When the starlight from the Great Hall's dome streamed through the stained-glass windows, Dumbledore tapped his golden goblet. The dancing sugared gingerbread men suddenly froze, then scurried back onto the platter under Professor McGonagall's glare.
"Before dinner begins, I have a few more announcements to make…" Dumbledore continued, seeing that everyone's attention was focused on him.
"Firstly, Mr. Filch, the Castle caretaker, asked me to remind everyone that all students are forbidden from casting spells in the corridors." Seeing no one object, he continued, "You will also notice that notices posted around the Castle indicate that the right side of the fourth-floor corridor is off-limits to all students—no exceptions."
"Also, the forest on the school map is marked as the 'Forbidden Forest', and no student is allowed to enter it, as it is full of dangers."
"In addition, we are fortunate to welcome two new Professors this term." The Headmaster's blue eyes swept over the Professors' table, and only then did Sargeras finally put down his knife and fork.
"The first is our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor—Professor Quirinus Quirrell."
The man in the purple turban nervously stood up, accidentally knocking over his mead. As the spilled liquid was about to soak his copy of "Curses and Counter-Curses," Sargeras frowned and tapped the table's edge with his finger. The liquid flowed back into the cup, returning to its original state under Quirrell's dazed gaze.
Dumbledore's introduction continued: "And given the Ministry of Magic's new regulations, and in order to enhance the practical skills and theoretical foundation of Hogwarts graduates, the School Board has discussed and decided that the school will offer a new course—Charms Theory and Practice."
Saying this, he extended his hand to introduce, "And Professor Sagres Greengrass." Dumbledore's tone was as light as if he were introducing a new flavor of cockroach cluster, "He will be responsible for this new subject, and all students who have passed their OWLs must participate in this course."
Hearing this, the students reacted differently. Draco Malfoy at the Slytherin long table couldn't help but mock in a low voice, "My father said some people don't even have NEWTs certificates…"
"Keep it down!" Crabbe and Goyle beside him quickly stopped him with terrified looks. Malfoy, though somewhat displeased, did not continue speaking.
Sargeras at the Professors' table stood up and nodded to the Headmaster. He did not stop the students' whispers, as in his opinion, those evaluations, whether positive or negative, were meaningless. However, the raven Locketis suddenly descended from the sky, landing on his shoulder.
"Quiet." A hoarse whisper squeezed out of the raven's throat, like rusty door hinges grinding, and the eerie scene made everyone's hair stand on end.
At this moment, the beast's left eye glowed with an obsidian light, and its beak still held half a shard of mithril.
Sargeras raised his hand to stop the frenzied Locketis, and then his calm voice reached everyone's ears, "I am Sagres Greengrass. Some of you may know me—a madman, a scholar, a murderer? Arrange it as you wish. But as a friendly reminder, in my classroom, truth will become a hungry beast, so I hope you are prepared in advance."
He finished speaking and sat directly back down.
The Great Hall was silent for a moment, then the Ravenclaw long table suddenly erupted in a burst of enthusiastic applause—they were welcoming their former Ravenclaw senior, the once famous "Dangerous Genius."
A moment later, the feast officially began with Dumbledore's announcement…
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
"I think Dumbledore has truly lost his mind." Daphne Greengrass held a dinner knife, waving it with an exaggerated expression, "He actually let a murderer teach us?"
"What can a half-blood teach? How to brew a Potion with Mudblood snot?"
Pansy Parkinson pouted, "It seems you have a big problem with your cousin?"
"Shut up!" Hearing this, Daphne was like an enraged rooster, "He's a filthy Mudblood, and the family has already disowned him."
"I thought so too, otherwise, how did I hear that he personally sent your two uncles to Azkaban?" Malfoy couldn't help but interject when he heard their conversation, but it was more schadenfreude.
"Hmph, Malfoy, don't forget why he was imprisoned not long ago! My mother said he only used one spell to blow five people to smithereens!"
Draco tapped his goblet with a silver fork, "What your mother said doesn't matter at all, because she can't even tell the difference between a Dementor and a House-elf."
Daphne pulled out a copy of The Daily Prophet and slapped it on the long table: "At least she can tell that among the five Dark Wizards who were blown up, two were your father's Death Eater colleagues."
