Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 253 Levent's Revenge
Undisguised malice was conveyed to Neville through his gaze, like the deadly magic emanating from the basilisk's pupils.

Neville's mind went blank. Although his reason told him that he was in the staff lounge of Hogwarts, that this was just a lesson in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and that Bellatrix in front of him was actually a Boggart, a voice whispered to him that this was a vicious Death Eater.

The enemy who drove his parents mad thirteen years ago is now slowly approaching Neville.

Harry, who was watching from behind, was also in a daze. He remembered when they had once ventured into the underground passageway. They were freshmen who had only learned a few basic spells two years ago. They had just arrived at Hogwarts a year ago and did not understand what adult wizards, dark wizards, and dark magic were. They foolishly walked into the challenges set up by the professors.

Everything was going according to the professors' plan, but they still almost got killed by Quirrell and became new ghosts under Voldemort's wand.

Lupin gripped his wand, about to step forward to help, when suddenly someone grabbed him. He turned around and saw Melvin shaking his head at him.

“Wait a little longer…” Melvin said softly.

Bellatrix's footsteps drew closer, the stench of blood assaulting Neville's face, a red glow emanating from the tip of his staff. Undisguised malice, the Cruciatus Curse brewing.

Neville seemed to see himself causing the groans on the ground, just like when his parents were tortured. He gritted his teeth, gripped his wand tightly, and forced out the spell from his throat.

When did I overcome my cowardice and find courage?
The man before him was clearly a cruel and vicious dark wizard who had kept his parents locked in a hospital room for thirteen years, causing them to gradually weaken and age. His grandmother would weep at night, lamenting that if they hadn't joined the Order of the Phoenix and opposed the Death Eaters, perhaps the Longbottom family wouldn't have ended up like this.

[Hilarious]

The incantation was swift and crisp, much more practiced than the last time it was cast.

There were no visible beams of magical energy, only a crisp crack of a whip echoing in the staff break room, like the roar of a young lion straining to its limit.

Bellatrix was stunned, as if struck by a powerful spell. She was suddenly bent over and sent flying backward, crashing into the wardrobe door, sliding down, curling up on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Bella, disheveled and staggering, stood up. Her crimson robe had turned into a hospital gown, and her headscarf had fallen off, revealing her messy black hair underneath. Her head was a tangled mess, and she walked unsteadily, just like Lockhart after being publicly knocked down.

"Okay, everyone saw that, right!" The fierce look on her face disappeared, replaced by an embarrassed chuckle. "I was demonstrating this spell... Maybe someone needs my autograph, or a photo together?"

Neville stared intently into her eyes, his tense muscles relaxing as he revealed a relieved expression. She was just an Azkaban prisoner.

"Did you foresee this?" Lupin asked.

"I've only taught for two more years, so I know these students better than you do."

After Melvin finished speaking, he stepped forward and asked Neville to give up the stage.

Lupin called out to the next student: "Pavati, come forward."

The Indian girl's fear was of mummies, the freshly made kind, wrapped in blood-stained bandages, with empty eye sockets and no eyeballs, yet still locking onto her target, dragging her slow, stiff body closer.

After the spell was cast, the bandages came undone, tripping the mummy and breaking its head.

Later on, there were howling banshees, highly venomous rattlesnakes, freshly plucked eyeballs, severed limbs that were still lively after death, and giant eight-eyed spiders... These were all commonplace horror elements that didn't frighten the students into losing their minds.

After waving the staff and casting a spell, it transforms into various comical shapes.

After half an hour, only a few students remained at the back of the line. Harry was in front of Hermione, and as he watched the students in front of him move forward one by one, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

The professor had just asked them to think about what they were most afraid of. The first thing that popped into their minds was Voldemort, and the most powerful Voldemort at his peak. But before they could even imagine Voldemort's comical appearance, Voldemort was replaced by Dementors.

The experience in the train carriage that day was too profound for him to forget. He could never forget the figure draped in a cloak, like a corpse rotting in ice water. Just thinking about it made him feel cold all over and tremble involuntarily.

"I hope I don't faint in class later?" Harry wondered.

