After all the students had gathered in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, Professor Lupin, standing at the front, placed a worn, battered leather suitcase on the desk.
Goyle and Crabbe immediately suspected that the shabby suitcase contained all of Lupin's worldly possessions.
Just as they had noticed during the Sorting Ceremony, there was nothing out of place about the way Professor Lupin carried himself, even with that tattered case. Though he appeared cleaner and somewhat healthier than before, he still gave off the impression of someone who couldn't quite afford three proper meals a day.
The sight drew a few low chuckles from the Slytherin students.
Harry Potter shot them an angry glare, while Hermione looked toward Professor Lupin with clear concern.
"Those people are awful!"
"I'm sure Professor Lupin will prove them wrong," Harry replied. "I haven't heard anything bad about him, after all."
"Hmm… but Hermione, when did you even get here? I could've sworn—"
"We'll talk about it later. Class is starting."
Harry couldn't shake the feeling that Hermione was hiding something. Ron Weasley, standing beside him, whispered his thoughts.
"Don't you think Hermione's keeping something from us?"
"It just feels… off. I can't quite explain it."
While Harry and Ron whispered to each other, someone else in the room—someone who had recently begun viewing Hermione as someone to keep an eye on—had also noticed her unusual behavior. That person quickly leaned over to share the observation with Draco.
"Draco, did you notice your friend's feet? She's got twelve heavy books piled there. What is she doing, training her arm strength?"
Ignoring Pansy's slightly snide tone, Draco followed her gaze and saw Hermione panting softly, wiping sweat from her brow with her small hands. Clearly, carrying all those books had been no easy task for her.
And, as Pansy pointed out, there was no reason to bring that many books for the morning's lessons.
From Draco's vantage point, he could see the topmost titles—Defence Against the Dark Arts, Grade 3, Arithmancy, and Muggle Studies.
But if his memory served correctly, all of those classes were scheduled for nine o'clock.
In other words, it was impossible for Hermione to attend three different lessons at once. Bringing all those books made no logical sense.
Draco frowned, glancing at the faint dark circles beneath her eyes, his mind already turning over possibilities. But before he could think further, Professor Lupin's voice cut through his thoughts from the front of the room.
"Good afternoon, everyone. Please put away your books. Today will be a practical lesson—you'll only need your wands."
Murmurs spread quickly among the students.
Lupin's announcement made several of them uneasy, as it brought back unpleasant memories from the previous year, when a Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson had gone horribly wrong after a cage full of pixies escaped and wreaked havoc.
Oblivious to their worries, Professor Lupin picked up the suitcase.
"Now, everyone, follow me. And of course, Miss Granger—you can leave your books behind."
With a kind smile from Lupin and a flustered blush from Hermione, the curious new professor led the students out of the classroom...
…
Not having to sit inside a classroom felt refreshing to most of the young wizards.
And everything that had happened along the way only made them more curious about their new professor. He had driven off Peeves with a simple charm and even spoken to Snape in a tone that was anything but polite. That alone earned him quite a bit of admiration from Harry Potter and his friends.
Of course, it also made the Slytherin students dislike him even more—this professor who couldn't even afford a new robe...
"Come in. This will be our classroom for today."
The room hadn't been used in ages, filled with mismatched chairs and empty cabinets. Perhaps because it had been tidied for their lesson, there wasn't much dust to be seen.
Just as the students were looking around curiously, the old wardrobe standing in the center suddenly began to shake.
The loud thumping as it hit the wall startled everyone who wasn't prepared for it.
"Don't worry," said Professor Lupin calmly. "That's a Boggart. As you can see, it prefers dark, enclosed spaces. This one was moved here just yesterday afternoon. Now, does anyone know what kind of creature it is?"
Instinctively, every head turned toward Hermione, who already had her pale hand raised high.
The Gryffindor know-it-all never disappointed.
"Miss Granger."
"Yes, Professor. A Boggart is a shapeshifter that lives in dark, confined places. It takes the form of whatever the person facing it fears most."
Professor Lupin smiled and began to applaud.
"Indeed. I'd heard rumors, even before I arrived at Hogwarts, that there was a particularly brilliant third-year witch here. It seems those rumors were quite true. Five points to Gryffindor."
Most of the Slytherins responded with an audible scoff.
After praising Hermione, Professor Lupin got straight to the point.
"The spell to repel a Boggart is quite simple. Repeat after me—Riddikulus!"
"Riddikulus!"
"Excellent. But that's only the easy part. Saying the incantation alone won't be enough. So, I've decided that each of you will have a turn to try. First up—Mr. Longbottom."
"Y-yes, Professor!"
Watching Neville Longbottom tremble even harder than the wardrobe itself, Draco frowned, now realizing what kind of lesson this was going to be. His gaze toward Professor Lupin grew thoughtful and sharp.
"What is it, Draco? Is there danger?" Pansy asked quietly.
"No… not exactly. It's not a dangerous creature," Draco said, lowering his voice. "But tell me—do you really want everyone to see the thing you fear most?"
He gave a small shrug. "Of course, if you're a master of Occlumency, then forget I said anything. But it's obvious none of us here, myself included, have ever learned magic at that level."
Pansy blinked, realization dawning in her eyes. The more she thought about it, the more her expression darkened. She wasn't some kind of pervert, nor was she interested in exposing her deepest fears for everyone to see.
Just then, Professor Lupin—who had just sent a shaky but relieved Neville back to his place—turned his gaze directly toward Draco.
"I think Mr. Malfoy could give us a demonstration."
"..."
The air in the room grew heavy, tension settling over the students like a spell...