Chapter 609: He Gave Them More Than They Could Handle
Chapter 609: He Gave Them More Than They Could Handle
The first class of the day was Defense Against the Dark Arts, taught by Sirius Black.
For the first time, Hogwarts students would have the same Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for two consecutive years... at least for those in the fifth year and below.
Last year's professor was Moody, so strictly speaking, Sirius was their sixth professor, and he was still a young, charismatic teacher.
However, due to Sirius' legendary experiences, the classroom was already filled with eager students.
"I asked Justin about it," Mikael eagerly pulled out his textbook from his bag as he sat down, "He told me that Sirius' class is really interesting, but occasionally, some unpleasant things might happen."
"Unpleasant things?" Conna frowned, "Does he give a lot of homework?"
Although Sirius had filled in for Moody for a few classes last year, he had only taught the content that Moody had planned, and they mostly reviewed what they had learned before.
So, no one really knew Sirius' personal teaching style.
"On the contrary," Mikael shook his head, "As far as I know, he rarely assigns homework. I was envious of that for a long time last year."
"Then why would it be unpleasant?"
"Because you might get injured," Ryan added from the side.
As Ryan spoke, the classroom door opened, and Sirius walked in from outside.
He seemed cheerful and showed no signs of being burdened by teaching three additional grades.
"Hello, everyone," Sirius waved his wand to open the curtains, and bright sunlight flooded the classroom.
"I think I don't need to introduce myself, do I?" He smiled and said, "Put away your books; you won't need them for this first class."
Everyone immediately put away their books, and Mikael was the fastest. He always believed that professors who asked students to put away their books during the first class were good professors.
"I've already learned about your progress from Professor Moody."
Sirius continued, "I have to admit, he's an excellent professor, and that's evident from your O.W.L. exam results.
"Almost everyone scored high, even Professor Marchbanks, who was in charge of invigilation, was surprised... She probably didn't expect that in previous years, the subject with the lowest scores would have so many high scores this year."
Everyone subconsciously straightened their backs.
Although Professor Moody's requirements were strict, and the amount of homework was frightening, their improved grades were indeed genuine.
Some students' scores even jumped directly from A (Pass) to O (Outstanding), smoothly earning them a certificate.
"However... your professor this year is me," Sirius shifted the topic, "And I've always believed that the essence of Defense Against the Dark Arts lies in practical combat, not grades.
"Dark magic is diverse and ever-changing. When you truly face it, you'll realize that the knowledge in textbooks is far from sufficient. Only by relying on your instincts and excellent reflexes can you effectively respond."
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Sirius, his expression was serious, and there was no hint of joking in his tone.
"Therefore, before you truly encounter dark magic, you must be clear about your shortcomings."
"The fastest way... is to let you experience it firsthand." Sirius drew his wand, "Lockhart's Dueling Club was a great idea, but it was canceled after just one class. If this club had continued until now, it would have greatly enhanced your abilities."
"But it's not too late now."
Sirius walked to the other side of the classroom and cleared away all the clutter piled in the corner.
"I believe that practical combat is far more useful than any lecture. So, in the upcoming classes, dueling is essential. It's best to prepare yourselves in advance.
"I'll do my best to protect you from injuries, but occasionally, I might not be able to prevent them all. If any of you don't want to participate, feel free to speak up now. I'll approve of your decision."
Everyone's gaze was on him, and no one shrank back. Instead, they became even more excited.
Seeing no one raising their hand to opt-out, Sirius nodded in satisfaction, "Very good, I knew you'd make the right choice... Now, we need to make a small adjustment to the classroom."
He asked all the students to stand up and then directed the desks, chairs, and benches to fly out the window, leaving not even the teacher's podium behind.
Sirius had already chosen the largest classroom, and now, with the rearrangement, it felt even more spacious.
He waved his wand, creating a platform beneath his feet, neither too big nor too small.
"For our first lesson, we won't be learning new content. Instead, we'll test your practical abilities."
"Each of you will have five minutes. Regardless of the spell you use, if you can make my feet leave this platform, you'll earn ten points."
At the mention of points, the students' eyes lit up with excitement, all crowding towards the front, fearing they might miss out if they were last.
"Professor, I'll go first."
"Choose me, Professor..."
"I'm the man who will become a Dueling Master in the future!"
...
The classroom buzzed with chatter, and Sirius surveyed the students with his gaze, finally settling on Kyle.
"Kyle, how about you?"
"No problem," Kyle stepped forward.
He glanced at the platform beneath Sirius's feet, "As long as I can make you fall from here, right?"
"That's right... But not you." Sirius shook his head, stepping down from the platform, "I think it's necessary to let everyone know that this isn't a game."
"I understand," Kyle nodded, also drawing his wand.
Seeing this, the other students quieted down.
Someone was the first to run to the corner, and soon, a large space cleared around the two of them.
Kyle stood with his wand, facing off against Sirius. Unlike Lockhart's instructions, there were no tedious formalities; the duel began abruptly.
Sirius cast a spell without warning.
But the next second, it was deflected back even faster.
"Oh, nice..."
Sirius quickly bent down to dodge, and to be honest, he didn't even know when Kyle had used the Iron Body Charm on him.
But as Sirius bent down, a row of sharp stone spikes instantly shot up from the floor.
Fortunately, Sirius reacted swiftly, and with a slight wave of his wand, the stone spikes turned to powder.
However, it wasn't over yet. The fragments of the stone spikes on the floor suddenly writhed, transforming into various-sized hounds that ran towards Kyle, attempting to bite his wand.
Kyle calmly stepped back, pointing his wand at the hairpin and Every-Flavour Beans that had fallen while moving the desks.
The next second, Sirius's hounds were blocked by a group of shrunken Norwegian Ridgebacks, which began to fight among themselves.
Taking this opportunity, Sirius stood up again, unable to resist praising, "Impressive Transfiguration... Hufflepuff, twenty points."
As he spoke, he also didn't forget to cast two more spells, all the while making eye signals to Kyle when the others weren't looking.
Kyle's mouth twitched twice, and he had just warmed up, and this guy was already trying to cheat? Wasn't this a bit excessive?
But seeing Sirius's frantic eye movements, Kyle sighed, "Alright, we're in class now, and time is limited, so we can't drag this on for too long."
Kyle voluntarily removed his Iron Body Charm, and after being hit by a Scouring Charm, he stumbled back into the crowd.
"Not bad, really good," Sirius put away his wand and clapped, "I must say you're the most outstanding young wizard I've seen. Hufflepuff, another thirty points."
Amidst the applause, Kyle returned to the crowd.
"Can the Cleansing Charm be used in a duel?" Conna asked quietly.
"You noticed that?" Kyle was surprised, "It seemed like Sirius didn't even chant a spell."
"I figured it out," Conna pointed to Kyle's robe, "During breakfast, an owl knocked over a bottle of pumpkin juice, and some of it splashed onto you.
"But now, the pumpkin juice has disappeared."
"Well," Kyle shrugged, "The Cleansing Charm is usually ineffective, but given the special circumstances, we couldn't fight for an entire class, could we?"
"So, you intentionally conceded?"
"I had no choice, he gave too much... a full fifty points."
"Well, that's quite a lot," Conna couldn't help but laugh.
...
(End of Chapter)
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