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Chapter 29: The Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor Who Doubts Life
Chapter 29: The Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor Who Doubts Life
Ryan was faring a little better. He had moved past the initial malfunction and was now in a flickering phase, with the intervals between each flash gradually lengthening. It seemed he was close to success.
However, things were not going as smoothly for Mikkel. The light from his wand was highly unstable, at times dazzling like a spotlight, and at others, barely brighter than a firefly's glow, as if it could extinguish at any moment.
The more erratic it became, the more anxious Mikkel felt, and the more anxious he felt, the less control he had, creating a vicious cycle.
"Hey, you..."
Kyle wanted to lend a hand, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he saw Mikkel take a deep breath and abruptly lift his wand-holding hand upward.
For some reason, a sense of foreboding filled Kyle, as if something terrible was about to happen.
This feeling came upon him so suddenly that he didn't have time to think. Almost instinctively, he turned away, lowered his head, and closed his eyes.
In almost the same instant, a searing flash of light, like a detonating flashbang, engulfed the entire classroom.
Though the intense light disappeared after a second, its impact was catastrophic.
Many young witches and wizards, caught off guard, were blinded by the sudden flash. The next second, wails and cries erupted from all around as they clutched their eyes, screamed, and pushed against each other in a frantic attempt to escape the room, creating chaos in the classroom.
Even Professor Filibuster was affected, but being an experienced professor who had weathered many storms, he remained calmer than the students, gritting his teeth against the discomfort while trying to soothe the panicked class.
"It's alright, everyone! Don't panic! Just stay calm and you'll be able to see again in a moment."
Despite Professor Filibuster's efforts, the classroom remained in a state of pandemonium.
One might have thought that Voldemort himself had invaded Hogwarts, judging from the commotion.
Additionally, the professor was facing the wrong way, speaking to the wall behind him instead of the students.
This earned him the disdain of the four witches and wizards in the painting, who, though startled by the flash, were unaffected by its after-effects.
In their opinion, Professor Filibuster's behavior resembled that of a Teebo Warthog that had been knocked on the head—utterly foolish.
...
In the aftermath of the blinding flash, the only ones in the classroom who seemed unaffected were Kyle, who had anticipated the danger, and a handful of other fortunate students.
However, there was little they could do besides trying to comfort their distressed classmates and helping those who had stumbled to their feet to prevent any trampling accidents.
It wasn't until a few minutes later that the effects of the flash began to subside, and the young witches and wizards gradually regained their vision.
"Oh, Merlin's beard," Professor Filibuster muttered, rubbing his eyes as he wobbled down from his lectern. "What a disaster."
He had intended to descend from his platform to comfort the students but, due to his misdirected orientation, had missed a step and stumbled.
Professor Filibuster was livid.
In his decades of teaching, he had encountered countless unexpected situations: spells gone awry, unintended summoning of cattle, and locks blown off by unlocking charms, to name a few. None of these incidents surprised him; they were all within the realm of possibility with inexperienced students.
However, he never could have imagined that even a simple lighting spell could go so horribly wrong.
With the entire class's collective anger and anticipation weighing on him, Professor Filibuster made his way to the source of the calamity.
"He's still alive; it seems to be a case of magic depletion-induced unconsciousness..."
Hearing this, Kyle breathed a sigh of relief.
Here, magic depletion didn't refer to an empty magic meter, but rather to a state of exhaustion, similar to that of an ordinary person who had gone without sleep for two consecutive nights.
...
Professor Filibuster's gaze was somewhat unfocused.
Magic depletion? From a simple lighting spell?
In just a few minutes, this was the second time he had doubted his life choices. He even began to wonder if he had become out of touch, having spent too much time at Hogwarts.
Throughout the millennia-long history of the wizarding world, he had never heard of anyone exhausting themselves to the point of passing out just by casting a lighting spell.
"Professor, should I take him to Madam Pomfrey now?"
Seeing that Professor Filibuster was standing there in a daze, Kyle tentatively suggested, "It's not good for him to lie there like this. It would be better to get him checked out."
"Yes... yes, we should get him checked. Please take him there quickly."
...
After obtaining Professor Filibuster's permission, Kyle immediately cast a Floating Charm on Mikkel and carried him out of the classroom.
Usually, given Professor Filibuster's character, witnessing such a scene would have resulted in extra points for Gryffindor. However, at this moment, not deducting points was already a blessing; there was no need to expect any bicycles.
...
Not long after leaving the classroom, Kyle spotted a cat sitting at the corner. It wasn't a cat girl, but an actual cat, with two amber eyes that stared unwaveringly at him.
"Mrs. Norris? Perfect."
Kyle quickly said, "There's an injured young wizard. I need to go to Madam Pomfrey, but I don't know the way. Can you show me?"
Although Cedric's map marked the location of the school hospital, Kyle had never been there and wasn't familiar with the specific route.
But this cat was different. As it always followed Filch, it knew Hogwarts like the back of its paw and would undoubtedly know the quickest route to the hospital.
It would be fantastic if it agreed to help.
Mrs. Norris tilted her head to look at Kyle and the floating Mikkel, then stood up without a word and walked towards the stairs on the right.
Was this her way of agreeing? Kyle hurriedly followed.
The two of them, one human and one cat, weaved through the various staircases. Midway, they took a shortcut through a secret passage hidden behind a statue, and within a few minutes, they arrived at a courtyard outside the Great Hall.
This courtyard, where a large grandfather clock stood, was known as the Clock Courtyard.
When Kyle arrived, Mrs. Norris was crouched next to the clock, and she indicated the staircase behind her with her tail, signaling him to go up.
"Thank you; I'll bring you some dried fish as a treat."
Kyle reached out to scratch Mrs. Norris under her chin, but she skillfully dodged his hand.
Mrs. Norris folded her ears back and shot Kyle a warning glance before turning and walking away, soon disappearing from view.
"Heh, such an aloof cat," Kyle muttered resignedly as he retracted his hand.
With Mikkel floating beside him, Kyle climbed the stairs, knowing that the hospital was just upstairs, and thankfully, this staircase didn't lead elsewhere.
...
(End of Chapter)
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