The slacker professor at Hogwarts

046 Where did you come from?

Lockhart's Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson went awry.

The heavy rain that had been falling for several days showed no signs of stopping, and the castle was filled with a damp chill. Colds were spreading among the faculty and students, and many people were in poor condition.

Especially the young wizards on the Quidditch teams of the various colleges, they haven't stopped training for a single day.

This is necessary training; one of the most famous ball games in wizarding history was played in a downpour.

In the words of Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher—that's how wizards should be! Tempering their spirit in the face of adversity!

Whether anything was refined or not is unknown, but Head Nurse Mrs. Pomfrey was busy and flustered.

The castle was full of little wizards who had drunk potions and whose heads were steaming.

This severely impacted Lockhart's teaching effectiveness.

He needed these students to immerse themselves more deeply in the fairytale atmosphere, just as he himself had become immersed in the identity of the "Forest Witch."

Defense against Dark Magic, Duel, and Defense against Dark Magic Creatures—these three areas of Defense against Dark Magic are all incredibly dangerous, and each requires constant vigilance to deal with.

Lockhart wished he possessed a spell so that with a wave of his wand he could instantly transport all the young wizards to their peak state of concentration.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work.

Even though he had a few healing spells in his memory that were enough to deal with the situation, such profound magic was clearly beyond his current level of understanding.

Blindly trying to digest it will only influence him to become someone else.

Losing himself meant losing his magic, something he absolutely could not accept.

So, unsurprisingly, the accident happened.

What can be done about it?

Here's what happened: This was a fourth-grade training session on dark magic.

Yes, that's right, black magic.

Lockhart sometimes found it quite absurd that the wizarding community had developed an extremely distorted misalignment between "political correctness" and "academics"—the Ministry of Magic's Wizarding Examinations Authority explicitly listed a bunch of dark magic in the scope of the "Ordinary Wizarding Level Examinations" arranged by magic schools, while the Ministry of Magic's Wizengamor Court and the Auror Office explicitly prohibited wizards from using dark magic.

What can I do? *sigh*

In this lesson, he taught five spells: "Dragon Emerges from Cave," "Bat Spirit Curse," "Rapid Fire," "Shadow Pounce," and "Snot Spell," as well as their corresponding counterspells.

This is a collection of summoning spell types he meticulously organized based on the characteristics of magic spells, aiming to help young wizards build a systematic knowledge framework through thematic approaches.

According to the relatively vague danger classification system in the wizarding world—

The spell "Rapid Fire," which summons a swarm of canaries to attack, is the least dangerous of the spells, classified as a "curse."

The three attack spells, "Bat Spirit Curse," "Dragon Emerges from Cave," and "Shadow Pounce," which summon bats, pythons, and large black dogs respectively, belong to the category of "poison curses."

The "Slug Spell," which summons slugs, is actually a "curse" because it directly affects the wizard's body. It is a standard form of black magic that would be recognized even by the strictest classification methods.

Then something interesting happened.

Whether it's a 'curse,' a 'poisonous curse,' or a 'curse,' all three categories are actually classified as black magic.

Not only that.

Wilbert Slinka, author of one of the classic books in the field of Defense Against the Dark Arts, "Defense Against Magic: Theory," mentioned in the book that curse-breaking spells, whether they are general anti-curses or specific anti-curses, are essentially curses.

The above classification method is standard academic thinking.

In real life, however, it is not like that; the distinction is made using a very ambiguous standard.

The way to categorize based on political thinking is particularly simple—a curse with extremely malicious intent is black magic.

Just kidding, how do you determine whether a wizard had great malice when casting a spell?

Was it due to the judge's preference? Or the influence of the family? Or the perceived legitimacy derived from one's background? Or was it the ability to gain sympathy from other jurors through a sob story?

This is utter nonsense!

From Lockhart's perspective, any magic a wizard uses in combat, whether it's a duel with another wizard or a defense against magical creatures, essentially requires malice, or rather, a fighting spirit!

If you want to attack, you can only do so with malice.

You can't say that you fought while using spells that aren't classified as dark magic by the Ministry of Magic, and that you weren't filled with intense malice to kill your opponent. How could that be?

All offensive magic cast in this way falls into the category of evil curses, poisonous spells, and curses!

It's all black magic, no doubt about it.

So how do brilliant and top-tier wizards ensure their absolutely positive image? How do they avoid stepping into this messy, confusing, and ambiguous quagmire?

The answer is Transfiguration!

This is the answer for our time.

Dumbledore, a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, clearly understood this wisdom.

But this isn't a Transfiguration class; it's a Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Lockhart has to teach the young wizards how to use and defend against these academically significant forms of dark magic.

From an academic perspective, Lockhart's teaching methods, particularly his explanations of spellcasting techniques for these spells and counterspells, all fall within the realm of black magic applications.

