A holiday without homework passes in the blink of an eye.
Surrounded by his little darlings, the Hogwarts summer slipped away before Viktor even realised it.
He hadn't exactly been idle, though.
Besides two quick trips abroad to help out friends, Viktor spent most of the break wandering the Forbidden Forest with Professor Kettleburn and Hagrid.
Together with the two veteran Hogwarts hands, he paid respectful visits to the local neighbours: the centaur tribe, the unicorn herds, the hippogriff flocks, the wolf packs, the Thestral herds, and so on.
By the end, he'd become a familiar (and welcome) face to just about every prominent group in the Forest.
Along the way, at the invitation of the centaur elders and various magical creatures, he also helped deal with the rampant colony of Acromantulas.
Viktor's approach to the giant spiders—who had no natural predators in the protected Forest—was brutally straightforward.
He and Tom dove straight into the nest. Anything with eight eyes got stunned and stuffed into the suitcase.
In the end he collected over a hundred of the beasts—wiping out more than half the colony before calling it a day.
All Viktor could say was: Hagrid had raised them too well. Out in the wild these things were classified as vicious, rare, highly dangerous species.
He didn't keep them all, of course.
Most were released back into suitable habitats around the world where Acromantulas already lived.
The rest he split with Grandpa Newt—about a dozen each.
Thanks to clearing out the Acromantula infestation (a genuine menace to the Forest's smaller residents), the new Professor of Magical Creature Protection earned himself an enthusiastic welcome from the Forest's inhabitants.
While he was busy building rapport with the Forest creatures and helping his own little darlings settle in, Viktor also took the chance to consult Kettleburn about lesson plans.
After all, he'd been expelled in fourth year—he'd never experienced the old professor's full curriculum.
After listening to Kettleburn lay it all out…
Even Viktor had to applaud.
Teaching like that really takes talent.
No wonder the man had spent sixty-one years as a professor… and earned sixty-one consecutive probationary periods.
Viktor had already suspected the classes were wild back in the day.
But hearing the full rundown still left him in awe.
Third-, fourth-, and fifth-years were dealing with creatures rated XXX to XXXXX—up close and personal.
The sixth- and seventh-year advanced classes were even more explosive.
They followed the professor straight into the Forbidden Forest to observe unicorns, stroke Augureys, and explore Acromantula nests.
Viktor could only salute: You, sir, are a true Hufflepuff.
Shame he never got to take the advanced course himself. Deepest regrets.
The moment Kettleburn finished explaining, Viktor's eyes had lit up.
After all—which Hogwarts student doesn't dream of exploring the Forbidden Forest?
But he quickly tamped the thought down.
Sixty-one probationary periods were staring him right in the face.
He'd made a vow to be a proper professor this time.
Getting slapped with a probation notice in his very first year would be hilarious… in the worst way.
Maybe in a couple of years. Yeah. Let's wait a couple of years before trying that.
He shelved the idea.
But he already had a solid mental draft for his own Magical Creature Protection lessons.
Hands-on work, critical thinking, rock-solid foundational knowledge—something even the professors would approve of.
Sprinkle in some practical self-defence, combat basics, and creature-protection know-how.
Done. He felt completely confident.
Not long ago, Professor Kettleburn had left Hogwarts—beaming, laden with well-wishes and farewell gifts from the staff.
His first stop: the Romanian dragon sanctuary.
Watching the old man depart with Dumbledore's brand-new prosthetic limb waving cheerfully, Viktor could only hope that next time they met, Kettleburn would still have his one remaining arm.
While Viktor was busy, Tom hadn't exactly been sitting idle either.
This holiday had been extremely fulfilling for the cat.
During the day he roamed the castle with his new little brother Peeves, poking into every corner and secret passage Hogwarts had to offer.
Every so often the white-bearded old man called Dumbledore would summon him to the Headmaster's office for an assortment of sweets.
But the absolute best treatment—aside from Viktor, of course—came from the elegant Professor McGonagall.
Not only could she transform into a cat, she also cooked excellent feline meals and had world-class rua technique—every session left Tom purring helplessly in bliss.
To repay the elegant professor, Gentleman Tom had decided he could no longer simply receive.
After finishing McGonagall's gourmet cat food and deluxe petting session, he would help the "true" Headmistress of Hogwarts tackle the mountain of paperwork.
There were occasional minor mishaps, of course.
But with Tom's assistance, McGonagall's workload lightened considerably.
After breakfast, Viktor donned a black wizarding robe trimmed with yellow-brown accents and arrived early in the Great Hall with Tom in tow.
The moment they entered, they spotted McGonagall in full formal dress, hurrying about.
A long tail of parchment scrolls floated behind her.
Every so often she flicked her wand; one scroll folded itself into a paper aeroplane and zoomed off toward some distant part of the castle.
"Good morning, Professor McGonagall. Need a hand?"
Viktor greeted her with a smile.
Beside him, Tom had already changed into formal attire. With a dramatic whoosh he appeared in front of McGonagall and offered her a tiny bouquet of flowers with perfect gentlemanly grace.
"Oh, thank you, Tom. Good morning, Viktor. Your help would be most welcome."
As she spoke, McGonagall flicked her wand again.
One of the floating parchments folded itself into an aeroplane and sailed over to hover in front of Viktor.
Without breaking stride, McGonagall swept past him, muttering under her breath in exasperation.
"Merlin's beard, term starts today and there's still so much left… Albus never deals with any of this… right now he's probably still in his office eating sweets… no, this time he is going to take responsibility as Headmaster whether he likes it or not…"
Watching her storm off in a huff, Viktor silently prayed for Dumbledore.
One second. Any more would be disrespectful to McGonagall.
Then he turned—just in time to see Tom sprinting after McGonagall's retreating figure.
Well. The little traitor had defected again. Looked like Viktor was on solo duty.
"Right… let's see what Professor McGonagall needs me to handle."