In the afternoon, since Aiden hadn't chosen Arithmancy, it was already four o'clock when he met up with Edmund and the others again.
Ravenclaw's Monday afternoon mandatory class was Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Lupin hadn't secured a classroom, so he brought the young wizards to the staff lounge for the lesson.
Ah, this damn relaxed feeling, Aiden thought as he walked into the lounge and saw Snape sitting with his legs crossed, casually drinking coffee.
"Well, well, if it isn't the famous R.J. Lupin, wandering around with a group of young wizards because he doesn't know where to hold class," Snape said, crossing his arms with obvious disdain.
"I think it's better not to stick your nose into other people's business, isn't it, Severus?" Lupin replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Hmph." Snape snorted coldly and swept out of the staff lounge.
"Wow, this is the first time I've seen a professor so directly confront Professor Snape," Ethan whispered, moving closer to his friends.
"Perhaps you'll see more in the future," Edmund replied knowingly.
As a member of the Lestrange family—known for their gossip—it seemed Edmund was privy to many scandalous stories.
Lupin positioned himself in front of the group, with a cabinet behind him that seemed to be trembling slightly.
"Alright, children, who can guess what's inside?" Lupin asked with a slight smile.
"A Boggart," Aiden answered immediately.
"Then who can tell me what a Boggart looks like?" Lupin continued.
"No one knows. Boggarts turn into what people fear most, so no one knows their true appearance," Ethan jumped in to answer.
"Very good answer—five points to Ravenclaw," Professor Lupin awarded.
"Fortunately, we have a simple spell to deal with Boggarts. The incantation is Riddikulus. Come, repeat after me."
The young wizards followed Lupin in reciting the spell. Seeing that everyone's pronunciation was acceptable, Lupin showed a mischievous smile.
"Very good, but you must remember—the ultimate weapon against Boggarts is laughter. Try your best to turn it into the funniest thing possible. Come on, I need someone to try first."
Ethan's eyes glinted with mischief. Taking advantage of Aiden's momentary distraction, he gestured for everyone behind him to step back.
Lupin turned around at that moment and found Aiden standing alone at the front.
"Very good, Aiden, come forward," Lupin beckoned.
Aiden looked back and saw Ethan's smirking face, then walked forward with resignation.
"Come on, child, tell me what you fear most in your heart," Professor Lupin encouraged gently.
"Um, can I say I don't know?" Aiden tilted his head with feigned innocence.
"Ahem, well, perhaps sometimes we ourselves don't know what we fear, but it's alright—the Boggart will tell you," Professor Lupin, being experienced, quickly recovered his composure.
"Come on, child, stand in front."
Lupin beckoned to Aiden, drew his wand, pointed it at the cabinet, and opened it with a countdown.
Accompanied by a surge of black mist, nothing happened.
"You're afraid of a cloud of black mist?" Lupin asked, somewhat surprised.
"No, I'm simply blocking the Boggart's psychic perception," Aiden explained calmly.
The moment he'd stepped into the lounge, Aiden had sensed that the magical creature in the cabinet was slowly emitting psychic disturbances. These fluctuations were slight and harmless to wizards, but when the waves touched other minds, they would bounce back. This way, the Boggart could harvest the strongest emotion from the returning waves—fear.
Sensing the psychic fluctuations, Aiden had directly smoothed out the waves, preventing the Boggart from reading any young wizard's fear.
"Um, well, teaching still needs to continue, so please cooperate," Professor Lupin said, clearly at a loss.
"Of course, as you wish," Aiden replied, releasing his suppression of the Boggart.
He was genuinely curious about what his own fear might be.
As the Boggart's fluctuations reached Aiden's mind, he allowed his consciousness to ripple. Reading the emotion, the Boggart began to transform. A string of glowing Norse runes appeared in the air.
"Urðr, what is this?" Edmund questioned from the crowd behind.
"Urd, the goddess of fate, representing the weaving of personal destiny and its irreversibility," Professor Lupin said, his extensive knowledge evident. He looked at Aiden with complex eyes. "Child, are you a seer?"