When it was his turn to step forward, Lupin suddenly stopped the demonstration. He stepped aside from Boggart and Harry, stood in the open space, and said with a smile:

"Class, today is my first Defense Against the Dark Arts class. You might not be able to tell, but I was actually quite nervous beforehand, worried that something might happen during the lesson. Fortunately, a thoughtful colleague volunteered to sit in, which made the class go smoothly. Now that get out of class is almost over, I'd like to ask this kind colleague to demonstrate it for us. What do you think?"

As he spoke, he made way for her: "Professor Levent, is that alright?"

Melvin glanced at the students behind him and couldn't help but smile. It was understandable that the students who had already faced the Boggart were making a fuss, but the last few students were joining in, especially Harry, who had been queuing for half an hour and hadn't even had a chance to demonstrate yet.

Seeing this, Lupin added fuel to the fire: "The bell will ring in five minutes, don't hesitate any longer, Professor Levent."

“I’m not a professor who holds grudges.”

Melvin silently repeated this to himself, no longer refusing, and strode toward the old wardrobe.

Boggart was still in the form of the eight-eyed giant spider. After being transformed by Ron's spell, he became a legless spider, struggling on the ground like a fish on a chopping board, powerless and comical.

The moment Melvin approached, the legless giant spider trembled twice and transformed into a hairy rat, scurrying about in all directions.

Professor Levent was afraid of mice?

Before the surprise on the young wizards' faces could fade, they saw the rat run around and transform into a black dog, circling around Melvin.

“Worm tail, big feet…” Lupin’s eyes were complicated as he watched the Boggart transform from a black dog into a silver wolf in the next few minutes, and then from a silver wolf into a stag as it ran.

"A moon-shaped face and a pointed fork."

Lupin muttered to himself in a voice only he could hear, then gave a helpless, bitter smile. He hadn't expected Professor Levent's revenge to come so quickly and so suddenly.

The newly appointed professor, having been retaliated against, shook his head. Facing the students' puzzled and surprised faces, he didn't forget his duty. He took a deep breath, exhaled, and raised his voice to explain to the students:

“We all know the Boggart’s ability to manifest the wizard’s deepest fears. Although these fears are merely superficial, some truly skilled wizards will not easily reveal their weaknesses and will never give others the opportunity to peek into their hearts.”

"Professor Levent is such a wise wizard."

Lupin waved his wand, shooting out a beam of fire that sent the rampaging stag flying back into the wardrobe, where he then sealed it away. "He used an extremely sophisticated Occlumency spell to isolate the Boggart's senses, and combined it with a false memory charm to deceive him. Simply put, whatever Levent wanted the Boggart to become, the Boggart became."

The staff break room erupted in cheers. "Professor, we want to learn this too!"

"If you do well in your studies, and if I am still teaching at Hogwarts in three years, I can consider incorporating these two spells into the curriculum when you move up to the Defense Against the Dark Arts advanced class in your sixth year."

Lupin glanced at Melvin, who was gloating, and couldn't help but smile wryly. The two spells weren't difficult to separate, similar to the Guardian Charm, but not as difficult as the Animagus. However, when used together, he couldn't yet control them with such finesse.

Now you're promising to spend a lot of time practicing in private.

"That's all for today. It was a very interesting lesson. Homework: Please read the entire chapter on Boggart and write a summary summary, due next Monday."

The bell rang at the appropriate time to signal the end of get out of class.

The class dispersed into many small groups, leaving the staff lounge together, their excitement still lingering, chattering about what had just happened.

"Did you see me deal with the female ghost?"

"And my howling banshee!"

"My mummy!"

"..."

As the only member of the trio to step forward and demonstrate, Ron finally felt a sense of superiority over Harry and Hermione, patiently repeating the process he had just gone through.

"This is the most exciting Defense Against the Dark Arts class we've ever had, isn't it?"

"Did you see my heroic move in subduing the eight-eyed giant spider just now? I dare say, even if an eight-eyed giant spider really appeared in front of me right now, I could take it down just like I did just now."

Ron's smile stretched from ear to ear until he left the classroom and stepped into the courtyard, where a cold wind cooled his feverish head.

Recalling Professor Levent's demonstration, he scratched his head and pondered, saying, "Don't you guys think that the bald rat that Professor Levent conjured up looks a lot like my Scabbers?"

Aren't all rats the same?

Harry then responded, his feelings somewhat complicated.

