Snape: Me, Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Teaching!

Thursday, September 23.

Since autumn, Hogwarts has not seen a clear blue sky. Only occasionally, when the wind blows open a crack in the clouds, will the sun stingily pour out a little light, shining on the ancient stone walls of the Castle, only to be quickly blocked by the healing clouds.

Today was no different. The sun peeked out for about half an hour at sunrise before disappearing into the clouds, leaving only slowly drifting clouds in the sky.

As the Potions Master at Hogwarts, Severus Snape never cared about the weather. His office was underground, and the only glass window reflected the view of the depths of the Black Lake. No matter the season or the weather, his office was always dark, deep, and gloomy.

He adapted to the scene.

Just as the young wizards had grown accustomed to his indifferent expression, so it always had been.

But today seemed different. The young wizards having breakfast in the Great Hall were surprised to find that Professor Snape, who always had a deadpan expression, was actually smiling. Although he was still sinister, he was smiling!

Professor McGonagall picked up her glass of warm Pumpkin Juice, raised it to Snape, and said with a smile, "Look, the students are all talking about your smile. Severus, you should smile more."

"I don't think these young wizards think that way." Snape casually raised his juice and clinked it against hers. "Look at them, find out which young wizards can't even eat breakfast, that's the ones who have Potions class today."

The other faculty and staff members having lunch burst into laughter.

Madam Pomfrey smiled and said, "Don't worry, Remus will be discharged from the hospital soon today."

Professor Flitwick asked with concern, "How is he? Is he alright?"

"It's nothing, just a mild coma."

"That's strange, how could I have suddenly gotten sick?"

"..."

Listening to his colleagues' concern for the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Snape sipped his fruit and vegetable juice, his smile widening.

Yes, how could she suddenly get sick?

It can't be poisoning, can it?

It couldn't have been him Potions Master, who poisoned them, could it?

At the Gryffindor table, Ron raised his head, glanced furtively at the High Table, then shuddered and quickly lowered his head. "Oh, did you see that? Merlin's beard, the old bat is actually laughing!"

Neville paused for a moment upon hearing this, then immediately stopped eating and shakily pulled his timetable out of his pocket, examining it carefully.

Upon seeing the morning's schedule, Neville pointed in horror at the timetable and exclaimed, "Merlin! Merlin! The second period this morning is Potions class, a full two hours long!"

Harry jumped in fright, dropping the buckwheat bread onto his plate. He looked up at his friends and asked, "Do you guys think it's too late for me to fake a sick day and ask for leave?"

Ron hesitated for a moment, thought for a moment, and suggested, "Let's break their arms and legs instead."

Listening to their incoherent conversation, Hermione turned her head and asked in a low voice, "Loren, will Potions class be held as usual today?"

"What are you thinking about?" Loren was both amused and exasperated. "The professor is still a professor; he wouldn't brew Potions with Harry in class."

"It's not good to use him as a test subject," Hermione muttered under her breath. "Then why is Professor Snape so happy?"

Loren lowered his head, focusing intently on the pudding on the plate. "I don't know..."

Who could have known that the first improved version of the Wolfsbane Potion would be so powerful?

Who could have known that Professor Lupin would end up in the Hospital Wing because he couldn't handle the shock?

He didn't know why Snape was laughing so happily, but it wasn't that Professor Lupin had been drugged and someone was going to take his place in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

In the afternoon, in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom before class.

The professor hadn't arrived in the classroom yet, so the young wizards seized the opportunity to chat enthusiastically.

What is that black shelf at the back of the classroom?

"I don't know, maybe it's a teaching aid from Professor Lupin's class."

A Muggle-born wizard stepped forward to explain, "It's an old-fashioned projector that projects images onto the screen in front."

"It looks like a cannon. Speaking of which..." Parvati pulled Ron aside and asked, "I heard that Seamus exploded again while he was reviewing the Lumos. How powerful was it this time?"

Lavender, sitting next to him, glanced at his roommate discreetly, a grin spreading across his face.

"Oh, Dean and Neville's faces were all blackened from the explosion, but Seamus was completely unharmed. Dean thinks Seamus did it on purpose," Ron replied.

