Chapter 319: Chapter 319
Morning.
Lynn sat at the dining table, looking at the timetable in his hand with a puzzled expression.
He had flipped that parchment over several times to make sure he wasn’t seeing things or taking the wrong one.
But the schedule on it was packed, from Monday to Friday, from morning to night; almost every slot was filled.
What was even worse was that for several days, there were double periods—double Transfiguration, double Potion Class, double Defense Against the Dark Arts, even History of Magic had two consecutive periods.
Professor Binns’s voice was already hypnotic enough; with two consecutive classes, he was afraid they’d be sleeping in the classroom until the end of time.
Since he arrived at Hogwarts, he had never seen a time when there could be so many classes in a single week.
In the first and second years, the schedule was relatively loose, it started to increase in the third year, and by the fourth year, it was already quite full—but compared to the fifth year, the fourth year was practically like a vacation.
"Is it because it’s the fifth year and we’re preparing for the O.W.L.s exams, so there are some changes in the studies?" Lynn thought to himself, but he still felt something wasn’t quite right.
O.W.L.s are important, but not to the point of scheduling classes like this. Don’t the Professors need to rest?
Today’s first class was Transfiguration.
Sirius’s class.
Lynn folded the timetable, stuffed it into his pocket, downed the last gulp of Pumpkin Juice from his cup, and stood up.
"Let’s go," he said, "let’s see how Professor Black teaches."
The Transfiguration classroom was on the third floor.
When they arrived, many people were already seated in the classroom.
It was even more crowded than Professor McGonagall’s usual classes; almost everyone was there, even those who were often late had arrived early and were sitting in their seats whispering.
Lynn glanced around and found that it wasn’t just Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students; there were also a few Gryffindors and Slytherins mixed in.
They were wearing their own house robes, sitting near the wall, pretending to be there to audit the class, but with their necks craned and eyes shining, they looked like they were there to watch the excitement no matter how you looked at it.
"There are quite a few people." Edgar sat down next to Lynn, looked around, and lowered his voice, "It’s even fuller than Professor McGonagall’s class."
William pushed his glasses, "He’s a legendary figure, after all. Escaped from Azkaban, was wrongly accused for twelve years, cleared his name, and now he’s back to be a Professor. This experience itself is attractive enough."
The discussion in the classroom grew louder and louder.
Someone was guessing Sirius’s teaching style; some said he must be very strict, after all, he’s a member of the Black family; some said he must be very easygoing, after all, he came from Gryffindor; and some said he couldn’t teach at all and was just there in name only.
Various guesses flew around the classroom, and no one could convince anyone else.
Just as everyone was discussing heatedly, the classroom door was pushed open.
Sirius walked in from outside.
He looked quite happy, with a smile on his face, not showing any worry about taking on teaching duties.
That expression didn’t look like he was coming to teach a class, but rather like he was attending a class reunion.
"Hello, everyone." His voice echoed in the classroom, "I don’t think I need to introduce myself. None of you should fail to recognize me."
There was a moment of silence below, followed by a burst of laughter.
Indeed, no one didn’t know him.
The name Sirius Black appeared in The Daily Prophet with a frequency second only to Harry Potter and Dumbledore.
The laughter gradually subsided.
Sirius cleared his throat, moved the textbook from the left side of the podium to the right, and then back from the right to the left, as if looking for a suitable position.
Then he spoke.
"As for the theory of Transfiguration, I won’t go into too much detail." He paused, his expression indescribably honest, "Because I’m not very good at it either."
Another round of laughter erupted from below.
Lynn also laughed, not because he thought it was that funny, but because he found the unabashed way Sirius said it very interesting.
"So we’ll go straight to practice in the first class." Sirius clapped his hands.
The moment the applause fell, a rat in a cage appeared on every student’s desk.
Edgar’s movements were incredibly fast.
He stuffed his books into his bag almost the moment he saw the rat. He liked practical combat—as long as he wasn’t sparring with Lynn.
