Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 255 Upside-down Bell
On Friday night, the full moon above the magic dome began to wane.

Tonight is the Duel Club's first event of the new school year.

The students were full of anticipation, and the professors also took the rare opportunity to attend. Since taking over the Duel Club, Professor Flitwick had invited several professors to perform duels, the most memorable of which was the duel between Professor Levent and Professor Snape, which even involved forbidden dark magic.

Professor Flitwick invited him several more times afterward, but Melvin was too lazy to bother and declined, citing that the students wanted to see more innovative battles.

As most teachers and students expected, the special guest teaching assistant tonight was the newly appointed professor, Remus Lupin. Lupin had no reason to refuse; for a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, this was a direct stage to showcase himself and impress his students with his abilities.

After spending a few days together, he also became familiar with several of his colleagues.

Dumbledore doesn't usually get involved in affairs, so there's no distance between them. The only thing to be careful about is not to parrot his lame jokes during meals, as it can spoil your appetite. Professor McGonagall is preoccupied with school affairs; as long as you don't cause her trouble or harm the students, you can discuss things like requests for teaching materials.

Flitwick and Sprout were both experienced professors, and you could ask them for advice on teaching problems and chat with them in your spare time. They were perfect colleagues.

The remaining elective professors—Sinister for astronomy, Baburin for ancient runes, Victor for arithmetic and divination, and Mrs. Hodge for flight—were not exactly close, but we were acquaintances and got along quite well. Trelawney, on the other hand, I hadn't seen much; she usually hid away to drink heavily.

Hagrid is an old friend of the Order of the Phoenix, and he's still as warm-hearted as ever. It's just that we haven't had much time since school started, but maybe we can talk about Harry later.

Melvin Levent, the Muggle Studies professor, is a strange young man who knows many secrets of the past. He is highly skilled in magic and has a deep understanding of dark magic, Boggarts, and Dementors. His discussions on these topics are very enlightening, though he can be a bit petty at times.

The first week of school started off very well.

There are also a few colleagues who are difficult to get along with, such as his opponent in the arena, Professor Severus Snape of Potions, a former classmate, a sworn enemy of the Order of the Phoenix, and a self-proclaimed repentant Death Eater.

"Prepare……"

Whether it was the audience's imagination or not, Professor Flitwick's voice seemed to carry a hint of anticipation, almost like a jeering gesture.

“Professor Snape, I would like to remind you again that we are standing here to provide a dueling practice demonstration for the students, not some kind of life-or-death battle.”

Looking at the gloomy expression on the other side, Lu Ping said with some helplessness.

Compared to his pale, thin, and sickly appearance at the beginning of the school year, his complexion improved a lot during his time at Hogwarts. He no longer suffered from hunger and cold, did not have to be wary of his neighbors, did not have to run around, and slept soundly for several nights.

"I do not think so."

Snape said slowly and coldly, “The Duel Club needs to make students realize the cruelty of combat. Wizard duels are not child’s play. Dark wizards and dark creatures will not show them any mercy after graduation.”

Lupin sighed. "Fine, if you insist."

"start!"

As Professor Flitwick's shout faded, the battle was about to begin. Lupin used various basic spells to deal with the vicious curses. His only advantage was the heightened senses and reflexes brought about by his werewolf disease. His casting speed and dodging skills always came into play in inconspicuous places.

Like characters with different attributes in a Muggle fighting game, one has average attack and defense but good agility, while the other is proficient in black magic and various evil curses and has excellent dueling skills, but it is difficult to exert an advantage in a short time, and the situation becomes deadlocked for a while.

The audience was extremely focused, and George and Fred even placed bets.

Melvin was close to his students and had a history of playing against Snape. The two brothers even consulted him when setting the odds. Based on his past experience and considering Lupin's long period of wandering and recent recovery, Melvin still believed that Snape had a higher chance of winning and placed a small bet of one silver scimitar.

Many of the other students, who disliked Snape, bet on Lupin to win.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's main focus is combat prowess. Lupin demonstrated his skills on the train when school started, easily defeating a Dementor. This week in class, he showcased his extensive knowledge, having reportedly traveled to many places before.

They believed that a Professor Lupin like this would surely embarrass Snape.