"Hmph!" Parvati couldn't help but laugh out loud. "That sounds like it."

"No way!" Seamus Finnigan, a student with extraordinary expertise in the field of explosions, poked his head out, looking at them with a reproachful expression. "I just said ' Lumos,' and the wand exploded by itself! Dean and Neville just had to come up next to me—"

Before he could finish speaking, Dean and Neville dragged him back. Under the righteous judgment of the two victims, the criminal Seamus refused to plead guilty and let out a series of screams.

Loren and Hermione sat in the front row, struggling to suppress the urge to laugh.

"I still don't understand..." Harry casually flicked the edge of "Practical Defensive Magic" with his fingers, his brows furrowed. "This morning's Potions class ended normally, and Snape didn't deduct any points from Gryffindor. It's unbelievable!"

The clock at the front of the classroom ticked slowly. Loren glanced at the time and said, "I think you'll understand soon enough."

Hearing this, Hermione tilted her head in confusion.

After the school bell rang, the young wizards quieted down and sat in their seats waiting for the professor to arrive.

Click—

A loud slam of the door rang out from behind, and all the young wizards turned around to see Snape, dressed in a black robe and dragging Snape black cloak, push open the door and enter.

Ignoring the young wizards' astonishment and scrutiny, Snape strode forward with a cold smile, waving his wand along the way to close the windows on both sides of the classroom. When he reached the podium, the entire classroom was plunged into complete darkness.

Snape pulled the rope, lowering the white curtain, and turned to read in a deep voice:

Turn to page 394.

An intimidating gaze swept over the young wizards, and despite their doubts, they did as he instructed and opened their textbooks.

Loren turned to the page according to the page number and saw the chapter title with "Werewolf" written in large letters, and was somewhat speechless.

Improving the Wolfsbane Potion, drugging Professor Lupin into the hospital, and then having him substitute for a class... Could this have been Professor Snape's plan from the beginning?

The little Witch next to her also turned to this page. Hermione seemed to have thought of something, her gaze shifting back and forth between Loren and Snape, her little face full of suspicion.

Amidst the rustling of pages, Harry raised his hand. "Excuse me, sir, this is Defense Against the Dark Arts. Where is Professor Lupin?"

A collective gasp filled the classroom, especially from Seamus and Dean, who looked at Harry with a mixture of admiration and pity.

"This is not your concern, is it, Potter?"

Surprisingly, Professor Snape was more patient and even gentler than usual. He said softly, "To put it simply, your Professor Lupin is currently unable to teach. Now turn to page 394."

Harry still didn't move. He then asked, "What's wrong with Professor Lupin?"

"No danger to his life." Snape's dark eyes Winky as he looked at Harry, his expression seemingly regretful. "Potter, if I have to ask you to turn the page a third time, Gryffindor should probably lose points."

Harry obediently lowered his head and flipped through the book. In fact, Snape was already quite surprised that he had waited until now to bring up the point deduction.

Snape looked around at the class. "Forget Potter's untimely interruption, I must say that Professor Lupin left no record of what you learned in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Hermione glanced at the illustrations and words on the pages, and the image of the silver disc that Boggart had transformed into in front of Professor Lupin flashed before her eyes again. If it was as she thought...

Hermione hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand. "Excuse me, sir, we've learned Boggart, Red Cap, and Kappa, and it'll be a few weeks before we learn Nocturnal Animals—"

"Quiet," Professor Snape interrupted quietly, giving Hermione no chance to continue. "I didn't ask any questions; I merely criticized Professor Lupin's teaching for its lack of structure. Furthermore, I believe first-year students should be capable of handling Red Cap and Kappa. Today we're going to discuss—"

"Werewolf".

Professor Snape tapped the projector, projecting numerous images of Werewolf onto the front of the classroom. "Professor McGonagall should have already taught you about the Animagus. Now, who can tell me the difference between Animagus and Werewolf?"

Hermione raised her hand again to answer, "Animagus are wizards who can choose to transform into animals, while Werewolf do not. They transform uncontrollably on the night of the full moon. They forget who they are, and if anyone gets in their way, they will kill even their best friend."

