Seeing that someone finally wanted to try, Tina put away her gradually growing irritation and focused on the brave volunteer.
"What's your name?"
"Fred, Fred Weasley, Professor."
"Very good!"
With an encouraging smile brightening her weathered features, Tina smoothly waved her wand, and the shimmering barrier opened a narrow gap.
Fred adjusted his breathing once more, gripped his wand with sweaty palms, and stepped cautiously into the magical enclosure.
Although Professor Kahn had only briefly mentioned Vampire Bats when discussing the terrifying Sasabonsam, he had still covered quite a few of the Vampire Bat's critical weaknesses during that lesson.
For instance, they would go completely mad upon seeing fresh blood, their leathery wings could resist some ordinary spells, but their small bodies had virtually no resistance to direct magical attacks.
Recalling what Professor Kahn had taught them, Fred looked up at the Vampire Bat still wildly crashing about in midair, apparently not having noticed his presence yet.
He had one precious chance for a surprise attack, but he needed to be lightning quick.
Trying his absolute best to aim his wand at the erratically flying Vampire Bat, Fred shouted with determination. "Stupefy!"
Brilliant red light streaked from his wand tip, but because the Vampire Bat was frantically flying in unpredictable patterns, the spell missed its target completely and instead struck the protective barrier nearby with a shower of sparks.
This failed attack obviously caught the Vampire Bat's immediate attention. It stopped trying to break through the barrier, turned its hideous head, and its glowing crimson eyes stared directly at Fred below, whose movements had become noticeably stiff with fear.
"Stupefy! Impedimenta! Oh no, Protego..."
Fred rapidly fired off spells in desperate succession. His magical strength was decent enough for his age, but the attacks were all nimbly dodged by the agile Vampire Bat. Without slowing down at all, it dove straight for Fred's exposed face with murderous intent.
Fred wanted to cast a proper Shield Charm to block the assault, but before he could finish the complex incantation, the Vampire Bat had already flown directly to his face. He could even smell the putrid stench emanating from the monster's razor-sharp fangs.
Just then, a semi-transparent barrier materialized in front of him, successfully blocking the Vampire Bat's vicious attack.
Taking several unsteady steps backward, Fred felt deeply embarrassed and wanted to attempt the challenge again, but was firmly stopped by Professor Goldstein.
"Go back to your seat."
Clenching his fists in frustration and glaring at the Vampire Bat continuously flapping behind the protective barrier, Fred finally left the combat area dejectedly and returned to his assigned seat.
After Fred's failed attempt, other brave students who stepped forward also entered the barrier to try their luck, but without exception, none could last more than a few minutes against the relentless Vampire Bat.
The student who lasted longest was a determined Hufflepuff named Cedric, but even he had no effective follow-up moves after his Shield Charm was violently broken.
This wasn't right at all.
Having observed the entire disappointing combat process, Tina's experienced eyes held only deep confusion and growing concern.
These young wizards' basic magical abilities were certainly decent for their age, but they severely lacked any real combat experience and weren't decisive enough when facing actual enemies.
It was as if they had never experienced genuine magical combat before in their entire lives.
Frowning deeply as she carefully put the agitated Vampire Bat back in its secure cage, Tina looked around at the defeated students.
Now that she thought about it more carefully, when she had mentioned earlier that this lesson's primary goal was combat practice, these young wizards' reactions seemed less like reasonable fear of injury and more like they had never experienced such dangerous things at all.
But how was that even possible?
Third-year students at Ilvermorny could already handle many dark creatures below level three completely on their own. Although level three creatures should be considerably more difficult to deal with, finding a few competent students from two entire houses combined who could defeat dark creatures should be laughably easy.
Even Ilvermorny, a school that had existed for merely three hundred years, could achieve this basic level of competency, yet legendary Hogwarts students couldn't even last three minutes against a single Vampire Bat?
What a complete joke! This was supposedly the world's oldest and most mysterious magical school!
Before this lesson, she had even worried the Vampire Bat might be too weak to properly motivate these young wizards!
Looking again at those young wizards holding their wands with obvious helplessness, Tina could no longer contain her mounting confusion.
"What exactly did you learn in your previous Defense Against the Dark Arts classes?"
Even with just a few basic combat training sessions, these young wizards wouldn't be so utterly unfamiliar with magical battle.
And when this topic came up, the young wizards immediately perked up with renewed energy.
"Professor Quirrell taught us theoretical methods to avoid banshees! And about vampires' supposed love for humans!"
"Professor Green told us about the existence of prank sprites in this world!"
"Madam Rakepick seemed to want to teach actual combat, but before she could start properly, she was sent to Azkaban..."
Listening to the young wizards' various accounts, Tina frowned with deepening concern.
What was all this nonsense about?
Methods to avoid banshees? Vampires' love and hate? Prank sprites?
Was this supposed to be a practical defense class or elaborate storytelling?
There was even a professor sent to Azkaban during the teaching period?
Tina recalled what Dumbledore had said when he found her and Newt, but now she had a completely new understanding of those carefully chosen words.
This was what Dumbledore diplomatically called Hogwarts students having "a little bit" of deficiency in Defense Against the Dark Arts?
"You've never had any proper combat training?"
The young wizards were stunned for a moment, then nodded in perfect unison, looking like a bunch of adorable little quails.
But such helpless little quails were absolutely not the legendary Hogwarts students she had imagined.
Far from it.
Shaking her head with determination, Tina waved her wand decisively, magically forcing all the young wizards to stand up. Their desks and chairs were swiftly moved aside, transforming the entire classroom into a spacious, empty room with no obstacles whatsoever.
After completing all these preparations, Tina inserted her wand back at her waist.
Basic combat training. This should have been first year material, but based on what she had just witnessed, even these most fundamental practical lessons hadn't been taught to these young wizards.
Then she would personally make up for these critical deficiencies.
"Line up by house in two neat rows. We're going to conduct the most basic combat training!"
During break time, all young wizards passing by the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom witnessed a strange and alarming sight.
Third-year students from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff crawled out of the classroom like exhausted dogs, looking as if they had just endured a grueling timed marathon.
Besides obvious physical exhaustion, their mental state wasn't very good either. One by one, completely disheveled, they leaned against corridor walls or even lay directly on the cold stone ground, looking exactly like they had just endured some form of cruel torture.
The Defense Against the Dark Arts class for third-year Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students was this new professor's very first lesson, but seeing their pitiful condition, students from other years inevitably felt some growing fear.
Did American schools actually use corporal punishment during regular classes? Even Snape had never done such extreme things!
How absolutely terrifying!
And this alarming story was becoming more and more exaggerated as time passed and rumors spread.
That afternoon, during the second Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Tina looked at the fifth-year students sitting in their seats trembling with obvious fear, a question mark slowly appearing above her head.
How were these fifth years even more timid than the third years? She hadn't even announced what this lesson would cover!
"Pro... Professor..."
"We'll behave obediently, could you please not use dark magic to punish us?"
Tina stared at them in complete bewilderment. "???"
(TL NOTE: Unfortunately, my LOTR: Playing Minecraft in Middle-earth book was mistakenly flagged as spam on Webnovel and removed. I'll re-upload it under a different title by today at the latest. Thank you for your patience!)