If they master these skills, when they actually need to use the dark magic recognized by the Ministry of Magic, or even the Unforgivable Curse, the young wizards will find themselves quite adept at it.

Each of these spells is extremely dangerous.

Every action, whether it's launching an attack or responding, requires a high degree of concentration and sharp reflexes.

The part of the regular wizarding level exams that involves this aspect is not a written test, but entirely a practical exam. Lockhart cannot teach vaguely, unless he doesn't care at all about the future of these young wizards.

He doesn't expect these students to be particularly proficient, since the exam doesn't have such high requirements.

But at least you have to successfully release it and successfully cast the counter-spell, right?

Otherwise, what's the point of taking the exam!

Go home, find a rich Muggle to marry, and enjoy a better life in Muggle society than in wizarding society. Wouldn't that be great?

Despite inwardly complaining, Lockhart remained highly alert, intently watching each young wizard.

At this moment, they are on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where students from the four academies are each playing the role of four teams attacking the evil lair, fighting fiercely to seize the monster's treasure chest.

Hagrid's pet Tooth, the evil villain, is lounging idly on a chest full of red flowers that can earn points at the academy, guarding the entrance to the monster's lair (Hagrid's hut).

The young wizards fought fiercely, neither gaining the upper hand.

Pythons, big black dogs, birds, bats—the summoned creatures crawled everywhere, while the young wizards ran frantically, stepping on slugs that were vomiting all over the ground, trying to evade the attacks.

Duel is a magical sport that best demonstrates a wizard's all-around abilities.

Nothing could be clearer than this.

The way Hogwarts differentiates its members based on the individual characteristics of its young wizards is so intuitive at this time.

Slytherins are arguably the most goal-oriented of the four houses; these young wizards know what they want.

Unfortunately, due to their very clear internal division into two factions, each following one of Slytherin's two main Chaser players, Cassius Warrington and Derian Pursey, the two factions constantly sabotaged each other, ultimately achieving nothing. The internal strife was incredibly intense.

In comparison, Hufflepuff was undoubtedly the most united house, and under the leadership of its best member, Cedric Diggory, they displayed remarkable composure and skill. Unfortunately, they didn't stand out; they merely managed to keep everyone safe, but that was still a respectable achievement.

Gryffindor was the most conspicuous in this chaotic battle; they were perfectly suited for it. Unfortunately, they weren't particularly united, mostly forming small cliques of a few individuals. These small cliques were very cohesive internally, but the House organization as a whole was a complete mess.

The most eye-catching were the Weasley twins, George and Fred, as well as Arya Spinnett and Angelina Jensen (George's future wife), two of the Quidditch team's three sisters. PS: The other sister is a third-year student and not in this class.

As for Ravenclaw.

Ok……

Lockhart really didn't want to complain about his own house, but he genuinely couldn't see the Ravenclaw team anywhere.

Oh, in Slytherin, in Gryffindor, in Hufflepuff.

Some were kicked out early for fouls and stood aside to watch the game.

Fourth-grader Ravenclaw also has a standout player, nicknamed "Little Lockhart" by his classmates, named Roger Davis.

However, Lockhart didn't quite agree with this label, because even the original Roger pursued fame, social status, and social resources, while this Roger was just a pure playboy.

In the original story, this handsome and athletic man attended a Christmas ball with Fleur Delacour, pursued Cho Chang, and changed girlfriends very quickly.

Lockhart disliked this guy.

After graduation, this guy will realize that good looks alone won't bring good results; he needs to have real skills. His balanced personality, with slightly better traits in every aspect but no outstanding talents, will only make him quickly fade into obscurity.

Lockhart moved swiftly through the chaotic battle, constantly unleashing grey wolves to help block damage that might be too much for the young wizards, then kicking the young wizard out of the game, or kicking out those who violated the rules by using other spells.

Then these eliminated wizards practice counter-spells to heal their magical injuries.

They couldn't expect Lockhart to treat them.

Lockhart's expression was one of disdain, and he was earnestly advising that this was a good opportunity to practice, but in reality, he himself couldn't unleash these counter-spells.

You guys can practice on your own.

Otherwise, the wounds from being bitten by the python that suddenly appeared would keep them awake all night, and the slug curse would make them skip dinner today or even breakfast tomorrow.

Anyway, Lockhart kept the seemingly chaotic situation under control, clearly understood the overall development of the situation, and could even predict the final outcome of today's practical exercise.

It should be roughly that Gryffindor, together with Hufflepuff, wiped out Slytherin, and then, amidst the cheers of the rebellious Ravenclaws, the Gryffindors went to Awitch's side to get the bonus chest.

The unexpected happened just when Lockhart thought everything was under control.

The Weasley twins, who had initially put immense pressure on Slytherin, suddenly changed their tactics and attacked Roger Davis, the Ravenclaw playboy who was having a great time in his own house.

This guy actually went and messed with Angelina Jensen!

George and Freddy both secretly like Angelina!