"This year’s Transfiguration will involve Cross-species Transfiguration, Reversible Transfiguration, and so on." Sirius’s voice continued, "And the task Professor McGonagall gave me is—to have you complete the practice of Cross-species Transfiguration."
"Now, you can try to your heart’s content."
He went back behind the podium, pulled out a chair, and prepared to sit down.
The room was quiet for a while. Students looked at each other, and no one moved first.
It wasn’t that they couldn’t—some basics of Cross-species Transfiguration theory had been discussed last semester—but the sudden jump from theory to practice without any transition in between always made people feel like something was missing.
"Professor Black."
A female voice came from the Hufflepuff seating area. Sirius’s backside paused as he was about to sit down, and he stood up again.
He held onto the edge of the podium and looked in the direction of the voice.
"What is it? Miss Abbott."
Hannah Abbott stood up, her fingers twisting the edge of her robes, her expression filled with trepidation.
"What are we supposed to turn the rat into?"
Sirius blinked and fell silent.
He really hadn’t thought about that carefully.
After a long time—he finally spoke.
"Something alive, as long as it’s not the original rat."
He thought for a moment and added: "Just changing the color won’t work, for example, turning a gray one into a white one doesn’t count. Turning a gray one into a multicolored one doesn’t count either."
A low chuckle rippled through the room.
"Alright, let’s begin." Sirius finally sat down, leaned back against the chair, crossed his arms, and watched the students.
The classroom immediately became lively.
The sound of wands waving rose and fell, and the chanting of spells intertwined in the air.
Lynn glanced at the rat in front of him and tapped it lightly with his wand.
The rat’s fur changed from gray-brown to light brown, its four paws changed from pink to dark brown, its tail shortened, its ears became rounded, and its body became much rounder.
A few seconds later, a plump hamster sat in the middle of the cage, its two front paws held to its chest, looking at him with an innocent gaze.
Edgar leaned over to take a look, "Is that a hamster?"
"Yes." Lynn poked the cage with the tip of his wand, and the hamster was startled, shrinking into a ball of fur.
On the podium, Sirius’s eyelid twitched.
He finally understood why Dumbledore told him: Lynn doesn’t just know how to fight, his level in various branches of magic is that of a genius.
With this effortless manner, he wouldn’t believe it himself if someone said he wasn’t a genius.
"Ahem, ten points to Hufflepuff."
The class continued.
Every so often, Sirius would get up and walk around the classroom, commenting on a few students’ work, and then return to sit behind the podium.
His expression was very relaxed, even leisurely, not at all like a novice Professor teaching for the first time.
Lynn sat in the classroom with nothing to do; he turned the hamster back into a rat, then the rat into a badger, the badger into a miniature lion, and the lion into an eagle...
He was having a great time and didn’t notice how much time had passed.
"Alright." Sirius’s voice came from the podium, "Time’s almost up. Before class ends, turn the rats back to their original state and leave them in the cages. You don’t need to pack up the cages; someone will come to collect them."
The students began to wrap things up in a hurry.
Lynn turned the rat back, closed the cage door, and pushed the cage to the corner of the table.
He looked up at the wall clock at the front of the classroom—three minutes left until the end of class.
"By the way," Sirius suddenly spoke again, as if remembering something, "next week’s class will still be Transfiguration practice. We will try more complex Cross-species Transfiguration.
You can preview in advance—if you can find the preview materials."
Lynn glanced at him and thought that Professor McGonagall handing the Transfiguration practice class to him was probably not just because he was a legendary figure, but also because he really knew how to teach—at least he knew how to make students willing to learn.
The bell rang.
The students hurried to pack their things and head out.
The next period was Potion Class. Being late wasn’t a good idea, especially when Snape was in a bad mood—and Snape was in a bad mood most of the time.
...
Just as Lynn and his roommates were walking unhurriedly towards the Dungeon Classroom, the sound of footsteps came from around the corner of the corridor.
