Chapter 277: Sothia's Defence Lesson
Time slipped by, and finally the lesson drew to a close. Looking over the obviously exhausted students in front of him, Evans hesitated for a moment, then said:
"We'll stop here for today. No homework this time. If you're interested, you can always look up more in the library."
He had originally planned to assign a brief write-up, a summary of the material covered. But seeing how drained they all looked today, he decided against it.
At the words "no homework", the students collectively exhaled in relief. After today's Defence Against the Dark Arts class, all they really wanted was to drag themselves through the rest of the timetable and then collapse on their beds and sleep for a week.
No, that was not quite right. They should probably stop by the hospital wing first, make sure they were actually fine, and only then go back to sleep for a week.
Once they had packed their things and shuffled out, Evans cast a couple of Cleaning Charms to tidy the classroom, then strolled back toward the castle at an unhurried pace.
Pushing open the main doors of Hogwarts, he headed for the staircase that led up to the second floor. He had barely reached it when he stopped short.
A long queue snaked away from the hospital wing doors. The line was made up entirely of fourth and sixth years. George and Fred were in it, as was Wood, who had just left his own class.
Watching them stand there, occasionally baring their teeth in pain, Evans's eyes narrowed, and a thought occurred to him.
If he remembered correctly, there were three Defence Against the Dark Arts periods today: sixth year, then fourth year, then second year.
The second-years' class should only just have started. Which meant everyone in this queue had already had Defence today.
Were they all lining up here because of Sothia's lesson?
What on earth had she been doing in there to send so many of them straight to the hospital wing?
She couldn't have just beaten the entire class up… could she?
He was still turning that over when a sharp clack of heels sounded down the corridor. Madam Pomfrey emerged, took one look at the long line of students waiting outside her doors, and called out with exasperation:
"If you are only here because you have aches and pains after Defence Against the Dark Arts, you may go. That is an illusion. It will pass in a few hours. You do not require treatment."
She shook her head, quite at a loss.
With so many students turning up at once, she had marched straight down to the Defence classroom to see what this new professor was actually doing.
As for the results… well. The woman's intention was sound enough. She clearly wanted to focus on practical skills, and the standards she had set were perfectly appropriate for their age. If the students had managed to reach that standard, there wouldn't now be a crowd at the hospital doors.
What Professor Sothia hadn't realised was that Hogwarts students' combat experience consisted almost entirely of the brief period under Professor Kettleburn. No wonder so many had come running to her ward.
Fortunately, none of them were truly hurt. If they had been, Pomfrey would already be marching back to have words with the new Defence teacher.
After her announcement, the queue dissolved slowly and reluctantly. Evans's curiosity, meanwhile, only grew sharper.
If his memory was right, the second-years were the ones in Defence at this very moment. Which meant Harry and the rest of that class were currently being subjected to whatever "special training" Sothia had chosen to inflict.
Quickening his pace, Evans shot through corridor after corridor until he reached the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.
He stepped up and tried to peer in through the window, only to have his view blocked by a shimmering curtain of blue light.
So. No peeking.
He lifted an eyebrow. A familiar black sheen slid over his eyes, and he looked again.
This time, what he saw made his expression turn very interesting indeed.
A blue spider the size of a large hound let out a rasping screech and sprang at Harry, who twisted aside just in time.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
Adjusting his breathing, Harry flicked his wand at the spider, levitating it briefly and then slamming it down against a nearby boulder.
He stood in the middle of a vast, water-blue expanse. Trees and rocks rose all around him. Apart from the monochrome colouring, it was almost identical to a real forest.
Ron and Neville lay unconscious nearby, "killed" by their respective opponents. Hermione had vanished the moment Professor Sothia had unfolded this space, along with several other classmates.
Ron, by rights, should not have been taken out this quickly. He was a member of the Magical Creatures Club and had fought through more than a few battles in the Forbidden Forest. His practical experience was solid.
His bad luck came from the Red Cap that had been chasing Neville. Ron had been fully focused on his own duel and hadn't noticed the new threat charging in.
By the time he realised it was there, it was already too late to dodge. All he'd had time for was a desperate counter-attack to take the Red Cap down with him, in the slim hope of lightening Harry's load.
Which was why Harry now had to deal with both his own opponent and Ron's.
Fortunately, the Bighead Hair Monster from Ron's side was already badly injured, and Harry's own adversary, the Wolfbane Spider, was not the most troublesome of dark creatures.
Slammed into the rock, the Wolfbane Spider reeled, legs scrabbling. The movements of these creatures were unnervingly real. If not for the lack of colour, Harry could easily have mistaken it for a living dark beast.
Seizing the opening, Harry hurled himself sideways, dodging a swipe from the Bighead Hair Monster. He rolled to a stop behind the dazed spider and aimed his wand at the hairy brute.
"Accio Bighead Hair Monster!"
The misshapen creature with its oversized head shot into the air and hurtled straight toward him. Harry dove away at the last instant, but the Wolfbane Spider on the rock wasn't so lucky. The two illusions collided and the spider disintegrated into a fine spray of water.
Harry didn't waste the chance. As the Bighead Hair Monster crashed down onto the stone, he jabbed his wand at the floor. The edge of a nearby rock sharpened like a blade and shot forward, burying itself in the creature's skull.
Already battered, it finally gave up the fight and dissolved into mist.
Three straight months of weekly forays into the Forbidden Forest had given Harry far more combat experience than the average second-year.
Two relatively minor dark creatures like these were never going to be a match for him.
That said, taking both at once was hard work.
The moment the Bighead Hair Monster turned back into water-mist, a delighted voice rang overhead.
"Not bad at all. Two at once. Five points to Gryffindor."
Relief washed through Harry. That had to mean he had met Professor Sothia's target.
It had not been easy.
He had just allowed himself to think he might finally get a rest when streams of water flashed past his feet and two entirely different dark creatures formed in front of him.
Professor Sothia's voice followed, sounding distinctly excited.
"Evans has been telling me you're one of his favourites. Come on then, let me see how far you can really go."