I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 488 Snape's Defense Against the Dark Arts Class

"Hey—still trying to slack off?"

Finally, it was Irving's turn. He had a smile on his face. "Adding a few more courses is fine. It's much better than the eleven courses I had before."

When Irving arrived before Professor McGonagall, he hadn't yet taken out his class schedule.

Professor McGonagall pulled a timetable from her pocket, handed it to him, and said directly, "Next."

"???"

Irving was completely stunned.

He walked to the side and then opened the timetable.

"Potions, History of Magic, Astronomy, Herbs, Spells, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Protecting Magical Creatures, Alchemy."

"???"

"No, why?" Owen looked like he'd just eaten a lemon, his face contorted in disgust.

"The only things missing are ancient runes and divination. That's exactly the same schedule as last year!"

"If you have any objections, go talk to the headmaster," Professor McGonagall said calmly, then began reviewing the schedule of another young wizard in her hand.

"But why are there history of magic and astronomy? And magical creatures? I demand that these three subjects be removed."

In response to Owen's complaints, Professor McGonagall slowly raised her head. "Didn't someone say that the future of wizards should be to explore the stars and colonize other planets?"

Of course, astronomy is necessary.

In order for you to become an excellent diplomat and negotiate with Muggle government officials in the future, the history of magic is essential; you must understand our history.

As for Fantastic Beasts?

How can colonizing Mars involve only wizards and Muggles? Of course, we'll need to bring along magical creatures too.

"I"

Me!@#$%^&

Irving looked like someone had grabbed him by the neck; his entire face turned red.

It must be Horace Slughorn!

He must have gone to Dumbledore to complain yesterday!

He stared at the smile on Professor McGonagall's lips.

Irving got angry in a fit of rage.

He ultimately chose to swallow his anger!

Angered, Irving stormed off.

Harry and the others followed him out with smiles on their faces.

Haha—now they're not troubled at all. "How did your discussion go?" Hermione asked, covering her mouth with a laugh as she approached. "Any results regarding the selection trials?"

She had expected this outcome.

"I just spoke with Katie Bell, and she suggested we hold a selection tournament, with everyone participating, to ensure a rigorous selection process," Harry said. Now the captain of Gryffindor Quidditch after Angelina's graduation, he is responsible for organizing this year's Quidditch selection.

In fact, a similar selection process was organized last year, and Ginny even participated. Harry also has some experience.

At this moment, besides his class schedule, he also had a long list in his pocket, with circles, dots and markings on each name.

"Katie Bell said that there used to be some really good teams that were ruined because the captain always let familiar faces play and let his friends join the team..."

"So." Harry glanced at Ron beside him. Ron was supposed to participate in the selection last year, but after what happened in America, his heart was no longer in Quidditch.

This year, we could try inviting him to participate in the selection process.

Ron was actually quite good at flying. He, Ginny, and the twins had played Quidditch in the backyard of the Burrow before, which Harry had witnessed firsthand.

"I plan to hold a meeting after lunch to gather all the team members, announce this, and then organize a selection process for them."

"Although I have some candidates in mind."

"But to ensure fairness!"

"You're doing the right thing," Hermione encouraged. "Let your abilities speak for themselves, and no one will talk behind your back!"

"That's what I think!" Harry nodded, then returned to the common room with Hermione and Ron. He planned to first compile a shortlist for everyone's reference. Of course, the most important thing was that he had to confirm the selection criteria.

The sixth graders studied ancient runes in the morning, but Harry and his friends did not choose to take it.

The first class in the afternoon was Snape's Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was also his first class after he took over as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

Students are generally quite apprehensive about Defense Against the Dark Arts this semester, unsure of what he will teach. It's certain it won't be as easy as before. In the past, after Lockhart's petrification and admission to the hospital, other professors have taken turns teaching the course, with Snape teaching it the most times, including a period during Lupin's tenure.

Therefore, everyone can get a sense of his style to some extent.

An hour after lunch, Harry reluctantly left the sun-drenched common room to go downstairs for his Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

At the classroom door, he ran into Owen, Hannah, and Justin.

Irving still looked dejected, as did Justin.

He was also sullen during lunch.

This is not common.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked Hannah in a low voice.

"Oh—" the girl chuckled, "Dumbledore rejected his new curriculum and demanded that he attend those courses."

Harry nodded in understanding, then asked, "And what about him?" He pointed to Justin.

"Him?" Hannah said. "He got beaten up."

"."

"Okay!" Harry swallowed, clearly already knowing who had done it.

Just as they were talking, the classroom door opened, and Snape walked into the hallway. As always, his greasy black hair parted to the sides, framing his sallow face. Everyone immediately fell silent.

"Come in," he said.

As Harry entered the classroom, he looked around. Snape had already left his mark on this room. The curtains were drawn tightly, and the only light was from the candlelight, making it dimmer than usual.

Some new pictures were pasted on the wall, many depicting people suffering, gruesome wounds, and bizarrely distorted body parts. After the students sat down, no one spoke; they all turned to stare at these eerie and terrifying pictures on the wall.

"I haven't told you to take your books out yet," Snape said, closing the classroom door and walking behind the podium to face the class.

Hermione exchanged a quick glance with Owen, then tossed the book "Encountering the Faceless Monster" back into her bag and stuffed it under her chair.

"I have something to say to you, and I hope you will pay close attention."

His dark eyes swept over the upturned faces, lingering slightly longer on Harry, Hermione, and Owen than on the others.

"By now, you've probably had five different teachers for this course."

Presumably... it's as if you didn't see them come and go one by one, Snape. Hopefully, you're next.

