"By the way, the main topic of this lesson is the Patronus Charm," Moody said dramatically at the end of the demonstration.
The students below the podium began whispering among themselves, wondering why they suddenly needed to learn this spell.
Pansy's face was filled with deep nostalgia. She still remembered the novel experience she had shared with Malfoy when he took her to see a Dementor.
Ron, who was sitting in his seat, was about to say something, but wisely kept quiet. He had been suffering under Moody's training these past few days.
"Aren't all the Dementors gone?" a student asked, voicing Ron's thoughts.
"Yes, that's one reason why you don't have to practice," Moody replied patiently in his hoarse voice.
"But I also have reasons for you to practice.
"For example, we don't have concrete evidence that the Dementors are extinct, just in case." Moody tapped the wooden table in front of him several times with his wand.
"Practicing this spell will also be very helpful in teaching you to control your emotions."
Harry wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt Moody glare at him with his piercing magical eye.
"And…" The teacher drawled out the last syllable.
"As you all know, the Wizarding World is in a very turbulent state these days," Moody said in his hoarse voice.
"That Dark Lord could rise again at any time, and the power of the Death Eaters will spread and expand. At that time, our communications will be greatly disrupted, and using owls to transmit information will be very dangerous."
"Once intercepted, we will be in a very passive situation." Moody's expression grew more serious, and his magical eye darted around more frequently.
"After learning the Patronus Charm, we can use it to communicate, and when we encounter an enemy, we can simply make it disappear."
"Of course, that would only be after mastering more advanced techniques, which I haven't reached yet. But I can give you an example," Moody said, immediately raising his wand and pointing it toward the high ceiling.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Silvery mist rose from the tip of Mad-Eye Moody's wand and then condensed into shape.
It was a silver cheetah with a fierce look on its face, hovering in mid-air, its sharp eyes fixed on all the students.
It was as if it could see right through people's hearts.
This aligned well with his lifelong passion for capturing Dark Wizards and upholding justice.
Agile and nimble.
It was worth mentioning that the cheetah had a deep scar running from top to bottom across its left eye, which stood out starkly against its silvery-white body.
A Patronus's form changes according to changes in its owner.
But that wasn't entirely true.
The Patronus's four legs were extremely flexible, showing no signs of injury, unlike its owner, who walked with a limp.
Both Gryffindor and Slytherin students looked at Moody's Patronus with envy.
Because it was very handsome.
At that moment, Moody's nose, which was missing a large chunk of flesh, twitched, and he began to speak.
"To complete today's demonstration, I specifically asked an old acquaintance of mine for help. His skills are sufficient to support remote communication.
"Shacklebolt?" he called toward the door.
As soon as Moody finished speaking, a silver-white lynx leaped into the air and burst into the classroom.
It immediately attracted everyone's attention.
Then, with graceful and shimmering movements, it landed lightly on the lectern, its cunning eyes surveying the students around it.
This drew gasps of surprise from the students.
As a feline, it shared some similarities with Moody's Patronus, possessing the same sharp eyes.
Perhaps this was something Aurors had in common?
"Hello, Alastor." The lynx raised its paws, opened its mouth wide, and greeted Moody in a loud, deep, and slow voice.
"Hello, Kingsley," Moody said, controlling his Patronus.
"Please allow me to introduce myself first." The lynx turned around and faced the students in the class.
In a remarkably human-like gesture, it waved its furry silver claws at the students.
"My name is Kingsley Shacklebolt. I used to be Mr. Moody's subordinate, and now I am an Auror in the Ministry of Magic."
The lynx introduced itself to the crowd.
"I have work to do and time is limited, so I'll keep it short. The Patronus Charm is a difficult but very useful spell, and it's not just limited to warding off Dementors.
"As you can all see, I am not here in person. The most common way for Wizards to communicate is by relying on owls to deliver letters, or by sticking their heads into the fireplace to project images.
"The former is not safe enough and takes a long time, while the latter is quite troublesome."
"Yeah, and it's a bit dirty. I don't think any girl would want to get all dirty just from talking to someone a few times, right?" Kingsley added.
The girls in the audience were all amused by his joke.
"Alright, everyone, goodbye. I hope you enjoy your learning. I have other tasks to complete now."
Kingsley's words were quite brief. After all, he was just someone invited to give a demonstration.
"Everyone can start practicing now. Before that, let's take a look at how a skilled user casts it.
"As far as I know, one student has mastered it quite well." Moody's gaze fell on a female student.
"Miss Parkinson?"
When Pansy heard her name called, she stood up from her seat and slowly walked to the podium.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Pansy raised her wand.
With a sharp incantation, a silver kitten gradually materialized from the silvery-white smoke. Its head held high, it paced back and forth across the classroom with haughty elegance.
Then Pansy lowered her wand, and the cat turned into silver smoke and gradually dissipated.
"The Patronus Charm is quite proficient. Slytherin, add twenty points." Moody began to applaud.
Slytherin's students spontaneously applauded, while Gryffindor's applause sounded rather weak.
Ron, in particular, didn't move his hands at all.
"This is absolutely hilarious," he said.
"From what I understand, the Patronus Charm can reflect a person's personality to a certain extent.
"Therefore, their forms are also different.
"It could be a magical creature, like a phoenix, or your Headmaster, Mr. Dumbledore. Or, of course, any ordinary animal that can be found anywhere.
"What we do know is that a Patronus's abilities are different from its form, but the abilities it displays are unrelated to its form.
"According to records, the most powerful Patronus was a rat, and the Wizard named Ilyus stopped an army of hundreds of Dementors."
The students below gasped in surprise again.
"So you don't need to be discouraged if your Patronus isn't beautiful or handsome enough.
"You can borrow The Spell of Defense and Deterrence from the library; it contains more in-depth answers." Moody tapped the table with his cane, reminding the students.