Defense Against The Dark Arts

"Ethan, get up!"

Terry looked at Ethan, who was still lying in bed, a bit confused.

Usually he got up early yesterday to flirt with the senior sister, but not today?

"Ah! It's morning already!"

Ethan replied groggily, struggling to open his eyes.

He had returned to the dormitory past five o'clock and now it was only eight. It was impossible to rest well in such a short time. In fact, he felt even sleepier after such a brief nap.

"What did you do last night?"

Gene, noticing Ethan's disheveled state, asked curiously.

"Nothing, just didn't sleep well last night."

Ethan made up a random excuse. He couldn't explain that he had gone on a night tour, stolen a collection accumulated by Hogwarts students for thousands of years, and ended up in the potion classroom retrieving a textbook of "Advanced Potion Making."

Ethan had this book, but Snape's version included many of his own revisions and recorded several dark spells.

At the time, Ethan thought that since he had already taken so many things, Snape wouldn't be a big deal, so he went there, which was also considered a chance for Harry.

"The next class is Defense Against the Dark Arts. I heard from a senior that the teacher for this class changes every year. Some of them have issues before finishing the year. I don't know if it's true."

Ethan went to wash up, while Terry and a few others chatted. Terry, being talkative and outgoing, had learned a lot of gossip from a more talkative senior the previous day.

"It's true. I also heard that a mysterious person cursed the Defense Against the Dark Arts Department."

Gene, who was from a wizarding family and lived in a wizarding community, confirmed Terry's statement.

"In that case, I don't understand why Professor Quirrell is so eager to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts when he was originally teaching Muggle Studies."

Terry shared what he had learned from the senior, who had looked regretful about the change.

Quirrell was also from Ravenclaw. Although Muggle Studies is an elective course with few students, Quirrell taught it well and was quite popular among Ravenclaws.

Quirrell's class!

Ethan, back from washing up, shook his head. Quirrell's skills were questionable, and he wasn't an effective teacher.

It seemed like Dumbledore was making poor choices. None of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors he appointed were normal. Even if Lupin taught well, he was a werewolf and wouldn't be around for long.

This course was crucial, more so than Potions and Herbology, and was on par with Transfiguration and Charms. It was essential for wizards to protect themselves, especially for those who were half-blood or Muggle-born.

In fact, the Defense Against the Dark Arts class could be replaced with a "Self-Defense" course to eliminate the stigma of the position and hire a competent professor.

Dumbledore should be held accountable for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors who were incapacitated or ineffective and for the young wizards who didn't learn the necessary skills. After all, he was the headmaster.

…

"Are you waiting for me to have breakfast together?"

Ethan saw Penelope in the common room and immediately greeted her with a smile.

There were more people in the common room now compared to seven o'clock yesterday morning, mostly seniors in their fifth, sixth, and seventh years.

Although young Ravenclaw students were diligent, they weren't so committed unless facing two exams.

"Yes, I was waiting for you. I waited a long time, but you didn't seem to wake up yet!"

Penelope stepped forward, not showing any shyness or hesitation.

"What did you do last night?"

"I'm the Prefect of Ravenclaw, responsible for supervising you. If I catch you doing something bad, then you better be ready for punishment!"

On the spiral staircase, Penelope acted like a stern senior.

"You really doubt others too much. What bad things could I do?"

Ethan spread his hands, feigning innocence.

"Okay, don't let me catch you!"

Penelope threatened with gritted teeth.

The three roommates trailed behind, whispering and not daring to come forward. Penelope was the class leader and was usually serious.

They didn't dare to chat and laugh with her like Ethan did.

After breakfast in the hall, Penelope had to attend the ancient runes class. Though she didn't choose all subjects like Hermione, her schedule was almost as full.

She only skipped Divination and Arithmetic Divination, subjects she found uninteresting and unhelpful, so her courses were quite packed.

…

"Do you smell anything?"

"Garlic. I smell garlic, and it's very strong!"

At the door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Terry commented to Gene, looking certain.

His family liked garlic, but it didn't make the house smell so strongly.

Entering the classroom, Ethan saw some classmates already there with unpleasant expressions.

"Bubble head protection!"

Ethan cast the spell, creating a large bubble around his head that looked like a fish tank.

This was comfortable, and Ethan understood why Celestial Dragons used it.

The bubble head spell was simple and practical. Although it was originally used for underwater breathing, it also isolated unpleasant air.

However, for those with bad breath, the air inside the bubble would become unbearable after thirty minutes.

"Give me one!"

Michael, usually reserved, couldn't stand it anymore and asked Ethan directly.

Ethan obliged and cast the spell on each of them.

Soon, Hufflepuff's badgers and Gryffindor's lions lined up for the spell. Even Slytherins came over, not wanting to endure such a long, unpleasant class.

They justified it by saying that it was not about asking for help but about fitting in with the group.

Cassandra, visibly upset, came to Ethan. She didn't expect to lose again before class. This was a fourth-grade spell; what had he learned?

Fortunately, the head-bubble spell was a simple and low-energy spell. After using it many times, Ethan could cast it silently.

When the bell rang, Quirrell was clearly shocked by the sight. What was going on?

Even if there was some smell, it shouldn't be this bad!

But Quirrell was his usual clueless self. He said nothing and just picked up the textbook, starting to read without any interaction or explanation.

Even if a student raised their hand to ask a question, he ignored it.

Ethan put "Dark Power: Self-Defense Guide" on the table, covered his head with the bubble charm, and started to rest.

Anyway, Quirrell's class was a waste of time. He read from the textbook himself. What use was Quirrell? Ethan might as well read it himself when he had time.

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