A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

As Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Dark Arts Defense classroom the next afternoon, Sirius was already there, early as always. He looked entirely different from before—dressed in a finely tailored dark outfit with a loosely hanging collar, a casual expression on his face, complemented by his coiled black curls, resembling someone stepping out of an oil painting.

"Harry?" He walked over, a worried look on his face. "I heard you lost a lot of points. Was it Snape?"

Harry suddenly felt a sense of temporal disorientation. Sirius's image seemed to overlap with the one from fifteen years ago when he had been a groomsman at Harry's parents' wedding, only more mature now.

"It's not a big deal," Harry mumbled, not wanting Sirius to clash with Snape.

"Alright, we'll talk later." Sirius hesitated for a moment. "Stay back after class. There's something about Hagrid you should know."

"He's back?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Shh." Sirius hushed them. "He doesn't want others to notice for now. He's not entirely free yet… We'll go visit him with Felix tonight."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged glances, deciding not to pursue further questions. They took their seats. In the back row, Ravenclaw's Lisa Turpin was whispering to Parvati, "Don't you think the new professor is more handsome than Lockhart?" The two girls chattered away.

Harry quickly moved to an inner seat, wary of catching any foolishness vibes from the two.

Hermione looked at Sirius, equally expectant. "Do you think Hagrid will be back for classes next week?"

"I don't know, hopefully," Harry said. From Sirius's tone, Hagrid should be back, but why hadn't he shown up yet?

The bell rang, and all the students silently watched Sirius, their eyes carrying deep scrutiny. Every new professor received this treatment, but this time it was different due to Sirius's intimidating history—not because of his role as an aide to the Minister of Magic, but as the 'first Death Eater under You-Know-Who,' having escaped from Azkaban, causing terror for a solid six months.

Back then, everyone was curious about how he had escaped and approached the school. Quite a few students had circulated rumors about the new professor.

"Alright, class. As customary, I need to introduce myself. But I doubt anyone here doesn't know my name, considering my wanted poster hung in Honeydukes for nearly half a year, astonishingly large…" Sirius chuckled. "Though my appearance might have changed a bit, my name remains the same."

"Sirius Black. You can call me Professor or just Black, or once we get familiar, my name is fine."

The students exchanged glances; this new professor seemed approachable…

"Any questions? If not, let's start the class."

"But—" Hermione raised her hand, "Um, Professor Black?" Sirius smiled at her.

"We don't have textbooks," she said.

The students nodded, and Harry's heart skipped a beat, fearing his godfather might say, "I forgot." But upon reflection, he found it unlikely.

"Textbooks? We don't need those things. What I'm about to teach you can't be learned by simply using your brains," Sirius said.

"Now, grab your wands and follow me." Before others could react, he vanished from the classroom.

After a few seconds, he peeked back in, puzzled. "What are you waiting for? Wasn't I clear enough?"

Everyone started moving, exchanging excited glances.

However, Hermione was stunned. While the other students headed towards the door, she remained rooted in place.

"A good start, right?" Ron said, gripping his unicorn wand. "I'm starting to have confidence in him."

They formed a sparse line and descended the stairs, eventually reaching an open area near the Black Lake.

Perhaps due to yesterday's rain, the weather was exceptionally sunny, warm, and pleasant. The sun shone brightly, a gentle breeze blew, golden ripples danced on the lake's surface. Some wished it was the weekend today. Ɍ

"When did these two walls appear? They're so ugly..." Draco Malfoy wrinkled his brow, looking at two stone walls erected on the nearby grass, each about twenty feet long and almost as tall as a person, separated by about sixty to seventy feet.

Sirius pretended not to hear. He had erected them bit by bit, so even if they were crooked, it was understandable, wasn't it?

"Quiet, students. The eternal theme of this Dark Arts Defense class is how to protect yourself when in danger. And my demand is to teach you how to protect yourselves during times of war… Anyone has something to say?"

As expected, Hermione was the first to raise her hand.

"Hermione—" Sirius suddenly coughed. "Uh, I mean, Miss Granger, you go ahead."

"According to the Ministry's pamphlet, when in danger, underage wizards' only responsibility is to protect themselves, stay away from danger—quickly reunite with family, use Disillusionment Charm to escape. Therefore, everyone must learn and adapt to using the Disillusionment Charm."

"Very good, absolutely correct. Have you all taken note?" Sirius looked at the students.

Only a few nodded. Sirius furrowed his brow, "I said... this isn't difficult. Do you need her to repeat?"

This time, almost everyone nodded.

"Excellent, then this part is done." Sirius said contentedly.

Others were puzzled; what did he mean by 'done'? Sirius cleared his throat, "To protect oneself is simple; don't wander, don't cause chaos, and learn the Disillusionment Charm technique. But since I forgot to ask the headmaster for permission..."

Then his tone became somber, just standing there, he commanded everyone's attention.

"Escaping is, of course, the best option. There's no need to risk your life... But if you can't escape or have a reason to stay, then you're left with one choice—pick up your wands and bravely fight, no matter who the enemy is," he said gravely.

At this moment, the influence of the traits favored by different houses became evident on students. While it wasn't apparent individually, magnified across the groups, the differences could be observed—most students from Gryffindor and some from Slytherin were moved by Sirius's words of resilience and determination, considering when they might have to choose to fight. But a few still shook their heads in disagreement.

In reality, neither approach was superior; being too composed led to indifference, while excessive bravery turned into recklessness.

...

"Alright!" Sirius clapped his hands, addressing the students. "Next, we'll divide into groups. Slytherin students stand here, Gryffindor students go there." He spread his hands, as if holding two directional flags.

The students followed instructions, moving to their designated spots. Draco Malfoy took bold steps past Harry, casting a challenging glance backward.

"Looks like there might be a duel later. I've learned a lot over the summer." He said quietly.

"You can challenge me." Harry was used to these words, so he replied smoothly, "But my opponent is a Death Eater. If you know any, please introduce them to me, okay?"

Draco was taken aback for a moment, then laughed dismissively. "That was a good one, Potter. But I've improved my skills significantly."

"Really?" Harry said with a raised eyebrow. "Is that why you lost to Hermione last year?"

Draco's face turned red, but he didn't refute it.

Sirius walked back and forth between the two groups, instructing, "Now, everyone, you'll engage in a mock battle, dueling with members from the other house. Remember, use defensive spells only, no aggressive spells. Protect yourself and your teammates. The aim is to train your reflexes and defensive skills, not to hurt each other."

Harry could see Sirius's intention was to teach them practical combat skills and teamwork rather than theories from a book.

Draco raised his wand confidently. "I'll start. Crabbe, Goyle, back me up."

"Bring it on, Malfoy," Harry said, exchanging a glance with Ron.

The mock battles commenced, sparks flying as the students dueled. Harry found himself dueling Draco, who was surprisingly quick with his spells. Hermione, in her element, was strategically guiding Ron and Harry on defensive techniques and teamwork.

In the midst of the mock battles, the students were learning to focus, think on their feet, and protect themselves—a lesson far more practical than any textbook.

As the class wrapped up and the students were dismissed, Sirius lingered, calling Harry over.

"Tonight, Felix and I will visit Hagrid. You coming?"

"Absolutely," Harry replied without hesitation.

Sirius clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder, a serious expression on his face. "Good. We'll talk later. I'm proud of you."

With those words, Sirius walked away, leaving Harry with a renewed sense of determination.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

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