This isn't the first time; during Quidditch training and matches, this peacock is as annoying as a fly.

Cassius Warrington and Derian Pursey of Slytherin seized the opportunity with remarkable shrewdness. After exchanging a glance, they tacitly agreed to cooperate and began to quietly break through the chaotic battle, rushing towards Tooth.

But they clearly forgot that Hufflepuff had been watching closely all along, and led by Cedric Diggory, they launched a fierce attack on the two teams that were trying to play it safe.

To Lockhart's delight, some young wizards finally listened to his constant talk of tactics like "flanking maneuvers" and "retreats."

This is clearly a trap.

The Slytherins all turned around, flanking the charging Hufflepuff from both sides.

excellent!

Exceptionally good teamwork!

Hufflepuff also performed well. Unlike the Slytherins, they were not cunning. They learned tactics from Professor Lockhart such as "focus fire" and "quickly dismantle forces," and did not consider the situation of being attacked from both sides. They only focused their efforts on attacking one of the forces.

In particular, Derian Puse, who was leading the group in the very center, was the main target of the concentrated fire.

Excellent results!

"Drian Puse, out!"

Lockhart laughed heartily and directed the young wizard to leave the stage, waving his wand to summon a gray wolf to shield the opponent from the onslaught of attacks that he estimated the wizard couldn't withstand.

His spells weren't particularly powerful, but his combat acumen was exceptional, and the timing he struck was absolutely perfect.

However, an unexpected incident still occurred!

In this critical moment, Derian Purse's mental fortitude was not as good as he usually was. Perhaps his severe cold had weakened his will. Seeing the dense array of magical lights almost covering his eyes, he screamed in terror and grabbed a classmate next to him, pushing him towards the magical lights!

In an instant, Lockhart's precise command of the gray wolves missed their target.

The poor little wizard, filled with despair, was struck by more than a dozen terrible slug curses!

The scene looked as if the entire person was being completely enveloped in magical light.

The spectacular effect silenced the previously noisy and chaotic battlefield, and everyone turned to look at the scene in horror.

Fortunately, Lockhart's teaching assistant, "Little Golden Retriever," pounced in time and tore apart the other charging bats, birds, pythons, and big black dogs; otherwise, the poor student would probably have had to be rushed to Mrs. Pomfrey for emergency treatment.

What does it mean to be hit by a dozen slugs?

Even with such a rich memory, Lockhart had never actually seen such a scene before.

Of course, based on his in-depth research into the principles of this curse, this student's entire esophagus and throat would probably be instantly blocked by slugs, and he would likely suffocate to death if he wasn't rescued in time.

Lockhart had a contingency plan!

He had already prepared for the worst-case scenarios, and quickly pulled out an emergency emetic from his pocket, which Mrs. Pomfrey had helped him prepare.

He pulled out the potion and rushed towards the other party.

only……

The little wizard in front of me seemed so strange.

This classmate, who was usually almost ignored, had an extremely strong will. Even though he felt a surge of nausea, he still pointed his wand at Drian Puse, who was pushing him.

Unfortunately, he couldn't utter any effective incantation and only spat out a giant slug.

This is the perfect effect of the Slug Curse.

—Forbidden Magic!

Unless he knows how to cast spells silently.

This is not difficult. Most wizards use a certain spell extensively throughout their lives, and eventually, at some point, they can naturally and silently cast that spell.

Hmm, this doesn't seem to have anything to do with the little wizard.

However, this little wizard actually mastered silent spellcasting.

He first glared resentfully at Drian Puse, then brandished his wand at himself.

It was a spell Lockhart didn't recognize, and it looked incredibly complex.

"!!!"

A series of ghostly, pale white mists swept past, carrying an unpleasant chill and bone-chilling cold, stripping away all the snot curses from his body.

Not only that, his entire being seemed to be affected by this magic, and began to twist and expand rapidly.

In an instant, he transformed into a short, stout, middle-aged male wizard with a somewhat distorted face!

"Everyone, step back!"

Lockhart's expression changed, and he shouted loudly to alert the students around him.

However, it was too late. The middle-aged male wizard was clearly an experienced combat wizard. He actually cast a tap dance spell on himself, crashing into the young wizards at a very unique angle. Amidst the chaos, the sound of the spell rang out rapidly.

"Extremely painful!"

"Ahhhhhh!" Derian Puse cried out in agony as he collapsed to the ground, his body convulsing and his face turning ashen as if he had lost a great deal of blood.

Bang!

A terrifying shockwave swept out, throwing all the surrounding young wizards away.

The middle-aged wizard placed one foot on Derian Pursey's chest, twisting his neck and letting out a panting laugh. He brandished his wand and looked at Lockhart with a cold smile. "I advise you to put down your wand, or I'll cast a Killing Curse on him right now!"

Lockhart rolled his eyes, looking at the guy with a hint of helplessness. "Where did you come from?"