A magical journey that begins at Hogwarts

Aaron frowned upon hearing this.

He felt something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

“Draco, you can’t tell Harry Potter about this,” Aaron said seriously, looking at him.

"why?"

"Because if he knew the truth, he might try every means to take revenge on Sirius."

"No way!" Draco laughed dismissively. "Is he that stupid?"

Sirius Black is far more powerful than him; seeking revenge would be suicidal, and besides, Hogwarts is guarded by Dementors, so he wouldn't even be able to leave the castle.

"He's so stupid, you made him go find Voldemort..."

“Don’t say that name,” Draco said nervously.

"All right!

He might not dare to ask the mysterious person, but Sirius Black is different.

If he knew the truth, he would absolutely risk everything to fight Sirius Black, and it's not impossible that he would even use himself as bait.

Gulu!

Draco couldn't help but swallow hard, feeling a lingering fear in his heart.

He provoked Harry Potter in Potions class because he thought Harry Potter wouldn't dare, but if Harry Potter really went after Sirius for revenge, he would have to bear some responsibility, at least he wouldn't be able to get over the guilt.

"I understand, I promise I won't tell him."

“I know you don’t like him, but this is a serious matter.”

"I know what's important; I wouldn't risk his life like that."

Aaron nodded, quite satisfied with Draco's attitude.

He turned his gaze to Crabbe and Goyle, who were standing next to Draco, and asked with a smile, "What about you two? Can you guarantee that?"

The two looked at each other and nodded in unison.

"Wait a minute." Draco suddenly thought of something. "We can keep quiet, but what if he finds out through other means?"

"As long as you have a clear conscience, why worry about so much?" Aaron said nonchalantly. They were already doing well enough to keep their mouths shut; they couldn't stop others from courting disaster.

The sky seemed to darken in the afternoon.

With a heavy heart, Aaron entered the Potions professor's office, carrying his Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook.

"You arrived right on time," Snape said with satisfaction.

"Professor, I still hope you can reconsider."

"We're colleagues after all. Why can't we sit down and talk about any misunderstandings we had in the past?"

“Aaron, you’re still too young.” Snape patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly, “You’ll find that some things are worth remembering for a lifetime, and I believe Lupin thinks so too.”

Aaron's lips twitched slightly. If it weren't for needing to use Snape to block Dumbledore's pressure, he would never have done something so self-destructive.

"follow me."

Snape led the way with great enthusiasm, but he didn't go to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

"Where are we going?"

“The faculty lounge,” Snape said enigmatically. “He just applied to the headmaster yesterday.”

The two arrived at the spacious room fifteen minutes early. Snape immediately pulled up a chair and sat down. "Put your textbooks away. We need to act naturally."

Aaron chuckled and shook his head, tossing the Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook to Abe, who expertly stuffed the book into his pocket.

"See that cabinet?" Snape said, pointing to a wardrobe at the back of the room. "There's a Boggart in there. Lupin will probably use it for his practical lessons."

"Really?" Aaron became interested. "It seems this Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is quite skilled!"

"Hmph!" Snape snorted indignantly. "Just a cheap trick. If I were the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, I would never waste class time like this."

Do you know what a Boggart is?

"The book mentions that some people say he is the most powerful master of metamorphosis."

"That's true. It will become the thing you fear most, so you'd better be mentally prepared."

Aaron raised an eyebrow, silently considering what he was afraid of.

But after thinking for a while, he was surprised to find that he couldn't seem to come up with any answers.

Voldemort? Ruled out. He killed Voldemort several times.

His parents, aside, he was never afraid of them.

A packed schedule isn't right either; he's not satisfied with this arrangement, but since it concerns his future development, he won't refuse it.

"I'm actually quite curious."

"Your curiosity will soon be satisfied," Snape said solemnly. "Don't disappoint me, or else Dumbledore..."

"Professor, when did you start threatening people?" Aaron scoffed speechlessly. "Besides, I don't like dealing with the principal, not because I'm afraid, but because I feel like I'll be taken advantage of, and that feeling is really real."

But what I didn't expect is that you're making me feel the same way now.

Snape's face twitched slightly, and he was a little guilty, not daring to meet Aaron's gaze, but he quickly calmed down. "Sometimes feelings can be deceiving."

Just then, the door to the faculty lounge suddenly opened, and the third-year Gryffindors filed in.

