Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, where Constantine was pacing and smoking, drawing a line of salt on the windowsills.
Other students entered behind them, the whole class quiet as they walked in one by one, while Constantine finally noticed them, watching him in confusion, so he threw his cigarette down and put it out with his foot, as he wasn't in the mood for a student to complain about him.
Oh he didn't care about the complaints, just not in the mood to deal with them was all.
"Right then, shut your traps and sit down, don't have all bloody day."
The class all seated themselves. Gryffindor and Slytherin both were here, as Constantine was confident he could handle both houses in the same class at once.
They noticed other charms around the room, including a carved symbol on the door to Constantine's office, sigils, and circles containing symbols and surrounded by them, and when they looked down, they saw a huge one in white chalk covering the floor.
Hermione raised her hand and asked. "Professor Const-"
"Just Constantine."
"Constantine, what are all of these charms and symbols here?"
"Security."
That was all he said.
"What for?" Hermione followed up.
"To keep me safe, and I guess you lot too." He was quite flippant at the second part of his answer.
"And from what?"
Constantine groaned in annoyance. This girl asked too many questions for her own good. "You're just full of endless questions, huh? Fine, I've dealt with some unsavory bunch of buggers in the past, and since I have taken a temporary residence here, for some bloody reason, I'm making sure I won't have some soul sucker or vengeful specter interrupting a lecture."
Hermione opened her mouth again, but John beat her to it, "Nope! Three wishes, and you're out, luv."
Hermione shut up as Draco Malfoy snickered at her from a corner and whispered to his mates. "Finally annoyed a teacher on his first day."
"You talk random nonsense in my class and you will do it faster, mate", Constantine told Malfoy who was shocked now at having been heard.
Walking to his desk, Constantine stood in front of it. "So as you all know, I am John Constantine, or just Constantine, as I told the old git-"
Gasps escaped the Gryffindor students as well as Slytherin students not associated with Malfoy at Constantine's blatant disrespect for their esteemed and wise Headmaster.
"-your latest Professor in Defense Against the Dark Arts. 5th in 5 years, eh? Apparently, there's some jinx on the post, anyone knew that?"
"No Professor, we did not", Ron shook his head.
"Well, there was, but now its gone, courtesy of this", Constantine snapped his fingers, the students all weirded out by their uncouth, disrespectful new Professor's brazen attitude and openness.
Constantine then finally gave his first instruction in the class. "So first, take out the copies for 'Dark Arts: Basics for Beginners', the toad's books."
That made all snicker as the conman commented. "I say something about the toad, you all laugh, I say something about the git, you act like the world is ending, no consistency in you lot."
That remark brought some nervous laughter as all put their books on their respective tables, Constantine pacing around the class between the tables and looking at each one of those.
Constantine walked back to his desk and raising a hand chanted. "Libros hic adducere."
His eyes glowed for a second as all the books flew from their tables onto his desk, gathered up neatly in a stack.
"The load of bollocks in these is worse than what the toad spoke that day at the Hall, which I had thought impossible."
No one responded, since all the students were too awed by the magic he had just done. Just one command in Latin and the books flew to him like that? And no wand? That was something.
Wandless and non-verbal magic had been done before, but not so casually at such a level.
"Anyways, I'll send them where they belong", Constantine told the group before chanting again. "Libros mittere ad inferos."
A fiery portal opened underneath the most useless books of all time (even trendy magazines had better information than this stuff) and sucked them all in before the portal closed instantly.
The students all gasped as the flames had been noticed by all of them, and the level of magic their new Professor was showing was already way beyond what they had seen and experienced so far in their lives.
Could Dumbledore open and close portals like this?
"Well, that's one job done", Constantine shrugged, then decided it would be fun to rile up some people while also doing his job, and having an excuse to do so.
"You are Harry Potter, right?" Constantine pointed at the boy with glasses.
"Yes, sir."
"Constantine."
"Yes, Constantine."
Sitting comfortably on his desk, Constantine told everyone. "So I've been hired because that Voldemort guy is back and I could teach you all a thing or two to take him on."
Gasps escaped the room as Draco glared at Constantine for speaking the name. How dare he?
Seamus Finnigan raised a hand. "Professor, why are you using the name?"
"Its just a name, besides, the bloody idiot ain't worth more than a bug to me, of course he is too much of a coward to show me his face", Constantine scoffed, and now all were horrified by him being so insulting to the deadliest dark wizard of all time.
Seamus sat back down, silenced.
"I mean, Moldy wart? Pfft, don't me started. Nothing but a twat, too scared to die. Trust me, there are worse things in the world than magical terrorist with delusions of grandeur."
Draco's fists were clenched now and he was glaring, while the other students were horrified by his behavior and insults to Voldemort.
Harry, due to his own experience with Voldemort, got angry and stood up. "He's not just a terrorist."
"Kid, see the things I have, Voldy's nothing but a flee."
"Voldemort killed my parents, and he killed Cedric Diggory!"
