The second lesson in the morning was Potions Class.
This class was held in a dim, underground room filled with bottles and jars containing all sorts of potion ingredients, some familiar and some not.
Snape, a professor who appeared cold and strict, entered the classroom, and a wave of unease washed over all the students.
Many of the first-year students were afraid of him. As soon as he walked into the classroom, the chatter stopped abruptly. However, because of this, points were deducted from the houses of many students.
Upon entering the classroom, Snape glanced at Ray several times, the student having made a deep impression on him.
Ray didn't dare to meet Snape's gaze. He sat in his seat, eyes fixed on his nose, his nose fixed on his heart, with his textbook open in front of him, looking perfectly prepared for the lesson.
"Turn to page five," Snape finally began the lesson, after confirming that all the students were cowed by his presence.
He began by explaining what potions were, their effects, and the things to be mindful of in Potions Class.
For Ray, this was like opening a whole new world.
A brand new world, where everything sparked Ray's curiosity. After all, he'd only ever encountered magic and potions in novels and movies in his previous life. Never had he experienced them so intimately.
Ray, in his second life, possessed incredibly strong mental fortitude and a good memory. So, he absorbed the knowledge the professors imparted as quickly as a sponge.
If there was anything he didn't understand, he would raise his hand and ask questions. For a mature soul like him, he undoubtedly had the potential to become a top student among the first-year students.
For those curious about knowledge, class time always seemed short.
Potions Class ended quickly, and Ray, who had performed exceptionally well, was surprisingly awarded ten points by the usually harsh Professor Snape.
This truly surprised Ray. Because, as far as he could recall, no other student, except for those in Slytherin, had ever been awarded points by Snape.
"What is it, Mr. Ray Fasty? Are you displeased with my awarding you points?"
After receiving the points, Ray was momentarily stunned before hearing Snape's cold question.
"No, Professor. Thank you for the points."
Seeing Snape's icy, slightly displeased expression, Ray was very glad he reacted quickly.
He figured that if he'd acted even a little bit more out of line, or had continued to stare blankly in such a disrespectful manner, he might have been facing the fate of having points deducted. To receive points from Snape was undoubtedly a sign that the Potions Class had been quite successful.
After a break for lunch, the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class began in the afternoon.
Defense Against the Dark Arts was held on the second floor. Because it was the afternoon, sunlight naturally streamed in through the windows. For the first-year students who hadn't taken a nap, drowsiness was a perfectly understandable result.
As several of the new students were nodding off, Professor Kapoor Dorek, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, walked in, clutching his textbook.
His right hand held his wand. From the doorway to the podium, with each window he passed, his wand flicked. The windows automatically closed, and the bright classroom became dim. The students who had been dozing suddenly lost all their sleepiness.
"Good morning, everyone. I am your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Kapoor Dorek. I'm very pleased to be learning how to defend against dark magic with all of you."
Kapoor Dorek had a gaunt face, and his complexion was pale. If it weren't for the fixed, friendly smile on his face, Ray would have thought he was a walking corpse, especially in the dim classroom.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts doesn't just teach defense against dark magic. You could say that this course teaches you how to use magic and how to protect yourselves in actual combat."
"For example, when faced with a sudden, unexpected attack."
Kapoor Dorek's smile was stiff and fixed, a sudden transition between smiling and not smiling. It gave the impression that the smile was terribly fake.
He loudly announced the content he would be teaching the students, and then the whole person suddenly vanished from the podium.
"Ah!..."
A high-pitched scream erupted. Kapoor Dorek suddenly appeared behind two girls in the third row, the scream coming from one of the brown-haired girls.
As for the other girl, it was Agnes. She was also startled, her chest rising and falling rapidly, but she didn't scream.
Kapoor Dorek's wand was already pressed against Agnes's neck, his cold eyes seeming to size up his prey.
The atmosphere in the classroom froze.
"This is what a sudden attack looks like, so what I want to teach you is self-protection in such situations."
After surveying the classroom, Kapoor Dorek vanished again, reappearing on the platform.
This display was quite impressive, instantly stunning all the students, including the troublemakers.
Agnes was at the front of the third row, and Ray was also in the third row, with an aisle between them.
"Are you alright?"
Ray asked Agnes, who was clutching her chest and still looked shaken.
Agnes forced a smile and shook her head, indicating she was fine.
Ray frowned, disturbed by the way Kapoor Dorek, the Auror who had been attacked by vampires, was scaring the students.
The way Professor Dorek had vanished and reappeared was very strange, Ray thought. It didn't seem like the 'Apparition' he knew. Moreover, Apparition was forbidden within the school.
During Professor Dorek's disappearances and reappearances, there was a sudden gust of wind in the corridor. This wind gave Ray an inexplicable sense of danger. It felt similar to the vampires' movements, which defied the laws of physics.
Fast, flashing, and catching people off guard.
Kapoor Dorek continued this method during his class, appearing behind each of the first-year students to let them experience the feeling of being suddenly attacked.
This was truly a unique Defense Against the Dark Arts class. The lesson ultimately concluded with the girls screaming and the boys chuckling.
"Ray Fasty, Cedric Diggory, please wait before leaving."
Professor Dorek unexpectedly said this after the class ended.
Ray, who was just about to stand up, was quite surprised: "Oh, alright, Professor."
Cedric Diggory was the same. The two couldn't help but glance at each other, not understanding why everyone else could leave, but they had to stay behind.
....
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