Professor Breen's First Lesson (Part 2)

Faced with Ron Weasley's eager gaze, Amosta smiled. Rather than directly answering his question, he steered the topic back to the course.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts—I personally prefer to call it Dangerous Defense. This is a broadly applicable course. The Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Potions, and even Care of Magical Creatures that you study at this school can all prove useful in this field. If you want to handle any danger that comes your way with ease, you must possess three qualities—skill, method, and courage!"

Having a proper Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson at Hogwarts was quite a rare occurrence. Even the young wizards who normally had little love for studying were now paying close attention to Professor Breen on the platform.

However, Hermione was the only one taking down every single word Professor Breen said in her notebook.

At that moment, Amosta looked at Ron again and smiled.

"I won't be teaching you any particularly powerful Ancient Magic, Mr. Weasley—"

As Ron's eyes filled with disappointment, Amosta addressed everyone.

"As for why: first, I am not the Charms professor. Teaching Charms is Professor Flitwick's job, not mine.

"Second, there was once a time when I too was fascinated by the power of Ancient Magic. But as my research deepened, I discovered that the vast majority of Ancient Magic had completely vanished into the river of time. Finding Ancient Magic with a complete offensive and defensive system would likely be impossible even if I devoted my entire life to it. Therefore, I am not particularly proficient in 'authentic' Ancient Magic myself."

Amosta paced to the other side of the platform and looked at Blaise Zabini, who had just asked to learn powerful spells. "What I am best at is optimizing and modifying the spell models of modern Charms, allowing their power to approach that of Ancient Magic while taking their casting difficulty into account."

Perhaps the subject was too profound. Most of the young wizards looked utterly confused, as though they had not understood a word.

Seeing this, Amosta considered for a moment and decided to give a demonstration. He drew his wand, and the young wizards immediately perked up. This was their favorite part.

"Then..." Amosta swept his gaze around the room. "Let me demonstrate. Who can name a Charm you are particularly good at?"

Buzz—

The Great Hall instantly erupted into an uproar, the excited discussion of the young wizards like thousands of bees beating their wings.

"Leg-Locker Curse, Professor Breen! I'm good at that!"

Lavender Brown of Gryffindor eagerly raised her hand.

"Bat-Bogey Hex!" Ginny, pale-faced, timidly raised her hand as well, but her voice was thoroughly drowned out by the noisy crowd, and Amosta did not hear her at all.

"Professor Breen, I've got one!" Malfoy grinned viciously at Harry, rose to his feet, and shouted, "Tarantallegra!"

Crabbe and Goyle immediately doubled over laughing, while Harry stood up without backing down and glared at Malfoy, declaring that he was also quite skilled with the Rictusempra Charm!

The young wizards eagerly offered suggestions, naming all sorts of Charms—Densaugeo, Capacious Extremities, Langlock, and the like. Amosta listened with his head tilted for a while, his expression growing increasingly strange. Every one of those Charms fell squarely into a gap in his knowledge.

"Wait!"

Amosta, his face covered in dark lines, loudly stopped the young wizards' clamor. "Ahem, can't any of you name a more normal Charm?"

The young wizards exchanged glances and fell quiet. At last, Ron shakily raised his hand. "Um... Wingardium Leviosa, Professor Breen. I'm fairly familiar with that one!"

"Excellent, Mr. Weasley!"

Finally hearing a Charm he recognized, Amosta let out a breath of relief. He strode over to Ron and looked at him encouragingly. "Show everyone your Wingardium Leviosa first, Mr. Weasley!"

Ron immediately flushed red and muttered something awkwardly. Harry and Hermione both understood what Ron was worried about, so they hurriedly explained for him.

"Your wand is broken?" Amosta raised an eyebrow. "May I take a look?"

When Ron took out the wand that had only avoided snapping in two because it was bound with magical tape, Malfoy immediately burst into loud laughter.

"Pick someone else, Professor Breen. Weasley's wand might kill everyone here!"