Lynn didn’t pay attention and continued talking to Edgar about his bright green rat from the Transfiguration class just now.
"Mr. Lynn."
A voice that made one feel uncomfortable just listening to it sounded.
The group’s footsteps paused.
Lynn turned around with a constipated expression and looked at the person who called him.
Umbridge stood in the middle of the corridor, looking at Lynn with a smile that made one’s hair stand on end.
"Professor Umbridge, is there something I can help you with?" Lynn’s tone was flat, showing no emotion.
Umbridge twisted her rounded body and took small steps towards Lynn.
Her way of walking was very characteristic—her upper body barely moved, while her lower body moved rapidly, like a pink ball on wheels rolling forward.
She stopped in front of Lynn, looked up, and said, "Do you have time now? I have something I want to talk to you about."
Lynn frowned in confusion.
He had no interaction with Umbridge; they had only met for the first time at the opening feast yesterday and hadn’t even spoken a word. What could she possibly want to talk to him about?
Lynn looked down at the time on his Magic Phone, "Professor, can it wait until after the next class? I’m in a hurry right now. Potion Class, Professor Snape’s class."
He made sure to say the words "Professor Snape" very clearly.
At Hogwarts, everyone knew what being late for Snape’s class meant—losing points was the least of it, being sprayed with venom was common, and if you were unlucky enough to catch Snape in a bad mood, you might not even get into the classroom and would be left outside to write a self-reflection.
Although Lynn wasn’t afraid of Snape, he didn’t want to go against the Old Bat on the first day of school.
The smile on Umbridge’s face stiffened for a moment.
But she quickly regained that kind expression, though her tone was a bit more unquestionable than before.
"It’s best to do it now."
Lynn’s frown deepened, and just then, a notification sound rang out.
Ding-dong.
Lynn pulled out his Magic Phone and saw a message pop up on the screen from Ernie Macmillan.
Attached was a picture—Snape was standing in front of the podium in the Dungeon Classroom, his expression as dark as the sky before a storm.
Below the picture was a line of text: "The Old Bat has already entered the classroom, hurry up."
Lynn’s eyes widened instantly.
"Sorry, Professor." He stuffed the Magic Phone back into his pocket, "I’m really in a hurry now."
After saying that, without waiting for Umbridge to react, he turned and left.
His movements were very fast, taking long strides, his robes fluttering behind him, creating a gust of wind.
Umbridge stood there, her smile incredibly stiff.
She turned her head and looked at Edgar, who was about to slip away.
"Mr. Burns."
She obviously recognized Edgar.
Edgar’s footsteps paused. His expression froze on his face, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Sorry, Professor." His tone was exactly the same as Lynn’s, "I’m also in a hurry. Professor Snape’s class, you know how it is."
After saying that, without waiting for Umbridge to respond, he took off running.
Umbridge was left alone in the corridor.
She stood there, staring in the direction where those few had disappeared, her face dark.
...
At the entrance of the Dungeon Classroom, when Lynn and the other three arrived, the classroom was already full of people.
Snape was standing behind the podium, his expression so dark it could practically drip water.
His gaze swept from the door, paused on Lynn’s face for a moment, then moved away without saying anything.
Lynn breathed a sigh of relief, ducked his head, and slipped into the classroom, finding a seat in the last row.
Snape didn’t call roll, but simply said in a slow tone, "Turn your books to page three hundred and ninety-four."
The sound of pages flipping echoed in the classroom.
Page three hundred and ninety-four was about the brewing method for the Draught of Living Death.
An extremely complex Potion that required time control accurate to the second and extremely subtle magic perception.
Snape’s mood was obviously not good today; the venom in class was sprayed more densely than usual. Several students were called on to answer questions; if they got it wrong, points were deducted, and if they got it right, points were still deducted—the reason being "the tone when answering the question was not humble enough."
Lynn lowered his head to brew the Potion, his hands not stopping, but he was thinking in his heart: Umbridge’s smile and Snape’s venom, which one is more uncomfortable?
---
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