"How dare you…"
"Keep it down!" Crabbe really couldn't bear to listen anymore. He whispered fearfully to remind everyone, "Didn't your elders warn you not to provoke him? After all, he has more than just the blood of one pure-blood family on his hands…"
The long table suddenly fell silent, with only the harsh scraping of knives and forks on porcelain plates.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
After the banquet, in the Gryffindor common room.
Harry and Ron sat by the fireplace discussing the mysterious Professor. These days, news of the new Professor was everywhere.
Harry stared at the flickering shadows in the fireplace, his scar throbbing faintly.
He recalled Professor Greengrass's gaze towards Professor Quirrell during dinner—it was like Uncle Vernon's expression when he found a spider weaving a web in a jam jar.
To be honest, he always felt there was something wrong with it, but Ron said he was just being paranoid.
"That bird was really scary, wasn't it?" Ron said with a slight exaggeration, "I've never seen a talking raven, and its voice was so unpleasant!"
Harry huddled in the armchair, unusually agreeing, "I also found it creepy, but was that really a raven?"
"What else could it be?" Ron became more animated, "Making a raven talk, that must be Dark Arts."
"Uh, what is Dark Arts?" Harry asked. He had just entered the magic world and only had a partial understanding of these things.
"As the name suggests, it's dark magic, evil magic."
Harry was stunned, "But I think Professor Greengrass isn't a bad person, and he even helped you fix your broken trunk on the train today…"
"I know, but The Daily Prophet also said he killed people!"
"Say that again, it was self-defense!" Hermione stormed over, holding a copy of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."
"And, that wasn't a raven, but a Nackaferin Raven, a magical creature that can talk naturally!"
Looking at the two speechless figures in front of the fireplace, Hermione then warned Ron slightly, "And you, you'd better not try to speak ill of a Professor behind his back, otherwise Gryffindor might lose points because of it."
Without waiting for the two to react, she turned and left.
Harry and Ron exchanged glances, their bewilderment almost overflowing, "Who does she think she is? The Minister of Magic?"
"Forget it, Ron, I think Hermione must have made Professor Greengrass her idol."
"An idol? What's that?"
"Uh, something like a spiritual leader, I guess."
"Ha, now I understand, like Death Eaters worship You-Know-Who."
…
Charms Class Debut
Tuesday morning's Charms Theory class was Sargeras's first lesson at Hogwarts.
When he walked into the Charms classroom in the Ravenclaw Tower with "Introduction to magic," he found that the classroom layout had completely changed compared to his student days—the original oak long tables had been replaced with circular stone platforms, and a floating crystal prism had been added to the center of the classroom.
He stood on the stone platform, quickly scanned the students in the classroom, and then nodded, "Very good, everyone is here."
"I think self-introductions can be omitted, but since this is a newly opened course, I must explain the situation to everyone at the beginning of the teaching." Sargeras then drew his wand and lightly tapped the podium, and immediately the entire podium rose from the ground and floated into the air.
Ignoring the awe of these sixth-year students, the "Introduction to magic" in his hand also melted into liquid, floating into the air to form a constantly changing string of words—"Charms Theory and Practice."
"This course only teaches two things: Charms theory and spellcasting practice."
Scanning the students who were as well-behaved as quails, Sargeras couldn't help but show a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.
It seemed that his iron-fisted methods over the years were not entirely without effect. He thought this to himself, but spoke words related to teaching.
"Unlike Professor Flitwick's Charms Class, this course does not cover 'Standard Book of Spells'."
The words formed by the liquid changed accordingly.
"Charms Theory can help you build a magical cognitive system, and by analyzing the historical evolution of spells, it will make you aware of the blind spots in the current teaching system."
Hearing this, a Ravenclaw student couldn't help but raise a hand to ask, "But Professor, isn't all the knowledge involved in 'Standard Book of Spells' already historically validated?"
Sargeras didn't even turn his head, "The 'Standard Book of Spells' you are currently studying is a product of the 1890 Spell Standardization Movement, issued just over a hundred and one years ago, but in the long years before that, magic itself had already developed to be sufficiently splendid and diverse."
