Header Background Image
    Chapter Index
    Read Advanced Chapters on Patreon: patreon.com/fantasystories797

    Chapter 85: The Curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class Comes True

    “Andy, you can’t keep doing this,” Hermione said, her voice laced with a touch of helplessness in the quiet classroom. “The exams are coming soon, we should be studying! Not practicing magic, or reading books unrelated to the exams.” The young witch blushed, her gaze carrying a hint of reproach as she looked at Andy.

    “It’s just an exam, does it really need studying?” Andy closed his system, his tone also tinged with a bit of helplessness. He’d heard of pre-marital anxiety, postpartum anxiety, but never exam anxiety. This was a learning experience.

    “You don’t just want to get an A (pass), do you?” Hermione said, looking at Andy. “Getting an O (Outstanding) on the exam isn’t that easy.”

    For the past half-month, Hermione had been completely focused on her studies. As the exam date drew nearer, her anxiety grew.

    Andy really wanted to say that getting an A was pretty good. But considering the young witch’s values, he changed his approach. “Opportunities to practice magic are rare, I’ll review in the dorm tonight. The exam is still three months away, the written part shouldn’t be a problem.”

    In Hogwarts’ coursework, Andy was a pragmatist, with strong practical skills but weaker theory. His memory wasn’t great, he only read the key points in books; if it were a written exam, Andy wasn’t sure he could get an O. Besides, Andy didn’t really care about Hogwarts exams. Andy pursued power and immortality, not exam scores and the House Cup. However, Andy wouldn’t impose his ideals on others. Hermione, while clever, was no different from the other young witches and wizards at school. Their goal in studying was to get a decent job after graduation. Kids, you see, tend to idealize things.

    “I envy you!” Hermione, upon hearing Andy’s words, showed an envious expression. “My Charms and Transfiguration are still far behind yours, I can’t even imagine what it would be like to fail. If I only get an E (Exceeds Expectations), how disappointed Professor Flitwick would be!”

    Andy: …

    A perfect score of one hundred, and ninety-nine points equals failing? If those underachievers heard that, they’d kill you.

    “At your current level, even if the exam were tomorrow, you could get an O in every subject.” Andy spoke the truth. Hermione had memorized all the textbooks before enrolling, and had been practicing magic with Andy all this time, plus the explanations from the teachers… getting an O was child’s play.

    “It’s getting late, let’s go to the Great Hall for dinner!” Andy suggested.

    Hermione glanced at the darkening sky outside and readily agreed, “Okay!”

    The Great Hall was as lively as ever. Harry and Ron’s injuries were a thing of the past; the most discussed topic among the students was Quidditch. Based on current standings, Gryffindor was in first place, Slytherin closely behind, and Ravenclaw was last, completely out of the running for the Quidditch Cup this year. There was a Slytherin versus Hufflepuff match next month, a crucial game where the winner would face Gryffindor for the championship. The Quidditch Cup competition had drastically worsened relations between the three houses; there was always a tense atmosphere whenever they were together. As for the last-placed Ravenclaw… they, as always, had good relations with everyone.

    While having dinner, several older students suddenly ran into the Great Hall, shouting, “The Forbidden Forest is on fire! The Forbidden Forest is on fire!”

    What?

    Andy, completely baffled, quickly stood up and looked towards the Gryffindor table. Thankfully, Harry was still there.

    “What’s going on?”

    The younger students were both nervous and excited. Nervous because something had happened at Hogwarts, excited because the incident was far away, allowing them to enjoy the drama safely. Some bolder students wanted to run out and see what was happening, but were stopped at the entrance of the Great Hall by Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, and others who had rushed in.

    “All of you, sit down!” Professor McGonagall’s tone was severe. “Prefects, check each house to see if anyone’s missing from the Great Hall.” “Severus, Filius, you take care of the Great Hall; I and the other professors will patrol the castle to see if there are any other students missing.”

    Snape nodded slightly, a soft “Hmm.” His mood was terrible. As one of the few people at Hogwarts who knew the truth, Snape naturally guessed who had started the fire in the Forbidden Forest. Knowing this made his mood even worse. He knew Voldemort fairly well, and Voldemort’s audacity indicated that his patience was wearing thin. A Voldemort who had lost his patience was extremely dangerous. Especially… Voldemort was currently in the Forbidden Forest, just outside Hogwarts castle. At this thought, Snape couldn’t help but feel anxious.

    Seeing the commotion in the Great Hall, Snape raised his wand, pointing it at his own throat, “Quiet!! Everyone, get back to your seats immediately!”

    Andy looked at the group of professors. Almost all the school professors were present, except for Professor Tony Thorne, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. At first, Andy didn’t think much of it, but on second thought, it seemed odd. Professor Thorne had been teaching for over half a year, and he was a relatively responsible professor. With such a big incident at the school, he couldn’t possibly be hiding.

    Andy quickly made a judgment. This fire in the Forbidden Forest… Professor Thorne was either the culprit or the victim. Andy remembered the curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, a curse Dumbledore himself had admitted to.

    “May you be blessed with good fortune!” Andy silently mourned.

    With the professors arriving, the younger students’ nervousness dissipated, leaving only excitement. Everyone wanted to know what had happened in the Forbidden Forest, but with Snape present, no one dared to speak loudly.

    The prefects quickly counted the number of students in each house, and many were missing from each. Although it was dinner time, not all students would come to the Great Hall on time for dinner. Some who came early had already finished and left.

    After hearing the prefects’ report, Snape and Flitwick exchanged a glance. They couldn’t leave, and could only hope that Professor McGonagall could bring all the students to the Great Hall.

    Ravenclaw table.

    Hermione was worried, “The Forbidden Forest was fine, why would it suddenly catch fire?”

    Andy mouthed, “Quirrell!”

    At this point, Andy didn’t want to hide it anymore, at least he needed to give the young witch some warning. That was a boss who had been possessed by Voldemort, who knew what crazy things he might do in his deranged state.

    (End of Chapter)

    Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter

    You can support the author on

    0 Comments

    Heads up! Your comment will be invisible to other guests and subscribers (except for replies), including you after a grace period. But if you submit an email address and toggle the bell icon, you will be sent replies until you cancel.
    Note