Slytherin, Five Points!

As energetic and endlessly curious Young Wizards, they naturally had high expectations for a course that sounded as formidable as Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Unfortunately, the news they had heard in the dining hall that morning had all been bad.

Some said Professor Quirrell's classes were incredibly boring.

Some said Professor Quirrell dressed very strangely.

Others said Professor Quirrell reeked strongly of garlic.

Before the class had even begun, the Young Wizards' anticipation had already diminished considerably.

But now, it seemed that the latter two claims were indeed true, while the first—that his classes were boring—did not appear to be the case at all.

"You should all be familiar with the basic concepts of Dark Magic: Evil Curses, Poison Curses, and curses. But do you know the specific standards by which they are classified?"

Professor Quirrell spoke eloquently from the podium. He neither told them to turn to a particular page in their books nor, as the older students had described, merely muttered under his breath from the podium so that they had to listen carefully to catch the important points.

At that moment, Professor Quirrell looked confident and carried himself with great presence.

It felt as though he had been looking forward to this lesson for a long time.

Nor did he hide the breadth of his knowledge in his words. Though some of what he said sounded somewhat disrespectful toward the textbooks, on careful consideration, he might not have been wrong. In fact, his views might have made even more sense than what was written in the books.

Of course, only a small number of students could see that.

After all, most students had not previewed their textbooks.

Taylor listened very attentively. Ever since she was young, she had heard of many kinds of Dark Magic. Though her grandmother had never taught her how to use them, she had taught her some of the necessary counter-curses.

Someone in her family had been killed by Dark Magic, so while she loathed it deeply, she was also all the more cautious and concerned about it.

Malfoy watched Professor Quirrell from below. Though he was merely teaching a normal class, Malfoy could still feel the power of his words...

But... they did not seem as powerful or stirring as Luke's words.

On second thought, the professor was only teaching an ordinary lesson. It would have been truly strange if he were more impressive than Luke.

He turned to glance at Luke and discovered that Luke was also watching Professor Quirrell with great seriousness. He looked utterly focused, though for some reason, his expression was somewhat stiff.

Luke's expression was far more than merely stiff...

He was nearly numb with shock.

How could others know what he knew?

The person teaching up there was merely wearing Quirrell's face.

Of course he understood Dark Magic. Of course he disdained the textbooks. Of course he was effective at teaching.

Damn it, that was Tom Marvolo Riddle! He was The Dark Lord! He was the man who, after failing to become Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, had simply cursed the position!

Who knew how many years his anticipation for this class had lasted.

When he had slaughtered Muggle wizards and imposed terror upon the British Wizarding World, had he ever thought of a classroom like this?

Up there, he would explain his understanding of Dark Magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Below, students would listen attentively, take notes, and interact with him.

Perhaps he would have become an outstanding professor, possibly even Head of Slytherin, and perhaps eventually Hogwarts's headmaster.

Wait, wasn't that Snape's career path?

So that was it. Voldemort's original dream had been to become Snape?

Of course, that was only a passing thought for Luke. He knew full well that even if Voldemort had truly wanted to become a Hogwarts professor in the beginning, his personality and methods would never have allowed him to become a kind and approachable teacher.

Unlike Snape, whose words and actions were harsh but who ultimately did not cause students any real harm.

If Tom became a professor, some students would probably truly become Sacrifices for his dream of immortality.

Though his mind was filled with scattered thoughts, his attention never relaxed. His right hand had already formed a loose gripping gesture, ready at any moment to draw Slytherin's Wand.

Although the system had not given him any relatively safe means of increasing his immediate combat power.

This wand could. Though it was unsafe, it could indeed give Luke considerable strength for a certain period of time.

But its side effects... even just reading the description made Luke keep his distance. He had resolved not to use it unless it was a true emergency.

He did not think Tom would be insane enough to attack students at this time and in this place. But he still needed to be prepared.

"Then, can anyone tell me what standards are used to distinguish the three types of Dark curses mentioned above?"

Professor Quirrell's explanation was reaching its peak. His spirits seemed to grow better and better, and a smile even curled at the corner of his lips. Luke could practically feel his happiness and delight; even that seemingly endless greed had temporarily become an iceberg beneath the surface.

The students looked at one another, apparently none of them having a detailed answer to the question.

Professor Quirrell's lesson had already strayed somewhat from the textbook. Even those students who had previewed it could no longer answer.

Let alone those who had not prepared at all.

Someone could answer this question.

Taylor, who had understood Dark Magic quite well since childhood, naturally knew the answer.

At that moment, she had not activated her Legilimens talent. After all, Legilimens did not wish to constantly hear the dark or filthy thoughts in other people's minds—especially when such thoughts were paired with righteous behavior and bright, gentle smiles. That was even more disgusting.

Just as she was about to raise her hand and answer, Luke suddenly pressed down hard on her hand.

The movement was not large and was even quite discreet.

She cautiously glanced at Luke, trying to keep her expression normal.

Luke gave her an almost imperceptible shake of his head. She thus gave up the idea of standing up to answer.

She had never been interested in drawing attention to herself. But today's Defense Against the Dark Arts class had been so excellent, and none of the people below could answer Professor Quirrell's question.

She had wanted to stand up and spare the professor the embarrassment. After all, compared with someone standing up and giving the wrong answer, that heavy silence in which no one could stand up was even more awkward for a teacher.

But since Luke had stopped her, and done so so discreetly, she would not foolishly take the risk.

"Luke, Luke Gaunt! You answer! I trust that someone from such an old family as yours must have a sufficient understanding of such basic knowledge."

"Professor Quirrell" smiled as he invited Luke to answer.

Everyone's gaze focused on Luke in the corner.

Luke sighed inwardly. What was coming would always come.

"There is no fixed distinction between them, Professor. Aside from the Three Unforgivable Curses, which are absolute curses, the others are classified differently by different people depending on their effects."

"For example, in some people's eyes, the Bat-Bogey Hex is a Poison Curse, but in others' eyes, it is merely a minor Evil Curse."

"Professor Quirrell" was very satisfied with Luke's answer.

"Excellent! Slytherin, five points!"