John huffed as he took out his smokes, deciding he needed one. "And I sacrificed my friend to suffer the rest of his live being devoured on the inside by a Hunger Demon." That set Harry as well as the rest of the class aback, as John leaned his face toward the Boy Who Lived, and Harry saw the darkness in Constantine's eyes. "Monsters infest this world. But answer me this, what defines a monster?"
He leaned away, smoking a little. "Monster is any git who does evil things not because there's no choice, but because he or she or it can."
Looking to his front, he added. "But anyway, I do believe Harry's story about Voldyshorts. If you have doubts I could summon Cedric Diggory's spirit to clarify everything too."
Now all were murmuring to each other in horror. This Professor had already exceeded all the previous four combined in terms of strangeness.
First he used magic, the kind they had never seen before to gather and send away the useless books. Then, he was insulting Voldemort like Draco Malfoy insulted Gryffindor. And finally, he believed Harry's story and even said he could do necromancy. The Restricted Section of the Library had no books on that either.
Hermione raised her hand and stood up. "Professor, I am not sure that would be necessary. Besides, I think something that dark shouldn't be approached without-"
"I used to do it for fun when I was 10, and you lot want practise, the flashy wands really make you lazy and afraid to try new stuff, don't they?" Constantine cut her off and started pacing around again. "Good thing I am not that kind of magician."
The students kept getting surprise after surprise from their new Professor, and it hadn't even been ten minutes.
Malfoy was enraged by all the insults towards Lord Voldemort and Constantine's attitude. With an expression so sour it looked like he'd swallowed a lemon, Draco asked. "What are you, a muggleborn?"
That got everyone's attention as Constantine rolled his eyes as he plopped down in his chair, feet resting on the table, "No, in your backwater, inbred society's terms, I am a muggle," he then switched to an American accent, "or as the yanks from across the water say, a no-maj."
Cue the stunned expressions, especially the Trio.
Hermione being a muggleborn could hardly believe this, same with Ron who was from a wizarding family, and Harry lived both worlds so a muggle doing magic, with no magic ancestry, at least like the wizarding wand waver kind, well it stunned them all!
The students started shouting, especially the Slytherins associated with Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson the loudest, to John's frustration as he took out another cigarette, until finally, Malfoy shouted.
"My father will hear about this!"
Holding up a hand, fire suddenly engulfed Constantine's hand, the students thrown back in shock as they watched as he casually brings the fire close to light his cigarette, before waving it away.
He took in a puff before looking at his stunned students. "Now listen here, you prats, you know nothing of what I know, of the world outside and beyond this plane. I had to learn magic, I wasn't born with it like you lot. You need to understand one thing: I ain't teaching you to be blockheaded wand wavers, with me, you'll be taking a walk on the dark side of magic. Don't like it? Boo-bloody-hoo, there's the door, make sure it hits you on the arse as you leave." No one moved. Draco was glaring in rage but also fear, and Parkinson was silent now. And after John observed them all, he gave them a smirk which they will learn to fear. "Good. Now then," he took one last puff before standing up and extending his arms, "shall we crack on?"
The students nodded fearfully. The Trio exchanged looks, wondering what the lessons of a muggle who could do magic better than normal Wizards would be like.
"So, this is Defense Against the Dark Arts, right?" Constantine asked rhetorically, then cracked his neck. "So, time to learn defence in that case. Let's do it."
Looking at the class, he asked. "Who is the best at this subject?"
Ron replied to him. "That would be Harry, sir-"
"Constantine!"
"That would be Harry, Constantine."
Harry looked at his friend who just shrugged and gave him an encouraging nod.
"Well then, Harry, attack me."
"What?"
"You heard me, attack me", Constantine challenged, raising his arms to either side. "Show me what you've got."
"You are really asking me to attack you?" Harry asked.
"You have my permit, kiddo, so does this whole class, but only when I say so", Constantine clarified immediately, and gestured to Harry who got up, walking to the front and out of the circle, taking out his wand and pointing it to his front.
"Rest go to the side." The students did so.
"Are you sure-"
"Just do it."
Expelliarmus was useless as the Professor had nothing in his hands, so another good one.
"Stupefy!"
There was a burst of blue but at the last moment Constantine raised his glowing hand and caught the Stunning Spell in his hand, crushing it, to everyone's shock again.
"Hmmm…..try again."
"Impedimenta."
Constantine thrust his hand forwards and Harry found himself pushed back instead.
"Stunning and trying to slow or push your opponent, would work well if the opponent was like you."
Harry still had his wand drawn as Constantine shrugged. "You can try deadlier ones too. I've seen worse."
"Reducto!"
The spell shot towards Constantine but he caught it again and deflected it at a vase, shattering it as the students looked there.
"Eh, will fix it later. Anything else?"
"Petrificus Totalis."
Constantine was unaffected and cracked his neck to show it. "That's a good one, but I've dealt with worse."
Looking around, he said. "If anyone else wants to try anything, now is the chance."
Most students were skeptical they could do anything to him, and some were even scared of him at this point.