"No," Aiden gave a firm negative answer, though his eyebrows drooped thoughtfully.
Then Aiden raised his wand. "Riddikulus!"
Powerful magic struck the Boggart, and the text in the air twisted and transformed. A huge Perthro (ᛈ) rune appeared in the air—the rune of mystery and hidden things.
Yes, by now Aiden had long possessed the inner strength to resist fate.
"Very good spellcasting—five points to Ravenclaw," Professor Lupin said, awarding points generously.
He then started a gramophone and invited the young wizards to try it one by one.
"Next, Ethan."
Professor Lupin immediately selected the person who had orchestrated the prank. It seemed the entire lounge was under his watchful perception.
Ethan stepped forward, and the Boggart transformed into a mummy wrapped in decaying bandages.
Didn't expect this guy to be afraid of that, Aiden thought, stroking his chin with a mischievous smile.
"Next," Professor Lupin called.
The young wizards went up one by one, and the Boggart transformed into various monsters and fears.
Until Edmund approached. His Boggart began to change, and suddenly Bellatrix Lestrange appeared—wild-haired, mad-eyed, and terrifying.
Lupin's eyes widened in alarm, and he rushed forward to protect Edmund.
The Boggart, sensing Lupin's intervention, immediately transformed into a full moon.
"Riddikulus!" Lupin cast the spell quickly.
The moon turned into a colorful balloon that floated around harmlessly.
Lupin then used a spell to open the cabinet and shut the Boggart back inside.
"Sorry, my apologies—let's end here for today. Everyone pack up your textbooks, class is dismissed," Professor Lupin said, clearly shaken.
"Aww," the young wizards made disappointed sounds but began packing their things.
"Sorry, we can't let entertainment interfere with education," Professor Lupin said, then walked forward and handed Edmund a piece of chocolate. "Alright, it's okay now, child," he said, patting Edmund's shoulder firmly.
"Let's go, Edmund," Aiden said, coming forward to guide his stunned friend away.
That evening, the three sat at the Ravenclaw table, eating the carefully prepared house feast. News of Malfoy's "brave confrontation" with the Hippogriff spread throughout the hall, while Edmund mechanically stuffed mashed potatoes into his mouth.
"Edmund, are you alright?" Ethan asked with concern.
"Is it because of Bellatrix Lestrange?" Aiden asked, his eyes narrowing perceptively.
"Oh, Aiden, don't mention that name," Edmund shuddered, finally reacting.
"It seems you're quite afraid of her?" Aiden raised an eyebrow.
"She's my aunt, the former head of the Lestrange family—a complete madwoman," Edmund said, lowering his voice.
"Isn't she just a follower of Voldemort? Is it really that serious?" Aiden said casually.
"No, you don't understand. Back then, the Dark Lord held a grand ceremony, and the initial victims of this ritual's trial phase were us," Edmund revealed, his voice barely above a whisper.
"What do you mean? Tell us more," Ethan said, leaning in with obvious curiosity.
"Back then, the Dark Lord used our family's channels to spread his ideology and gather followers. His power once reached its peak," Edmund said quietly, slowly telling his story.
"Soon, he became dissatisfied that his name could be spoken freely, and he also feared that someone might use his name to curse him. So he began spreading terror, using fear to build consensus, and held a mysterious magical ritual."
Edmund paused, his hands trembling slightly.
"This ritual automatically included all who knew his name and feared him, and the first to have their fear harvested were the people of our Lestrange family."
Edmund took a deep breath, grabbed his sickeningly sweet tea, and drank it all in one gulp, then exhaled deeply.
"So, you mean..." Ethan began, realization dawning.
"Voldemort is still alive," Aiden finished for them, his voice carrying the weight of terrible certainty.
(TL NOTE: Unfortunately, my LOTR: Playing Minecraft in Middle-earth book was mistakenly flagged as spam on Webnovel and removed. I'll re-upload it under a different title by today at the latest. Thank you for your patience!)