"So it's agreed then. When it hatches, you absolutely must call me!"
After cheerfully bidding farewell to Hagrid, Evans left the cozy hut and carefully closed the somewhat shabby wooden door behind him.
Although he didn't know where Hagrid had managed to acquire a genuine Norwegian Ridgeback dragon egg, Evans was tremendously excited about the upcoming moment when he could establish a meaningful friendship with that adorable little creature.
He had previously attempted to make friends with fully grown dragons during his travels, but adult dragons proved consistently too violent and territorial for meaningful interaction. Even if they wouldn't directly attack him due to his unique talent, it remained incredibly difficult for such proud creatures to genuinely open their hearts to any human.
Returning to his comfortable home, Evans glanced at the detailed manuscript covering his desk, his eyes flickering with renewed focus and planning.
After completing the comprehensive Wampus Cat lessons, sixth and seventh year students would also need thorough instruction about Acromantulas and their dangerous behaviors.
These were subjects tested rigorously every single year on N.E.W.T.s examinations, and compared to the relatively rare Wampus Cats, there was obviously far more extensive data and detailed distribution information available on Acromantulas, which would inevitably be tested much more thoroughly by the examiners.
However, compared to arranging Wampus Cat demonstrations, practical lessons involving live Acromantulas would actually be significantly easier to conduct safely.
After pondering the logistics for several minutes, Evans's eyes gradually brightened with genuine enthusiasm.
He had developed a pretty excellent idea that would benefit everyone involved.
But the remaining Wampus Cat lessons would require at least two more full days to complete properly. This exciting new operation would have to wait until the day after tomorrow at the earliest.
The following day arrived with typical Scottish drizzle. During the afternoon period, third-year students nervously entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom with anxious, uncertain hearts.
Finding their assigned seats throughout the familiar classroom, they naturally gathered in small groups, hushed whispered conversations echoing throughout the stone-walled room.
This critical course, which had been completely suspended for nearly two weeks, finally had acquired its new professor, but the young wizards felt genuinely unsure about this mysterious professor's actual teaching abilities and methods.
But surely she had to be significantly better than the utterly useless Quirrell, right? If they could somehow achieve even half the educational level of their previous Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, they'd be completely satisfied with the arrangement.
Although that earlier professor had also favored telling elaborate stories during class time, at least his tales were genuinely exciting and educational, not bizarre garlic-flavored zombie legends that made no practical sense.
However, when the headmaster had formally introduced this new professor during last night's dinner announcement, his carefully chosen wording was completely different from previous professor introductions.
According to Dumbledore's glowing description, this Professor Goldstein had once served as a highly decorated Auror, and furthermore, one of America's most formidable and respected Aurors at that.
If she truly possessed genuine Auror training and experience, at least she wouldn't waste precious class time sitting behind her desk without even touching her wand, boringly lecturing them about five theoretical methods for supposedly dealing with vampires, right?
Time crawled by minute by minute, and finally, the distinctive sound of confident boots stepping across stone flooring reached the young wizards' eager ears. They all immediately closed their mouths and turned their expectant gazes toward the classroom entrance.
A few seconds later, an elderly woman dressed in a practical light gray shirt entered the classroom with purposeful strides, carrying what appeared to be a very sturdy, magically reinforced cage in her weathered hands. After conducting a quick, professional survey of the entire room, she placed the mysterious cage on the podium nearby with careful precision.
The young wizards curiously leaned forward to peer into the cage and were immediately startled by what they discovered.
Inside the secure cage was a creature that resembled a bat but also possessed distinctly bird-like characteristics. It was actively struggling against its magical confinement, clearly desperate to break through the cage's mystical barriers and escape.
But every single time the creature touched the cage's enchanted edges, it would be struck down by a pale white flash of defensive magic, forcibly returning to the center of its prison.
After studying the strange monster in the cage for several long moments, Fred leaned close to George's ear and whispered mischievously. "I think it looks exactly like Snape when he's particularly angry."
"Completely agreed!" George whispered back with barely contained glee.
Making conspiratorial eye contact, the twins burst into muffled laughter but quickly suppressed their amusement when they noticed Professor Goldstein's sharp eyes looking directly in their direction with obvious disapproval.
Only after confirming that all the young wizards were sitting properly and attentively at their assigned desks did Tina withdraw her penetrating gaze and speak in clear, authoritative tones.
"Considering that some students weren't present in the Great Hall during last night's announcement, I'll provide a brief personal introduction."
