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Chapter 670: Tonks' Disguise Lesson
Chapter 670: Tonks' Disguise Lesson
Upon returning to the changing room, everyone was still immersed in the joyous atmosphere.
"I bet Davis was faking it..." Mikel said excitedly, "He must've known Ravenclaw wouldn't win this match, especially with Kyle having the Firebolt."
"Let's not jump to conclusions," Cedric replied as he donned his robe and shook his head. "Gryffindor's Harry Potter also has a Firebolt, and he's a Seeker. If Roger Davis was truly afraid of losing, then dropping out of the team would've been the wiser choice."
"And Autumn mentioned yesterday that Davis was knocked off his broom by a Bludger. I reckon Madam Pomfrey wouldn't have allowed him to leave the infirmary so soon."
"Alright then..." Mikel said, shivering involuntarily.
He still remembered the demonstration of Madam Pomfrey's capabilities from his first year. Even if Professor Flitwick had intervened, she could be stubborn about not letting Davis play.
"Come on, let's go," Cedric said with a smile. "How about we hold a celebration in the common room tonight? We should commemorate our first victory of the year properly."
The other team members readily agreed, and they left the changing room in high spirits.
The castle, too, was enveloped in a joyous atmosphere. The match seemed to have dispelled the gloom that had hung over Hogwarts for the past few days. People gradually stopped worrying about the missing mystery person and Death Eaters, instead turning their attention to the upcoming Dark Arts Defense lesson.
Through the promotion of the sixth-year students, most people knew that a new teacher had arrived at Hogwarts.
"I hope this new teacher will teach us something different," Hannah said in the common room. "I'm tired of copying and reciting texts. It's not long past Christmas, and I've already spent a Galleon more on parchment than I did last year. At this rate, my allowance won't be enough."
"I doubt it'll be that bad," Cedric said. "From what I remember, she and Umbridge are completely different in terms of personality."
"You know that professor?" Hannah asked, intrigued.
"Yeah," Cedric nodded. "When I first enrolled, she was in her seventh year. However, she had already been selected as an Auror apprentice and was often absent from school."
"What's she like, then?" Mikel asked curiously. "Is she similar to you? Being selected as an Auror at such a young age, she must've been an exceptional student. I bet she has at least ten certificates."
"On the contrary," Cedric hesitated, searching for the right words. "Although I didn't interact much with her, and we never spoke, quite a few people used to say that Tonks was a Gryffindor in Hufflepuff's clothing."
"What do you mean?" Mikel blinked, confused. "Wasn't she a Hufflepuff graduate? How did she become a Gryffindor?"
"It means her personality resembled that of a Gryffindor... she wasn't as well-behaved," Cedric explained, struggling to find a suitable description.
After all, the person in question was now a professor, and it wasn't proper to gossip about her.
"Oh, I remember now!" A seventh-year student suddenly exclaimed, "That troublemaker who instigated the fight between Hufflepuff and Slytherin after the last Quidditch match—I think her name was Nymphadora!"
Cedric turned away, not saying anything, which was as good as admitting it.
Everyone immediately became intrigued.
"Tell us more..." The surrounding students took out candies, biscuits, peanuts, and other snacks from their pockets and gathered around the seventh-year student.
"It happened during the last Quidditch match of the season, between us and Slytherin. The winner would be crowned the champion. However, during the match, they played dirty and knocked our star player, Harris, off his broom, causing us to lose by thirty points.
"Then, as Slytherin was celebrating, someone suddenly rushed forward and started a fight with them. Since all of us Hufflepuffs were already feeling frustrated, seeing someone take the lead, we followed suit without a second thought... It was quite a spectacle, but the professors were furious. That was the first time I saw Professor McGonagall lose her temper."
"Oh, how cool!" Hannah's eyes sparkled, but then she frowned in worry. "But for starting that fight... she must've been punished, right? Was she put in detention?"
"No!" The seventh-year student shook his head.
"Not at all?" Hannah was taken aback. "Well, she couldn't have been expelled... I mean, an expelled student can't become an Auror, right?"
"Of course not," Cedric continued. "In fact, the professors couldn't even identify who the instigator was. The Slytherins claimed it was a red-haired girl, but the problem was, there wasn't a single female student with red hair in Hufflepuff at that time."
An incredulous murmur filled the common room.
"Could it have been someone from another house?" Someone suggested, "The Weasley family has red hair. Maybe one of them sat at the Hufflepuff table early."
