Chapter 123: The Seventh-Year Classroom

Chapter 123: The Seventh-Year Classroom

Sherlock's first encounter with Lupin at the Feast left him with a good impression of the man.

Logically, if Sherlock hadn't appeared, Lupin would have been this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

From their interactions so far, Sherlock hasn't detected any ulterior motives behind Lupin's presence at Hogwarts.

He can't quite figure out why such a seemingly decent person didn't continue teaching.

But dwelling on it now is pointless.

The Feast concluded normally, and after the first night of the school year, classes officially began.

Lupin's arrival has lightened Sherlock's load, taking care of two-thirds of his teaching responsibilities.

For the fifth, sixth, and seventh years, the heaviest academic pressure falls on the fifth-year students, as they all have to take the Ordinary Wizarding Level (O.W.L.) exams, which create a significant sense of pressure for every student.

Once they move up to the sixth year, they face the Nastily Exhaustive Wizarding Test (N.E.W.T.), which is more challenging and stressful than the O.W.L. exams.

However, the N.E.W.T. is optional.

You can choose to take the exams in the subjects you are most proficient in.

Therefore, the sixth and seventh-year Defense Against the Dark Arts classes are large, with students from all four houses attending together.

With the two weekly classes for the fifth-year students, Sherlock only has four classes to teach this semester, making it much easier compared to the previous semester.

Moreover, the higher the grade level, the easier the classes are to manage.

Sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds are more mature and easier to handle than younger students.

On the first day of school, Sherlock had a seventh-year large class.

It was indeed a large class.

Since all the students who took Defense Against the Dark Arts as an elective last semester passed the ultimate Wizard exam with high marks, the vast majority of the sixth and seventh-year students chose to take his class this year.

When Sherlock arrived at the classroom, it was already packed with students.

Seeing the students in the back rows squeezed three to a table, Sherlock shook his head and said, "It looks like I'll need to ask Professor Dumbledore for a larger classroom for the next class."

Many of the students here have been taking Sherlock's defense classes for a year and have developed a close relationship with him.

"I think you should ask Professor Dumbledore to let you use the Great Hall, Professor", one student suggested.

The students laughed, and Sherlock joined in, then tapped the blackboard with his wand.

"Alright, let's cut the jokes. Since class has started, we'll make do for now."

"Students who took this class in sixth year, please hand in the twelve sets of exams I assigned over the summer to Percy after class. He will collect them for me to review your summer studies."

"As for the new students taking this class this year, come to me after class to register your names. You will also need to complete these twelve sets of exams. I'll give you ample time, so you can submit them by Halloween."

"I don't want you to rush through them. These questions are based on classic examples from past N.E.W.T. exams, and I've compiled them into new sets."

"The owner of Flourish and Blotts offered me a thousand Galleons for the copyright of these questions, but I thought it was too little. So remember, don't copy or slack off. After Halloween, I will dedicate six classes to go over these questions in detail."

"If you can master all the questions in these twelve sets of exams, you will be well-prepared for the theoretical portion of the N.E.W.T. Dark Magic Defense exam."

The students listened intently.

Seventh-year students who chose this class are genuinely determined to pass the N.E.W.T.

And the final Wizard exam for Dark Magic Defense is especially important in the Wizarding World. Many careers place a high value on the exam results.

To apply for a position as an Auror at the Ministry of Magic, you need at least an 'O' grade.

Sherlock tapped the podium lightly with his wand, turning it into a chair and moving it aside to create more space for himself.

"Theoretical knowledge will be covered in depth later, but for the start of the semester, let's focus on the practical exam."

"Unlike the Ordinary Wizarding Level (O.W.L.), where examiners randomly select a relatively harmless dark creature for you to deal with using magic, the final practical exam emphasizes duels between wizards, not between wizards and magical creatures."

"After all, more dangerous magical creatures are not suitable for the exam setting, as even a slight mishap could lead to accidents. Most of you have already learned who your opponents will be for the practical exam."

"Each year, the Ministry of Magic assigns two to three Aurors as examiners for the Nastily Exhaustive Wizarding Test (N.E.W.T.). The exam involves dueling with them."

"Listen carefully: this is a duel, not a formal wizarding duel. Idealized duels, where combatants follow strict rules, rarely occur in real conflicts. Therefore, your exam will take place in a spacious arena, where you will duel an experienced Auror."

"There will be no polite dueling etiquette in this duel. Once the examiner announces the start of the exam, the fight begins. In that arena, you can use any means at your disposal to try and defeat your examiner."

"Of course, it's highly unlikely that anyone will be able to defeat a well-trained Auror during the practical exam. Therefore, these Auror examiners won't take the duel too seriously. Instead, they will use various spells to test your response capabilities, your understanding of spells, and your ability to coordinate them."

Since this is a practical class, there will be a hands-on component.

However, due to the large number of students and the small classroom, Sherlock can only select one student to demonstrate the duel with him.

"Unfortunately, there are no records of the practical exams each year, so we can't use them for effective reference."

Sherlock called up a Hufflepuff student named Wilson and had him stand opposite him. He then continued addressing the class.

