Exploring the Room of Requirement, Kyle felt like he'd discovered a new toy and couldn't help but experiment with the magic in the room. With a simple flick of his fingers, he transformed a light rain into a heavy snowfall. Another wave of his hand, and the snow turned into hailstones the size of eggs.
The thrill of controlling his surroundings with just a gesture was exhilarating. But eventually, Kyle reminded himself he had tasks to accomplish. Reluctantly, he restored the room to its original sunny state, consoling himself with the thought that he'd have plenty of opportunities to return.
Crouching down, Kyle carefully took out two tiny, bean-sized seeds from his pocket, handling them delicately to avoid crushing them. These seeds weren't his—they were a rare find from his Herbology class, too precious to risk damaging.
During the class, he'd witnessed an excited young Gryffindor wizard successfully answering a question from Professor Sprout. In his enthusiasm, the student accidentally tossed his shovel onto a particularly aggressive plant—a Biting Cabbage. The cabbage promptly shredded the shovel into useless bits of metal, and Professor Sprout had no choice but to deduct a point from Gryffindor.
What caught Kyle's attention, though, was that right after the cabbage spit out the remnants of the shovel, it also ejected two seeds. Professor Sprout was preoccupied with finding a new shovel and hadn't noticed. As a dedicated Hufflepuff, Kyle naturally decided to help his head of house and pocketed the seeds to bring them to her later.
Once back in the Room of Requirement, he dug two small holes, placed the seeds inside, and covered them with a fine layer of soil. Satisfied, he nodded to himself. "Perfect. I'll keep them safe until I can give them to Professor Sprout during our next class."
After leaving the Room of Requirement, Kyle returned to the Hufflepuff common room. Later that afternoon, he joined his fellow Hufflepuff first-years for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Anticipation buzzed among the group as they speculated about Professor Nian, their mysterious instructor. Whether their excitement stemmed from the subject itself or curiosity about the professor was unclear. Perhaps it was a mix of both.
The Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, located on the second floor, looked different than expected. As they entered, they noticed the usual desks had been pushed against the walls, leaving a large open space in the center. At the front of the room, Professor Oren stood behind a podium, tinkering with a cloth-covered cage.
Kyle was surprised. This setup hinted that Professor Oren might prefer hands-on teaching, similar to Professor Lupin's style.
"Good afternoon, everyone," Professor Oren greeted them warmly once they were all seated. "Please put away your textbooks. You won't need them, not just today, but for all future classes."
With just that announcement, Professor Oren quickly gained the favor of the students. No books in class? And every class? "This professor knows what he's doing," one student whispered, convinced Professor Oren would become a favorite.
Professor Oren smiled at the whispered approval. "Thank you, Mr. Borg, though I'm afraid I can't award Gryffindor any points for that compliment."
The professor continued, "In my view, the theory behind this subject is the simplest part. You can study it on your own without taking up valuable class time. Here, I'd rather focus on teaching you how to protect yourselves from danger."
He looked around the room, his expression turning serious. "These dangers might come from dark magic or dangerous magical creatures. Either way, they can be life-threatening."
A quiet fell over the room as the students absorbed his words. Then Professor Oren added, "Of course, you're a bit young to face dark magic head-on. The headmaster would never permit it. So we'll start with something simpler: Fantastic Beasts."
With that, Professor Oren gave the cage a gentle push. A deep, buzzing noise came from within, causing the cloth cover to sway. A few students near the front instinctively stepped back.
"Don't worry," Professor Oren assured them. "This little creature may be dangerous, but with me here, it can't hurt you. I only ask that you stay calm and listen carefully to everything I say."
He removed the cloth, revealing the cage's occupant: a small, blue insect, around an inch long, buzzing loudly as it flapped its wings. Unlike most insects, its wings were mounted on top of its head, making it look like a miniature helicopter as it whirred around.
Katie Bell, one of the Gryffindor students, couldn't resist a chuckle. "Professor, it doesn't look as dangerous as you made it sound."
In her opinion, it was almost amusing that the professor had presented such a small creature as a threat. She thought she could squash it with a single swat.
"Oh, really?" Professor Oren responded with a smile. "Let's see if you still think so later, Miss Bell. Now, does anyone know what this creature is? I'll give five points to the first person who answers correctly."
There was a brief silence, then Mikel's voice piped up, "Billywig!"
"Excellent, Mr. Mikel," Professor Oren praised him. "Five points to Hufflepuff!"
He explained, "Yes, this is a Billywig, a magical creature with a level XXX classification. Notice the tiny stinger at the bottom of its body. If you're stung by a Billywig, you'll experience dizziness followed by levitation. In severe cases, the effects can last for days."
He turned to Katie Bell with a raised brow. "Now, Miss Bell, do you still find it harmless?"
Katie gave a reluctant nod, though her expression suggested she wasn't entirely convinced.
"Professor…" another student began eagerly, "Does this mean we'll be practicing with the Billywig today?"
"Not quite," replied Professor Oren. "Before any direct interaction, you'll need to master a specific spell to protect yourselves. Only when I'm confident in your ability will we move to hands-on practice."
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