"The only Weasley girl hadn't enrolled yet," Cedric explained, "and they searched the entire school but couldn't find anyone matching the description."
"Wait..." Mikel interjected, "If that's the case, why do you suspect Nymphadora Tonks?"
"Because she has a unique ability to change the color of her hair, making her the most suspicious," Cedric replied vaguely. "But she claimed that she had been put in detention by Filch for misbehaving in the corridors and was in his office the entire time, not in the Great Hall."
"Oh..." Hannah's eyes lit up with stars once more.
Leading an entire house in a fight and getting away with it was the kind of story that got one's blood pumping.
"I can't wait for the Dark Arts Defense lesson." Mikel asked excitedly, "When's our next class?"
"It's tomorrow," Kyle replied, "second period in the morning."
"Why can't it be the first period?"
"Are you sure?" Ryan smiled, "Don't forget, our professor is still Umbridge, and that Nymphadora Tonks is just here to assist her."
Mikel's face fell, "Come on, don't be a downer when I'm feeling so good."
A burst of laughter filled the room.
Although Ryan's words were true, the prospect of having Tonks assist with the class was still somewhat exciting.
...
The next day, Kyle and the others first attended Charms class.
Starting from the previous week, Professor Flitwick had forbidden them from casting spells, which resulted in a series of mishaps during class.
Mikel's wand exploded, spraying sparks everywhere and nearly setting Professor Flitwick's hair on fire.
A Gryffindor girl waved her wand, and her hair stood up on end, resembling a uniquely shaped broom.
Someone else's spell landed on a table, bringing it to life. The table sprinted around the classroom, knocking Professor Flitwick off-balance in his attempts to maintain order.
Kyle thought it must have been a Transfiguration spell, as the table seemed to think it was a cow.
Fortunately, Professor Flitwick was experienced and remained calm. He dusted himself off and quickly restored order to the classroom, even taking the time to punish two students who had been quietly casting spells.
As soon as the class ended, the students rushed out, eager to get to their Dark Arts Defense lesson early.
Five minutes later, Umbridge walked into the classroom. But that wasn't the main attraction; everyone was delighted to see that she was accompanied by the witch who had led the Hufflepuff cheers during the Quidditch match.
Some students instinctively glanced at Tonks' hair...
"Look, it's gray now," Mikel whispered, "Yesterday, her hair was black and yellow, just like the Hufflepuff flag. I remember it clearly."
Mikel wasn't the only one who noticed Tonks' changing hair color; everyone was thrilled by the discovery.
"Looks like Cedric and the others were telling the truth," Mikel said excitedly, looking toward the front, "I wonder what she'll teach us... I hope it's how she managed to beat up the Slytherins without the professors finding out. I've always wanted to do that."
"Then you might be disappointed," Kyle glanced at him.
Most Metamorphmagi were born with the ability, and even if Tonks wanted to teach them, others wouldn't be able to learn it.
Umbridge and Tonks had made their way to the front of the classroom by now.
Umbridge wore her usual fake smile, "Then, open your 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' textbooks, where did we leave off last time?"
No one answered her, and most students didn't even bother to move. A few who started to flip through their books slowly stopped in the eerie atmosphere.
"Professor, reading books won't help us against the mysterious person, will it?" A clear voice rang out from the classroom.
"I've told you countless times, you must raise your hand to speak in my class!" Umbridge shouted, "Also, the Ministry will protect you. As long as you follow the Ministry's arrangements and stay put in school, you'll be fine."
"But we can't stay in school forever."
"I said, raise your hand!" Umbridge raised her voice again, "I'll say it again, the Ministry will protect you. Now turn to page one hundred and seventy-five, we..."
"Sorry, Professor Umbridge."
Someone interrupted her again.
Umbridge was about to lose her temper when she realized it was Tonks who had spoken.
Tonks held a piece of parchment and pretended to examine it, "According to the latest curriculum, it seems this lesson is meant to be taught by me."
She unfolded the parchment and held it out to Umbridge, "See, my name is right here."
"You..." Umbridge's face darkened, "Don't forget, I'm the professor for this class, and you're just here to assist me."
"I'm well aware of that, and I've emphasized it many times," Tonks said.
"Then you should follow my arrangement and turn to..."
"Sorry, Professor Umbridge," Tonks interrupted again,
"But this is a task assigned to me by the Minister, and it must be completed. Otherwise, if someone reports to the Ministry that I'm slacking off and not doing anything, the Minister might get angry."
"If I insist on teaching."
