HP: Hogwart's Journey

Chapter 20: CHAPTER 20 - DADA Class



The story of the potion class takes a turn when a certain student breaks out in sores all over their body and is sent to Madam Pomfrey. Professor Snape completely transforms into the "Shouting Emperor," berating almost everyone from the first to the last row, including the Slytherin students. Robert was feeling exhausted, and Snape's booming voice turned Stebbins into a terrified little creature. Stebbins kept trying to toss something into the cauldron, even though Robert had assured him that they had succeeded and just needed to stir a little longer before bottling the potion. However, for some reason, Stebbins refused to believe it and insisted that Robert didn't want him to finish the potion. 

"Please! I just want to finish this potion! Just this one!" Stebbins wailed, crying uncontrollably. 

Robert ignored him, waved his wand over the cauldron, and the potion turned red. He bottled it, corked the bottle, and declared the potion a success. Just then, Snape walked over, glanced at Robert's potion, didn't say a word, and was about to leave when Stibbons did something that stunned both of them. 

The little badger, with snot bubbles hanging from his nose, yanked the cork out of the bottle and poured the potion back into the cauldron. Without hesitation, he ignited the cauldron and tossed an entire porcupine quill into it in one smooth motion. 

Robert swallowed nervously, grabbed his still-warm bottle of potion, and turned to run. 

"Whoosh... Boom!!" 

The cauldron exploded, and the potion shot into the air, splattering blue liquid all over Snape's face. 

Silence... 

Robert sucked in a breath. His partner was truly the main character here! He actually dared to slather Snape's face with a failed potion in front of two other students from different houses!

The rest of the potion class was a bloody history for the badgers. Professor Snape thoroughly introduced them to the true meaning of a sharp tongue. Though Robert practiced diligently in the Room of Requirement to ensure he wouldn't make mistakes, he couldn't fight against a partner who seemed to constantly try to endanger his life! 

"I'm sorry, Robert, I burned the cauldron again!" Stebbins sobbed. 

Given the extent of his reckless behavior, Robert had already decided to classify him as a "Honey Badger" level and keep a polite, yet distant, attitude. 

As a result, Robert found himself working nonstop in potion class, trying to salvage things while Stebbins repeatedly made mistakes. Yes, because of Stebbins' stellar performance in the first class, he was required to make potions by hand this semester—cleaning, cutting, and brewing the ingredients himself. By the end of the year, Robert was deeply thankful for his youth, or his receding hairline might have already been a concern. 

However, that wasn't the worst part. 

While Snape gave the students mental stress, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor made them deeply aware of what would happen if they didn't make spells second nature. 

In the first class, the man who introduced himself as Stan—yes, the same name as a bus conductor—seriously told the students that if they didn't stay on high alert, they might lose their bodies just like Professor Binns. 

According to *Hogwarts: A History*, Professor Binns had fallen asleep in the staff room by the fireplace, and the next morning, he forgot to bring his body to class. It had become a bit of a running joke.

So when Professor Stan released a horde of small, iron-blue monsters, Robert was completely baffled. 

Wait, wait a second! Are you sure your name is Stan and not something like Gilderoy or Lockhart?! Why do your assistants look *exactly* the same?!!

"Good luck, rookies," Professor Stan said, leaning against the armchair at the podium, relaxed as if he were drinking afternoon tea, if not for the wand in his hand. "You've got the whole afternoon to get familiar with them. Remember, you need to be very, very proficient in your spells if you want to defeat them."

The creatures were small, iron-blue gremlins, classified under the Ministry of Magic's magical creatures department. About eight inches tall, they were notorious for their pranks. They liked to grab unsuspecting people by the ears and fly them up into trees or onto rooftops. Mentioned in *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*, they were born live.

Robert couldn't help but think of the Weasley twins.

After a moment of silence, he swiftly dodged a book that came flying toward him. Why would anyone be reading *1000 Magical Herbs and Mushrooms* in a Dark Arts class?! 

Robert guessed that it was because Professor Sprout was so popular among the students that they couldn't resist flipping through her book even in other professors' classes. 

The first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson left the students shaken. They all ran to Madam Pomfrey, nearly in tears, asking for an allergy note for the gremlins. The already short-tempered nurse got absolutely furious. 

She grabbed each student's ear and smeared some potion on it, making them cry out in pain. 

Luckily, Professor Stan only wanted to show them the dangers in a lighthearted manner. By the second class, he was simply discussing the hazards of magical creatures from *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*. 

Just as the students breathed a sigh of relief, Professor Stan walked back into the classroom with a mysterious object, causing them to remember the nightmare of the gremlins. 

"This is a Pixie," he announced. He lifted the cloth covering a cage, revealing creatures covered in black fur with a human-like shape, but with an extra pair of hands and feet. Their wings were shiny and curved, and they had sharp teeth. 

Stan didn't open the cage right away. Instead, he tapped the birdcage rhythmically with his wand, making the Pixies huddle together in the corner, shivering in fear. 

"These are common household pests," Stan continued. "They breed in homes and live in curtains. We usually use Pixie repellent to get rid of them." He then pulled out a large wooden barrel. "Everyone come up and take a bottle of antidote."

The students immediately stiffened.

"Why are you all dazed? Come on up!" Stan barked. 

"Robert!" 

Robert was the first to be called. Without breaking a sweat, he walked up and took a red antidote from the barrel.

"Good. Now, use any spell you know to defeat them!" Stan lifted the cage—empty beneath—and aimed it at Robert. Three Pixies scrambled out of the cage and charged at Robert's face. 

(End of Chapter)


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