The fact that Voldemort cursed the Defense Against the Dark Arts course was known throughout Hogwarts, and indeed, no professor had ever taught the course for more than a year.

I really hope this curse is real. Harry thought bitterly.

"Needless to say, these teachers all have their own teaching methods and focuses. Given this chaotic situation, I'm surprised that so many of you managed to barely pass the OWLs exam for this course."

Of course, some of you organized certain little tricks that actually helped the vast majority of you.

But if you think that this is enough to fully master the course, or even delusional enough to believe that you can fight the dark wizard alone, then I would say, I hope you're still alive and sitting here next year.

Snape, in a deep voice, gave a sarcastic remark to all the young wizards present.

Harry frowned, and almost the instant Snape finished speaking, he eagerly interjected, "The DA will become a more powerful white wizarding organization than the Death Eaters. It will change the world; it's no small matter!"

"Shut up." Snape glared at him fiercely. "Gryffindor - ten points. Potter—perhaps a few lucky escapes have made you naively believe you possess strength comparable to the Death Eaters. Perhaps the light of our 'Redeemer' is too bright, illuminating only your own foolishness and idiocy, completely blinding you to the dangers lurking in the darkness around you. Perhaps one day, your little lackeys will die one by one because of you."

"I didn't!" Harry stood up angrily. "DA members have helped the Federation in Paris, Berlin, Rome, and many other places. You can humiliate me, but you are not allowed to erase their achievements."

"Merit?" Snape sneered. "Increasing the workload of the Aurors, making them have to spare some of their energy protecting your so-called foolish friends during battle—that's called merit!"

"I."

"Shut up, Potter," Snape raised his voice. "If you want to get out of my class!"

Hermione quickly tugged at Harry's sleeve, and amidst a creaking sound of gritted teeth, Harry angrily sat down.

Snape was actually stating a fact.

Hermione knew perfectly well what was going on.

The DA members she developed in Paris didn't have their magical abilities; most of them were just hot-blooded youths. They did cause some trouble during the European war, which was undeniable. Although Snape's words were a sweeping generalization, she was too lazy to argue with him. He was a professor, and in the end, she would definitely suffer the loss.

Seeing that Harry had yielded to him.

Snape immediately dropped the look of disgust on his face.

He stepped down from the podium and walked around the classroom, speaking in a lower voice.

“Dark magic,” Snape said, “is diverse, varied, ever-changing, and endless. To fight it is like fighting a multi-headed monster; you cut off one head, and a new one immediately springs up, more ferocious and cunning than the first. You are facing something unpredictable and indestructible.”

"Therefore, your defenses," Snape said, raising his voice slightly, "must be as flexible and innovative as the dark magic you must contend with. These paintings," he pointed to several as he walked, "vividly depict the conditions of the victims, for example, those struck by the Cruciatus Curse," (he gestured to a witch clearly screaming in agony) "feeling the kiss of a Dementor," (a wizard huddled in a corner, his eyes glazed over) "or being harmed by an Infernal," (a pool of blood on the ground).

"Of course, among you is a 'prodigy,' a 'rising star of the magical world,' and 'the most legendary wizard after Merlin,' who has faced Infernals or monsters similar to Infernals more than once, and defeated them twice."

His gaze swept quickly across Hermione's face. "I want to say that this is just an exception. Don't think you have that kind of power. After all, many of the titles mentioned above belonged to a certain Dark Lord many years ago, and before that, to Dumbledore. Think about your own capabilities."

All eyes were on Hermione.

Just now, Snape said that he was practically "officially proving" the Battle of Berlin, and that the figure under the stars was Hermione.

Before this, although everyone thought it was Hermione, that was just a deduction based on past facts. Now it's different; everything has become an undeniable fact.

"Oh my God!"

"It really was her!"

"I knew it all along. Who else could possibly possess such magical abilities?"

Even Snape's tyrannical power couldn't suppress the growing noise in the classroom.

The young wizards whispered among themselves, and some members of the DA kept pressing Harry Ron or their close friends for answers.

"Hmm?" Snape uttered a short sound, his cold gaze sweeping across the classroom, and instantly, the classroom fell silent again.

He walked around to the other side of the classroom and toward the podium, his black robe swaying behind him, and once again all the students' eyes followed him.

"...I imagine you are still quite unfamiliar with the use of the Staffless Charm. What are the benefits of the Staffless Charm?"

The classroom was completely silent, and everyone's attention was focused on Hermione.

The little witch didn't want to show herself like this, but faced with all those gazes, she knew she couldn't hide any longer, so she had no choice but to raise her hands.

Of course, Snape was dismissive of this.

His attitude towards Hermione was exactly the same as his attitude towards Owen: to ignore her, to blatantly ignore her, as if she didn't exist.

She then calmly glanced at the entire class, and seeing that there was no other choice (nor would she choose Owen), she stiffly said, "Very well—Miss Granger?"

"Your opponent doesn't know what spell you're planning to cast," Hermione said calmly. "That gives you a momentary advantage. It also allows a wizard to remain capable of fighting even after losing their wand."

"This answer is copied verbatim from *Standard Spells, Level Six*," Snape said dismissively, "but it's basically correct. Yes, wandless spellcasting can indeed achieve a surprise effect. Of course, not all wizards can do it. It requires a great deal of focus and willpower, and some people..."

His gaze lingered on Harry's face once more. "No."

"Perhaps in this lifetime I'll only ever be able to cast some harmless spells like levitation and unlocking without a staff."

"Heh heh—" He let out a contemptuous laugh.

Harry knew that Snape was thinking about those terrible Occlumency classes from last semester.

Harry refused to lower his eyes and glared at Snape, until finally Snape looked away.

(End of this chapter)