The next morning, when William pushed open the door to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, he was greeted by barely contained excitement.
The fourth-year Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students had already filled the room. Dozens of eyes fixed on him, shining with curiosity and anticipation.
Rumours that the new professor had once been a senior Ministry official had spread throughout the castle overnight. That morning, Ravenclaw students had added another revelation: William had graduated from Hogwarts with Outstanding grades in every subject.
After suffering through several disastrous Defence Against the Dark Arts professors, the students placed unprecedented hopes on this handsome, accomplished newcomer.
They wanted a teacher who could actually teach them something useful—and for now, William seemed to fit the bill perfectly.
"Good morning, Professor!" several bold Gryffindors called out.
"Good morning, Professor Shafiq!" the Ravenclaws chimed in eagerly.
William nodded at their enthusiasm. Carrying a thick stack of parchment, he walked to the front desk, placed the papers down, and raised a hand for silence.
"Good morning," he said gently, sounding approachable. "In theory, as this is our first lesson, I should spend some time getting to know you and discussing what we'll be studying this term."
Many students visibly relaxed.
"But…"
His tone shifted, though the faint smile remained.
"After reviewing your education over the past few years, I have found the situation… less than encouraging. Therefore, before we begin, I believe it is necessary to conduct a small test to assess your actual level."
Before the students could react, his wand flicked lightly.
With a rustling sound, the parchments lifted from the desk and flew neatly to every student. William placed a small brass hourglass on the lectern.
"Forty minutes. No books. No talking." He turned the hourglass over. "Begin."
The class was stunned.
No dramatic demonstration. No introductory speech. Just a surprise exam.
Any protests died instantly at the sight of the steadily falling sand. Quills were snatched up in panic.
William didn't remain at the front like a proctor. Instead, he conjured a comfortable armchair at the back and sat down.
This only increased the pressure. Every student felt his gaze on the back of their head—but no one dared turn around or cheat.
The room filled with the scratching of quills and occasional sighs.
Forty minutes passed quickly.
With a soft chime, the final grain of sand fell.
"Stop writing."
William stood and waved his wand. The parchments flew from the students' hands and stacked neatly on the desk, ignoring several desperate last-second scribblers.
He began grading.
His reading speed was astonishing—one glance per paper. His expression remained blank.
The students waited like prisoners awaiting judgment.
Five minutes later, he set down the final sheet and sighed.
"If you took your O.W.L.s in this condition," he said calmly, "fewer than five of you would pass. And noneof you should dream of achieving an Exceeds Expectations or Outstanding."
"But Professor, our O.W.L.s are next year!" a Gryffindor protested.
"My test covered only material from your first three years," William replied. "If your foundation is this fragile, how do you expect to build anything in a single year?"
"Some of this wasn't taught before…" someone muttered.
"It appears in your textbooks," William said coldly. "If you expect professors to chew the knowledge for you and feed it into your mouths, you should consider dropping this subject."
He paused, voice softer.
"And I do not wish to be interrupted again. Based on your performance, you have not yet earned the right to question me. Understood?"
Silence fell.
The class suddenly realized their gentle-looking professor was not gentle at all.
William picked up a paper.
"All questions were taken from past O.W.L. exams."
"First question: classify the three types of Dark spells in ascending order of severity and give three examples each. This was from the 1985 exam—an easy question."
He shook the paper.
"The correct order is Jinxes, Hexes, and Curses. Fewer than half achieved full marks. Someone even classified the Full Body-Bind Curse as a Curse. Do you believe Hogwarts would casually let you practise real curses?"
"Guessing poorly is still guessing."
He continued.
"The second part of the final question: how to deal with a Kappa. A medium-difficulty question from 1989. Only two students scored."
"One: Miss Penelope Clearwater of Ravenclaw."
He looked toward a girl in the front row, who straightened nervously.
"You wrote: Throw a cucumber carved with your name. This is effective since Kappas like cucumbers. However, they prefer human blood. This method is risky. Half marks."
"The second: Mr. Percy Weasley of Gryffindor."
Percy sat bolt upright, pride barely concealed.
"Trick the Kappa into bowing, spilling the water from the hollow in its head and draining its power. Full marks. Excellent."
Percy flushed with excitement.
"Five points to Gryffindor."
Envious glances appeared from other students.
"Though this question was obscure, I did not expect this answer."
William pulled another paper and gave a dry laugh.
"Someone wrote: Kappas originate in Mongolia and are commonly found in surrounding seas."
The class burst into laughter despite the tension.
"Silence," William said sharply. "I could not invent an answer this absurd if I tried. Japan. The Far East. Freshwater environments. This level of ignorance must not happen again."
No one claimed the paper.
"Now, we begin the review."
He tapped the blackboard. Chalk sprang to life, writing rapidly in neat, dense notes as he explained.
His teaching was precise and efficient—identifying mistakes, highlighting key points, dissecting exam techniques.
When he finished, he turned to the class.
Students waited expectantly, hoping for a summary, or light homework.
William sighed again.
"I observed throughout the lesson. Only twelve students took notes. The rest… were waiting for me to pour the knowledge into your brains like potion?"
Panic struck.
Students scrambled to copy the blackboard—
RING!
The bell rang.
"Time's up."
With a flick of his wand, the entire board exploded into a cloud of chalk dust.
"No!" many students cried in despair.
"I will test you on this lesson next class. Those who cannot answer will face the consequences."
He gathered the papers and walked to the door.
"Class dismissed."
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Ps: I changed Willy to William now to erase the awkwardness in reading (lol).
Drop stones, Add to Collection, Drop reviews, and leave comments btw. Thanks!
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