Chapter 55: The Popular Professor
"Ryan," Hermione said, lowering her voice so her teammates couldn't hear. "I've been observing the Red Caps, our group's and the others nearby. Their abilities don't match what the book says." She looked at him expectantly, as if she knew he had taken precautions.
"Hermione," Ryan replied with a wry smile, "do you really think I would let you face fully-powered Red Caps? Even you, with your superior magical skill, took three tries to cast your first successful spell." He then added, more seriously, "For a young wizard with no combat experience, the first battle is about courage and feeling, not realism."
Hermione nodded, and with her group, she dragged their first stunned Red Cap out of the tunnel and into a waiting cage. Just as they emerged, they saw another group of four students. "Neville!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise. She could see from the looks on their faces that Neville and Hannah had been the main contributors to their group's success.
"Hermione," Neville said, as shy and unassuming as ever. "Good job. We've got a lot more points to earn back." And with that, he disappeared back into the tunnel.
Hermione was both shocked and delighted. Shocked that Neville, of all people, had managed to stun a Red Cap, and delighted that someone else was also working to restore Gryffindor's honor—and succeeding!
"Come on," she said to her team, "let's get this one caged up." She couldn't wait to get back in there and "grind" some more points. After they had secured the Red Cap, a small, white placard magically appeared on the cage. On it were the names of the four students, and below that: "Gryffindor +1, Hufflepuff +1." Hermione took a quick look around. Only two groups had successfully captured a Red Cap so far. The others were still struggling.
In the depths of the tunnel, Ryan came up behind Harry's group. Since Ron had displayed such surprising prowess with the Stunning Spell, he wasn't on Harry's team. Hermione, in her quest for maximum house points, and assuming the Red Caps would be easy prey, had organized the groups into a "one-carries-three" or "one-carries-two" formation. Harry's team consisted of himself and Seamus Finnigan from Gryffindor, and two Hufflepuffs.
"Seamus, stop him!" Harry yelled. The Red Cap was a whirlwind of vicious energy, easily weaving through their attacks. The four of them were in a full retreat, about to be pushed out of the designated combat zone. The two Hufflepuffs were fighting hard, but they were simply no match for the experienced creature.
At the critical moment, Seamus, hearing Harry's desperate cry, stepped forward. He pointed his wand at the Red Cap, forgot all about the proper wand movements, and yelled, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The next thing they knew, there was a brilliant flash of light and a deafening roar. Ryan, his instincts taking over, instantly cast a shield charm over all of them. A light, magical rain then fell on the site of the explosion, clearing the smoke and revealing Seamus's three terrified but unhurt teammates, the blackened walls of the tunnel, and a barely conscious Red Cap.
"Mr. Finnigan," Ryan said, his voice full of genuine admiration. "An excellent Blasting Curse. A brilliant piece of battlefield improvisation, using a false incantation to confuse your opponent. If that hadn't been an accident, I would have awarded Gryffindor five points."
"The Levitation Charm… it backfired," Seamus stammered. "I don't know how it exploded."
"I have a feeling," Ryan said, "that you will become quite skilled at the Blasting Curse. However, I would strongly advise against practicing unfamiliar spells in confined spaces." He gestured to the nearly-dead Red Cap. "Explosions in confined spaces," he said, "tend to cause severe injuries. You wouldn't want to end up like this little fellow, would you?"
Sweat beaded on Seamus's forehead. Harry and the others were drenched.
The sound of the explosion had echoed through the tunnel, and several of the other students had come to investigate. Ryan quickly sent them away. "Nothing to see here. You have fifty minutes left. Get a move on."
For the rest of the class, Ryan observed each of the groups. When the time was up, he levitated all the students out of the tunnel. "Let's see the results," he announced. "Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, in a joint operation, have successfully captured twenty-nine Red Caps, and severely wounded one. I will award thirty points to each house."
The "severely wounded" Red Cap immediately sparked a wave of whispers, and the students quickly connected it to the explosion.
"This is good, isn't it?" Ryan said, his voice amplified by magic. "In this one lesson, you have strengthened the bonds between your houses, and gotten to know your classmates better." And, most importantly, every student who had participated would feel a sense of contribution to their house, a feeling that would boost their confidence and self-worth.
"And," he said, "I have to say, you are all remarkably talented individuals. I would like to give special commendation to Mr. Neville Longbottom and Miss Hannah Abbott. Through their… excellent teamwork… and… efficient methods… they managed to capture five Red Caps." Neville and Hannah both blushed. "As long as it does not violate your own conscience, or the laws of decency," he continued, "any method that achieves your goal is a good method. I would like the two of you to stay behind after class. I have a few things to discuss with you."
"Thank you, Professor Welles," Neville whispered. It was the first time he had ever been praised in a class other than Herbology.
"Of course, Professor," Hannah said, looking much more confident than Neville.
"To defeat thirty Red Caps in your first practical combat exercise," Ryan concluded, "is an excellent achievement." He then went on to point out the various mistakes he had observed and gave the students advice on how to correct them. He made a special point of telling Seamus to be more careful with his wand movements.
After class, as the students were heading back to the DADA classroom, a buzz of excited chatter filled the corridor.
"I bet the older students have never had a DADA class like this!"
"A practical lesson on the first day! He's the boldest professor I've ever heard of!"
"I think DADA is going to be my favorite class."
Neville and Hannah, meanwhile, stayed behind. Ryan was about to have a little chat with them, a chat about things adult wizards talk about. A little taste at first, to gently guide them down a new path. A path of magical martial arts. "Magi-jitsu," if you will.
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