"Draco?"
Just after all the students had left the classroom, Pansy quietly walked over to the podium.
"When there are other people around, please call me Professor Malfoy," Malfoy said expressionlessly.
"Yes, Professor Malfoy."
She immediately tensed her calves, straightened her posture, and unconsciously corrected her tone.
"Never mind. I was only joking. There's no one here right now, is there?"
Malfoy smiled, a rare smile appearing on his face. He shook his head and began tidying the documents in front of him.
It seemed that teasing girls was quite an enjoyable thing.
Pansy's face flushed red. She pouted, wanting to say something out of anger and embarrassment, but the words caught in her throat. She could only stare at him with a slightly resentful expression.
"So, how was your first lesson?" he asked casually.
"So-so," Pansy muttered in retaliation.
She hadn't really paid attention during the lesson. Most of her attention had been focused on the people themselves.
"Then I really am injured," Malfoy said nonchalantly.
"you doesn't look injured at all."
The girl then gave him another mournful look.
"Then why don't you leave?" she pressed.
"My next class is with the fifth-years," Malfoy said with a helpless shrug.
"I'd forgotten. You're a teacher now."
Pansy seemed to come out of a daze and rubbed her forehead.
"You're the one who needs to leave. Any later and you might be late," Malfoy kindly reminded her.
"Then I'll visit your office later," Pansy said reluctantly.
Pansy then remembered that her next class was Potions, taught by Sirius Black, who was also a new professor.
"You'd better go quickly. My relative isn't exactly easy to deal with."
"Okay. I'll come to your office later."
Malfoy narrowed his eyes as he sized up the girl.
"Okay, I have a question."
Pansy said this irritably before running out of the classroom, glancing back furtively as she took her first step.
Malfoy waved at her.
He gestured for her to hurry up and leave.
Then he turned his attention back to the lectern and began preparing for the next lesson.
Classes were busy and repetitive, and the curriculum for fifth and sixth year was different.
Another group of students flooded into the classroom. There were familiar faces among the fifth-years as well.
"Hello, Mr. Malfoy?"
"No, should I call you Professor Malfoy now?"
A girl's uniquely dreamy, ethereal voice came from the classroom doorway, carrying a hint of teasing.
Luna smiled, stepped over the threshold, and walked briskly to Malfoy's side. She peeked out from behind him, tilted her head, and glanced at the lesson plan in front of him.
From any angle, the two of them seemed somewhat intimate.
But just then, the school bell rang.
"Okay, don't ask me any questions after class, all right? I don't know anything."
Luna blinked, her eyelashes fluttering several times. A smile spread across her fair face, as though she were always this happy.
"I believe I should be fair to every student," Malfoy said politely, although his stiff tone seemed to soften somewhat in response to the girl's lighthearted manner.
"I wish you success with your lessons."
Malfoy clapped his hands lightly.
"You too."
Luna gently touched the earring hanging from her right ear, then walked down among the students, found an empty seat, and sat down.
She rested her chin on her hand and looked at the new teacher with great interest through her grey eyes.
In fact, apart from his robes, Malfoy had changed almost nothing.
He suddenly coughed lightly a few times before following the same routine of giving a brief self-introduction and opening remarks.
Malfoy began teaching the fifth-year students.
"Time is limited, so I'm going to introduce you to some of the dangerous creatures you might encounter in the future."
"Perhaps all of them," Malfoy thought to himself.
After all, he had spent most of his previous holiday with those dangerous creatures.
In the future, Hogwarts students would have to fight Voldemort's followers and would inevitably come into contact with them.
"I hope everyone here will remember the weaknesses of these creatures when facing them."
"The undead are created from human corpses through magical curses. They possess almost no intelligence and have only a sense for the scent of fresh human flesh. They fear fire, and fire-based spells can cause them considerable harm."
"Vampires are traditional creatures of darkness that feed on blood…"
"They are also creatures surrounded by many misconceptions, possessing tremendous vitality. There is a concept called the Embrace, which, through certain special means, can turn ordinary people into vampires."
Compared with being bitten by werewolves, many literary works had a particular fondness for vampires.
They evoked a romantic, poignant, and glamorous atmosphere.
Between a muscular, hairy wild beast and a pale, sickly, beautiful young man wallowing in self-pity, it was obvious which one seemed more romantic.
However, that was merely a fictional creation of literature.
Vampires were not much better than werewolves.
They could never see sunlight and were hardly any better than shut-ins.
"As for werewolves, I believe everyone has some understanding and experience with them."
"Next, I'll simulate some of these creatures according to your abilities, and you will respond appropriately based on the damage you can inflict on them."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the students' desks began to melt.
The wooden material transformed into black sludge, which slumped onto the floor before solidifying.
Several girls screamed and jumped up from their seats, nearly overturning their chairs.
Only a small minority were truly frightened. Most were overwhelmed by disgust.
The room filled with the stench and chilling aura unique to corpses.
It had to be said that Malfoy had surpassed most teachers in this regard.
Many teachers needed actual specimens for practical demonstrations, whereas Malfoy could create almost completely realistic simulations through his Transfiguration.
At that moment, Ginny instinctively cast a Bat-Bogey Hex.
Swarms of bats flew toward the head of the Inferius, particularly around its eyes, hoping to disrupt its vision.
The Inferius had almost no senses or perception.
Those were privileges reserved for the living.
The bats managed to stop it for less than a second before the corpse lunged forward as though it hadn't noticed them at all.
Inferi had no sight and relied entirely on the distinction between the living and the dead to search instinctively for food—a remnant of their only remaining instinct.
They craved blood.
They craved flesh.
They craved all living things.
They yearned to transform vibrant life into their own companions.
Flames condensed into ropes of fire, wrapping around the corpse's waist.
Other flames scattered into blazing fireballs, bombarding the corpse one after another.
For a moment, the classroom was filled with the smell of burning flesh and blood, accompanied by a sizzling sound.
Malfoy's superb Transfiguration had simulated almost every characteristic of the creature, demonstrating a truly masterful level of skill.