Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 498 Three against one, yet still managed to be killed.
It must be said, Remus John Lupin was truly remarkable.

With his outstanding abilities, he managed to teach Sherlock and his classmates for two academic years in just one year.

There was no way around it; the problems left behind by the two Defense Against the Dark Arts professors were just too big.

The first Professor Quirrell only knew how to recite from the book and had no practical content whatsoever.

The second Professor Lockhart was better; he did teach everyone some useful spells.

The problem is that each class is only five minutes long, and the rest of the time is spent rehearsing stage plays.

Even so, he was still stronger than Quirrell in his first year.

Everything changed when Professor Lupin arrived.

"I don't mean to discourage anyone, but I still want to tell you the facts."

Professor Lu Ping looked around the classroom and slowly said:
"Even though we have tried to catch up, we are still far from enough in dealing with spells."

For you who are already in fourth grade, we need to face some more challenging content that is closer to real threats.

Of course, for teaching, safety and controllability remain the primary principles.

Professor Lupin noticed the expressions on some of the young wizards' faces and added a comment.

Next, his gaze swept over everyone's desks to the "Dark Magic: A Guide to Self-Defense"—this semester's textbook on Defense Against the Dark Arts—and he slowly said:

"I do recommend that everyone read this book carefully, but not in the classroom."

Put it away; nobody needs it today.

Upon hearing this, the students put their books into their bags, their eyes shining with excitement.

Sure enough, practical lessons full of surprises are Professor Lu Ping's standard feature!

"Please come with me."

Just like the first class last year, Professor Lu Ping led everyone out of the classroom and down the corridor.

Just as I turned the corner, I bumped into Pipi Ghost floating in mid-air.

Upon seeing the group following behind Professor Lu Ping, the mischievous smile on his face froze for a moment.

Since being subtly reprimanded by Professor Lu Ping last year, Pipi Gui has finally learned his lesson.

He stuck out his tongue, made a face at Lupin, and then darted into the adjacent corridor, no longer daring to block the way and provoke him as before.

Soon, they arrived at the familiar faculty office.

It was here last year that they first met Bogut.

"Last school year, everyone successfully dealt with quite a few magical creatures."

Although they each have their own dangers, most of them follow clear instincts and rules.

However, the real threat comes from far more than just these magical creatures.

Professor Lu Ping stood in the center of the office, his voice ringing out clearly in the empty room, but his expression gradually turned serious:
"The wizarding world contains some extremely powerful and malevolent black magic."

These spells are far more terrifying than these magical creatures, even dark magic creatures.

Hearing Professor Lu Ping say this, the students' hearts were in their throats.

Sherlock exchanged a glance with Hermione without making a sound.

Harry looked bewildered, but Ron reacted faster this time, muttering under his breath:

"He's not going to teach us those illegal dark magic spells, is he?"

He didn't say the name, but Sherlock and Hermione knew what he meant—the three Unforgivable Curses.

Hermione frowned, thought for a moment, and softly retorted:
"No, Professor Lupin is not such a radical person. He values ​​gradual progress and safety."

If Professor Lupin really did that, it would ruin his public image.

She glanced at Sherlock instinctively, and Sherlock nodded slightly.

Professor Lupin seemed to hear their whispers, his gentle gaze sweeping over Ron with a hint of a smile:
"Don't be nervous, Ron."

According to the Ministry of Magic's regulations, I should indeed teach you how to counter various offensive spells.

However, until you reach sixth grade, I will not show you any—nor will I allow anyone to show you—those extremely evil spells that are explicitly prohibited by law.

"but!"

Just as the young wizards breathed a sigh of relief, Professor Lupin changed the subject, his expression becoming unusually serious:

"Understanding darkness and being vigilant against darkness are the first steps to learning how to resist it."

Some spells, though not classified as unforgivable, can still be destructive and cause considerable pain and chaos if used properly.

Especially when the caster has malicious intent.

Today, I plan to start with the most basic offensive and defensive tactics.

The little wizard became excited upon hearing this.

"Great! Finally, we can get some real combat experience!"

"I knew it would be like this!"

"Is it like a duel club?"

