At first, Rouse allowed students to challenge him simply to prove he wasn't another Quirrell or Lockhart. It was the fastest way to establish authority.
But slowly, things began to change.
He realized Hogwarts students were far weaker than he had ever imagined. Take the seventh-years, for example—he could hardly believe they were about to graduate. Most Ilvermorny fifth-years were already stronger than them.
And so Rouse began to enjoy it. The thrill of trampling weaker opponents was intoxicating.
What made it even sweeter was that instead of despising him, the students looked at him with wide-eyed admiration, as if he had accomplished something extraordinary. That made the addiction harder to resist.
But today, the students were cautious—far too cautious. No one dared give him the chance to show off.
Rouse' gaze lingered on Tom.
What he really wanted was for Tom to step forward, to test for himself the strength of Grindelwald's so-called protégé. But Tom sat calm and unbothered, unmoving as a mountain. Rouse knew immediately his wish would not come true.
Nor was he the only one disappointed. Many of the Slytherins had hoped Tom would put on a show. But Tom had no intention of stepping into the spotlight unnecessarily.
Finally, Rouse broke the silence. Clapping his hands sharply, he declared,
"Well then, since everyone is so well-behaved, let's begin class properly."
He smiled, introducing himself once again.
"I am Rouse Wilkinson, a proud wizard of Ilvermorny's Horned Serpent house. Now, some of you may not know this, but Ilvermorny shares a deep connection with Hogwarts. In fact, when Ilvermorny was founded, its four Houses were modeled after Hogwarts' own. Does anyone know the details?"
Several hands shot up. Rouse chose Susan Bones.
Susan rose and spoke clearly:
"The founder of Ilvermorny was Isolt Sayre. She carried the blood of the Gaunt family, descended from Salazar Slytherin. She never attended Hogwarts—something she regretted for her entire life. So when she built Ilvermorny, she imitated Hogwarts' Sorting system."
"Very good. Hufflepuff earns five points." Rouse nodded approvingly. "I like your point system."
Then he asked, "Do you know which Hogwarts House Horned Serpent is most like?"
Susan blinked, looking lost. She had already recited everything she'd ever read on the subject.
Malfoy ventured a guess, "Slytherin? Because of the bloodline?"
Rouse shook his head. "Partly, but not entirely. Horned Serpent values shrewdness and wisdom. It is something between Slytherin and Ravenclaw."
He paced slowly, his tone deepening.
"Many of you possess more than one quality, but you've never paid attention. Who says loyalty can't coexist with cleverness? Who says ambition must exclude kindness? Do not let your Houses' narrow traits confine you."
Tom raised his brows in surprise.
When they first met, Rouse had seemed unreliable—after all, Tom still found it absurd that a man could sleep in a cube just for revenge.
But these words? They were pure gold. The sort of advice students might carry for a lifetime.
After his opening, Rouse shifted to the lesson proper.
"So then," he asked, "who can tell me—what is the first spell every wizard should learn in Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
The class erupted at once.
"Stunning Spell!"
"Petrificus Totalus!"
"No, it's Expelliarmus—the Disarming Charm!"
"I think it's the Shield Charm—Protego—it's the simplest!"
Everyone had their own idea. Rouse merely smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, waiting until the noise died down before answering.
"All of you have valid reasoning. That is your freedom. But at Ilvermorny, the answer is always the same. The first spell we teach is the Shield Charm."
Gasps of surprise rippled across the room.
They had all listed offensive spells, but none had considered Protego.
"But isn't the Shield Charm taught only in fourth or fifth year?" someone objected.
And indeed, Protego was no easy charm. Many Ministry employees couldn't even cast a proper version of it.
"That," Rouse said with a smirk, "is only Hogwarts' curriculum."
With a flick of his wand, the blackboard filled with dense notes—incantations, wand movements, and subtle techniques for casting the Shield Charm.
"At Ilvermorny, every single student begins their very first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson with Protego. Even if they've never held a wand before, they are required to memorize the incantation and techniques. And the Shield Charm we use isn't the same as yours—it has been refined, modified into the American version, designed to resist physical force—especially impact."
Tom's brows arched. His lips twitched as suspicion stirred in his mind.
Rouse pressed on, his tone suddenly sharper.
"In America, the dangers we face are many. Our enemies are not just dark wizards, but dangerous magical creatures—and sometimes, our own spells. But the greatest danger…" He paused. "…comes from Muggles."
"Do you know what a gun is?"
The half-bloods and Muggle-borns nodded instantly. Many of the pure-bloods only looked confused.
Rouse waved his wand. A curtain unfurled across the blackboard, the classroom windows sealed shut, and the room dimmed.
A beam of light shot onto the curtain, and students noticed for the first time a strange machine in the corner.
Tom recognized it immediately: a hand-cranked projector.
Electronics failed within Hogwarts' wards—but mechanical devices still functioned. Rouse had only replaced the lamp with a magical light source.
He turned the crank. The reel began to spin. A grainy, black-and-white image flickered to life.