The first Defense Against the Dark Arts class of the term was with Sirius Black. For many students, it was a novelty—they had never had the same professor for the subject two years in a row. Of course, this was only true for students below sixth year; last year, Moody had taught them.
Technically, Sirius was the sixth Defense Against the Dark Arts professor they'd had, but being younger and less seasoned than Moody, he brought his own distinct energy to the role.
By the time class began, the room was already packed. Sirius' legendary past had made him an object of fascination, and students were eager to experience his teaching firsthand.
"I asked Justin about his class," said Mikel, already seated with his textbook out and an eager look on his face. "He said Sirius' lessons are interesting—except for the occasional... unpleasant incident."
"Unpleasant?" Kanna frowned. "Does he assign a lot of homework?"
Although Sirius had occasionally helped Moody with lessons last year, those were predetermined by Moody and largely review sessions. Nobody truly knew Sirius' independent teaching style.
"No, quite the opposite," Mikel replied, shaking his head. "From what I've heard, he almost never gives homework. I envied his class for that all last year."
"Then what's unpleasant about it?" Kanna asked skeptically.
"It hurts," Ryan chimed in.
Before the conversation could continue, the classroom door swung open, and Sirius strode in. His expression was cheerful, and he didn't seem at all fazed by the challenge of handling lessons for three separate year groups.
"Good morning, everyone," Sirius greeted, waving his wand to open the curtains and flood the room with sunlight.
"I don't think I need an introduction," he said with a smile. "Put your books away—you won't need them for the first lesson."
The students eagerly obeyed, and Mikel, who was quick to shelve his book, muttered to himself, Any professor who tells you to put away the textbooks is a good one.
"I've reviewed your progress with Professor Moody," Sirius continued. "And I must say, he was an excellent teacher. Your O.W.L. results are proof of that."
"Almost everyone received decent marks, and even Professor Marchbanks, who oversaw the exams, was impressed. She said she'd never seen so many high scores in Defense Against the Dark Arts, which usually has some of the lowest marks."
The students straightened their backs in pride. Moody had been strict and assigned a mountain of work, but their grades had improved significantly because of it. Some students had even jumped from an Acceptable (A) to an Outstanding (O), securing certificates they'd thought were out of reach.
"But," Sirius said, shifting his tone, "this year, you've got me as your professor. And let me tell you something—I've always believed that the essence of Defense Against the Dark Arts isn't in grades or theory, but in practical combat."
"Dark magic is unpredictable, ever-changing. When you encounter it in the real world, you'll find that textbooks won't save you. Only quick instincts and sharp reflexes will."
Sirius' face grew serious, and his tone left no room for doubt.
"So before you face the real thing, you need to know where your weaknesses are. And the fastest way to learn that... is to experience it yourself."
Sirius drew his wand, and the room seemed to hum with anticipation.
"Lockhart's Duelling Club was a decent idea, even if poorly executed. Unfortunately, it only lasted one session. If it had continued, your skills would be much stronger by now."
"But it's not too late."
He moved to the other side of the classroom, clearing away piles of miscellaneous items and magically levitating them outside.
"I believe practical experience is worth far more than lectures. So for the next few lessons, dueling will be our focus. You'd better be ready for it."
He paused, his gaze sweeping the room.
"I'll do my best to prevent injuries, but there's always a risk. If anyone doesn't want to participate, now's your chance to speak up."
Not a single hand was raised. If anything, the students appeared even more enthusiastic, their excitement palpable.
"Good," Sirius said, nodding in approval. "I knew you'd make the right choice. Now, let's make some adjustments to the classroom."
He instructed everyone to stand up, then waved his wand. Tables, chairs, and even the podium floated out of the windows in a neat line, leaving the room entirely empty.
Sirius had chosen the largest classroom available, and now, without the furniture, it looked even more expansive.
With another flick of his wand, a small platform appeared beneath his feet.
"For today's lesson, we won't be covering new material. Instead, we'll test your practical skills."
He gestured to the platform.
"Here's the challenge: you have five minutes to use any Charm you like to get me off this platform. If you succeed, you'll earn ten points for your house."
The room erupted into excitement, students jostling to be first in line.
"Professor, let me try!"
"Pick me, Professor!"
"I'm the future dueling champion of Hogwarts—I'll show you how it's done!"
...
The classroom buzzed with anticipation, students eagerly calling out for their turn. Sirius scanned the room with a calm smile before his eyes landed on Kyle.
"Kyle, how about you?"
"No problem," Kyle replied smoothly, stepping forward. He eyed the platform Sirius stood on. "Just to confirm, as long as I make you fall off, I pass, right?"
"That's the goal… but I'm stepping down for now." Sirius hopped off the platform, his expression turning serious. "I want everyone to understand—this isn't a game."
Kyle nodded in understanding and pulled out his wand. The chatter around them died down instantly.
Without anyone giving instructions, a few students darted to the corners of the room, creating a clear space around Kyle and Sirius. The others followed suit, pressing back to watch the duel unfold.
There was no formal preamble. The moment Kyle and Sirius faced each other, the duel began abruptly.
Sirius fired a spell without warning, but in the next second, it rebounded toward him even faster than it had been cast.
"Oh, nice…" Sirius murmured, dodging with a sharp bend of his knees. He didn't even catch when Kyle had cast the Shield Charm, but the timing was perfect.
As Sirius avoided the spell, sharp stone spikes erupted from the floor, aimed directly at him. Sirius reacted quickly, sweeping his wand in a clean arc. The spikes shattered into powder, scattering across the ground.
The fragments, however, began to wriggle unnaturally, reshaping into a pack of stone hounds of various sizes. They snarled and charged at Kyle, aiming to snatch his wand.
Kyle took a measured step back, pointing his wand at the assortment of small objects—hairpins, jellybeans, and other debris—that had fallen during the classroom's clearing.
With a flick of his wand, the random items transformed into a swarm of miniature Norwegian sturgeons. The shrunken fish flopped forward, crashing into the stone hounds and engaging them in a chaotic, thrashing battle.
Sirius seized the opportunity to straighten up and grinned broadly. "Excellent transfiguration! Hufflepuff earns twenty points!"
As he spoke, Sirius swiftly cast two more spells, all the while winking dramatically at Kyle when the students couldn't see.
Kyle's mouth twitched in exasperation. He had just finished warming up, and now Sirius was signaling him to wrap it up? Wasn't that a bit much?
With a sigh of resignation, Kyle decided to oblige. After all, this was still a lesson, and dragging it out wasn't practical.
Dropping his Shield Charm intentionally, Kyle allowed himself to be hit by Sirius' Scouring Charm. The impact made him stumble back a few steps, but he kept his footing.
"Not bad, not bad at all," Sirius declared with a grin, stowing his wand and clapping his hands. "I have to say, you're the most outstanding young wizard I've ever seen—Hufflepuff earns another thirty points!"
The room erupted into applause as Kyle returned to the crowd.
"A Scouring Charm? In a duel?" Kanna whispered curiously as Kyle rejoined her.
"You caught that?" Kyle said, surprised. "I don't think Sirius mentioned it aloud."
"I noticed," Kanna replied, pointing at his robes. "At breakfast, an owl spilled some pumpkin juice on you. But now your robes are spotless."
Kyle shrugged. "Fair enough. A cleaning spell doesn't have much use in a duel, but it's not like we were going to keep going all class."
"So, you just… let him win?"
"Had to," Kyle said with a smirk. "He gave me way too much—fifty points for one duel. That's excessive."
"That's true," Kanna said with a laugh. "Still, it's a lot."