Hogwarts, Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
For the first-year wizards, today is the first day of school. Especially for the young wizards from Ravenclaw and Slytherin houses, this is their first class. Therefore, these little wizards arrived early to find a seat they liked and sat down.
Looking down from the podium above, there are three columns in total. The little wizards on the left are wearing dark blue wizard robes with a soaring eagle crest on their chest, indicating they are from Ravenclaw. The wizards on the right wear dark green wizard robes with a small glaring snake crest on their chest, typical of Slytherin.
In the middle, the colors are mixed, but those sitting in front are mostly from Ravenclaw. The main reason they were sorted into Ravenclaw by the Sorting Hat is their love for knowledge and learning. It is natural for them to sit in the front and listen carefully to the teacher. Behind them is a sea of green, indicating Slytherin House. Most of them come from pure-blood families, meaning their parents are either powerful, wealthy, or both.
The wizards of Slytherin house value magic, higher status, and their bloodline, which often leads to powerful ambitions. Ambition is a standard trait of Slytherin wizards. Therefore, there is a noticeable divide in the classroom. Ravenclaw students mingle with each other, as do Slytherin students. It is clear that the wizards in the two colored robes do not communicate with each other, at most exchanging curious glances and then speaking quietly with their companions.
Alice Eudora, a little witch from Ravenclaw House sitting in the front middle, asked in a low voice to Brooke Warner, whom she had just met: "Brooke, what kind of magic do you know? Are you a Muggle-born wizard?"
The little wizard Brooke nodded: "Yes, Alice, I just learned about magic not long ago, and I haven't mastered any spells yet."
"What about you? Are you Muggle-born too? Do you know any spells?"
"No, my parents are both wizards. They taught me magic," Alice said in a low voice. Seeing Brooke's envious eyes, she added regretfully, "But I don't know much magic. I only know a light spell and a levitating spell, but I haven't mastered the levitating spell."
"That's not bad. At least it's better than me. I don't even know a single spell," Brooke replied, looking a little envious. "Alice, what kind of magic will Professor Lockhart teach us? I heard he is an adventurer and has published many books. He must know a lot of magic."
Alice lowered her head and looked at the textbook in front of her, especially the moving characters on the cover, and nodded heavily: "Yes, my mother is his fan and says Professor Lockhart is a very powerful wizard! I'm really looking forward to it!"
As time passed, it was soon time for class.
Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong!
The bell rang, signaling the start of the class. Although no teacher was on the podium yet, most of the young wizards were sitting upright.
Suddenly, a subtle buzzing sound filled the room, and a rune quietly appeared in the air. The light disappeared instantly, as if swallowed by the darkness that filled the classroom. Before the young wizards could react, a beam of light appeared in the front, shining on the podium.
They subconsciously focused their attention on the front. At that moment, a figure shrouded in light beams and wearing emerald green robes quietly appeared in front of all the young wizards. Immediately, a soft voice sounded in their ears, calming all the panicked little wizards.
"Good morning, young witches and wizards at Hogwarts. I am your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart."
As he spoke, Lockhart's figure quietly walked off the podium, and the light beam moved slowly with him.
"I am a recipient of the Order of Merlin, Third Class." While speaking, Lockhart waved his wand, and a copper-colored medallion of light appeared quietly in the darkness. The young wizards could clearly see an Arabic numeral 3 in the middle of the medal, with "Merlin" at the top and "to Gilderoy Lockhart" at the bottom.
"Wow," they exclaimed, even though they didn't know what the Order of Merlin was.
"At the same time, I am also an honorary member of the Anti-Dark Arts Alliance." As Lockhart moved slowly, the light and shadow of the Merlin Medal disappeared, replaced by an image of Lockhart fighting a dark wizard. In the picture, the dark wizard looked ferocious, holding a wand and constantly attacking Lockhart with red and green beams. Lockhart dodged gracefully and launched a powerful counterattack. Soon, a red beam of Expelliarmus hit the dark wizard's wand, disarming him. Lockhart then cast a binding spell, causing the dark wizard to fall to the ground, unable to move.
This scene made all the young wizards exclaim again, especially those from pure-blood or mixed-blood families who grew up hearing about the terror of dark wizards.
Not long after, Lockhart's voice sounded in their ears again. "You can call me Professor Lockhart. In the future, I will teach you how to defend against the dark arts." As he said this, Lockhart waved his wand.
"Troll!" The scene changed again. In front of the young wizards, a huge, ferocious, somewhat ugly monster appeared, wearing shabby clothes and holding a big stick.
"Werewolf!" The screen changed, and the giant troll disappeared, replaced by a werewolf with strong limbs, covered in gray hair, a ferocious face, and a huge mouth.
"Vampire!" The picture changed again, and the werewolf disappeared, replaced by a slender figure with huge bat-like wings, floating in the air, and making a downward motion. The vampire, covered in blood, had dark red and sharp nails, an ugly face, and two ferocious fangs protruding from its mouth.
Almost every change in the picture made the young wizards exclaim again.
Seeing their reactions, Lockhart nodded slightly, knowing it was time to end. Too many monsters would cause aesthetic fatigue.
"And fighting the dark wizard!" The screen fell, showing a large number of wizards wearing the uniforms of the four houses riding broomsticks, casting spells to fight dark wizards on the ground. Red, purple, black, and green beams of magic floated down from the sky, making the dark wizards run away in great embarrassment.
Such a scene made the young wizards laugh uncontrollably. "Ha ha ha ha."
Lockhart heard their laughter and smiled. With a thought, he controlled the Sling Ring on his hand, and the runes floating in the sky flashed slightly, slowly releasing the light that had been swallowed. The classroom gradually filled with light again. Lockhart walked to the podium and bowed slightly in an elegant manner. All the young wizards looked forward with surprised eyes as his soft voice sounded in their ears.
"As the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, my duty is to give each of you the ability to protect yourselves."
{More Chapter available on patreon.com/goldengaruda }