Sure enough, Dumbledore turned his gaze to Harry and said in warning, "Harry, I've heard that you killed a Dementor on the train. I hope you'll spare the ones stationed at Hogwarts, they're important Ministry property."
Harry nodded helplessly. "Don't worry, Headmaster Dumbledore. As long as they don't provoke me."
The other students all looked at Harry in amazement. Seamus nudged Ron and whispered, "Ron, is it true? Harry really killed a Dementor?"
Ron nodded proudly. "Of course it's true. How could that be fake? Killing a Dementor is easy for Harry."
The students kept staring at Harry in disbelief, especially the older ones, whose shock was far more obvious. Even the professors looked startled.
Unlike the baffled first-years, they understood exactly how significant it was for Harry to have killed a Dementor.
As a special kind of dark magical creature, a Dementor had no true life or physical body in the normal sense. It survived by feeding on human happiness, emotion, and souls.
The Patronus Charm was the only well-known effective way to drive Dementors away. Even an ordinary Killing Curse had little proper effect on them.
Only a Killing Curse cast by a truly top-tier wizard, backed by overwhelming magical power, could cause enough impact and damage to their spirit-like forms to injure or even destroy them.
So for ordinary wizards, merely driving a Dementor off was already the limit. Actually killing one was almost unthinkable.
Now everyone was desperate to know what method Harry had used, and whether it could be widely taught.
No matter what the method had been, it meant Harry's strength had already reached the peak of the wizarding world.
If he had used the Killing Curse to destroy a Dementor, then he had already reached the level of the greatest wizards alive. If he had used some other method, that was even more astonishing, because it meant Harry had created a spell that worked against Dementors.
And if that spell could be taught on a large scale, it might become another invention as important as the Potion of Life.
After hearing Harry's answer, Dumbledore nodded and continued, "Now then, let us move to a more cheerful subject. I am very pleased to welcome two new teachers to our staff this term.
"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly agreed to fill the vacancy in Defense Against the Dark Arts."
A few scattered, lukewarm claps echoed through the Great Hall.
The other professors were all wearing their best robes, which only made Professor Lupin look even more shabby sitting among them.
That did not inspire much respect in the students. A truly capable professor, in their minds, would not be living in such obvious poverty.
"Look at Snape," Ron whispered in Harry's ear.
Professor Snape, the Potions teacher, was glaring toward the far end of the staff table, where Professor Lupin sat.
Everyone knew Snape had always wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job, but even Ron, who usually disliked Snape, was stunned by the look on his sallow, thin face.
It was more than anger. It was hatred.
Harry could more or less guess why. Since Lupin had been a friend of his father's, then he must have been one of the people who had bullied Snape back when they were students.
So Snape hating Lupin seemed perfectly normal.
"As for our second new teacher," Dumbledore went on after the weak applause for Lupin had died away, "I regret to inform you that Professor Kettleburn retired at the end of last term in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs.
"However, I am delighted to announce that his position will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on the post in addition to his duties as Keeper of Keys and Grounds."
This time the hall erupted in applause, far louder than it had for Lupin.
Hagrid was a good man, and he was well liked by every House except Slytherin. Gryffindor, of course, loved him the most, and their applause was the loudest of all.
...
Time passed in a blur, and several days went by in the blink of an eye.
That day, Harry went to Divination with Hermione and Ron.
It was their first Divination lesson.
The classroom was unusual. In fact, it barely looked like a classroom at all, and seemed more like a cross between an attic and an old-fashioned tearoom.
At least twenty small round tables were crammed inside, each surrounded by chintz armchairs and bulging little poufs.
Everything in the room glowed with a hazy red light. The curtains were drawn tight, and many of the lamps were draped with large crimson scarves.
The room was so hot it was hard to breathe. Beneath the crowded mantelpiece, a fire blazed in the hearth, and on top of it sat a large copper teapot giving off a strong, sickly smell.
The actual content of the class disappointed Harry badly. Professor Trelawney did not really know how to divine the future. At best, she could use chaos magic through a few ancient rituals to make vague and inaccurate predictions.
If the wizarding world had not possessed such a high level of magical energy, none of her methods would have worked at all.
This sort of divination was completely different from what Harry had learned at Kamar-Taj, and eventually he could not hold back any longer. With a sigh, he said, "Professor Trelawney, besides the methods you're teaching, I once read about another form of divination in an ancient magic book, one that uses runes to observe the future."
Professor Trelawney turned to him in surprise. Of course she knew who this student was, the child of destiny from her prophecy, the savior of the wizarding world.
That had been one of the very few prophecies she had made that had actually come true.
But aside from those rare prophecies, none of her other predictions had ever truly succeeded. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how much divinatory knowledge she studied, she had never managed to predict anything with real precision.
So even though she was the great-granddaughter of Cassandra Trelawney, part of her no longer fully believed true divination even existed.
And even if it did, it was likely such a profound art that, like ancient magic, it had long since been lost to history.
So when Harry claimed that he understood such magic as well, she was stunned.
"Runic divination?" she asked, clearly puzzled. "I remember that as a complex and ancient branch of prophecy, but I believe it was lost over a thousand years ago. Mr. Potter, are you sure what you possess is genuine runic divination?"
Harry nodded. "Of course. I've tried it before, and the results were very accurate."
As if he were just bragging. The divination of Kamar-Taj involved time magic. He and the Sorcerer Supreme had even used it to observe different timelines.
