Howl looked at the girl: "This is Dark Arts; it may not be powerful, but it is definitely cruel."
Saying that, he stood up: "Three points to Slytherin, for Potter's answer."
"Professor, will Dark Arts really induce people to become worse? Will it change a person's character?" someone suddenly asked.
Howl looked over at that person; it was a fifth-year student, and asking such a question here was quite bold.
"Yes." Howl nodded: "Dark Arts will induce people to walk into the abyss.
So, children, please don't be too curious about Dark Arts.
And I think Potter's answer just now has also unveiled a layer of Dark Arts' mysterious veil for you.
It's not that mysterious, nor that powerful, but..."
"It must be cruel/bloody/disgusting!" Below the stage, half of the Little Wizards made excellent echoes, with the Weasley Twins prominently among them. Their voices were the loudest, setting a good rhythm.
The atmosphere in the entire classroom gradually livened up, and the children all looked at Howl with shining eyes.
"Very good, then next, it's about Defense!" Howl clapped his hands and said loudly: "I don't know if this is good news or bad news for some people.
If anyone thinks this is bad news, then I must apologize in advance.
I am a thorough practical Wizard, and unfortunately, Defense Against the Dark Arts is also the only subject in the Wizarding exams where the practical score accounts for sixty percent."
In the Wizarding assessment, the three major subjects of Charms, Potion, and Transfiguration all have a fifty-fifty split between theory and practice.
And subjects like Astronomy, Arithmancy, Herbology, History, etc., are all subjects where theory outweighs practice.
Only Defense Against the Dark Arts has practical scores outweighing theory!
Practice?!
This is definitely good news; heaven knows how long it's been since they had a so-called practical class.
Howl pressed his palm down again, his fingertip ring flashing imperceptibly, and the sound in the entire classroom was once again forcibly suppressed by him.
"I need a brave one to be the first!"
"Me!"
"I'll do it!!"
"Professor, how many points? Look at me, look at me!"
"Students in the fourth and fifth grades don't need to raise their hands; it's impossible for me to choose you." Howl laughed.
Then he was somewhat surprised to find that the number of Slytherin students raising their hands was not at all less than Gryffindor.
After carefully observing the expressions of the Slytherin students, he roughly deduced their mentality.
They seemed to want to express:
Courage is just an unworthy part of us Slytherins, yet we are still more courageous than Gryffindor—who are known for their courage!!
Then he glanced over, and after pondering for a long time over Neville, he still shifted his gaze.
"Mr. Crabbe, please come up."
The no-longer-so-fat Crabbe stood up and confidently said to those around him, "Watch me!"
Saying that, he walked to the front of the podium.
"Very good, very imposing!!"
Howl encouraged him, then pointed to a box on the side. It was an old wall-mounted wooden cabinet, looking like it had many traces of rain and wind, as if it had been dug out of a trash can.
"Inside, there's something very terrifying! Go open the cabinet." Howl said.
"Something very terrifying?" Crabbe swallowed, suddenly feeling a bit scared.
"Professor, can you tell me what's inside?" he said.
"I don't know either!" Howl shook his head.
??
You don't know, yet you say it's terrifying?
Oh, I understand!
Just like last year's final exam, it's a special magic used to deceive people, right!
Thinking that, Crabbe sneered disdainfully, took a big stride forward, and with a bang, pulled the cabinet open directly.
The next moment, a large, bloated, worm-like creature, resembling a giant python, rushed out, its dense legs grasping at the air.
"Ahhh!!"
Immediately, the entire classroom descended into chaos.
Snap—
Howl snapped his fingers, and the Boggart was instantly slammed back into the cabinet by a powerful force.
"Very good, let's thank Mr. Crabbe." Howl pulled him up from the ground; Crabbe was now scared stiff, completely bewildered, his face pale.
"Want a chocolate?" Howl opened his hand in front of him.
Crabbe's spirits lifted. Oh, chocolate!
He immediately took it and swallowed it whole. Only then did he feel much better.
"Do you remember what I said? Dark Arts is fueled by malice, in other words, Dark Arts does not wish you well; it wants you to fall into pain and torment.
And precisely, chocolate can make people feel happy; this is a quick trick to get rid of the influence of Dark Arts!
In this class, its appearances will not be few, believe me."
Howl explained.
"Can anyone tell me what this is in the cabinet?"
Hermione once again raised her hand high, and this time, Howl did not refuse.
"It's a Boggart, a Dark Arts creature that likes dark, confined spaces."
Boggart? Is that the name of that giant centipede? A group of Little Wizards looked puzzled.
Suddenly, the older students in the back row realized with a start,
"I knew it, how could that cabinet hold such a large centipede."
"No wonder the Professor said the thing inside was terrifying, but he didn't know what it was."
...
"It's a shape-shifter, with no specific form. But it can take on any form it thinks will scare us the most."
"Very good, three points to Gryffindor." Howl nodded, but Hermione then asked in confusion: "But isn't this third-year material?"
"Oh, yes, very good answer." Howl nodded, then looked into the cabinet: "I have always believed that the sooner children understand Boggarts, the better.
Just as you said, it can see through our deepest fears.
And what children fear most in their hearts is always easier to deal with. Because it's pure enough."
"Uh... I don't understand." Ron finally dared to speak up. A few older students in the back row looked thoughtful.
"It means this thing is really too simple, no need to wait until the third year." Howl said bluntly.
With that explanation, many children immediately understood and became full of confidence.
Then he began to guide Crabbe, teaching him the Anti-Boggart charm.
A very simple spell: "Riddikulus."
Minutes later, as Crabbe turned the giant centipede into a floppy rubber band, everyone cheered, as if they would shake the ceiling down.
Then the children eagerly raised their hands, all wanting to quickly meet this fellow.
Howl began to arrange them to try one by one, and time quickly passed.
The Boggart was like a blind box with double the enjoyment.
One was the most terrifying creature.
The other was its joyful appearance after being transformed.
No matter which one, it always made people feel very mysterious and interesting.
Until Harry stood in front of the cabinet, and after preparing himself, he opened the cabinet.
His classmates watched nervously, wanting to see what monster Harry feared most.
However, the cabinet did not, as before, get knocked open by the monster that the Boggart transformed into when it was halfway open.
Drip—
Scarlet blood seeped out from the cracks of the cabinet door.
Accompanied by the creaking sound of the hinges, the cabinet door slowly opened completely.
A dead cat lay quietly inside the cabinet.
-------------------------------
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