Chapter 142: A Small Gathering
Chapter 142: A Small Gathering
The Three Broomsticks.
Madam Rosmerta brought over two mugs of mead, "The best oak-aged mead, low in alcohol. I'm sure you'll enjoy it."
"Thank you, Madam."
She smiled and nodded, then turned to serve other patrons.
Belby looked around the tavern. Aside from a few small groups of young wizards, there were about seven or eight adult wizards engaged in quiet conversation.
"I feel like this place does much better business than the Hog's Head", he said.
"The Hog's Head specializes in strong spirits, and young wizards don't go there much", Felix replied. "And the owner's charm and the interior environment are worlds apart."
Belby glanced at the graceful Madam Rosmerta, then thought about the wrinkles on the Hog's Head owner's face and the dirty glasses, not to mention the filthy, musty smell inside the bar...
"Alright, you're right. I wouldn't go there either unless I had a good reason."
Felix took a sip of the mead. It tasted excellent, with the sweet aroma of honey and the fresh scent of oak lingering on his palate. The alcohol flavor was barely noticeable, but when the liquid slid down his throat, a warm, soothing wave surged through his body, making him feel pleasantly warm.
"How's it going back at school, Damocles? It's been about a month, right?"
"Very relaxing, I feel young again", Belby said with a smile. "But sometimes, I really want to knock on some students' heads and see if they're filled with bubotuber pus."
Felix looked at him speechlessly. No wonder you're a potions master, your metaphors are so refreshingly unique.
A bubotuber is an extremely ugly plant, and its pus is no better. It's a thick, yellow-green liquid with a pungent, petroleum-like odor.
However, it wasn't entirely unfair of him to be harsh. The challenges Belby faced from underperforming students surpassed Felix's in every way—since Defense Against the Dark Arts is a mandatory course, every young wizard up to sixth year must take it.
It's well-known that the quality of teaching in this course has always been questionable.
Felix said, "There are always some good students, right?"
"That's true", Belby reflected. "I do lecture a bit too fast, you know, to make up for the previous deficiencies. For example, second-year students haven't even seen many low-risk magical creatures, let alone how to deal with minor curses."
"Is the potion you brewed for that?"
"Exactly. I compiled a list of the minor curses they know and created a special course to teach them how to handle these spells."
"Sounds great, Damocles. You have a real talent for teaching."
"No, Felix, your 'Answer Parchment' has been a huge help."
Felix looked at him, puzzled.
Belby explained, "I converted the information I found into test questions and placed them on the Answer Parchment, using it to encourage them to complete the work after class, as part of their homework."
This is... online homework?
The full-subject version of the Answer Parchment had been available for some time. Each professor received a dragon-hide scroll to modify and add questions for their respective subjects—Felix had granted this permission.
However, most professors clearly focused more on fifth and seventh-year students, uploading all recent Owl and Newt exam questions. As for the other grades, they might have only provided key topics and corresponding reference chapters.
It seemed no one had yet realized this potential use of the Parchment...
Felix looked at him, and Belby said a bit sheepishly, "Even though I only plan to teach for half a year, I hope to make a difference. Honestly, I don't want the young wizards to say bad things about me to the new professor next year."
"Rest assured, in the past decade, there hasn't been a better Defense Against the Dark Arts professor than you", Felix said with conviction. Over the past ten years, he had encountered most of the Dark Magic Defense professors during his time at school, and from what he knew, the few remaining ones had rather poor reputations.
Not to mention the last two years, which had seen a Dark Wizard and a fraud.
As the small gathering came to an end, Belby talked about his latest teaching plans. "Besides the minor curses, I want to do a special on the creatures of the Forbidden Forest. There are quite a few dangerous magical creatures in there."
He also formally invited Felix to explore the Forbidden Forest together.
Noticing his somewhat hesitant tone, Felix understood that Belby was worried about curses and wanted a partner to watch each other's backs in case of danger, so they wouldn't be left to fend for themselves.
Like encountering an erumpent, for instance?
Felix thought for a moment and agreed. He also planned to explore the Forbidden Forest thoroughly and collect some magical materials along the way.
Every time he saw the snake-tooth engraving knife, he felt it was mocking him.
Felix even considered turning the unicorn dagger Hagrid had given him into a rune engraving knife.
Back at the school, the two parted ways.
On his way to the office, Felix noticed a few young wizards, their expressions filled with evident awe and gratitude, which left him puzzled.
Had the Peeves incident spread? Surely it wasn't another absurd rumor?
By the time he encountered the third group of young wizards, all with similar looks, Felix couldn't contain his curiosity and stopped one of them. "Finchley, what's been going on in the castle lately?"
Justin Finch-Fletchley looked at him with admiration. "Professor Hep, it's about Peeves."
Felix thought to himself, as expected. It couldn't be a rumor that I got rid of Peeves, could it?
He said gently, "Tell me more."
Justin, clearly excited, said, "A few Slytherin students said you disapproved of Peeves' pranks and used magic to teach him a lesson."
That part was fine, Felix thought.
"Please continue."
"… Everyone noticed Peeves acting strange. He seems to be mimicking different students and acting rather dazed."
So far, so good.
"Then what happened?" He wanted to know where the information had gone awry.
"Then, Ron's twin brothers noticed Peeves' odd behavior. They conjured a large fan and paraded Peeves around the castle for everyone to see."
Felix: "… That's a creative idea. Did they get into any trouble?"
"Does attracting a large crowd of ghosts count?"
"Ghosts?"
"Yep. They were cheering and clapping, especially a plump, bespectacled ghost who was absolutely delighted", Justin Finch-Fletchley explained.
Moaning Myrtle, Felix guessed.
"Where are they now?" He decided to go and see for himself.
"Oh, they were originally in the courtyard—preparing to have a temporary gathering—when Professor Mcgonagall took them away."
"She looked very unhappy", Justin added.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