Due to differing levels of liking for the contestants, the betting was very unbalanced between the two sides. George and Fred made a rough estimate and realized that although they verbally supported Professor Lupin, who was graduating from Gryffindor, the Gryffindors, who had already betrayed him in their hearts, were silently praying for Snape to win so that the joke shop could accumulate another sum of start-up capital.

The stalemate lasted for ten minutes, but the situation gradually became clearer.

Snape flicked his wand and unleashed two intersecting spells: Tarantella Dance and Upside-Down Bell. Both were humiliating curses, cast with malice, recalling his student days and the feud with the Marauders. The curses were exceptionally fast, and the two beams of light flew one after the other in an instant, blasting towards Lupin.

Flitwick's shrill voice echoed throughout the auditorium:

"Oh! The Tarantella Dance Charm! Professor Snape has a very wicked sense of humor. I'm sure everyone knows this spell; the person under its influence will have their legs twitching and dancing incessantly!"
"Next is the Upside-Down Curse, which can hang people upside down, as if they are being held by their ankles and suspended in the air, unable to move! It's an embarrassing curse! It was very popular at Hogwarts for a while."

"..."

It was around fifth grade.

Lupin had some images flash through his mind, but he quickly came to his senses. With his agile body, he forcibly changed his steps, dodging the dance spell that blocked his direction in front of him, and faced the inverted spell behind him head-on, quickly throwing out a beam of white light.

A muffled thud was heard.

His body was propelled by the impact of the spell collision, and he instantly lost his balance and staggered a few feet to the side. Fortunately, the improved knockback spell he had learned from the old wizard in Wiltshire was fast enough to stop the curse in time, avoiding being hit and embarrassing himself, thus saving some face for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

However, the fierce battle had exhausted his strength. His ailing body had been living a life of wandering for more than ten years and was extremely weak. A short period of stable life was not enough for him to recover to a normal state.

An unnatural, sickly flush appeared on Lupin's face, and his limbs became heavy and sluggish. His wand, which should have been held horizontally, drooped slightly, and it was obvious to anyone that he was exhausted.

Snape narrowed his eyes, his expression unchanged, still as cold as the Black Lake. He seized the moment when his opponent was catching his breath and relentlessly unleashed several more spells. He chanted the spells at an extremely fast pace, and apart from the dueling master Flitwick, no one could hear the specific incantations.

It must be another humiliating curse. Lupin dodged again, but this time he was a little slower and couldn't avoid the first curse that hit him. The curse beam entered his body, and he felt as if he was pushed by a huge force. His back bent and he seemed to flip over. He closed his eyes, and similar humiliating scenes from decades ago floated into his mind.

"Look who's here? Snotty-nosed brat, are you alright? Did you fail your exam and hide away crying?"

"I was watching him closely during the exam. His nose was practically touching the parchment. There must be huge oil stains on his exam paper. The professor probably couldn't even see the answers!"

"Disarm your weapon... Hey, what's going on? You trying to cast a spell on us?"

"You're all petrified... Now what? What else can you do but rub your snot on us?"

He still remembered the scene: in the shade of the beech tree by the lake, James kept tossing and catching the Golden Snitch to show off, Sirius's hair was all messed up, their young and handsome faces were reflected on the lake, and those words were spoken by them.

Admittedly, the words spoken by a teenage boy going through puberty, in a flippant and mocking tone, still sound harsh and unpleasant in retrospect. However, he didn't stop him at the time; he was with James and his gang, and he craved friendship and needed companions.

"Anyone want to see what color Snotty's underwear is? I bet it's black. Take a look, he's hanging upside down..."

“If you go out with me, I’ll let him go, Evans. Go on a date with me, and I’ll never touch a hair on that snotty-nosed guy’s head again.”

Stripped naked and hung upside down in front of all his classmates, especially his beloved girl, he could still clearly recall the pain on Snape's face, as if the surrounding gazes were sharp blades cutting into his flesh, with hatred overflowing from the wounds every second, piercing his heart and making him want to run away.

Back then, he always thought about the Screaming Shack and the Forbidden Forest Trail, longing for the four of them to run in the field on a full moon night, and longing for this friendship to last forever. As for his classmates who were hurt by the Raiders' pranks, just like the pain of self-harm during transformation, he completely ignored them.

