A new term had begun, and the students were surprised to discover that the newly appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Lupin, was unexpectedly reliable.
Whenever Professor Lupin walked into the classroom, his arrival would always be met with enthusiastic applause.
In class, Professor Lupin had a knack for explaining complex concepts of dark magic defense in a way that was easy to understand, allowing students to grasp and master them with ease.
Whether it was obscure theoretical knowledge or hands-on practical training, he excelled at both.
This led many students to comment that, ever since Professor Lupin had taken over, it was the first time they felt that Defense Against the Dark Arts was not only important—but actually fun.
Many believed that Lupin was the most capable professor for the subject in recent years. Except for the students in Slytherin, the other three houses all held great affection for the new teacher.
During his time teaching, Lupin's quality of life had also vastly improved. He looked much healthier than before.
In the past, he often had to endure hunger and loneliness, but at Hogwarts, he no longer had to suffer through those unstable days.
The school provided ample food, the students adored him, and his colleagues showed genuine care—everything combined gave him a renewed spirit.
That day happened to be the night of a full moon. Lupin hurriedly took a bottle of Wolfsbane Potion from Wes Elwin, then vanished.
Before leaving, he had asked Wes to cover his class for him.
Wes had wanted to refuse, but Lupin left so quickly he didn't even get the chance.
"You could've asked Headmaster Snape instead. I'm sure he'd have been more than happy to take over your class," Wes called out in the direction Lupin had disappeared, but it was no use—Lupin was long gone.
With no other choice, Wes headed to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. This period was for third-year students.
When the students saw Wes enter, they thought he had gone to the wrong classroom.
"Professor Elwin, this isn't the classroom for Arithmancy," a blonde girl with blue eyes politely reminded him.
Wes smiled slightly and explained, "Oh, I know. Professor Lupin isn't feeling very well today, so he asked me to cover for him."
"What's wrong with Professor Lupin?"
Ever since Lupin had arrived, he'd taken special care of Harry—offering extra help in class and privately teaching him many useful defense techniques. Harry felt deeply grateful to him.
"Don't worry, it's just a minor issue," Wes said, looking over the noisy classroom. The students were still whispering among themselves, so he raised his voice. "Quiet down, everyone. Can someone tell me what you covered in your last lesson?"
Hermione immediately raised her hand. "Last class, Professor Lupin taught us how to deal with Red Caps."
Wes flipped through the textbook, then closed it again and decided to go off-script.
"Well then, ladies and gentlemen, when you're out in the wild, what kind of creature are you most afraid of encountering?"
Ron blurted out without hesitation, "Dementors! My mum says they're the most evil creatures—they suck out your soul."
"Werewolves," Hermione said with certainty. "Just one bite from a werewolf and you'll become one too."
"Vampires."
"I think mummies are the scariest."
"…"
The students offered a wide range of answers.
Wes looked at the group of imaginative children and smiled. "You're all right in your own ways."
The students looked a little disappointed, thinking Wes was just humoring them.
"But in my experience," Wes continued, "the most dangerous of all would probably be… wizards."
As soon as he said that, the classroom fell silent. The students clearly didn't understand why Wes would give that answer.
Wes explained further, "Because you never know whether the wizard you meet is a dark wizard."
The moment dark wizards were mentioned, the mood in the class grew heavy. Some students even instinctively shrank back. When they were younger, their parents had used the fear of dark wizards to scare them into behaving.
Seeing their reactions, Wes realized he might have gone a bit too far.
He quickly added reassuringly, "Don't worry, kids. You're at Hogwarts now—one of the safest places in the world. You won't encounter dark wizards here."
"But there are Dementors outside the school," a Ravenclaw girl grumbled, frowning. "I haven't been able to go to Hogsmeade this term. I've been looking forward to it for so long."
"Yeah, my mom wouldn't sign the permission slip either. I have to stay in school like a prisoner," another student complained.
"Same here..." More students joined in the complaints, and soon the classroom was filled with disappointed voices.
Before long, the topic had completely shifted—now everyone was focused on Dementors.
At that moment, one brave student raised their hand and asked, "Professor, could you teach us the spell to repel Dementors?"
"Yeah!" another chimed in excitedly. "That spell looked so cool!"
Wes chuckled and patiently explained, "That's actually a very difficult charm. Many adult wizards haven't mastered it yet. For you, it would be quite challenging."
The students' shoulders slumped in disappointment. To change the mood, Wes decided to switch up the lesson plan.
"For today's class, we'll do some practical dueling exercises," he announced. With a wave of his wand, the desks and chairs automatically moved aside, clearing a large space in the middle of the room.
"Pair up—quickly find your partners."
The moment he said that, the students' attention shifted. They eagerly jumped into action and quickly partnered up.
"You've all learned the Disarming Charm, yes?" Wes asked.
"Yes!" the class answered in unison.
"Has anyone actually used it in practice?" Wes looked around. Not a single hand went up.
"Not one?" he asked.
The students looked down in shame, avoiding eye contact with him.
"It's not your fault," Wes said. "Your professors in the past two years…" He trailed off, unsure how to even evaluate those previous professors.
"But that doesn't matter now," he clapped his hands. "I need a volunteer. Who's up for it?"
Dozens of hands shot up. Draco's was the fastest—and the highest.
"You then, Mr. Malfoy."
Draco stepped forward proudly like a victorious general.
"Are you ready?" Wes asked, raising his wand with a serious expression.
"I'm ready."
"Disarm!" Wes cast the spell before Draco had time to react. Draco's wand flew from his hand.
He stood there, stunned and sulking, his face full of indignation.
"That's lesson number one," Wes said calmly. "Strike first. If you come across an unknown wizard—whether they seem friendly or not—the first thing you must do is take away their ability to fight. The Disarming Charm is incredibly useful. Most wizards can't cast spells once they've lost their wand."
Draco silently retrieved his wand from the floor.
"Now you try and attack me," Wes said.
Draco, fueled by frustration, finally managed to cast a successful Disarming Charm—only for Wes to dodge it with ease.
"Lesson two," Wes said seriously. "Your opponent isn't a wooden dummy. They can dodge. They can fight back. In a duel, always stay alert. Don't treat your opponent like a stationary target."
"Mr. Malfoy, that was a successful casting of the Disarming Charm—excellent work. Five points to Slytherin."
The Slytherin students clapped and celebrated.
Only Draco was unhappy. He felt like a fool, thinking his performance was awful.
°°°
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