https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-45-Gardening-and-Professor-Auror/12538137/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-47-Mental-and-Physical-Wellbeing-of-Teenage-Wizards/12538139/
Chapter 46: Billywig
Chapter 46: Billywig
"The spell to deal with the Billywig is quite simple, but it requires your full concentration. When casting the spell, you must be completely focused, clear about your target, and not let your mind wander even for a moment. Remember, Billywigs are incredibly fast fliers, and they won't give you a second chance to cast your spell."
Professor Aurene spoke gravely, emphasizing the important points to keep in mind. Then he continued, "Let's try the incantation without our wands first. Repeat after me—Relaxo!"
"Relaxo!" the young witches and wizards chorused.
"Excellent," Professor Aurene said with satisfaction. "Now we shall test the effectiveness of your spell."
He had the class line up and take turns casting the spell at the Billywig confined within a cage.
The first in line was Connor.
She had been standing somewhere in the middle, but the Gryffindor fans quickly surrounded and escorted her to the front.
Ever since Professor Aurene called out her name during the previous class, these young lions had been curious to see what this little witch was like and how she managed to captivate Snape.
"Brave girl," Professor Aurene smiled. "I believe your name is Connor, right?"
"Yes, Professor," she replied.
With the experience of the previous two classes, Connor's current state was much better than before.
Although she was still nervous, at least she could now communicate normally, and her first instinct was to answer the professor's question instead of turning and running away.
"Don't be afraid, it's just a simple spell," Professor Aurene said patiently. "Remember what I said—concentrate. You can do it, believe in yourself."
Connor took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and forcefully brandished her wand.
"Re... Relaxo!"
"Swish!" The sound of cutting through the air was audible.
Professor Aurene, standing beside her, unconsciously took a small step back.
To be honest, if one were any closer, the force of the spell would have been enough to impale the Billywig without the need for magic.
Fortunately, the outcome was good.
As the spell concluded, the Billywig in the cage fell over, knocked out.
"Well done, ten points to Hufflepuff!" Professor Aurene proclaimed, as he brought out a second cage.
The day before, due to his lack of experience, he had brought only three Billywigs for the Ravenclaw and Slytherin classes.
He had thought that would be sufficient, but it turned out to be far from enough. Sometimes the first Billywig hadn't even recovered before the third one was already knocked out.
And every time that happened, the young witches and wizards from the two houses would stare at him intently, making the situation extremely awkward.
To prevent a similar occurrence, he had brought ten Billywigs this time, which should definitely be enough.
"Next, Santos, it's your turn."
Santos, whose name had been called, hurried forward and began to chant the spell.
"Relaxo..."
Nothing happened, and the Billywig in the cage continued to happily spin in circles.
"Relax, don't be so nervous," Professor Aurene said gently as he walked to his side. "Be sure to enunciate the spell clearly. Your last syllable was too soft just now. Let's try again."
Santos nodded and once again extended his wand.
"Relaxo!"
This time, he was successful.
"Very good. Next..." Professor Aurene switched to another cage.
With two consecutive successes, the others also grew more confident, eager to give it a try.
However, due to their overconfidence, some completely forgot what Professor Aurene had said earlier. When it was their turn, they didn't even glance at the cage and simply shouted the spell.
The result was that the Billywig was unharmed, but the cage fell apart.
One of the Gryffindor students at the back of the line, seeing how long the queue was, began to quietly murmur the spell to himself, wand in hand.
Initially, he had intended to practice beforehand and then amaze everyone when it was his turn... but he forgot he was holding his wand.
Next to the lectern, Professor Aurene, who was in the middle of casting a Mending Charm, suddenly felt his legs go weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
If he had just tripped, it wouldn't have been a big deal. After all, Professor Aurene was a robust adult wizard, and at most, he would have suffered a few scrapes that could be easily healed with a Skincare Salve.
However, the problem was that his Mending Charm had been interrupted.
A Billywig broke free and angrily charged towards the young witches and wizards in front of it.
It had wanted to do this ever since yesterday, when it had been repeatedly rendered powerless. Now, it was determined to get its revenge!
Faced with this situation, some of the students started to panic and run around the classroom, while others raised their wands.
"Impedimenta!"
"Impedimenta!"
......
Over a dozen spells flew in the Billywig's direction, and although they missed their target, they succeeded in halting its advance.
The students, excited by their discovery of this new "game," became even more enthusiastic and raised their wands again, ready to take another shot at the moving target.
"Stop right there!" At that moment, Professor Aurene, who was still lying on the floor, suddenly shouted in a stern voice.
He brandished his wand and, as the Billywig flew over his head, he shouted, "Petrificus Totalus!"
Professor Aurene caught the falling Billywig and placed it back into its cage before shakily getting to his feet.
He rubbed his waist painfully, feeling the strain of the day's events.
Now he understood why people said that being the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts was a thankless job. This situation truly proved that point.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Professor Aurene looked at the students with concern and asked, "Are you all alright? Did anyone get stung?"
"No, Professor," they replied, shaking their heads.
"Good," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. After repairing the lectern, he continued, "Let's continue the lesson. Oh, and everyone except the one at the front of the line should put away their wands."
Everyone obediently did as they were told.
Although they felt a bit disappointed, after witnessing Professor Aurene's anger earlier, they didn't dare to cause any more trouble.
After all, no one wanted to be on the receiving end of the Petrificus Totalus spell.
With this mindset, almost everyone succeeded on their first try, and the lesson progressed much faster than before.
However, Professor Aurene didn't seem to relax at all. Instead, he looked even more tense.
When the class finally ended, he didn't even assign any homework. He just turned and left the classroom without another word.
The lesson had exhausted him, and he truly wanted to get away from that place as quickly as possible.
Back in his office, Professor Aurene drew the curtains and took a satisfying sip of his tea.
At least it was all over now. Although there had been some unexpected events, they had been contained, and all ten Billywigs were... Wait, what?
Just then, he noticed that one of the cages was empty, and there was a hole in it about the size of a fist.
"Merlin's beard..." Professor Aurene quickly put down his tea cup and double-checked the cages.
Indeed, one Billywig was missing.
"One of those students' spells must have hit the cage!" Professor Aurene exclaimed as he looked at the open window in the classroom. "Fifty Galleons, just like that!"
......
(End of Chapter)
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