Professor Snape waited until she finished speaking before slowly criticizing her, "This is the second time you have spoken without permission, Miss Granger. If you make the same mistake three times, Gryffindor will lose points because of you."

The class continued, with images switching like a slideshow.

After explaining the Werewolf' ferocious nature, Snape paused for a few minutes, giving the young wizards ample time to take notes. Once most had stopped writing, he asked, "Can any of you tell me how to distinguish between Werewolf and a real wolf?"

Everyone sat motionless and silent.

Loren looked around; no one raised their hand except Hermione, who still held her hand high.

The little Witch had a stubborn look on her face.

Loren reached out and tugged at it a few times, but couldn't budge it.

Snape glanced at the two men's subtle movements, then quickly looked away. He said with a meaningful sarcasm, "Are you saying that Professor Lupin didn't tell you the fundamental difference between the two? If so, he's a really incompetent professor."

Parvati suddenly said, "I told you, we haven't even gotten to the chapter on Werewolf yet!"

Dean boldly declared, "Professor Lupin was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!"

Just as Snape's criticism of Professor Lupin had angered the young wizards, everyone agreed, and a hushed murmur filled the classroom.

Snape lowered his eyes and glanced around the class. Once everyone had quieted down, he slowly and sarcastically remarked, "Yes, yes, I've actually encountered a class of third-year students who can't even recognize Werewolf. I must tell Professor Dumbledore how backward you all are..."

He was drawing everyone's attention to the characteristics of Werewolf!

Hermione's face showed a hint of anxiety. She gritted her teeth and spoke for the third time without permission, "Sir, the difference between Werewolf and real werewolves is that Werewolf are victims of infection. They don't become Werewolf voluntarily, and after transforming, they can't control their bodies, just like people with mental illness..."

She quickly rattled off a series of pitiful aspects of Werewolf, hoping that her words would have some effect, evoking pity rather than unwarranted rejection and contempt when someone discovered Professor Lupin's true identity.

"This is the third time you've spoken without permission, Miss Granger. Do you lack self-control or are you trying to show off? Gryffindor loses five points for this," Snape said.

Hermione's face flushed red, and she lowered her hand. The whole class glared angrily at Snape.

Just then, Loren raised his hand, breaking the heavy atmosphere in the classroom. "Professor, Hermione answered the question correctly, shouldn't she get some extra points?"

"Morgan!" Snape glared at him coldly. "If you speak without permission, I will punish you by putting you in solitary confinement."

With Loren's interruption, the class was able to continue, and no one dared to utter a sound in the following lessons. The young wizards sat there, copying notes about Werewolf from their books, while Snape patrolled the desks, checking the homework that Professor Lupin had previously assigned.

"The explanation was a complete mess... The materials were outdated and obsolete."

"The information that Kappa is common in Japan is from ten years ago; now it is more common in Mongolia."

"Professor Lupin gave him eight points? I wouldn't even give him three..."

Finally, the bell rang, signaling the end of class, but Snape didn't let them leave. "Each of you must write a paper on how to identify and kill—"

Snape paused for a moment. "And how to defend against Werewolf —I require you to write two rolls of parchment on this topic, due Monday morning. Class dismissed!"

Harry and Ron left the classroom with the other students, who suppressed their anger. Once they were out of Snape's reach, they began to fiercely denounce Snape.

Hermione, her face flushed with anger throughout the entire class, grabbed Loren's sleeve and walked out without looking back.

Hermione pulled him into an Abandoned Classroom, her eyes slightly red as she looked at him. "You knew all along, didn't you?"

Hermione was both angry and aggrieved. She believed that Loren and Snape were in cahoots against Professor Lupin.

"Yes, I know Professor Lupin is Werewolf." Loren smiled helplessly, cupped the girl's cheeks in his hands, and wiped her eyes with his thumbs.

"Then, then you—" Hermione hesitated for a moment. She had assumed that Loren and Snape were working together against Professor Lupin, but she found that Loren didn't seem to have done anything.

The girl's eyes were slightly red and filled with tears, and her lips were pouting pitifully, making her look exceptionally pitiful.