Hermione thought of something and pointing her wand chanted. "Incendio!"
Constantine saw his trench coat was on fire and sighing, spat at it. The saliva had some enchanting effect as the fire was gone immediately.
The students were once more surprised by what he could do. They had never seen magic of this type at all.
Chuckling, Constantine snapped his fingers as Hermione's wand was suddenly alight and she dropped it but next moment, it was normal again, and when she looked at her fingers, there were no burns at all.
"Just an illusion kid, learn the difference", Constantine assured her, walking to her table and bending down to pick up her wand which he handed back to her.
"Was that necessary?" Ron inquired.
"If you wanna be at the top, learn to at least hold your against what I deal with, then you can do it", Constantine tapped Ron's shoulder as he walked back to his desk, and turned to Harry. "Now, defend yourself from me."
"Yes Constantine." Harry nodded immediately.
Constantine decided to go easy first and fired a weak blast of magic which was deflected by a well-timed shield charm.
"Fast on the draw, fast in defence, good for a place like Warts", Constantine commented, again shocking the students by his name for the place.
He then fired a stronger blast and Harry's shield charm shattered as he was sent flying off and crashing to the ground.
"Some attacks can be too strong for you", Constantine said as Harry picked himself back up just as another one struck him and he fell again. "And some too fast."
As he staggered up, he felt Constantine's glowing hand behind him and was in shock again.
"Some from places you won't see coming."
He was back at his desk a while later. "And here, we shall learn to defend you lot against all of it, and fight it too, make you proficient enough to deal with some of the greater threats."
Draco was laughing at Harry though, so were his mates. "Potter is so helpless, can't even defeat a muggle."
John sighed. "Best get it done now I suppose."
"Right then", he stood up. "If you don't want to get bloodied, I suggest you stand to the side."
They looked at him oddly, Constantine looked right at Malfoy, "Come on then! We doing this or not?"
"You mean...duel, you?"
"Duel, fight, brawl, just get up." Malfoy hesitated, and John notices the fear, and he began to chuckle. "Unless the purist is afraid of a back-alley magician."
Malfoy, angry, got up, students standing to the side, John pushed his hand forward and the chairs were shoved against the back wall. The trio and other houses couldn't wait to watch, while his mates encouraged Draco.
He did the bow and pose stuff of a duel as John rolled his eyes. "Wizards and your formalities."
Draco was still in the circle on the floor, while Constantine is on the edge outside of it.
"Aren't you going to arm yourself?" Draco asked. "I'm better than Potter and the mudblood."
Hermione sighed while Ron and Harry glared at Draco.
"Trust me, kid, you'll need all the help you can get with me."
"Stupefy!"
John raised his hand, his magic shield defending him and he hurled it back at Draco who flew off and fell right on his behind, his wand falling off too.
The Gryffindors and Slytherins not his friends all laughed at him.
He then snapped his fingers and the circle glowed for a second as Draco again yelled. "Stupefy!"
Nothing. He waved his wand and still nothing.
"My circle depowered you, now you're just an idiot waving a stick", Constantine smirked as Draco glared.
Constantine looked around at his students. "Does anyone else wish to test my teaching ability?"
And they all shook their heads hastily, including Draco's mates, Ron and the other Gryffindors still laughing at Malfoy.
Smirking, Constantine finally said. "Class dismissed."
He walked off, his trench coat swaying behind him as the shocked students got up and started leaving.
Draco was helped up by Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy. "Wait till my father hears about this!"
He stormed off.
"That was weirder than Professor Moody last year, but still much better", Neville told the Trio before moving away.
"He just asked us to attack him", Hermione said in surprise. "And the magic he was doing-"
"Just some words and hand-waving, sometimes not even words", Ron commented. "How did he do all that?"
"Especially that portal!" Hermione added. "And all the teleporting-"
"His kind of magic is clearly different and much more advanced than what we do", Harry told his two friends, still thinking about how easily Constantine was shrugging off all he had done. It was like a nuisance to the new Professor at worst. "He just needs to use his hands and whatever knowledge he has and that's it for him really."
"I do not think even Professor Dumbledore is known to do that", Hermione confessed to the two. "So Professor Constantine is already doing strange things."
"And did he say he remove the jinx on this post?" Ron asked.
"Considering what we saw him do, wouldn't surprise me", Harry shrugged.
"On the bright side, he believes your story about You-Know-Who", Ron told him optimistically. "And he told the rest to believe it too, that's good, right mate?" Ron tapped Harry's shoulder.
"Yes, but what was that about summoning the spirit?" Harry shuddered as he remembered that, not mentioning Cedric's name for obvious reasons.
"Necromancy is too dark, even the restricted section does not have books on it", Hermione said as they reached closer to their next class.
"Whatever, at least he is trying to teach us, how unconventional his methods may be", Harry pointed out.
"And he embarrassed Malfoy, that's good enough for me", Ron added with a pleased smile due to the mental image.
While Constantine seemed dangerous, the Boy Who Lived felt the new Professor was on their side.
Or at least he hoped he was.