"Oh, Professor Lupin has been tricked. Tonight's winner is Professor Snape..." Professor Flitwick's shrill voice echoed.

Lupin staggered back a few steps, opened his eyes, and realized that he had not been hung upside down. He only had some lingering pain in his abdomen, but no further humiliation.

"Not fuchsia?" Lu Ping was taken aback.

Snape looked at him with disdain, his eyes just like those in the Hogwarts dungeons, dark and gloomy. He didn't speak, but bowed to acknowledge the duel's outcome and then walked down the carpet from the ring.

Professor Flitwick rushed forward, grabbed Lupin, and faced the students below the stage:
"Professor Lupin just demonstrated many regionally modified spells, which are choices made by wizarding residents to cope with different environments. As you can see, such spells can have unexpected and wonderful effects when used in duels!"

"professor……"

"How about Professor Lupin introduces some useful spells to us?"

A deafening cheer immediately erupted in the auditorium. Lupin had no time for reminiscing and was forced to throw himself into teaching.

……

At the entrance to the side hall of the auditorium, several professors leaned against the wall, looking at the arena not far away. They stood in the soft light between two candlesticks, the candlelight illuminating the surroundings.

"Severus went straight back to the basement. After his practice duel with Melvin, even though it was a draw, he was willing to talk to us for a bit. But this time, after winning the match, he has no interest in talking at all."

Sprout sighed, somewhat worried. "He asked me for a lot of strange herbs, like bitter herbs and neem flowers, all of which are so bitter they're inedible. I hope he doesn't turn Remus's potion into poison."

“Severus knows what he's doing; didn't he stop in time?”

Dumbledore, with his silver beard, smiled. It wasn't even nine o'clock yet, but he had already changed into a blue pajama set with a star and moon pattern and was holding a cup of hot cocoa. "How's everyone's feeling on the first week of school?"

“This year’s freshmen are much more well-behaved than the previous two classes. They are all very obedient. The other students have also grown a lot. Compared to the children, Principal, you may need to pay more attention to the situation of certain professors?” Baburin said.

"Ok?"

Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall both turned their heads, looking puzzled.

The four deans and professors of major courses are quite busy and cannot keep up with the information of all professors in real time. Recently, their focus has been on Lupin and Hagrid. The president and vice president are also very curious about what could have happened to the other elective course professors.

"Sybil's drinking has gotten worse. She's been rarely seen lately, never shows up in the auditorium during breaks, and often ends her divination class early. I heard that even the burning incense in the North Tower classrooms can't mask the smell of alcohol."

"Why?" Professor McGonagall frowned.

Sinister and Victor, who had been watching, laughed and looked in unison at the person directly below the candlestick—the Muggle Studies professor.

Melvin gave a gentle smile, his young and handsome face full of innocence.

"Because of that class that analyzed the principles of prophecy? Prophecies tend to be self-fulfilling, the professor's expectations of the students have a guiding effect, and bad things are always hard to avoid." Dumbledore's voice. "A very interesting theory. Sybil may have misunderstood Melvin. I'll talk to him about it when I have time."

“I made a point of clarifying at the end of that class that Professor Trelawney’s divination class had something to offer; she was one of the few prophets who could see into the future. Perhaps the students didn’t take it to heart, and all that reached Professor Trelawney’s ears was the theory at the beginning.” Melvin was also quite helpless.

The elective professors found it amusing. Over the years, they hadn't held any prejudice against Trelawney, the fortune-telling professor who, aside from his alcoholism and occasional eccentricities, was actually quite nice when sober.

Professor McGonagall pressed her lips into a straight line and remained silent.

Dumbledore smiled and shook his head, letting the matter drop: "Muggles always have novel and interesting theories. I heard you and Remus have been studying Boggarts recently. Any new discoveries?"

"To be precise, it's about research on wizards' emotions, magic, and memories. Remember the discussion about the Longbottoms' condition before summer vacation? I got some insights from the Dementors and also audited Professor Lupin's lecture on Boggarts. The subsequent discussions yielded some valuable results, and we are refining the treatment plan."

Dumbledore's expression grew serious.

(End of this chapter)