A Hogwarts Magic Professor Chapter 235: More Than Just a Little Change - Novel Cool

Chapter 235: More Than Just a Little Change

Chapter 235: More Than Just a Little Change

Lupin ultimately didn't agree, and Felix, as an observer, could clearly see the professor's reluctance.

Felix had a few guesses. The form of a Patronus is closely related to a wizard's state of mind. As a werewolf—though Lupin tried to avoid mentioning the term—his identity had long been ingrained in him. His Patronus was likely to be a wolf or a related subspecies.

Felix didn't know what to say. "Severus is really..."

...

One evening, Ron climbed back into the common room alone.

"Snape is a freak! He &*..." Ron cursed, causing Hermione to uncomfortably exclaim, "Ron, don't swear!"

He plopped down into the soft chair next to Harry, the strong smell of cleaning agents clinging to him.

Harry looked at Ron with sympathy. This wasn't the first time Ron had been upset because of Snape. When Professor Lupin was ill and Snape took over the class, Ron had been punished for speaking out against Snape in public. He was made to clean the chamber pots in the Hospital Wing—without using magic.

Snape seemed to deliberately prolong the punishment, dividing it into three sessions. Each time, Ron was as furious as an angry lion.

"I mean it, Snape is seriously twisted. If it wasn't for the fact that he only substituted for one class..." Ron said angrily, "I didn't write a single word of the essay he assigned. Ha! Professor Lupin ended up canceling it!"

Hermione's expression wasn't good. Most of the class was watching, but she had already completed the essay on werewolves.

Ron said harshly, "Maybe he got his head shoved into a toilet when he was a student. Look at his hair, Harry—" He turned to Harry, "Aren't you staying back to ask Professor Lupin about it? Did he reveal anything?"

Harry said gloomily, "No, I asked him about the Dementors and my mom."

Ron's expression softened, and he exchanged a glance with Hermione. He asked quietly, "You heard it again during the Quidditch match, didn't you?"

"Yes", Harry said, "it's the second time. I seem particularly vulnerable to Dementors. Professor Lupin said it's because I've experienced more pain." He whispered, "He's right. I heard my mom's voice at the moment of her death, over and over again."

"But—" Harry perked up, "Professor Lupin told me a lot about my mom. You know, I've only seen her in the photos Hagrid gave me and in the Mirror of Erised. No one else mentioned much about her..."

"Harry..." Hermione looked at him with concern.

Harry continued, undeterred, "I always imagined my mom as gentle, but that's not the case. Professor Lupin said she was strong-willed, even a bit fiery. In those days, she maintained a friendship with a rival housemate—Snape—for five years. Professor Lupin said he admired her for it."

"Of course! My mom and Snape eventually went their separate ways because of Voldemort!" Harry said excitedly, "Mom had to grow up. When she first came to school, she didn't understand the war Voldemort was starting. But how could anyone stand up to reality? Every few days, a classmate's family or relatives would die. Every month, a few students would drop out. That's what war is, isn't it?"

"She must have struggled with the decision for a long time, but in the end, she ended the friendship. Professor Lupin said she was depressed for a long time afterward. My dad comforted her and told her about the Order of the Phoenix. They naturally ended up together..."

"Marriage, fighting Death Eaters, evading Voldemort's pursuit, and then I was born", Harry's expression darkened, "until they wrongly trusted Sirius Black."

Ron said uneasily, "Harry, are you okay?"

"I'm fine", Harry said, "Professor Lupin agreed to teach me the Patronus Charm after Christmas. But he refused my request for extra training. Professor Lupin is too busy, and I didn't have the heart to ask."

"I always imagine Black as my opponent when I write my Duel System Essay, but there's not much I can do. I only know a few spells, and I'm not even proficient with them yet..."

Ron said, "Harry, we can train on our own."

Harry stopped his incessant talking, looked up at Ron, and said slowly, "Train on our own?" This made Ron a bit uneasy. He added, "I know I'm not very strong and I'm not your match, but if you need it, I can be your assistant."

He suggested another idea, "If all else fails, we can practice on the Slytherin students. Malfoy and his gang are pretty good, and Crabbe and Goyle look like they can take a few spells."

Harry thought of the bulky Crabbe and the gorilla-like Goyle, and couldn't help but grin. He then composed himself and said seriously, "Thank you, Ron."

Ron's face turned red. "No, no problem."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Hermione looked relieved and pulled out a piece of parchment, quickly scribbling on it.

"If we're going to train on our own, we need to be well-prepared. We need to choose the right time and place, select the appropriate spells, and prevent any accidents. There's a lot to do!" Hermione said briskly.

"Hermione?" Ron looked at her in disbelief.

But Hermione was already in work mode. "My schedule is a bit different from yours, but... I should be able to find some time..."

"How are you going to find time—"

"Stop interrupting, Ron", Hermione said impatiently. "The spell selection should be based on the content of the Duelling Class, Harry. I need your essay."

Harry handed her the completed essay in a daze.

"I'll help you turn it in to Professor Hup, but I need to review it first to summarize your dueling strategy. And Ron, you can't slack off either. You can't fall too far behind."

Ron's face fell. "You're not going to make me write another essay, are you? Professor Binns just assigned a two-foot-long essay, you know."

"Well, if you don't want to—what I mean is, I can lend you my notes to reference", Hermione tried not to use the word "copy."

Ron leaned over to Harry and whispered, "She really takes me by surprise sometimes."

Harry shrugged and said lightly, "That's Hermione for you. How many times has she surprised us?"

Hermione was still thinking hard. "Maybe we can recruit a few more people. Of course, the three of us will be together the most, but others might be interested too, and they're generally quite skilled. The Duelling Class has been a big help!

Dean's Stunning Spell is very proficient, and Seamus's Expelliarmus is impressive. He must have a real talent for it... And Neville, Ginny's little jinxes are quite good. I didn't expect her to pick them up so quickly when I taught her. We could even ask Percy for help. He owes the twins a favor, and the twins..." She smiled. "They owe me a lot of favors."

"Wait", Ron interrupted, "What's going on with Percy and Fred and George?"

"Remember the Lover's Mirror? They gave Penelope a fifty percent discount. She was going to give it to Percy as a Christmas gift, but Percy privately approached the twins..."

"How did you get involved with Fred and George Weasley?" Ron was still confused. His two older brothers weren't easy to deal with.

"Oh", Hermione said with a bright smile, "I'm the Assistant in the Ancient Runes class. They often come to me for reference books, even down to the page numbers. They say it's to save time, that theoretical Ancient Runes isn't worth their effort."

(End of Chapter)

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