Good news?
Students instinctively showed uneasy expressions, exchanging worried glances. In the deathly silence that followed, Ethan smiled brightly and cheerfully:
"After extensive discussion with the faculty, this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts practical activity will require students to personally go to the battlefield to fight goblins!"
"Pfft!" At the staff table, someone spat out their tea in shock, staring in disbelief at Ethan behind the podium. They laughed awkwardly, "April Fool's Day is really early this year... right?"
Only heavy silence answered. The professor's smile gradually strained, faltering at the edges.
It's—it's an April Fool's joke, right?!
Ethan surveyed the sea of young faces before him, seeing a mixture of eagerness, excitement, and genuine enthusiasm in many eyes!
"I understand everything!" Ethan slammed his hand on the podium like a judge's gavel, making everyone jump in their seats! His usually calm cobalt eyes sparked with passionate fire. His voice, typically clear as mountain springs, now blazed with magma-like intensity as he proclaimed:
"I know how astonishing this good news is! Don't worry, don't doubt it—this is real! Our Defense Against the Dark Arts class this year will use unprecedented teaching methods—personally participating in actual warfare!"
Why don't you guess why this has never been done before???
"Bloody hell!" Ron's eyes widened to impossible proportions, his face draining to deathly pale as he shrieked, "War?! I've only ever tossed garden gnomes and Doxies! You want me to kill goblins?! Are you trying to legally get us all killed?!"
And where are these goblins even coming from? Are we attacking Gringotts?? Headmaster Dumbledore, won't you control Ethan?!
Dumbledore sat peacefully at the staff table, suddenly finding the ceiling extremely fascinating.
Ethan's radical actions naturally had Dumbledore's reluctant approval. The headmaster's original words were: "If we don't train students in advance, how can they possibly handle future storms?! Headmaster Dumbledore, you don't want to see your students killed by Death Eaters in the future, do you?"
With guarantees of student safety, Dumbledore had been persuaded. And that safety guarantee was naturally provided by—
"Let's give warm applause to welcome one of the responsible supervisors for this practical activity—Professor Snape!" Ethan announced cheerfully.
Deathly silence descended upon the Great Hall. Students stared like frightened animals at Professor Snape's face, which had turned as black as a cauldron bottom.
The person in question looks absolutely thrilled about this.
Ethan turned with obvious satisfaction, smiling warmly. "Professor Snape, you've finally become Defense Against the Dark Arts professor—well, supervisor. Are you happy?"
Snape said nothing, his jaw clenched so tight it could crack walnuts.
Crack. The silver goblet in front of him suddenly shattered. Rolling waves of raw magic emanated from Professor Snape, the surrounding air trembling slightly from the force of his barely controlled fury.
To make Snape so angry his magic literally explodes—Ethan truly possesses a special talent. What audacity...
Everyone internally marveled at the spectacle.
"The other supervisor is Professor Lupin," Ethan continued smoothly. "During this training period, Professor Lupin will be responsible for everyone's combat preparation."
The students breathed slightly easier at this news. At least we won't die during training.
Just then, a silvery bell-like voice rang out clearly, "Will all of us participate in this practical activity? Won't that cause chaos on the battlefield?"
"Excellent question." Ethan looked appreciatively at Luna raising her hand with characteristic dreamy composure.
Everyone else exchanged disbelieving glances. There's even a Q&A session?! This is too realistic to complain about.
Ethan's solemn voice echoed through the hall with authority, "Regrettably, for everyone's safety, only a select portion will be chosen to participate in the final practical activity."
Students erupted: "Hooray!!" Ron's eyes suddenly brightened with desperate hope.
"Yeah." Harry smiled with visible relief. Sirius's matter is troubling enough. I just want to peacefully get through this semester. Let Ethan's fanatics handle goblin warfare—like Hermione already memorizing advanced spells, or Hufflepuff's muscle-bound Cedric...
"Morning Star Club members will lead the charge," Ethan announced with finality.
Harry, the Morning Star Club's first member, froze completely: "..."
Ron immediately felt overwhelming pity, saying with genuine sympathy, "Look on the bright side, mate—at least you won't be killed by Sirius Black. Because before that happens, you'll be worked to death by Ethan's training."
Thanks so much, Harry thought miserably.
Ethan's ambitious "pre-war training" program launched vigorously across Hogwarts. Professor Lupin's health had suffered from the werewolf extraction, so Defense Against the Dark Arts was temporarily taught by Professor Snape, who looked even more sallow than before with heavy dark circles under his eyes. Rumors circulated that he brewed potions nightly, hoping to create something that would poison Ethan.
However, others noted that Snape not only stopped troubling Ethan but actively avoided him whenever possible—quickly becoming one of "Hogwarts' Seven Mysteries."
In Care of Magical Creatures class, Ethan gently stroked the magnificent Hippogriff's feathered neck, murmuring thoughtfully, "What magnificent creatures... wings for aerial mobility, claws to tear through bone, beaks to pierce skulls." Most importantly—they could carry riders into battle.
Thinking this way, in 1612, goblins with strong ground-based technology haven't developed skyward defenses, leaving themselves completely exposed to the vast skies. 'Reinforcements from above'... sounds incredibly tactical.
"Also need proper armor. What goblins have, we need too. In that resource-rich era, we can fully arm ourselves!"
When Ethan began teaching goblin rebellion alchemy techniques, everyone thought he was simply being thorough. When he trained the terrifying Hippogriffs as combat mounts, everyone thought Ethan was impressive. When Ethan actually began forging battle armor, everyone was utterly dumbfounded.
Brother, you're actually serious?! We're really going to war?! But where's the battlefield?
Radical students whispered: "Ethan's conducting massive selection trials in school! Two groups will fight each other! Only survivors qualify as true Hogwarts students!"
Conservative students countered: "That's ridiculous. Obviously the magical world has only one wizard race; there is no goblin threat now." Then why war? He must be planning to create one! Wizards should occupy Gringotts, overthrow those powerful goblins!
The radicals stared: "..." You're actually more radical than us.
Regardless of speculation, under Hogwarts Magic Academy—nearly renamed "Hogwarts Military Academy"—time flew rapidly to Halloween eve. This year, perhaps due to "Ethan's mercy" or simple luck, nothing particularly unusual happened. Halloween peacefully lasted until the feast ended without incident—until Gryffindors cheerfully returned to their common room entrance.
"He came! That terrifying devil appeared!" The Fat Lady guarding Gryffindor's entrance shrieked in genuine terror, completely shattering the cheerful atmosphere.
The portrait was viciously torn with terrible claw marks. On the nearby stone wall, savagely carved words read in jagged letters:
[I'm watching you]
Like carved brutally with a dagger stroke by agonizing stroke, every line seemed to ooze thick hatred that spread through the suddenly silent students like poison.
That fugitive—Sirius Black! He'd actually broken into the school!