Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 292 Snape's Defense Against the Dark Arts Class

After leaving the Great Hall, Harry and Ron parted ways with Hermione. According to the schedule, neither of them had classes in the morning or the first period of the afternoon, while Hermione had a full schedule.

So, one of them carried his books to the classroom, while the other two returned to their dormitories.

"This is fantastic!" Ron was overjoyed, still looking excited even after they returned to the common room.

Harry was also happy, just like Ron in this respect. However, while Ron spent his free time playing, Harry chose to focus his energy on how to defeat Voldemort.

Even though he has no clue at all right now.

There weren't many people in the common room, only six or seven seventh-year students. Among them was Katie Bell, the only remaining member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team that Harry joined in his first year, a true veteran of the team.

Katie greeted Harry warmly, pointed to the captain's badge on his chest, and said, "I knew you'd get it, this is great!"

"Don't forget to call me during the selection process."

“You don’t need to go through the selection process, Katie.” Harry shook his head. “I’ve been playing with you for five years, I know your skill level…”

"Don't do that!" Katie refused outright. "There are plenty of people who play better than me. You have to be fair, Harry."

"You don't know, there used to be many good teams that were ruined just because the captain always liked to let acquaintances play and his friends join the team..."

She looked at Ron as she said this, which made him extremely embarrassed. He knew what Katie meant, and his terrible performance last year left him speechless with embarrassment.

"Alright, I'll do as you say. We'll hold another selection later." Harry reluctantly agreed, and then Katie happily left.

After she left, Harry said to Ron, "Sorry Ron, as you can see, if you want to continue fighting, you might have to participate in the selections."

"Forget it, Harry." Ron shook his head. "I'm terrible. We have no chance of winning the championship with me on the team."

"Give it a try, Ron, I can give you special training..."

Harry persuaded him for a while before Ron finally agreed to participate in the selection. He was somewhat confident of passing, after all, he had played Quidditch in the Garden with Harry for a long time during the summer vacation and felt that his goalkeeping skills had improved a lot.

Of course, we'll have to wait and see how things turn out.

After lunch, they took a nice nap in their dorm before lazily leaving to go downstairs for their Defense Against the Dark Arts class. When they arrived, Hermione was already lined up outside the classroom, carrying a thick stack of books.

"Why are there so many, Hermione?" Ron asked in surprise.

"It's all ancient runes homework!" Hermione replied. "A fifteen-inch essay, two translations, and these, all due by Wednesday."

"Oh, this is really bad luck." Ron yawned, and it was hard to deny that he was gloating.

"Just you wait!" Hermione exclaimed. "Snape is definitely going to give us a ton of homework, and you won't escape it!"

As they were talking, Snape, who looked like a bat, walked over from the other end of the corridor, opened the classroom door with a wave of his hand, and went in first.

"Come in!"

Harry and the others hurried inside, and upon seeing the scene in the classroom, he almost thought he had wandered into the Potions classroom.

This place is completely Snape-esque. The curtains are drawn, with only a few candles providing some light. The walls are covered with many pictures I've never seen before, very eerie and terrifying—either gruesome wounds or people in great pain.

"I have something to say to you, and I hope you will pay close attention." Snape walked behind the podium, his piercing gaze sweeping over the students in the classroom, causing everyone to fall silent involuntarily.

"You've had five different instructors for this course so far," he said. "These instructors all have their own teaching styles and focuses, so I'm surprised that so many people have managed to pass the OWLs exams in this chaotic situation."

"However, the advanced course is not as difficult as the previous play-or-da classes, so I would be even more surprised if someone could keep up."

Snape stepped down from the podium and walked among the students. He paced slowly, his voice becoming low.

"Dark magic is diverse, varied, and ever-changing; fighting it is like fighting a monster with several heads."

"Cut off one head, and there's another; cut off one, and there's another; each one more ferocious and cunning than the last."

"Therefore, your defenses must be as flexible and adaptable as the dark magic you need to deal with!"

As he spoke, he pointed to several pictures on the wall.

"These vividly depict the horrific suffering of victims of dark magic. For example, the Cruciatus Curse, the Dementor's Kiss, and the Infernal..."

Harry looked at it and saw that there was no trace of an infernal in the painting, only a pool of blood.

"Do undead really exist, Professor?" Parvati asked.

"The Dark Lord has used Infernals," Snape said. "We cannot rule out the possibility that he will use Infernals again."

He returned to the podium, speaking a little louder.

"Alright, enough of this small talk." Snape's gaze was intense, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"What I'm about to tell you is a way to make your defenses more flexible—the Silent Spell."

"I imagine you're all still quite unfamiliar with it, so can anyone tell me what the benefits of a silent spell are?"

Hermione raised her hand, and Snape told her to answer directly.

"Miss Granger?"

"Your opponent won't know what spell you're planning to cast," Hermione said. "That will give you a momentary advantage."

"Mostly correct," Snape said. "Not saying the incantation aloud when casting a spell can have a surprise effect."

"I think you all have a deep understanding of this, after all, just yesterday you witnessed an outstanding user of the Silent Charm." Snape chuckled, his gaze lingering on Harry for a moment before continuing.

"I've heard some things; a few fools among you participated in that battle. Come on, tell me, what was it like facing the Silent Curse in battle?"

"Potter!"

Harry stood up, staring into Snape's cold eyes, and said, "Strider's attacks were all insidious sneak attacks..."

"Do you really think he'll first stand his wand upright in front of you, bow, and then step back a distance, strictly adhering to the dueling rules like you usually do when you're just playing around?"

"madness!"

"Now," Snape said dismissively, his sharp gaze making Harry's face flush red. Ignoring Harry's embarrassment, he continued, "You will now split into pairs. One of you will try to cast a curse on the other, but without making a sound. The other will try to repel the curse, also without making a sound."

His gaze lingered on Hermione for a moment before he said, "Except for Miss Granger..."

"Let's begin."

(End of this chapter)