"Of course, you're the professor, so you decide," Tonks said nonchalantly, "But to keep my salary, I'll have to write to the Ministry explaining the situation.
You know they're keeping a close eye on Hogwarts these days, and no one can afford to be lazy."
"Very well, very well.
"I'm just an assistant; you're the professor," Tonks corrected.
But Umbridge didn't look pleased. Without another glance at Tonks, she strode down from the platform and left the classroom.
The moment the door closed, the classroom erupted in cheers.
"Alright, calm down," Tonks said, waving her hand.
Once everyone settled down, she continued, "What are you all waiting for? Put away that useless 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' book. In my opinion, it's full of nonsense that won't be of any help.
"Of course, I'm not saying it's bad, just that the content is too rigid and hardly applicable in real situations."
Before she even finished speaking, not a single book remained on the desks, and some students had already eagerly taken out their wands.
"Put away your wands as well," Tonks said. "Before we begin, I must first assess your Transfiguration skills. It's important."
"Transfiguration?" someone asked, confused. "But this is a Dark Arts Defense class."
"I know," Tonks replied. "But for what I'm about to teach, Transfiguration is the foundation... like this."
Tonks tapped her wand on her face, and her cheeks immediately puffed up, while her chin became slightly flatter.
Although it was just a small change, it made her look like a completely different person. If she had walked towards him in a different setting, Kyle wasn't sure he would have recognized her as Tonks.
"Disguise lesson," Tonks said. "A way to temporarily change your appearance without the need for potions.
"I know some of you might scoff at this, thinking that learning Human Transfiguration is enough and that this is unnecessary. Am I right?"
Her eyes scanned the classroom, and some students quickly hid their disappointment, mostly Gryffindors who wanted to learn more powerful magic rather than something they had already studied in Transfiguration class or could achieve with a simple potion.
However, they failed to notice the Hufflepuffs, who were thrilled by Tonks' words, their eyes shining with excitement.
"I knew it!" Mikel couldn't help but laugh.
Kyle remained silent. He hadn't expected Tonks to teach them Human Transfiguration as a substitute for Polyjuice Potion. He thought she would be assisting Professor McGonagall.
"I must warn you," Tonks continued from the platform, "if you attempt to change your appearance with Human Transfiguration without practice, you will only make yourself more conspicuous in a crowd."
"Mr. Thomas," she called out, pointing at someone. "I don't think you agree with me."
"No, Professor," a Gryffindor stood up.
"Just call me assistant," Tonks said. "Go ahead and try what I just did. If you can change so that no one recognizes you, then you can do whatever you want for the rest of the class."
"Really?"
"Of course," Tonks smiled.
"Great!" The student immediately took out his wand and tapped his face.
The room burst into laughter, with some students holding their stomachs, tears of laughter in their eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked, bewildered.
Tonks didn't answer but instead conjured a mirror in front of him.
He took one look and screamed.
It was clear he had tried to imitate Tonks, but he had overdone it, and the Transfiguration spell had even affected his nose, making him look like a house-elf that had swallowed a Swelling Solution... and an expired one at that.
However, in a sense, he had succeeded, as no one could recognize who he was, not even himself.
Tonks took out her wand, struggling to hold back her laughter, and waved it to release him from the effects of the Transfiguration spell.
"That's what I meant when I said that untrained Human Transfiguration won't help you hide.
"Now, who else wants to give it a try? The conditions remain the same – if you succeed, you can do whatever you want for the rest of the class."
Everyone avoided her gaze, especially the girls, who simply lowered their heads as if they hadn't heard anything.
"Very good," Tonks nodded in satisfaction. "Then let's start with the basics."
She waved her wand, and a rabbit appeared in front of each student.
"It's best to practice on them first to get a feel for the spell's intensity before trying it on yourself."
A rabbit also appeared in front of Kyle, but he didn't immediately start casting spells like the others.
To be honest, he wasn't that interested in what Tonks was teaching... Magic always left clues, including Transfiguration. Even with a perfect transformation, a powerful wizard like Dumbledore or Voldemort would see through it in an instant.
For example, to change one's appearance and deceive them, there were only two options – Polyjuice Potion or Polyjuice Magic.
Of course, for most Death Eaters, these methods were effective, as their perception of magic wasn't as sharp, and they might overlook it in their haste.
But if he encountered Death Eaters, Kyle didn't need to change his appearance to escape; he had simpler and more violent methods that would make the Death Eaters want to flee instead.
In summary, what Tonks was teaching was only useful to most students and felt a bit redundant to Kyle.
(End of Chapter)
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