was ingratiating, compelling, "by such a peaceful title."
T.N. There is a problem with reverse translation.

He took out a large bundle and unfolded it across the entire length of the table. A variety of knives, daggers, blades, each in its place, in perfect condition. It occurred to Taylor that with this many knives, everyone in Wormwarts could be killed, and each would get their own individual blade.

Jack took something from the package and turned to the students.

"So, children," the teacher began even more ingratiatingly, twirling a sharp stiletto, "our world is full of all sorts of monsters that will kill you without blinking an eye, and it is my duty to teach you to resist them.

The students gulped, and Taylor jumped up impatiently.

On Friday, Lisa, grinning slyly, led the five straight to the Great Hall, bypassing all the traps and obstacles. Finally, they could have a proper breakfast, and Taylor greedily dug into the nearest sandwich. Lisa, of course, had promised to hack the castle's delivery system so the food would fly straight to their dorm, but when would that happen?

"We have a double lesson on AI, Art of Intrigue. With Eidolorin," Amy said with a sigh.

"This is a lesson for Lisa," Taylor said, "you and I are not strong in intrigue-making."

Lisa remained silent, resorting to her enigmatic smile again. Taylor's tablet beeped softly, notifying her of new mail. Confused about who could be writing, Taylor tapped the screen and saw that the letter was from Hagrid.

Taylor,
You don't have classes after lunch on Friday. Come for tea at three.
Hagrid.

Taylor beamed and immediately sent a return letter saying that she would definitely come.

The Dean of the Eidolorin Faculty and AI teacher, Thomas Snape, tall, thin, with a suspicious gaze, was already waiting for them in the classroom. He began the lesson with roll call.

"Ah, Taylor Potter, our new... celebrity," Snape said.

Taylor was embarrassed by these words, and all week she had been haunted by the whispers and gestures of other students who admired her behind her back, thinking that Potter couldn't see them. But Taylor saw everything around her, just as she did now, when Max Malfoy, sitting to her left and behind her, smirked, and the ever-present Burman twins supported him.

"You are here to learn the fine art of intrigue and to take a course in the use and application of information," Thomas began.

Unlike McGonagall's voice, which was overwhelming, unlike Quirrell's words, which were inviting, Professor Snape's speech made one tremble and listen.

"In my classes, there will be no silly running around and throwing projectiles at each other, so many of you may doubt that my subject is necessary for capes. I don't expect you to be able to appreciate the beauty of slow infiltration, the exquisite power of re-recruitment, the spread of influence, the ability to start rumors... I can teach you how to use any information to your advantage, how to work with the media, and even how to pit two capes against each other to the death with a single sentence — if, of course, you are different from the herd of thick-headed idiots I usually have to teach."

Silence followed this short speech.

"Potter!" Snape said suddenly, turning to Taylor. "Tell me, how would you infiltrate a double agent into a rival Cape faction?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Well, well... Fame isn't everything. Where would you look if I asked you to bring me dirt?"

"I don't know," Taylor said quietly. "But I think Lisa knows, so why don't you ask her?"

"For your insolence, Potter, I'm deducting one point from Herofindor. But perhaps you could at least provide some basic techniques for provoking rival organizations into open conflict?"

Taylor merely grunted indignantly. Anger overwhelmed her, interfering with her thoughts. She felt the range, the radius of her power, growing with every second, and suddenly realized she was reaching Professor Sprout's greenhouses. The greenhouses and those who lived there.

"Perhaps you would deign to answer me?" came the calm, mocking question.

"BEES!!!!!!!!!!!!" Taylor threw up her hands, summoning an army, a swarm of her subjects.

"Ts-ts-ts," Snape shook his finger. "Five points from Herofindor for attempting to attack a teacher!"

Taylor felt the bees fall to the ground, astonished, as they reached the windows of the II's office. She sat down, almost collapsing into her chair, crushed by what had just happened. The anger vanished, leaving only a feeling of emptiness and helplessness in her chest.

"Open the textbook to the first page," Snape said coldly. "Let's start with the basics. So, the Internet and local area networks."

During the lesson, he repeatedly addressed Taylor, deducting points when she couldn't respond. Lisa was always eager to respond, but Thomas Snape seemed to ignore her. All of Taylor's attempts to smuggle a single insect into the classroom failed; the security systems destroyed them before they could reach them, and Snape's smile grew wider and more unpleasant. Taylor realized her weakness and decided that next time she would bring her own insects, carrying them on her person, while also working on McGonagall's costume redesign project.

Taylor left the lesson feeling discouraged and exhausted.

"Cheer up!" Amy encouraged her, touching her shoulder. "Snape always takes points off the Weasleys, especially Eric and Crystal."

Taylor nodded, as this was quite consistent with Snape's behavior in class.

"You seemed to have received a letter?" Lisa noticed from the right.

"Right!" Taylor rejoiced. "Hagrid invited us over!"

Lisa seemed to be waiting for something else, but then Amy intervened.

"Can we join you?"

"Of course!" Taylor nodded happily. "Let's all go to his place together; she invited us for tea at three o'clock!"

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