The Slytherin students broke into roaring laughter, which undoubtedly placed Ron under tremendous pressure. His face and even his ears turned red as though they had been scalded by boiling water.

"I fail to see what is so amusing, Mr. Malfoy. Mocking others does not make you seem witty."

Amosta turned to look at them. Though his tone was calm, the Slytherins beneath his unruffled gaze seemed as though they had been doused with cold water in the depths of winter. They fell silent one after another, and even Draco obediently shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.

"Can you fix it, Professor Breen?"

Harry, Hermione, and Ron all looked gratefully at Amosta as he examined the broken wand. Ron asked hopefully.

Amosta did not answer. He crouched and placed Ron's wand on the floor, a faint gleam flickering in his eyes.

"Reparo!"

The broken wand on the floor immediately began to shake violently. After a burst of bright red sparks erupted from the break, the two pieces firmly fused together!

"You fixed it, Professor Breen!"

Ron stared with shining eyes, his voice full of reverence. "I asked lots of people, and they all told me this wand was completely ruined!"

"They were not entirely wrong, Mr. Weasley."

Amosta carefully studied Ron's wand. After quite a while, he replied with a smile.

"A wand is an extremely precise Alchemical Device. Though I used magic to forcibly restore this wand's appearance, I still cannot resolve the damage inside it. For now, you can make do with it, but you must understand that it will not last long. I still recommend that you go to Ollivanders and get a new one during the summer holidays—"

Even so, Ron still looked delighted.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

The demonstration began. Though casting a Charm under so many people's eyes was something Ron had never experienced before, Professor Breen's encouragement, along with Harry and Hermione's, gave him considerable confidence.

After several nervous attempts, Ron managed to make the feather conjured by Professor Breen float shakily in midair.

"Very good, Mr. Weasley. A very successful Wingardium Leviosa—"

Amosta applauded with a smile. "Now, try putting more magic into it."

Many people looked surprised, because they remembered Professor Flitwick clearly telling them when he taught them this Charm that they had to control their magical output. Otherwise—

Bang!

After a violent explosion, the feather burst into a cloud of drifting fluff that splattered across Ron's bewildered face.

"Excellent, Mr. Weasley. You've earned Gryffindor two points—now, it is time to show you mine."

Amosta first had Ron step down. After calmly meeting the gazes of all the young wizards, he slowly raised his arm. With a low shout, his wrist suddenly trembled.

"Levicorpus!"

Clang!

The fragile, limp feather suddenly let out a crisp metallic clang, as though it had transformed into an indestructible blade!

"Let me show you what my Wingardium Leviosa can do—"

Amosta abruptly raised his arm. A streak of white light shot forth like cold lightning, instantly racing toward an enormous antique metal chandelier hanging high above the Great Hall!

Whoosh!

A fierce wind suddenly swept through the Great Hall. The white light darted rapidly through and around the chandelier's metal frame, then returned to Professor Breen's palm before anyone could react!

Buzzing clang!

"Professor, run! The chandelier is falling!"

Hannah Abbott of Hufflepuff was the first to tear her horrified gaze away. At the warning of her shrill cry, every young wizard scattered toward the edges of the room. Even as they fled, they did not forget to shout at Amosta in terror!

"Heh heh—"

The amusing sight before him made Amosta laugh. Before the metal frame, carrying the force of a thousand tons, could crush him into a pancake, he casually waved his wand again. As if time had reversed, the metal chandelier reassembled itself in midair and hung itself back beneath the Great Hall's ceiling.

"Powerful Charms are all around us, Mr. Zabini."

Amosta walked elegantly to the edge of the platform. Looking at Blaise Zabini, who was struggling desperately beneath Crabbe, he smiled gently.

"Do you understand that now?"

Though the fever had not completely subsided, at least it was no longer burning. Two updates resumed today. Also, the first round of trial recommendations begins today, so please support me!