"But we…"
"I know what you want to say!" Sargeras interrupted her, "Of course I know you all need to prepare for next year's NEWTs exams, but don't worry, because this course will not have any homework, so it will not add to your already heavy workload. On the contrary, mastering it will only allow you to pass the NEWTs exams more easily, there is no doubt about that!"
From the moment he said there would be no homework, the students couldn't help but start whispering among themselves.
"Professor, does this course really have no homework?"
Sargeras's lips curved into a subtle arc: "Of course not, after all—"
His wand drew an arc, and all the doors and windows locked in response, "Practice is the best homework."
"Before teaching officially begins, do you have any other questions?"
A small Hufflepuff boy shakily raised his right hand, "Then Professor Greengrass, is studying this course only for exams?"
"Very good." Sargeras nodded, "That's the question you should be focusing on." He spread his hands, saying with a slight smile.
"The answer is—of course not!" Then he did not elaborate further, but began to talk about other issues.
"Does anyone know how many people die in the Auror Office each year?"
Seeing everyone shaking their heads, Sargeras continued.
"How many unbreakable runes does a Curse-Breaker encounter in their lifetime?"
The students still shook their heads.
"What should the St. Mungo's healers do when they encounter difficult patients?"
This time, without waiting for the students to react, he directly gave the answer.
"'Standard Book of Spells' allows you to cast spells in the simplest way, but it is not the most comprehensive, and it is not the most effective."
His wand lightly spun, and the floating words exploded into stardust, forming a scene on the dome of medieval Wizards carving spells with cuneiform script.
"The Ministry of Magic introduced the Charms Theory and Practice course to allow underage Wizards to learn some survival skills beyond the exam framework before leaving school…"
"Whether you want to be an Auror, or become a scholar, or an Alchemist, you need to master this course."
"Because the cornerstone of your future survival will be forged here."
Before his words faded, the silver ripples emanating from the tip of his wand had already swept over the stone platform.
The previous Ravenclaw prefect, Jeanette White's pupils suddenly constricted; she clearly felt the churning thoughts in her skull being smoothed by some force.
The moment the students were touched by the ripples, their eyes suddenly became clear and sharp.
"Professor?" Her voice was so calm it startled herself.
Sargeras stepped down the floating steps, his black robe sweeping over the words condensed in mid-air: "Emotion is the fog of cognition, so in my class, you need absolute rationality."
"Professor Greengrass, are you saying you cast a spell on us?" The students immediately realized the change in themselves.
A tall, thin boy calmly spoke while observing his body, "I'm afraid so, after all, if our emotions hadn't been interfered with, we shouldn't be this calm right now."
"I believe this is irregular. The Ministry of Magic will not allow you to cast such an unregistered and unknown spell on students." The Hufflepuff students also began to calmly "protest."
Sargeras brushed his fingertips over the textbooks of the front-row students, answering everyone's questions without turning his head: "'Mechanical Mind,' specially approved by the Ministry of Magic's Department of Education, its effect is to keep you absolutely rational for ninety minutes—of course, the effect is limited to the classroom area."
"Professor Greengrass, we have never heard of this spell."
"Because this is my unique emotional magic."
As he spoke, all the students' textbooks flew to their desks and opened to page 12.
"Lesson One, the distribution of magical nodes in Accio…"
For the next ninety minutes, only Sargeras's voice echoed in the classroom…
When the last sliver of silver light dissipated into the dome prism, the dismissal bell startled those immersed in the class.
The students' emotions gradually returned, and then they looked at each other—those complex runic trajectories were imprinted in their minds as if carved by a knife.
The students finally understood why Professor Greengrass had said at the Welcoming Feast that "everyone will gain something in his class."
If Harry were here, he would be certain that even Neville could perfectly recite those spell decay formulas.
Waving his wand to restore the transformed floating podium to its original state, Sargeras's deep voice resonated in everyone's ears.
"Spellcasting practice will be held next Tuesday."
Then, ignoring the gradually revitalizing crowd, he left the classroom without looking back.
…
The classroom immediately erupted.
"Cool!"
"No notes needed at all!" The Hufflepuff boy stared at his empty parchment, "I can actually remember every word Professor Greengrass said."
"If you ask me, if other courses could also use this method…"
The students chattered non-stop, each of them seeming somewhat excited.