"My name is Porpentina Esther Goldstein. You may address me as Professor Goldstein. For the next half year, I will be personally responsible for teaching you Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"Now, let's begin today's practical lesson immediately." She confidently patted the cage beside her. "Can anyone tell me exactly what type of creature is contained within this magical cage?"
The young wizards whispered among themselves anxiously for several moments before a nervous Hufflepuff student hesitantly raised his trembling hand.
"Is it perhaps a Vampire Bat? I believe Professor Kahn mentioned this particular creature during one of his lessons before."
"Absolutely correct." Tina nodded with genuine satisfaction. "Three points awarded to Hufflepuff."
But why had it been Evans who had taught this advanced material to third-year students?
Although she felt something was definitely off about this educational arrangement, Tina decided not to dwell on this puzzling issue for too long.
"Since you already know it's a Vampire Bat, you should understand this creature's specific abilities and behavioral habits."
The students below nodded eagerly, describing what they had absorbed in a chaotic babble of overlapping voices.
"This creature most likely originated from some dangerous wizard experiment rather than appearing naturally in the wild!"
"Although they're called Vampire Bats, they actually have very little relationship with actual vampires. They're more similar to ordinary vampire bats!"
"Professor Kahn specifically said they prefer rooster blood because it provides them with concentrated magical power!"
After all the young wizards had finished sharing their accumulated knowledge, Tina nodded approvingly once again.
"Very good preparation."
She smoothly waved her wand with practiced precision, and all the desks and chairs in the front half of the classroom were magically moved aside, revealing a wide open space perfect for combat practice.
"Take out your wands immediately. Next comes the practical demonstration section."
"I will release this Vampire Bat for you to challenge in individual combat."
"One student at a time. Whoever successfully defeats this Vampire Bat first will earn ten points for their house."
Having delivered these instructions, Tina waved her wand again with fluid expertise, and a shimmering, semi-transparent barrier rapidly expanded in the center of that cleared space, safely encompassing half the classroom.
This protective measure would prevent the dangerous Vampire Bat from flying out of the designated battle area and also reduce the overall difficulty of combat somewhat for inexperienced students.
However, the young wizards didn't seem to appreciate this new professor's thoughtful safety considerations.
They held their wands uncertainly, standing frozen in place with obvious confusion, simply watching the Vampire Bat that had already been released from its cage and was now flying wildly within the magical barrier's confines.
Although Professor Goldstein had spoken about the challenge lightly, as if defeating a third-level dark creature was some completely trivial matter.
But previous Defense Against the Dark Arts classes had never included such dangerous practical components!
Half a minute passed in uncomfortable silence, and seeing that the young wizards still hadn't moved from their positions, genuine confusion flashed across Tina's experienced features.
Why wasn't anyone stepping forward to attempt the challenge? Wasn't this the completely standard procedure for Defense Against the Dark Arts classes?
Or was their hesitation purely because of fear?
Looking at the Vampire Bat still flying wildly within the barrier nearby, this third-level creature was admittedly somewhat challenging for typical third-year students, but it shouldn't be so overwhelmingly challenging as to cause complete paralysis, right?
This particular batch of young wizards seemed unusually timid. It didn't match her established impression of legendary Hogwarts students at all.
Tina shook her head with growing disappointment.
Shouldn't Hogwarts students be bold enough to smuggle an entire suitcase full of dangerous magical creatures to foreign countries and dare to openly oppose the most powerful dark wizard of the age?
At the very minimum, they should be capable of running off to Egypt completely alone, throwing an entire country's magical reserves into absolute panic, and then systematically purging their Ministry of Magic, right?
Recalling the few exceptional Hogwarts students she knew personally, Tina felt these young wizards before her were dramatically different from those legendary figures in her memory.
These current students were somewhat disgracing their prestigious predecessors.
After waiting another uncomfortably long while, she raised her voice and asked with obvious impatience. "Doesn't anyone want to attempt this challenge?"
This time, the young wizards finally showed some tentative movement. Several boys who looked like natural troublemakers began slowly shuffling their feet forward, and among them, two distinctive red-haired boys moved with the most decisive confidence. They both looked genuinely ready to attempt the dangerous trial.
However, one of the adventurous boys stepped forward more quickly than his twin.
Fred moved forward slowly but steadily, taking a deep, courage-building breath.
"Professor Goldstein, may I please try?"
(TL NOTE: Unfortunately, my LOTR: Playing Minecraft in Middle-earth book was mistakenly flagged as spam on Webnovel and removed. I'll re-upload it under a different title by tomorrow at the latest. Thank you for your patience!)