Professor Lupin seemed to be intentionally preventing him from dealing with Boggart, which disappointed him somewhat, but he was also relieved that he hadn't fainted in front of the whole class in front of the Dementors.

“Hermione, Hermione? Why aren’t you saying anything? What are you thinking about?” Ron continued to yell. “Didn’t you not go up and demonstrate? Why do you look so tired?”

"Don't even mention it..." Hermione's reply was weak, muttering incomprehensible words like "seven papers," "divination calculations," and "on time."

Harry turned around and saw Professor Levent and Professor Lupin walking out of the common room side by side, chatting happily as they went.

……

Lupin stepped out of the lounge and took a breath of fresh air: "Professor Levent, you already know that I am actually... a werewolf, right?"

“So it’s a werewolf? I thought that was your Animagus form, like the others.” Melvin walked down the corridor beside the courtyard, expressing his surprise with the superb acting skills of a stage designer.

Lupin stopped, looked up, and smiled at him. The young professor's acting was clumsy, but his response proved that Melvin was not prejudiced against him because of his werewolf identity, which perfectly dispelled any strange feelings in his heart.

On my way back to the office, I passed through the courtyard. The autumn sun shone on me, its warmth subtle, not particularly warm, but still making me feel relaxed and comfortable.

"When I was 11 years old, I received my Hogwarts acceptance letter. Dumbledore, as the headmaster, personally visited my parents to communicate with them. The Whomping Willow was planted for me, a special student. Every full moon, Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey would escort me into the secret passage under the Whomping Willow, where I would hide in the shed and transform. This didn't last long before my companions discovered me."

Lupin spoke of his experiences with a nostalgic smile, "James, Pettigrew, and Sirius spent two years studying Animagus to keep me company through those difficult nights. They failed dozens of times, to the point that the smell of mandrake leaves would make them vomit, but they succeeded. From then on, on full moon nights, they would transform into animals and run with me in the Forbidden Forest and the fields."

Looking back at Harry as he walked away, Lupin's eyes showed a hint of nostalgia: "That boy looks a lot like James, his eyes are like his mother's."

"You deliberately prevented him from facing the Dementors, weren't you afraid he wouldn't have mastered the spell?" Melvin asked with a smile.

“I will tutor him individually in later classes to ensure he passes the exams. But I’m more worried about him facing the Boggart, which could lead to Voldemort showing up at the school. Bellatrix’s appearance is scary enough already.”

Melvin looked at the laughing students in the distance: "Trust these kids; they are stronger and braver than you think."

"Has anyone ever told you that you speak a bit like Dumbledore?"

Lupin complained jokingly, shaking his head, "I'm willing to believe them, but this is my first lesson. If something unexpected happens, I'll have to pack my bags and leave."

The two professors were close in age; one was a newly appointed professor, and the other had only been teaching for two years. They had a lot in common and got along very well.

Back in the Defense Against the Dark Arts office, which used to be Lockhart's room, Melvin sat at his desk, looking at the almost empty office. The office had been cleaned and rearranged, and the narcissistic posters and photos had been put away.

“Actually, teaching with Boggart is quite risky.” Lupin brewed some hot black tea with a touch of regret. He hadn’t received his salary yet, and this was a cup of tea he bought with his savings to entertain guests.

"I've always been curious whether the things Boggart conjures up possess the true abilities of their original counterparts?" Melvin said bluntly.

He had just noticed that the Bellatrix, the Boggart's illusion, was brewing the Cruciatus Curse and actually produced fluctuations of dark magic. Considering the near future, when Lupin used the Boggart to simulate a Dementor to help Harry master the Patronus Charm, it seemed that this interesting little thing was not just good for pretending to scare people.

"Wizards in the academic community generally believe that Boggarts focus more on the presentation of fear, and that they transform into those monsters in order to evoke fear, rarely revealing any related abilities."

"Rarely showing it means it's possible, right? Boggart can simulate those monsters and their abilities at the same time. To what extent can he do it?" Melvin was very curious about this.

"It depends on the magic it draws from fear, and on the object that provides the fear."

“It sounds similar to Dementors, both of which rely on the wizard’s emotions to multiply and grow, and both can dig into the deepest memories.” Melvin’s eyes showed a thoughtful look. “I know a few patients who happen to need this kind of peculiar ability.”

(End of this chapter)