Professor Lu Ping waited a moment until the commotion in the classroom subsided before raising his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

Immediately afterwards, he waved his wand, and four glowing circles, each about five meters in diameter, appeared in the center of the faculty lounge.

"Since we all know the shortcomings of spell countermeasures, let's start practicing the most basic offensive and defensive combat today."

As he spoke, he walked to the center of the arena, and golden light shot from the tip of his wand, instantly raising a semi-transparent magical barrier at the edge of each duel circle:
"The protective barrier will absorb spell energy exceeding the safety threshold, ensuring that no one is injured."

But please remember—this is not a reason to refrain from caution!
A spell going out of control and hitting a barrier will also be considered a failure.

Therefore, please be sure to stay focused and control your magic.

Please remember my request: all attackers are only permitted to use the spell "Apart from your weapon."

The young wizards nodded in agreement; they knew the spell all too well, and many of them had already instinctively gripped their wands in their pockets.

"As for the defenders, they can only use armor for protection—"

Lupin raised his voice to quell the commotion, "I know that Professor Lockhart taught you how to use the Ironclad Charm in your second year."

However, judging from last year's teaching, you are not yet proficient enough in mastering the Ironclad Spell.

Even when using it in a calm state, you can't achieve a 100% success rate.

His gaze swept over the eager students, and Neville immediately lowered his head.

Professor Lu Ping smiled slightly: "Remember, our goal is not to defeat our opponents."

In this step, the most important thing is to observe the trajectory of the spell, feel the force of the impact, and train the instinctive reaction of instant-casting Ironclad Spell!

I hope you will be able to use defensive spells freely, anytime, anywhere.

After the grouping was completed, the four groups of students stepped into the barrier circle.

The four teams consist of Sherlock vs. Neville, Harry vs. Seamus, Hermione vs. Parvati, and Ron vs. Dean.

"The outcome of a wizarding duel often depends on who can raise their wand faster—"

Lupin's voice pierced through the barrier, "Now, begin! Pay attention to the rhythm!" As soon as he finished speaking, four red lights lit up almost simultaneously inside the barrier, shooting out in a crisscrossing pattern.

Harry seemed to have a special talent for the Disarming Charm; the moment the shout of "Disarm!" was uttered, Seamus's wand flew out with a whoosh.

Hermione, on the defensive, remained as steady as a mountain; the red light shot by Parvati struck her without even causing a ripple.

Although Dean managed to erect the barrier in time, Ron's spell caused it to scatter red light and vibrate, as if it were about to shatter at any moment.

Facing his fencing master, Neville completely lost his composure. His spells either missed and hit the barrier with a dull thud, or landed weakly in front of Sherlock. Even if Sherlock didn't cast any defensive spells, it was of little use.

Lupin immediately stepped forward and pressed down on his shoulder: "Take a deep breath, Neville, don't swing your wand around carelessly, raise your wrist by half an inch—yes, that's it."

After a while, when Seamus was finally able to successfully use the Iron Man Charm to defend against Harry's attack, Professor Lupin stopped them.

"Now, both sides are switching roles!"

The situation was much the same as before. Seamus had just cast the Disarming Charm when it was firmly blocked by Harry's Armor Charm.

Hermione's Disarming Charm successfully made Parvati hand over her wand.

Ron and Dean were still locked in a fierce battle.

As for Sherlock, he naturally confiscated Neville's wand without a doubt.

However, this time, Neville, who was in charge of the defense, naturally had no way to deflect the spells onto the magical barrier created by Professor Lupin.

After this round of offense and defense ended, Professor Lupin began to increase the strength of the young wizards.

His wand pointed to the ceiling, and the four dueling circles suddenly merged into two.

"Now, a four-person free-for-all! The rules remain the same, but you must simultaneously deal with spells coming from multiple directions!"

Sherlock, Neville, Ron, and Dean form a group of four.

This time, the situation suddenly became chaotic.

First, Ron, the sixth brother, tried to ambush Sherlock, but his wand was knocked away by Dean's Obstruction Charm.

"Let's take down Sherlock first! Let's team up and take down Sherlock together!"

Ron, who had lost his wand, was so anxious that he jumped up and down inside the barrier and shouted at the top of his lungs, but no one paid any attention to him.

