Chapter 18
The next day, Alan, sitting next to Professor Flitwick, was enjoying breakfast and then asked, "By the way, Professor Flitwick, what's your idea on the second-year students? Do you think they can control magic proficiently?"
Professor Flitwick, hearing that, put down the fork, and looking at Alan, replied, "I'm afraid that's too much asking from them, though you might see some exceptions in the class who can follow your instructions very clearly from the beginning, but that group will be very small. So I can only advise you to take things slow from the beginning."
Alan continued his conversation with Flitwick, as he needed to teach the six classes, and the progress of each class varied from other classes, as the progress of students in higher classes was definitely going to be a little bit better than everyone else's.
His first class as the combat professor was on Monday afternoon, a joint class of Gryffindor and Slytherin second years, and then with the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw of the same year.
The provided classroom for the combat class was a very spacious room on the sixth floor. Since the practice is going to be the foundation of this class, it required a spacious facility.
After bidding goodbye to Professor Flitwick, who has quite an appetite contrary to his build, Alan finally arrived at the combat classroom, which looked tidy and all, with chairs arranged in an orderly manner.
"I don't think you'll be required in my class." Alan waved his wand, and the desk and benches all disappeared from the room, and since he had arrived twenty minutes early, he decided to make use of it and adjusted the classroom's setting according to his will.
And almost twenty minutes later, all the students had arrived in the classroom. Alan scanned around the classroom and then said, "Alright, shall we start the class then?" But before he could get any reply from the students, the figures rushed in the classroom.
"Sorry, Professor Alan, we got late!" It was Hermione, Harry and Ron; the three of them at the moment were huffing and puffing as if they had just run a marathon. Hermione, who should have been a model student, had her face all red in embarrassment, as she had gotten late on the first day of the new class.
Harry and Ron just nodded their heads without saying anything, causing Draco Malfoy in the front to snicker arrogantly.
Looking at the trio dropping their heads, Alan sighed and then said, "Alright, come in; since this is your first mistake, I won't deduct any points from Gryffindor this time, but the next time will not be the same."
Hearing that, a smile bloomed on the trio's face as they entered the classroom, while Ron muttered, "Look, didn't I say that Professor Alan won't deduct points from us?
"Now, with everyone here, let me introduce myself first." Alan looked around the classroom and said, and then told his name and his past job at the ministry and such.
Hearing that their new professor worked at the Ministry of Magic before coming here, the group of students began to chatter, but were immediately calmed down by Alan. "Alright, with the introduction done, I want to ask all of you a question first."
Hermione hearing that raised her hand all of a sudden, prompting Alan to say instinctively, "Miss Granger, let me ask my question first?" which caused Hermione to put down her raised hand.
Seeing one of the more achieving Gryffindors getting reprimanded, there were several mocking jeers from the Slytherin students; however, just one look from Alan forced them to shut their mouths immediately, as he wasn't their Professor Snape, who would join in to humiliate the Gryffindor students.
"So who among you can tell me, what is the most powerful spell in the magic world?" Alan was finally able to ask out his question.
"Most powerful spell?"
"What kind of spell is the most powerful spell?"
The group of students immediately started chattering, but looking at their expressions, Alan felt that all of them seemed to be unclear and were hesitating.
Hermione, on the other hand, wanted to raise her, but she too was unsure of her answer, and as a result, she was afraid that she might get the wrong answer in Professor Alan's first class, leaving a bad impression.
"Hermione, why aren't you raising your hand?" Harry and Ron asked, looking at Hermione a little confusedly, since she wasn't the type of person who would fear raising her hand after a question.
Hermione looked at her two friends and their strange gaze, gathered a little bit of courage and raised her hand tentatively.
"Miss Granger." Alan, finally seeing a raised hand in the classroom, smiled and pointed in Hermione's direction.
"Professor, the most powerful spells in the magic world are the unforgivable curses!" Hermione said in one breath.
"Good answer, but sadly it's not right!" Alan said with an approving smile, and the next moment noticed that some of the young wizards' faces looked very confused. Well, seeing that Alan had a smile on his face, as this proved that most of these young wizards at least knew about the Unforgivable Curses.
"But Professor, aren't those curses supposed to be the strongest? The imperius curse, the cruciatus curse and the avada kedavara curse, which can literally kill a person in a matter of seconds?" Hermione didn't back down and asked.
"But that only proves that those spells are one of the most violent spells or curses known to the wizarding world, and the question still remains the same." Alan's rhetorical question finally stopped Hermione and pushed her into thinking, as she couldn't fathom what Professor Alan meant by that.
For the group of students, a curse that can undo a person's life was undoubtedly the most powerful spell.
"Professor must be joking, right?"
"That's right, how can the unforgivable curse not be the strongest? They are even recognised by the Ministry of Magic to be the most powerful spells."