A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts-Chapter 145: Practical Lesson

The ordinary classroom door seemed to separate two worlds.

On one side, there was the warm and tranquil school, while on the other side lay an unknown world, dark and occasionally swept by chilling drafts.

The students gazed hesitantly at Professor Harp's face, as if trying to read something from it, but Felix just looked at them with encouraging eyes.

Penelope couldn't help swallowing nervously. Her voice was clear as she spoke. Percy, who sat two seats away, asked, "Professor, there won't be any danger, will there?"

"What? Oh, of course not... Why would you think that?" Felix looked at him in surprise, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the others.

"... I understand. Don't worry. Well, I have indeed added some interesting surprises that might startle you, but our lesson is always about ancient magical texts, not dark magic defense."

"Off you go, I'll be the last one in."

The male and female wizards entered the room one by one, with Felix following behind and closing the classroom door.

"Bang!"

...

In this mysterious space, the light was quite dim, making it difficult for them to determine the exact size of the space.

Some faint sounds reached their ears: the sound of wind, the calls of crows, the chirping of insects, and some strange and rustling ancient syllables.

Over thirty students huddled together like quails, standing in place, unsure of what to do, seemingly awaiting the professor's instructions. Only seven or eight of them raised their wands, casting a shimmering glow, using the magic's light to survey their surroundings.

Felix shook his head, and in the next moment, his voice came from above, as if from the ceiling—

"Young wizards, you are now employees of the Ministry of Magic from a hundred and fifty years ago, skilled in magical texts. Your task is to inspect the surrounding area, eliminate dangers, and retrieve valuable manuscripts."

"You must be cautious and thorough, like professionals, not missing even the tiniest clue. Magical manuscripts won't just be lying around at the doorstep; the carriers of knowledge are not singular. Trust me, there are many things here worth exploring."

"Now, take out your wands, and when necessary, take out parchment to record. I'll be watching you closely."

Afterwards, the voice disappeared.

Following a brief silence...

"Cough, cough!" Percy cleared his throat and raised his wand, getting the attention of the others. "I believe this is a test from the professor. We should submit satisfactory answers. As a Prefect, I'm willing to lead the way..."

"There's more than one Prefect here!" A Slytherin student countered, amidst the cacophony of voices. Amidst the chaos, the students quickly divided into four groups based on their houses.

Twelve Ravenclaws, seven Gryffindors, five Slytherins, and nine Hufflepuffs.

Each house had a Prefect, and Hufflepuff also selected a respected male wizard. They gathered around a nearby stone, discussing how to proceed.

"We should explore the boundaries of this place. It's quite evident the professor cast an Untraceable Extension Charm; this place can't be too big."

"With all due respect, I think we should find the safe haven the professor mentioned and obtain the manuscript as soon as possible. I don't want to stay here for even a second longer!"

"Are you suggesting we split up?"

"Is that not permissible?"

"Everyone, no matter what we do, it's best to act together."

...

Percy advocated exploring the surrounding area first, and clearly defining roles and responsibilities. The Slytherin Prefect, on the other hand, opposed this approach, insisting on quickly locating the safe haven. "That's the key information the professor provided!"

In the other two houses, Penelope supported Percy, while Hufflepuff suggested sticking together.

Ten minutes slipped by quietly.

But opinions remained divided. In the end, they decided to act as houses and leave one person behind. Every ten breaths, they would release a burst of red sparks into the sky. After ten bursts, they would release green sparks. Everyone would then swiftly return and share their findings.

Gryffindor and Ravenclaw walked together, and Slytherin and Hufflepuff teamed up to maintain balance in numbers.

"Everyone, repeat after me: Lumos!" Percy said.

Beams of light emanated from the darkness. Not far away, stars twinkled in response. Both sides felt somewhat reassured.

They picked a direction at random and advanced cautiously. Originally, they proceeded with caution, but the occasional cawing of crows overhead sent shivers down their spines.

Unconsciously, their pace quickened.

Percy's voice, tinged with trembling, came through, "We're still students. We're not likely to encounter dangers beyond the ordinary. At most, there might be some minor traps..."

Penelope's calm voice chimed in, "We're just participating in a special practical lesson. It won't last more than two hours."

The mood of the young wizards eased slightly.

"Wait! What's that over there?" Quidditch Captain Wood pointed ahead.

"Is it a pile of stones?" Percy squinted into the distance.

"No, it's... it's tombstones!" Wood's words stumbled.

Faintly in the shadows, rows of tombstones stood, even darker than the night.

After a brief moment of panic, five of them gathered and decided to investigate.

"Don't worry, there won't be danger." Percy tried to sound convincing.

The group of five cautiously approached the tombstones. They stepped on the soft soil, occasionally snapping twigs underfoot. In the silence, Percy suddenly spoke, "Penelope, you should stay behind."

"I'm a Prefect!" Penelope retorted.

"But..."

"Oh, come on, you two," the burly Wood turned around. "Can you at least pick a better time for your lover's quarrel? We're kind of busy here."

"Who... who said we're lovers?" Both of them stared at him dumbfoundedly.

"I'm not that daft..." Wood muttered to himself.

Percy and Penelope instantly fell silent. Even the sudden croaking of a frog didn't sound as eerie anymore.

In the slightly awkward atmosphere, they entered the area with tombstones.

"Look here!" Wood pointed at a tombstone. "There are runic inscriptions on it, seems to be—"

"What?" Percy raised his wand to take a look.

"I, it's a skeleton!" Wood's voice trembled.

"What?" Percy raised his wand to take a closer look.

"We, we're waiting for you here..." Wood swallowed nervously.

"Gulp!"

At that moment, they heard a strange noise. Something emerged from the soil in front of Wood's tombstone.

Percy's eyes widened—it was a hand!

"Run, Wood!" He raised his wand and cast a Disintegration Hex.

Wood agilely jumped back. With a crisp sound, he saw that the bony arm had shattered.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Penelope let out a scream. Something had grabbed her ankle. She struggled to free herself and found a pale hand hanging from her ankle.

"Penelope!"

Percy shouted. Then he stood in disbelief as he watched Penelope take a few steps back, and with gritted teeth, she released a barrage of spells in one direction: "Reducing Charm!" "Inferno Flames!" Intense flames illuminated a corner of the tombstone area. Under the magic's influence, a sizable pit was created in the ground.

About thirty seconds later—

A group of people arrived, panting. They looked around in confusion: Percy and Penelope were embracing each other, while two other wizards looked awkwardly into the distance. Wood kicked a skeletal frame with one arm missing disdainfully away from him.

The skeletal frame was quite odd-looking, about half the height of a person, with short limbs and an unusually large head that almost occupied half of its body.

The big-headed skeleton's mouth exaggeratedly opened and emitted a quasi-human "Wu lu~ wu lu~" sound, clumsily trying to get up from the ground.

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