Interesting Professors

The Great Hall was filled with laughter and cheerful chatter as the students eagerly discussed the Quidditch match. Lilith complained to Moriarty and Jericho, saying they had made her worry.

"Seeing Professor Snape's expression this afternoon, I really thought he was going to expel you two!" She viciously speared a piece of roast pork chop and stuffed it into her mouth.

At that moment, Keith walked up to Moriarty. In fact, Moriarty's Levitation Charm had protected him well. After sleeping for a few hours in the school hospital, he had been discharged.

Keith solemnly thanked Moriarty. After chatting with him for a few moments, he slowly made his way back to the Slytherin Common Room.

Moriarty noticed that Keith's companion, Larpo, showed no reaction at all. Larpo silently ate a chicken leg.

With Keith's appearance, the students shifted the topic to his fall.

The little snakes generally believed that Keith's fall had something to do with Percy. Larpo said to the people around him, "Weasley said that! Right before Keith got on his broom, he said Keith would lose his life—you all know that!"

Percy heard him, and his face turned deathly pale.

Naturally, the lions firmly denied it, loudly mocking Keith as a talentless, attention-seeking idiot.

Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw also joined the discussion. The Little Eagles began analyzing the matter, saying there had been something wrong with the speed at which Keith's broom rose.

Keith had neither Moriarty's talent nor Jericho's polished skill. How could he possibly have shot into the sky?

Even if he had suffered a Magic Power surge, it would only have sent him flying into the air himself. It had nothing to do with the broom.

Moriarty shook his head. This was an argument destined to reach no conclusion. After dinner, he returned to the dormitory; there were still some details to refine regarding how to conceal the Levitation Charm.

Early the next morning, Moriarty stopped Tonks in the eighth-floor corridor. After hearing his request, the senior agreed to help him brew Skele-Gro.

"Still, junior, my Potions class grades are only so-so. Aren't you worried I'll ruin your potion?" Tonks asked.

Moriarty smiled. "That's why I'm only asking you to do some preparation work, like chopping up small tree roots."

Tonks said nothing. She merely drew her Wand, seeming eager to have a battle with Moriarty.

After leaving the Room of Requirement, Moriarty went to Charms class.

The Charms class teacher was Professor Flitwick. Whenever Moriarty proposed new ideas about charm theory, he always praised him lavishly and awarded points to Slytherin House.

More importantly, Professor Flitwick had his own insights into certain ancient magics. When he shared them with Moriarty, Moriarty was pleasantly surprised.

Some ancient charms were not suitable for modern people. Moriarty tried to find a balance between ancient magic and modern magic—or more points of similarity between them. Perhaps that would allow him to create new charms.

Even if it did not, he could still improve the charms left behind by his ancestor Salazar, though those charms were already highly refined.

After several exchanges, although Moriarty did not have a favorable impression of Goblins, Professor Flitwick had earned his respect.

Professor Flitwick also often used Moriarty as an example, encouraging the students of Slytherin and Ravenclaw to ask questions actively.

Penelope was the most enthusiastic among the students. She raised her hand and answered many of Professor Flitwick's questions.

After Professor Flitwick taught the Levitation Charm, she was also the first student to master it. Though Moriarty had long since been able to use it proficiently, it still gave her confidence.

Penelope carried that momentum into Astronomy class as well.

Professor Aurora Sinistra led the little snakes and Little Eagles in using telescopes to observe the night sky, learning the names and orbital paths of various stars, planets, and constellations.

Perhaps because she had the basic astronomy knowledge Muggles learned in primary school, Penelope seemed to understand it instinctively. Watching Penelope swiftly draw an astronomical chart of Jupiter, Professor Sinistra did not hesitate to award Ravenclaw twenty points.

"Oh, dear, your name is Penelope, isn't it? You're wonderful. You should know that many children still can't fully identify the names of all Jupiter's moons even in their fifth year." Professor Sinistra wore a kindly expression. "Oh? Mr. Moriarty drew one as well? Let me see."

She walked over to Moriarty's side. Before long, she began praising him too and awarded Slytherin House ten points.