Because at this point, Sherlock had already removed Dean's wand.

Neville crouched down in terror, trying to use this method to avoid the spell.

Seeing this, Lu Ping couldn't help but feel helpless.

He waved his wand, instantly creating a magical barrier in front of Neville:
“Stand up, Neville! Fear weakens the spell's power—think of your courage when you faced the Boggart last year!”

"Ron, Dean, pick up your wands and attack again!"

"Sherlock, watch your positioning, don't get surrounded by three people at the same time... Okay, whatever you want."

Professor Lupin said this because the three who fought Sherlock had learned from their first experience and, just as Ron had said, started by joining forces to deal with Sherlock.

They adjusted their positions, attempting to surround Sherlock from three directions.

As a result, Sherlock disarmed Ron as soon as he raised his hand.

At this moment, Dean's disarming spell was successfully cast, but it was blocked by Sherlock's armor spell.

As for Neville, at this point he was still unaware of what had happened.

The process was almost identical in the following rounds.

Sherlock easily wins against three opponents each time.

On the other side of the battlefield, Harry and Hermione first formed a brief alliance, working together to eliminate Seamus and Parvati, before engaging in a one-on-one battle.

"That's not fair, Hermione!"

Parvati, hands on her hips, grumbled angrily, "Why didn't you team up with me to deal with those two boys first?"

"I'm sorry, but even so, the outcome won't change."

Hermione's face was apologetic, but her tone was firm: "In that case, you'll be the first to be eliminated."

"you……"

Parvati puffed out his cheeks in anger, but couldn't find a rebuttal.

Under Professor Lupin's on-site guidance, the young wizards, who were divided into two groups for a free-for-all, made rapid progress.

After the four-person melee ended, Professor Lu Ping selected eight students who hadn't participated and repeated the offensive and defensive drills.

Throughout this process, Professor Lu Ping continued to make corrections based on each person's performance.

After the eight people finished their one-on-one battles and the four-person free-for-all, today's practical lesson came to an end.

"Professor, we haven't gone on stage yet!"

Upon hearing the bell ring for the end of get out of class, and seeing the little lions who had already taken the stage all sweating profusely but with bright eyes, the little lions who hadn't yet had a chance to go on stage started shouting.

Some couldn't help but shout:
"Could we extend the time a little longer?"

"That's right, since the next class is History of Magic, it doesn't matter if we're a little late!"

"Why don't we tell Professor Binns and just take his class too?"

"That won't do—running overtime is not a good habit."

Lupin waved his wand to dispel the barrier, and smiled slightly after hearing the little lions' suggestion:
"Don't worry, our course content will be based on this for the next period of time."

And I will teach you new offensive and defensive spells.

Hearing this, everyone finally quieted down, and the disappointment on their faces was replaced by anticipation.

"Remember, the focus today is not on who wins or loses."

Professor Lupin summarized as he wiped his wand, "The most important thing is to let you experience three things firsthand:
First, defense should always be the priority.

Successfully blocking ten spells is more valuable than hitting your opponent once.

Second, control is more important than power.

Neville's final Ironclad Charm, though weak, was precise and more suited to practical combat than Ron's out-of-control Barrier Charm.

Third, tactics are of paramount importance.

Harry and Hermione's brief alliance during the melee, and the combined strategy of Ron, Neville, and Dean, are worthy of everyone's study.

He looked at the thoughtful expressions on the young wizards' faces, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes, and smiled gently:
"Remember, training is a means, not an end."

What we ultimately need to learn is how to protect ourselves and others in the face of real danger.

As soon as Professor Lu Ping announced the end of get out of class and the little lion left the classroom, a torrent of discussion erupted like a burst dam.

Most of the students were talking excitedly about everyone's performance just now:
"Three against one and still got killed? Are you guys kidding me?"

"Are you kidding me? That's the Lion King! You'd lose even if you went up against him!"

"That makes sense..."

"And another thing, the title of Savior is well-deserved—look, even Hermione is no match for Harry!"

"It's wonderful that Professor Lu Ping can continue to be our teacher!"

(End of this chapter)