This was the first time Harry and his classmates were doing paired dueling practice, and everyone was eager to show off their magical skills in class and experience the thrill of battle.
However, only a few students like Harry, Hermione, and Draco were actually able to cast the Disarming Charm successfully. The rest of the class was a mess of misfires and mishaps.
Some students mispronounced the incantation and accidentally turned their partner's hair red; others were so nervous during casting that their spells went out of control and nearly caused minor accidents.
All in all, the lesson was full of surprises, and despite the chaos, the students gained a lot of valuable experience amidst laughter and excitement.
The enjoyable practical session ended quickly. Wes instructed the third years to practice the Disarming Charm well and try to impress Professor Lupin next class.
Though the students were still excited, Wes disappeared like the wind the moment class ended.
Today, in addition to the third years, the fifth years also had a Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Not wanting to disrupt Professor Lupin's teaching plans, Wes arranged for them to do a duel session as well.
Compared to the third years, the fifth-year students gave Wes quite a few pleasant surprises. Many had excellent command over their spells, and it was clear they'd practiced diligently in their spare time.
The standout among them was Hufflepuff's male prefect, Cedric Diggory.
Wes noticed that Cedric was well-liked—not just among the Hufflepuffs, but also by students from other houses. He had earned the trust of many of his peers.
During the class, Cedric took the initiative to help organize the dueling pairs, almost like a teaching assistant. Wes was deeply impressed by him.
Cedric was tall and handsome, with well-defined features, a head of dark hair, and bright gray eyes that stood out in any crowd.
Many girls admired him, but more than that, he was just and humble, treating every student who came to ask for help equally—never holding back just because they weren't from his house.
Not only was he good-looking and academically outstanding, but Cedric also excelled in sports. He was practically the blueprint for a storybook protagonist.
If Wes didn't already know Harry was the actual main character of this story, he might have mistaken Cedric for the hero himself.
Still, the young man's fate in the original story was truly tragic.
"Cedric," Wes said approvingly, "you'd make a great professor someday."
Cedric humbly replied, "I still have a long way to go, Professor."
"I'm serious," Wes patted his shoulder. "Think it over."
With that, Wes left the classroom.
Cedric stood there, watching Wes's figure fade into the distance, deep in thought.
The next day, Professor Lupin seemed back to normal, though he looked pale. Still, he insisted on teaching as usual.
Wes let out a breath of relief. He had been planning to ask Professor Snape to fill in, but Dumbledore rejected the idea.
"The students really enjoy your duel classes. You haven't interrupted Lupin's teaching pace at all—you two work together quite well."
"Severus already has to manage Potions and his duties as Head of Slytherin. He truly can't spare the time."
Hearing what Dumbledore said, Wes himself felt that substituting as a professor was something he was quite good at, so he nodded and agreed.
As time passed, the students gradually got used to Professor Lupin having one day each month when he was unwell. At the same time, they really enjoyed Professor Wes's dueling classes.
Just like that, Defense Against the Dark Arts quickly became one of the most popular courses among the students.
That day, after class ended, Wes was preparing to return to his office to handle some unfinished academic work.
However, at that moment, a commotion suddenly broke out at the other end of the corridor.
"Meow~ Meow~" "Meow~" Sharp cat cries rang out continuously, shattering the corridor's peace.
A large ginger cat darted swiftly through the crowd, its movements nimble and its figure as fast as lightning.
The cat's eyes were locked onto something ahead, as if it were chasing something incredibly important.
"Scabbers, run!" Ron's anxious cry rang out as he tried to block the cat, but being naturally clumsy, he ended up falling flat on his back.
Ron was almost in tears from panic: "You stupid cat, Scabbers, hurry up and run!"
Wes, hearing the noise, quickly walked over and helped Ron up off the ground.
"What happened?" Wes asked with a frown, thinking perhaps a student had been attacked by a Dementor.
"Professor, please save Scabbers!!" Ron grabbed Wes's sleeve desperately, his voice trembling with worry.
"Who?"
"My pet rat, Scabbers—it's about to be eaten by that stupid cat." Ron explained, glancing nervously in the direction the cat had run.
"Crookshanks is not stupid! He's very clever!" At that moment, Hermione came running over, breathless, her cheeks flushed from running, and her words full of defense for Crookshanks.
"It's all your stupid cat's fault—can't you control it?" Ron glared at Hermione.
"Crookshanks is a cat. Catching mice is in his nature." Hermione retorted without backing down.
The two began arguing in the hallway, neither willing to give an inch.
"So what exactly is going on?" Wes looked helplessly at the quarreling pair and turned to Harry, who had been left awkwardly standing on the side.
"Here's what happened," Harry said as he adjusted his glasses that had been knocked askew from running, and began explaining the situation.
It turned out Crookshanks was Hermione's pet, but for some unknown reason, he had taken a great interest in Ron's rat Scabbers and was always trying to catch him.
Oddly, Crookshanks showed no interest in any other rats, which caused significant tension between Ron and Hermione.
The two pets were constantly in conflict, and Ron and Hermione argued about it almost every day.
Caught between his two best friends, Harry found himself in a very difficult position.
Wes finally understood what was going on.
He knew in his heart that Scabbers was not an ordinary rat, but a person—Peter Pettigrew, the true traitor who had betrayed the Potters.
Crookshanks must have received a request from Sirius Black and was trying to catch Scabbers. Wes looked at Ron with newfound sympathy.
If Ron knew that his beloved pet was actually a short, scrawny, greasy-haired middle-aged man—and that he let him sleep in his bed every night—he might just throw up everything he'd eaten the night before.
[Ron, you're a true warrior. You must face life's grim truths head-on.]
Wes silently sighed in his heart. He knew this matter would need to be resolved eventually. Ron couldn't be left in the dark forever, and Peter Pettigrew couldn't be allowed to continue hiding. But now wasn't the right time—the moment to reveal the truth hadn't arrived yet.
Wes decided to first calm Ron and Hermione down so they would stop arguing, and then think of a way to handle this thorny issue.
°°°
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