Chapter 433: A New Defense Against Dark Magic Class
Chapter 433: A New Defense Against Dark Magic Class
The next morning, Harry woke up groggily, in a daze. By the time he fully regained consciousness, he found himself already seated in the Defense Against Dark Magic class.
The classroom was noisy, with students trickling in one by one. Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown walked in arm in arm. When Parvati saw Harry, she glared at him fiercely and loudly said, "Aiden and I have plans to go out together on the next Hogsmeade weekend."
Lavender asked with interest, "Is he the Beauxbatons boy you danced with at the ball?"
"Exactly", Parvati said loudly, giving Harry a haughty look as she passed by him and Ron.
Since the ball, she had been cold towards Harry. Every time she saw him, she would turn her head sharply away, leaving him with just the sight of her back. Harry wanted to ask Ron if he was experiencing the same treatment, but knowing that Padma was in a different house, he decided against it.
"You should have paid more attention to her at the ball. See... now you're getting what you deserve", Hermione said, her face hidden behind a thick book.
"But she was having a great time", Harry insisted stubbornly.
He glanced back discreetly and saw Parvati and Lavender sitting in the back rows, chatting and laughing. He couldn't detect any signs of her displeasure. Lavender pulled a thick book out of her bag and showed it to Parvati with a mysterious air.
"I ordered it by owl post. It's really good..."
In the last few minutes before class, a boastful voice came from outside the door:
"That thing is called a Magical Gramophone. It was in the living room the day after it was released. When you listen to music, you can see the Weird Sisters circling above your head. Honestly, my mom doesn't like them; they're too noisy... but what can you do, it's the only one available right now."
Draco Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, walked into the classroom. He looked around and deliberately showed a surprised expression when he saw Harry: "Hey, Potter! Did you not sleep well last night? Or did you put on some smoky eye makeup?"
His two cronies chuckled, pointing at Harry's dark circles.
Harry clenched his fists, but Ron quickly held him back. "Don't be rash, Harry. He's just waiting for you to react. If you even touch him with your pinky, he'll have an excuse to blow up..."
"Your bravery is shrinking", Draco drawled, leaning down to look Harry in the eye and whispering softly, "I learned a few new spells over the holidays, Potter... not just minor ones. I found a notebook in my grandfather's room. Maybe we can find some time to try them out..."
"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked, suppressing his anger.
"Oh, I forgot", Draco said maliciously, "your home was blown to pieces, and you have no family legacy. Maybe you can ask the Weasley next to you? If his family isn't too poor to have sold everything for a good meal..."
"Do you want a duel, Malfoy?" Harry asked angrily, "Or are you just going to report it to Filch like you did in first year? You're capable of that, aren't you? Can't you show a bit of courage?"
Draco's pale face turned red.
"We'll see each other in the Dueling Club, Potter", he said, then hurriedly left.
Harry watched his back, trembling with anger. "Ignore him, Harry", Hermione said calmly, lifting her head from a thick book. "This is the third time he's provoked you recently. You know why."
"He must have learned some powerful dark magic, Harry. Be careful", Ron added, equally angry.
Harry's anger subsided instantly. He knew the reason. The last two classes were taught by Snape. If there was a conflict, it was obvious who Snape would favor, which only emboldened Draco Malfoy.
Especially during the first class last week, Malfoy secretly showed Harry a badge, regretfully telling him that if the other badges hadn't been confiscated, he would have given one to every Slytherin student to show support for the true brave squad at Hogwarts.
Fortunately, Neville, who is always sensitive to Snape's presence, gave an early warning, defusing the danger. Otherwise, Harry might have been kept after class and lost points.
The bell rang, and the students obediently sat down, waiting for the black robes to flutter in. At that moment, they heard the characteristic "tap-tap" sound of wood hitting the floor, and many young wizards (mostly Gryffindors) opened their eyes wide with delight.
"I never thought I'd look forward to seeing Professor Moody's face like this", Ron muttered, and Harry silently agreed.
Moody appeared at the door, looking as frightening as usual, but many students let out low cheers. He stood at the door, scanning the room with his magical blue eye spinning in its socket.
The classroom quickly fell silent.
Moody struggled to the podium with his cane, placed the cane and a stack of parchment on the desk, and drew his wand (the students tensed), then waved it lightly. A register flew out from the drawer of the podium.
"You may have heard that I was under someone's control last semester, and a despicable person disguised as me gave you lessons", Moody said in a hoarse voice. The classroom was deathly quiet; they had heard some versions of the story, but no one dared to be sure.
"They messed with my mind, making me believe everything was normal. I went through the semester in a daze until Christmas Eve when the Death Eaters hiding in the school exposed their plot and decided to finish me off before leaving... I was lying in bed, as good as dead, not reacting to any sounds in the room. Thanks to two students who delayed them, or I would have died in my sleep, a meaningless death..." Moody said softly, looking at Harry and Ron. Harry found his face not as terrifying anymore.
"To cure me, Professor Sprout tried many methods, but... some memories are still lost, so I decided to get to know all of you again."
He shook his head, pushing his graying long hair away from his twisted, scarred face, and began to take attendance.
The classroom was enveloped in a solemn atmosphere. As Moody called out names, the students raised their hands in response, and Moody, as if meeting them for the first time, stared at each of them with his magical eyes.
After the roll call, Moody picked up his cane from the podium and limped around the classroom, his voice hoarse.
"In the next few classes, I will tell you about my experiences over the past six months. It's a good example. You might think Dark Wizards are far away, but the truth is, you lived in close proximity to an evil Dark Wizard for almost half a year. He disguised himself as a reclusive, unsociable old man—clever, indeed! I'll share all the details I remember with you."
"Your task is simple: go back and think about why you are still alive."
"Professor, what did you say?" Lavender Brown asked in shock.
"I said", Moody waved his rough, large hand, his magical eyes fixed on her, "spend some time asking yourself a question: a powerful Dark Wizard, for the past six months, could have pulled out his wand at any moment and pointed it at your nose, casting the Killing Curse."
"And yet, you are still alive, aren't you, Miss Lavender?"
The time is getting late, and the author is working hard to adjust. There is one more chapter, so it's suggested to read it tomorrow.
(End of Chapter)
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