Augurey and Hallucinations

Because the professors change every year, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom is not fixed and changes location every year.

Last year, Lockhart chose a large, sunny classroom to display the large self-portraits he had hung on the walls.

Professor Lupin had no self-portrait, or even many photographs, so he simply chose an ordinary empty classroom.

When they arrived, there were only a few people talking to each other in the classroom.

They sat down and waited a while before Professor Lupin finally entered the classroom. He smiled faintly and placed a tattered old box on the podium.

Perhaps it was because he had eaten a few good meals, but he looked much healthier than he had on the train, and with his clean new robe, he seemed like a completely different person.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully. "Please put your textbooks back. Today's lesson is a practical one; you only need your magic wands."

The students put their books away, exchanging curious glances. They vaguely remembered someone saying the same thing... Oren in first grade.

He did the same thing back then, telling them to put away their textbooks and focus on practical application.

Some people started to get excited.

Although Oren was a dark wizard, it's undeniable that the first year's Defense Against the Dark Arts was the most interesting, and he truly put his heart into preparing for each lesson.

Instead of doing things perfunctorily like some of the professors.

They're neither good people, but their dedication is worlds apart... That's probably why only Oren was able to escape in the end.

"Alright," Professor Lupin said, seeing that everyone was ready, as he took out a large cage covered by a curtain. "I have a little surprise for you."

Seeing this, everyone's expressions became even stranger.

Oren did the same thing during the first lesson, taking out a cage filled with Billywig and saying he had prepared a surprise for them.

If you ignore the details, their actions, including their opening remarks, are almost identical.

These two can't possibly be related, can they...?

Father and son? Their ages don't match.

Brothers? But they don't look alike at all!

However, Professor Lupin had no idea what they were thinking. He suddenly lifted the cloth covering the cage, revealing a bird with brightly colored feathers inside.

Its head feathers are very fluffy, but its claws are very small, looking like an upside-down teardrop.

"A professor told me that there has been almost no progress in Defense Against the Dark Arts over the past two years, so you..."

His gaze lingered on Kyle for a moment, "... most people don't have a very good foundation."

"We've even defeated Werewolf," a Ravenclaw whispered. "In Lockhart's stage plays, there are Troll, vampires..."

Everyone around understood, and a burst of laughter immediately followed.

"Okay, but that's not your true level."

Professor Lupin didn't laugh; he merely twitched the corner of his mouth and changed the subject, saying, "So I asked Professor Hagrid to retrieve it from the Forbidden Forest to conduct a small test to determine just how much knowledge you've actually acquired."

"First question, does anyone know what kind of animal this is?"

Kyle raised his hand and said, "Augurey."

"That's right, it's the Hufflepuff Augurey, five points," Professor Lupin said. "So what special abilities does it have?"

Qiu raised her hand even faster this time.

"The song of the Augurey can make people lose their minds and do some very abnormal things."

"Absolutely right, Ravenclaw five points."

Professor Lupin said, "When you see Augurey, it's best to cover your ears immediately... But don't worry, the Augurey you're seeing has just drunk a large glass of brandy and is still drunk. I think its song will only make people dizzy for a while, that's all."

"The spell to deal with the Augurey is very simple; just make them stop making a sound."

"Let's practice the spell without wands first. Repeat after me... Langlock!"

"Langlock!" the whole class shouted in unison.

"Very good," Professor Lupin raised his hand, gesturing for everyone to stand up, and then moved the tables and chairs to the side. "But just knowing the incantation isn't enough. Now, everyone line up. Kyle, how about you go first?"

Kyle nodded and stepped forward.

Professor Lupin opened the cage.

But the Augurey seemed to be drunk; it stood there with its eyes closed, and Kyle could even hear its long, drawn-out breathing...

Are you ready?

Professor Lupin took out an old-fashioned record player, and after receiving an affirmative reply from Kyle, he turned the needle.

The classroom was filled with cheerful drumbeats.

This is "A Hot Spatula" by the Weird Sisters, which was also one of the most popular fast-paced songs more than a decade ago.

When the music started, the Augurey's feathers visibly trembled. It opened its eyes and immediately began to sing merrily to the rhythm.

Some students immediately covered their ears, but others chose to believe Professor Lupin.

To their surprise, they discovered that the song of the Augurey wasn't a piercing noise, but rather quite pleasant, clear and melodious, like the sound of raindrops falling on leaves, or like flowers blooming... Strange, why would flowers make a sound?

They only snapped out of their daze when a burst of enthusiastic applause erupted around them.

The foremost Augurey had its beak open, but it made no further sound.

"How are you feeling?" Professor Lupin asked with a smile.

"That's amazing!" exclaimed a Ravenclaw girl. "I heard so many sounds, and I could almost see the Forbidden Forest in full bloom."

"Looks like this Augurey has a good tolerance for alcohol. I should have given it a little more."

"But it's fine as it is now."

Professor Lupin addressed everyone, saying, "As you can see, this is the effect of the Augurey's song, which allows people to hear or see things that are not actually there... just like them."

He pointed around the classroom and noted that those who hadn't covered their ears earlier had mostly broken away from the group, though they weren't far away, only a couple of steps.

"Under normal circumstances, they would have already started adventuring in the Forbidden Forest, and then you would have seen a series of strange and comical actions."

Most people looked disappointed; they actually hoped it would be like that.

Professor Lupin continued, "This is the second point I want to make to you. The Augurey may sound unfriendly, but its song is very beautiful. Before you know it, it can make you fall into your own illusion."

Therefore, you must always remain vigilant.

"I will break the curse on the Augurey at any time afterward. You must hear its song before you can recite the incantation. Do you all understand?"

"Understood, Professor!" everyone said.

"Alright, next one."

Kyle walked to the side, and Ryan immediately stepped forward, staring intently at the Augurey.

Some people covered their ears again, but a few chose not to, clearly wanting to see the Forbidden Forest in full bloom as well.

In comparison, the spell to deal with the Augurey became less important.

Professor Lupin didn't stop him, and just watched with great interest.

Just before class was about to end, perhaps because the intoxication had worn off, the Augurey's song suddenly became much louder.

Several people who were playing around suddenly froze, some stretching out their arms and legs as if they were doing some kind of climbing exercise.

Some people even imagined themselves as fish in the Black Lake, lying on the ground and constantly shaking their legs.

The people in the classroom were practically bursting with laughter.

Ryan clutched his stomach and ran over to Mikel, mimicking his actions.

Mikel didn't cover his ears either; he was currently stretching his neck, trying to bite his heel.

Professor Lupin couldn't help but chuckle, and at the same time reached out and pulled back a student who was standing on the windowsill, about to perform a high dive.

"I think they should now realize how dangerous the song of the Augurey is," he said.

The students laughed even louder.

However, this situation did not last long, and by the time get out of class ended, everyone had basically recovered.

As soon as the bell rang, they rushed out impatiently, seemingly not wanting to stay a moment longer, and the classroom was in chaos.