After Professor Sinistra went to guide the other students, Lilith curiously asked Moriarty why he was so proficient in astronomy.

Moriarty understood what she meant.

Unlike Transfiguration and Potions, where a genius appeared every now and then, Astronomy and Divination were like deserts for geniuses.

Few people were willing to waste time on a subject with little practical value.

However, Moriarty did not see it that way. He had not forgotten the words of that Japanese Dark Wizard or the prophecy of immortality.

When prophecy was involved, Divination became extremely important. And Divination was closely linked to Astronomy. Moriarty was even considering whether to continue studying Astronomy in his fifth year.

After two classes, Penelope became famous.

Everyone knew that Ravenclaw had produced a first-year girl who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Moriarty—even if only in Astronomy.

But there were very few students who could be mentioned in the same breath as Moriarty. On that basis alone, Ravenclaw's Little Eagles gave Penelope high praise.

No particularly outstanding Little Wizard appeared in the following Herbology class—at least, aside from Moriarty. Everyone had tacitly agreed that he no longer fell within the category of ordinary students. What they wanted to see were Little Wizards of the same age competing with Moriarty.

Yet when Moriarty calmly explained the history and effects of dittany, Professor Pomona Sprout smiled and awarded him ten points, and the students of all four Houses realized that Moriarty had already earned seventy points for Slytherin House.

The little snakes recalled the thirty points Severus Snape had deducted from Moriarty's group of three. If those points were not counted, Moriarty had already earned one hundred points for Slytherin!

Now, Mr. Slytherin earning points for Slytherin House was no longer just something people talked about. Whenever the students discussed it, their expressions would be full of longing.

Lilith and Jericho also cared deeply about the twenty points Severus Snape had deducted from them. They constantly searched for ways to earn points.

Jericho received praise in Flying class, while Lilith performed the Slug Curse exceptionally well in Defense Against the Dark Arts. The Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Randi Cullen, awarded her five points.

Since class began, Moriarty had been observing Professor Randy.

He had large black eyes, dark brown hair, a pale complexion, and a pitch-black cloak. Moriarty remembered that whenever he had seen him eating in the Great Hall, Professor Randy had always eaten very little.

These strange traits and his appearance made Moriarty suspect that Professor Randy was a vampire.

The appearance of a vampire at Hogwarts, even one serving as a professor, did not shock Moriarty. Professor Randy behaved no differently from an ordinary person and taught them how to defend against the Dark Arts properly, just like the other professors.

What truly puzzled Moriarty was why Professor Randy had appeared. Dumbledore would not recruit a vampire as a professor for no reason, especially not as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

Even by the end of class, Moriarty had not observed any valuable clues from Professor Randy. He set aside his doubts and went to History of Magic.

Unlike most students, who found History of Magic unbearable, Moriarty's interest in the subject ranked among his top three courses.

In their first History of Magic lesson, Professor Cuthbert Binns briefly introduced several famous historical figures. When he mentioned the Goblin Rebellions, Moriarty quickly raised his hand. "Professor, could you tell us more about goblin history?"

Professor Binns seemed to hold a special fondness for Moriarty, so he complied. Yet he could not change his monotonous, tedious voice, and the students below soon grew drowsy.

Only Moriarty could resist the hypnotic force of that monotonous voice and dry history. As Professor Binns spoke, he kept taking notes, occasionally wearing a thoughtful expression.

The only other student who had not fallen asleep was Lilith. She was accustomed to boredom, but she did not understand why Moriarty was interested in goblins.

Resting her cheek on her hand, Lilith soon discovered that Moriarty's notes were more interesting than a ghost and a course widely considered the most useless one. She began reading them.

After Professor Binns finished discussing goblin history, Moriarty asked another question about the Chamber of Secrets. The students suddenly were no longer sleepy.

Professor Binns curled his lip, a sight that greatly surprised the students. Then they heard him say disdainfully that the Chamber was merely a "legend," while only what he taught was "fact."

Still, Professor Binns told Moriarty some things about the Chamber, and they largely matched what Moriarty already knew.

As soon as class ended, word spread throughout Hogwarts that Moriarty was interested in the Chamber of Secrets.