"However, I observed a few exams during last year's level test. This summer, I also consulted an Auror friend who has been an examiner several times, and I have summarized some useful tips for the exam."

He looked at his opponent, the Hufflepuff student named Wilson.

"First, if you want to score high in the practical exam, you must learn one spell: the Armor Charm. I remember you took my class last semester, so you should be able to cast this spell, right, Wilson?"

The student, Wilson, who had a few freckles on his face, looked nervous but nodded and pointed his wand at himself, uttering the incantation.

"Protego!"

A colorless shield shimmered and enveloped his body.

Sherlock praised him.

"Very good. Being able to cast an Armor Charm of this quality demonstrates the effort you've put into defensive spells."

"Like Wilson, if you successfully cast an Armor Charm to protect yourself at the start of the exam, you'll have taken the first step toward a high score."

"The Armor Charm is not a common spell among wizards. Even in the Ministry of Magic, not every employee can cast it, but it is a spell that every Auror must know."

"So, remember the first key point: in the practical exam, the first spell you cast should be the Armor Charm. If anyone hasn't learned this spell yet, come see me after class, and I'll help you. Since I taught it in last semester's sixth-year class, we won't spend class time on it again."

With that, Sherlock raised his wand and looked at Wilson.

"If the candidate doesn't use the Armor Charm for protection right away, the examiner will usually start with a Disarming Charm to test their defenses. If you have already cast the Armor Charm, you will generally face this kind of challenge first."

Sherlock lightly tapped his wand, but he didn't utter any incantation.

Wilson, however, remained focused on him, completely unaware that countless vines had started to grow from the chairs around him, creeping toward him from all directions.

Since it wasn't a Spell, the vine's entwining didn't trigger the Armor Charm's defensive mechanism, and instead, it directly spread to Wilson's waist.

In the end, it suddenly tightened, trapping him firmly in place as he stared in shock, just realizing what had happened!

The students below burst into a mix of gasps and applause.

Sherlock released Wilson and continued his explanation.

"This is the second key to getting a high score: never underestimate transfiguration!"

"I know that most of you prioritize Spells over transfiguration, and I won't comment on whether this is right or wrong. But no matter what, never forget about transfiguration."

"Whether you use it during a duel or promptly recognize the examiner's transfiguration, it will add points to your practical exam."

The class went by quickly. In the first lesson of the new semester for seventh-year students, Sherlock covered only two key points: the Armor Charm and transfiguration. Yet, every student who attended felt they had gained a lot.

Focusing solely on the exam content for classroom teaching was still quite novel to them.

The students weren't sure what a typical seventh-year Defense Against the Dark Arts class was like, but in other subjects, professors would cover a wide range of topics, cramming as much knowledge as possible into their minds. In the end, only a small portion of that knowledge would be tested in the exams.

Most students found such classes extremely painful. They often had many doubts and constantly wondered if what they were learning would actually be on the exam.

As a result, those who generally managed to get an O grade in many subjects were the top students.

These students had memorized virtually all the knowledge they could, making any exam question easy for them.

However, such students were few and far between. Most students lacked the energy and mental capacity to remember so much information, leaving them to rely on luck during exams.

A few days after the exams, most of the knowledge they had learned was forgotten, with only a small portion proving useful in their future work and life.

Sherlock's purely exam-focused teaching method was a blessing for those with average talent. They didn't need exceptional intelligence; they just needed to be willing to put in the effort to study and could generally achieve good results.

At the end of the class, Sherlock packed up his things and instructed Percy to collect the holiday assignments and deliver them directly to his office.

Back in his office, he put away his belongings and then went to the Great Hall for lunch.

The Great Hall was already filled with many students, and Sherlock was chatting with Hagrid at the staff table. Hagrid was excitedly telling Sherlock about his preparations for the first class of the afternoon.

At that moment, most of the students eating lunch suddenly fell silent, their eyes all turning to one spot in unison.

A witch had entered through the Great Hall's door. She wore a black robe different from the students' and had a wide hood that only revealed her delicate lower face and grayish-white long hair.

The students had never seen her in the castle before. The aura she exuded clearly indicated she wasn't a student, but she wasn't a known professor at Hogwarts either.

Under the watchful eyes of most students, Silke walked up to Sherlock and spoke in a cool, clear voice.

"I saw something and am now preparing to go to Hogsmeade."

Hearing her words, Sherlock was initially taken aback, but he quickly finished the remaining sausage in his mouth and stood up from the table.

"Then let's go."

Thus, in full view of everyone, Sherlock and Silke left the Great Hall together.

After a brief silence, the Great Hall erupted into even more heated discussions than before.

The main topic of conversation was, of course, who the witch with the hood was.

"Who is that woman?" Ron blinked, asking Harry.

Harry had spent about a month of the summer with Sherlock, but he had never seen Silke.

"I don't know. Professor Forrest has never mentioned this person to me."

Hermione, who had just shifted her attention from the disappointing Divination class that morning, pondered.

"Professor Dumbledore said Professor Forrest had other matters this year, and it might be related to this woman."

As they were making various guesses, Harry suddenly remembered something important and lowered his voice to Hermione and Ron.

"During the summer, Professor Forrest's Jinxed Mouth suddenly stopped working for a while!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end