A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts
Chapter 636: After Halloween - (2)

The Halloween Eve party passed without much excitement. It wasn't vastly different from previous years, save for a student who brought in a towering ten-foot fire dragon, sending shockwaves through the young wizards. Once the initial fright subsided, it was discovered that the student had infiltrated the Transfiguration classroom and swiped a batch of Transfiguration smoke privately acquired by Professor McGonagall.

Despite the slightly crude details of the fake fire dragon, it garnered applause in the festive atmosphere. The realistic effect even alarmed Professor McGonagall. After that incident, the student was never spotted at the feast again.

"Fred and George have found worthy successors," Ron remarked contentedly.

"I wonder which house the student is from," Hermione pondered. "I hope it's not Gryffindor."

"Unlikely," Harry murmured, lowering his voice. "I overheard some students in the common room discussing the traditions of the 'Sworn Defenders of Rules' club, and someone mentioned a dragon."

"What's that?"

"The dragon?"

"No, the 'traditions.'"

Ron eagerly interrupted, "No one knows if it's true, but they say Fred and George left an unwritten rule before graduating, and every member must contribute to the perfection of the school rules. Hence—"

"Using this method?" Hermione widened her eyes.

"Yeah, at least next Halloween, no one will be parading a dragon," Ron added.

After Halloween, several more snowfalls transformed the landscape into a winter wonderland. The accumulated snow outside was now several feet deep. Students preferred taking longer routes rather than crossing the uneven vegetable garden terrain, where shorter students risked falling into snowdrifts.

The Halloween decorations hadn't completely vanished. Occasionally, bats or pumpkins with candles could be seen floating in the corridors. Professors and students found it amusing, and no one bothered to remove them, allowing the candlelight in the pumpkins to create an increasingly eerie atmosphere.

"Unlucky to be in the same class with Malfoy again," Ron complained, observing a candle emitting a dismal green light as they exited the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. They were eager to start venting their frustrations.

Harry gave a sympathetic look.

As the curriculum advanced, Professor Bagshot, no longer satisfied with minor pranks, had the students pair up for duels. The rules were peculiar: the dueling party had to close their eyes against the opponent, with specific assignments determined by drawing lots. Ron consistently ended up with the short straw.

Not many students made it through the entire class unscathed. Numerous students spontaneously approached Harry and his friends for advice on the Body-Binding Charm.

The spell could defend against common curses, required no deliberate maintenance, and didn't interfere with normal spellcasting. Therefore, it gained widespread popularity. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were proficient in the Body-Binding Charm, and front-line lookout members like Neville, Seamus, and Dean managed to grasp it, theoretically keeping them safe in class. However, exceptions existed, and Draco Malfoy was one.

After dedicating effort to mastering the Disarming Charm, Ron faced challenging times. While the Body-Binding Charm could defend against small jinxes (Professor Bagshot's justification for its use), it lacked shock absorption. When Ron lost control and lifted the charm, he faced a barrage of spells like the Horn-Tongue Jinx, Itching Hex, and Babbling Curse. Of course, Draco Malfoy didn't have an easy time either; Ron's counterattacks were equally sharp.

However, Draco had somehow learned a decent Healing Charm and carried various potions, significantly reducing the effectiveness of Ron's retaliation. He was discontented with this.

"If I could unleash my full potential..." Ron, describing it over lunch while vigorously swinging his arms, left a sly pause, causing the sausage on his fork to fly and land on the Ravenclaw table.

"Are you treating him as an enemy?" Hermione raised her eyebrows tightly.

Ron opened his mouth, stammering, "What? No, I, uh, I was joking." After Hermione left the table, he whispered to Harry, "I really wish I could do that. I know a bunch of spells, but alas..."

They followed Hermione to the staff room next to the Great Hall.

Several students were already inside—Neville, Susan Bones, Blaise Zabini, Padma Patil, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and more than a dozen familiar faces whose names Harry couldn't recall. They waited for a while, and Draco Malfoy walked in, looking dark when he saw Harry and his friends at the door.

Inside the staff room were four professors—more accurately, five, but the ghost Professor Binns was automatically ignored. They were Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, Professor Hagrid, Professor Sinistra, and Professor Bagshot.

Felix cleared his throat.

A large wooden box fell in front of the students, containing neatly bound parchment.

"Animagus study materials, Little Lupin—Professor Black promised to give you these. I hope you haven't forgotten his name. You have four days to review this material. In the following two months, every Saturday morning—"

"Professor!"

"Professor."

Harry and Draco Malfoy's voices echoed in the staff room. They glanced at each other, then immediately averted their gaze.

"Any questions?"

"There's a Quidditch match this Saturday morning," Harry said, seeing Malfoy remain silent, and forced himself to speak.

"Well, then, we'll change it to Sunday morning at ten. Gather here. Professor McGonagall

and I will explain the secrets of practicing Animagus, and we'll start trying actual transformations around the Christmas holidays. So, if you choose to stay at school during the break, be prepared." Felix spoke with somewhat shaky confidence because, during preparation, he had considered turning students into small animals to personally experience the feeling. Unfortunately, Professor McGonagall noticed and severely criticized him.

Although the process wasn't pleasant, the results were gratifying. Some students volunteered to share the workload, and Felix had nothing to complain about.

The students were excited, their eyes sparkling. Learning Animagus transformation! In the open, only eight people in this century (including Rita Skeeter) had mastered it. If they succeeded, it would undoubtedly make headlines.

However, when they bent down to pick up the three-inch thick materials from the wooden box, their faces started turning pale, and their bodies involuntarily shivered. McGonagall, who had been serious before, nodded satisfactorily—nearly two-thirds of the content had been strongly insisted upon by her.

Well, Felix didn't raise any objections.

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