Professor Snape subtly shifted into a comfortable yet casual sitting position, but the sarcasm in his eyes was almost undisguised.

Professor Lupin was the last to enter the faculty lounge. He wasn't surprised to see Snape and calmly closed the door behind him.

“Lupin,” Snape stood up with a cold smile, “This is your first lesson. Mind if I sit in on it?”

"Of course I don't mind, go ahead and watch!" Lupin said nonchalantly. "My Defense Against the Dark Arts class is quite exciting."

Lupin emphasized the word "My Defense Against the Dark Arts" in his speech, as if he knew very well that this was a position Snape had applied for many times without success.

"I hope to see you again this time next year," Snape retorted, not to be outdone. The position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor seemed to be cursed; everyone would leave for various reasons before they even had a year.

"Swords clashing!" Aaron thought to himself. The feud between Snape and Lupin seemed to run deeper than he had imagined. Their words, though devoid of a single curse word, were full of provocation and veiled insults.

“You don’t need to worry about that.” Lupin turned to the group of Gryffindors and led them to the old wardrobe.

Sensing someone approaching, the wardrobe suddenly shook, startling several students in the front row who backed away.

“Don’t worry, it’s a Boggart inside,” Professor Lupin said in a gentle tone, but the students still didn’t feel very safe.

Last year, when Lockhart released those little elves, he seemed even more confident than Lockhart, but the result... well, it was a complete mess.

"Can anyone tell me what Boggart looks like?"

“Nobody knows,” Hermione spoke up. “Boggarts can shapeshift, and they become whatever the person who sees them fears most, which is why they are so…”

“That’s terrifying,” Professor Lupin replied. “That’s right, five points for Gryffindor.”

Boggart prefers dark and enclosed spaces; wardrobes, cupboards, and even under the bed are its hiding places.

Its abilities are too incredible; if you can't deal with it, it will be very troublesome, and even moving house might not be helpful.

The Boggart in the cabinet doesn't have a specific shape yet, but once I take it out, it will become the thing we fear most.

However, we have a huge advantage that can leave it helpless.

Harry, are you aware of this advantage?

Harry paused, not understanding why Professor Lupin was calling on him to answer a question.

But he could barely guess the answer, and said somewhat uncertainly, "Because there are many of us, it doesn't know what to become."

“That’s right, five points for Gryffindor.” Lupin raised an eyebrow at Snape and continued, “This is one way to deal with a Boggart: go in pairs, because it can’t take on two people at the same time.”

"Tch!" Snape scoffed dismissively.

"What's wrong, Professor?" Aaron asked, puzzled. "Is there a problem with what Professor Lupin said?"

"No problem, but that's too many points. If it were me, one point would be enough."

puff!

Aaron pursed his lips, trying his best to suppress the urge to laugh.

One point? That's an extremely unrealistic dream.

In his memory, Professor Rhinep never gave Harry Potter any credit; on the contrary, for some reason, he kept finding fault with him and deducting points in various ways.

If it weren't for Hermione Granger making up for it in other classes, Gryffindor's end-of-term grades would be absolutely abysmal.

Chapter 305 Boggart, Broken Up

"Traveling with others can render Boggart helpless, but to defeat him, you need laughter, which requires turning Boggart into someone you find very funny."

It can be done with a very simple spell, but it requires immense willpower.

“Now practice, but don’t use your wand yet.” Professor Lupin looked at the group of students in front of him. “Repeat after me, funny funny (Riddle Yules).”

“Hilarious! Hilarious!” the Gryffindor students exclaimed in unison.

"Very good, louder, say it clearly, listen carefully... hilarious hilarious."

"Hilarious, hilarious."

“Very good, that’s enough of the simple stuff,” Professor Lu Ping said. “Next, I will guide you through the practice.”

"Neville, please come here."

“Lupin,” Snape said with a hint of sarcasm, “maybe no one has warned you, but I suggest you find someone else. Longbottom isn’t good at anything complicated.”

Neville took a small, hesitant step back, his face flushed.

He was already rather shy, and now that Snape had pointed it out to his face, he was so embarrassed he wanted to disappear into the ground.

“I think he can do a great job,” Professor Lupin said, raising an eyebrow. “Neville Longbottom is an excellent wizard, but he lacks proper guidance.”

"Neville, don't be shy, come on!"

Neville's body trembled uncontrollably as he stumbled toward Professor Lupin.

“Neville, what are you most afraid of?” Professor Lupin asked.