Harry spent some chaos magic and created a magical book on runic divination inside his Pocket dimension, then handed it to Professor Trelawney.
She had not thought much of it at first, but the moment she began reading the contents, her expression changed dramatically. She became completely absorbed.
"Incredible... destiny, time, causality... these things can actually intertwine, and by observing the web woven from all three, one can glimpse the future.
"This is real divination!"
Professor Trelawney looked at Harry with visible excitement and deep gratitude. "Thank you, thank you, Mr. Potter. This book is truly important to me!"
All the other students stared curiously at the book in her hands, unable to understand why she was so excited.
But very soon, Professor Trelawney turned the contents of the book toward the class. The flighty, half-mad manner she usually wore vanished, and she suddenly became serious.
"It seems we'll need to change today's lesson. From now on, we shall begin practicing runic divination!"
Harry: "..."
Good grief. She really could not bear to waste even a little time, huh?
Using class time to study runic divination for herself, nicely done, Professor Trelawney.
After that, the third-year Gryffindors had Care of Magical Creatures. Harry even managed to tame a hippogriff, and flying on its back felt incredible.
Then came the first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson of the new term.
When Harry and the others hurried to Professor Lupin's first class, Lupin had not arrived yet.
They sat down, took out their books, quills, and parchment, and chatted among themselves until Professor Lupin finally entered the room.
He was wearing a faint smile as he set his battered old case down on the desk.
He was still in patched, shabby robes, but he looked healthier than he had on the train, probably because he had finally gotten a few decent meals into him.
Professor Lupin already seemed far more reliable than the last two Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers. Smiling at the class, he said, "Good afternoon. Please put your books back in your bags. Today's lesson will be practical. All you'll need are your wands."
The students stowed their books away and exchanged curious looks.
They had never had a practical Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson before, unless last year's unforgettable disaster counted.
That was the lesson when the previous teacher had brought a cage of pixies into class and then set them all loose.
Good Lord, that had been a nightmare.
"All right, then. It seems everyone is ready. Follow me."
Lupin led them out of the classroom, through an empty corridor, and into a staff room.
It was a long room with wood-paneled walls, cluttered with mismatched old chairs.
Only one teacher was inside. Professor Snape sat in a low armchair.
As the students filed in, he turned his head toward them, his eyes glittering and the corners of his mouth curled in a mocking sneer.
Lupin came in after them and was just about to shut the door when Snape said, "Leave it open, Lupin. I think I'll go."
He stood and swept past the students, his black robes billowing behind him.
At the doorway he turned back and added, "Perhaps no one has warned you yet, Lupin, but there is a Neville Longbottom in this class.
"I suggest you do not entrust him with anything too difficult, unless Miss Granger is secretly telling him how to do it."
Neville's face turned scarlet.
Professor Lupin raised his eyebrows. "In fact, I had hoped Neville would help me with the first stage of today's lesson. I'm sure he'll do it admirably."
Neville's face turned even redder.
Snape's mouth twitched, but he left anyway, slamming the door behind him.
"Right then," said Professor Lupin. "Come over here, everyone."
He led them to the far end of the room, where an old wardrobe stood, apparently used for storing spare robes.
Professor Lupin moved to stand beside it, and the wardrobe suddenly shook, banging against the wall with loud thuds.
The students shrank back uneasily, not knowing what was inside.
Lupin reassured them. "Don't be afraid. There's only a Boggart in there."
The students backed away even farther. Somehow that made them more frightened, not less.
A Boggart was a peculiar magical creature.
It had no fixed form and became whatever the observer feared most.
They usually lived in dark, hidden places like wardrobes, cellars, or forgotten rooms.
They fed on fear, using the terror in people's hearts to make themselves stronger.
"There's nothing to worry about," Lupin said. "Boggarts aren't so very dangerous. We only need one simple spell to deal with them."
He drew his wand. "Now, everyone after me, Riddikulus!"
The whole class repeated the spell. Lupin nodded with a smile. "Very good. Now you all have the means to fight a Boggart. Let's begin with Neville. Neville, first things first, what frightens you most in this world?"
Neville glanced anxiously around, as though hoping someone would rescue him.
Then, in a voice so low it was almost impossible to hear, he said, "Professor Snape."
Almost everyone laughed, and even Neville managed an embarrassed little grin, but Professor Lupin looked thoughtful.
"Neville, don't be afraid. I remember that you live with your grandmother. Now picture your grandmother clearly in your mind. When the Boggart bursts out of the wardrobe, turn it into your grandmother."
The class stepped back to make room for Neville. When the Boggart sprang out, it took the form of Professor Snape, just as expected.
And Neville successfully overcame his fear, transforming Snape into a ridiculous figure dressed in an old woman's clothes.
When it was over, Neville let out a huge sigh of relief. For some reason, he no longer feared Professor Snape quite as much.
Because every time he saw Snape now, he would think of him wearing his grandmother's clothes.
After Neville's demonstration, the other students came forward one by one and, under Professor Lupin's guidance, each overcame the fear in their heart.
Truth be told, Professor Lupin really was an excellent teacher. He had Professor McGonagall's rigor, Dumbledore's gentleness, and a touch of humor besides. He was almost perfect, and even Harry liked him a great deal.
Before long, after student after student had gone, it was Harry's turn.
Harry stepped forward.
Professor Lupin became serious for a moment. He assumed Harry's greatest fear would be Voldemort.
But what Harry feared was far beyond anything Lupin could have imagined!
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