Before Harry could recover from the shock brought on by the troll, he heard Professor Dracula's question.
But the recent scene was too much to process. His mind was blank, and he couldn't remember what their first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson had been about, no matter how hard he tried to recall it.
Harry looked for help from Ron, who was huddled in the corner, trying to shrink into non-existence. Ron only shrank further into the corner and gave him a helpless look.
At that moment, a hand was raised tremulously.
"Then, Miss Granger, please answer this question for him," Dracula said to Hermione.
Harry quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Then, a strange feeling settled over him—
How was it that this former battlefield against a troll had turned into a Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom in the blink of an eye?
"We young wizards must learn to use other powers to defend ourselves—such as alchemical armour, external weapons, or the simplest and most effective method: asking for help," Hermione whispered.
Seeing that Dracula didn't refute, Hermione's tone gradually became smoother and more confident, as if she were back in class.
"When you go out with an adult, you can carry 2 Signalling Charms to sound an alarm in case of danger. The Spark Charm can also serve as an alarm and contact signal, but it is usually not recommended to use it when actively facing danger…"
Hermione recited almost all the key points mentioned in class, while the 2 slackers, Harry and Ron, listened with their mouths hanging open.
"You have a very good memory, Miss Granger," Dracula smiled and nodded.
Before Hermione could display her smug smile, his face turned serious, and he asked, "Then, tell me—have you done what I explained?"
Hermione lowered her head, looking dejected. She looked as though she were on the verge of tears.
Dracula ignored her feelings and continued sternly: "Didn't you use the Spark Charm very well in class? Had you remembered to use Red Sparks to call for help, the professors would have received the signal and rushed over immediately. Then the three of you wouldn't have faced such danger!"
"In addition, I did say that casting the Spark Charm to call for help is dangerous because it exposes your position and angers the enemy. However, I don't know if you remember another sentence I said—'Analyse the specific problem you are facing in detail!'"
"You need to know that trolls are incredibly stupid and have very little ability to think. They have absolutely no ability to analyse human behaviour! Faced with such an enemy, you could have used the Spark Charm to warn others first and then used other spells to delay for time. It would have been easy to hold out until the professors arrived for the rescue!"
Hermione wiped her tears and sobbed, "I… my mind went blank when I saw the troll, and I couldn't remember anything…"
"So, staying calm is vital when facing the enemy," Dracula said. "You just haven't experienced enough. It seems I will need to strengthen your training in this area in the future…"
As he spoke, a calculating look suddenly appeared on his face, though no one could guess his intention.
Seeing that the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor had stopped lecturing, Harry and Ron quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
The 2 compared notes in secret. They realised that facing Professor Dracula was even more nerve-wracking than facing the troll.
Dracula's lecture was clearly not over.
His gaze swept over Harry—still sitting on the floor—and Ron, who was shrinking in the corner. He said calmly: "Do not think that you are exempt, Mr Potter and Mr Weasley."
"While your actions in rescuing your classmate are praiseworthy, have you even considered the broader picture? Two first-year wizards wandering around a place that might house a troll at any time—this is little more than a stupid act of delivering yourselves as a snack!"
"There is a prefect in the Gryffindor team. And you even met Professor Snape when you passed by the corner of the corridor. Did it not occur to you to seek help from either of them?"
"As for how you dealt with the troll," Dracula said, his voice laced with disgust. "It is embarrassing for me to describe! What use are the spells you have learned? What use are your wands? Only so you can stick them up a troll's nostrils?"
Harry glanced at his wand—still stuck in the troll's nose—and did not dare to say a word.
"Remember—you are wizards, not a bunch of monkeys jumping up and down!"
Dracula stared coldly at the 2 boys, his tone icy.
"We just wanted to tell Hermione about the troll. We never thought we would be so unlucky as to run into it ourselves," Ron retorted, somewhat unconvinced. "And Snape hurried off towards the 4th floor. He would have been too lazy to pay attention to us. And even if he did, he would have deducted points from Gryffindor first."
"Leaving aside the issue of personal animosity, Professor Snape possesses a base level of professional ethics. He would not idly stand by while students are in grave peril," Dracula countered, glancing at Ron. "Moreover, you deem House Points as worthy of more consideration than your own lives? That scarcely seems in character for the pair of you."
Ron thought of his and Harry's escapade just after school had started. Speechless, he could only stand stiffly in the corner.
"As for the point that it's just our luck that you happened to meet it, it does bear some weight," Dracula conceded, then continued, "If you continue this habit of forcing yourself to face a situation you have no prospect of succeeding in, then it is more than likely, no matter how improbable it seems, that something terrible may well befall you. It's just a matter of time."
After listening to Dracula's dressing-down, Harry and Ron finally nodded, looking convinced. Hermione even took out a small notebook and started taking notes.
"Okay, to make up for your mistakes, you 3 need to pick up your pace now." However, just as the 3 were listening carefully, Dracula suddenly snapped his fingers, waking up the troll from its frozen state. "Such excellent teaching tools are rare. You three, make use of your acquired intellect and find the best methods to subdue it!"
"Just a reminder—the troll's weakness lies in its head!"
As Dracula's words fell, the troll jerked upright, looking around blankly, seemingly unclear about what was happening.
But the troll's brain—smaller than a walnut kernel—was not sufficient for it to figure out the situation. The monster picked up the club and moved to strike Harry, who was nearest.
Harry's wand was still stuck in the troll's nose, so he had no means to defend himself. He could only cower and hold his head in fear. Hermione and Ron had not reacted, and they watched helplessly as the troll's club crashed down towards Harry.
When the club was only a centimetre from the scar on Harry's forehead, the troll froze in place again.
"Your reaction is far too slow. I'm afraid a hundred lives would not be sufficient with such response times," Dracula said, leaning against the door frame, his tone laden with disgust.
"Potter, retrieve your wand and prepare for your next lesson."
***********
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