Chapter 53: The Heroes of Hogwarts
Less than a week into the term, both Professor Hamilton's and Professor Lockhart's Defense Against the Dark Arts classes had become the talk of Hogwarts.
Professor Lockhart had assigned a quiz about himself in his very first class and caused quite a ruckus.
The Cornish pixies he released ran amok in the classroom, and it was only the patrolling Professor Snape who eventually stopped them.
Professor Hamilton's Defense Against the Dark Arts class, however, was perhaps less lighthearted and humorous.
Most students felt that Professor Hamilton's class should be renamed "Dark Arts Class" rather than "Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Quite a few students were badly shaken by the rather realistic Killing Curse, and there were even rumors that a second-year student had to spend several days in the Hospital Wing after being hit by it.
Lyra also knew that her recent classes had caused quite a stir... She received many letters from students. Some contained questions born of curiosity, such as whether there was a werewolf under the mask.
Others asked about Dark Arts. Many Slytherin students seemed to think Lyra was some kind of Dark wizard... even though she actually was.
But that didn't mean Lyra dared to teach Dark Arts at Hogwarts!
There were even students asking very strange questions.
For instance, did Lyra have Mr. Müller's contact information... or his address...
Lyra had never received so many letters before... Of course, that didn't mean she was happy about it.
These weren't letters from friends... they were letters from students. Who knew if one of those envelopes contained a threat?
Or perhaps something slightly creepy like "I know who you are."
Therefore, when replying, Lyra was always concise, mostly ending with "No, I don't know, you can't." Occasionally, she would answer serious questions... but she felt her replies probably weren't very good.
But simple letters were fine; the real headache was the memory circlets that sometimes came with them.
Students, doing who-knows-what with the circlets, resulted in damaged ones being sent back every day... This was simply the most malicious behavior!
As Lyra repaired the formation items, she memorized the names of those students. Once Dumbledore fell, she would settle the score with each and every one of them!
Mr. Weasley, Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Weasley, Miss Parkinson, Mr. Weasley...
Why are there so many Weasleys?
Just as Lyra was puzzling over this, she suddenly heard a knock on her office door.
"Professor Hamilton, I have something to discuss with you!"
It was the stern Deputy Headmistress!
Wh... why is she here?
Surprised, Lyra quickly waved her wand to tidy the room and pulled up her hood.
Is... is she here to fire me?
Face pale, Lyra walked to the door and carefully opened it a crack, poking her head out.
"Professor... Professor McGonagall... It's an honor to meet you..." She tremulously uttered the most respectful greeting she could manage.
"The honor is mine." McGonagall's voice sounded quite serious. "It's an honor to meet you."
"Eek!"
I'm definitely getting fired!
Professor McGonagall pushed the door open with a frown and walked in. She looked around the office before slowly sitting down.
"Professor Hamilton, do you know what has happened this past week?"
"I... I know I was wrong!" Seeing McGonagall seemingly about to lose her temper, Lyra quickly bowed ninety degrees. "Please... please don't fire me!"
"Even if you fire me... please... please give me a job... like cleaning or something..."
"I definitely clean... better than those... house-elves..." Lyra's voice grew quieter and quieter until it was completely inaudible.
"Professor Hamilton, I am not here to fire you." Seeing her like this, McGonagall froze. Realizing what Lyra was thinking, she shook her head, the dissatisfaction on her face turning into a hint of sympathy.
"I just came to remind you." She paused. "Please do not demonstrate Unforgivable Curses in class."
"I... I didn't..." Lyra said instinctively. "That was... that was Mr. William..."
"Who is Mr. William?" McGonagall asked, pausing.
"Durmstrang's... Dark Arts professor..."
"Then please tell him not to use Unforgivable Curses in class." McGonagall took a deep breath. She felt her anger returning, despite the sympathy she had just felt for Miss Hamilton's plight.
"But he... he should be dead." Lyra whispered. "He was in his fifties back then, and it's been over fifty years..."
"What I mean is, please stop showing students memory fragments involving Unforgivable Curses in class!" McGonagall said sternly.
That's right, memory fragments... What Harry and the others saw wasn't a scene Lyra conjured with magic, but a real class she had experienced at Durmstrang.
She used the Memory Formation on the Pensieve to store her memories in her own circlet, then used the Connect and Transmit formations to share them with the other circlets.
She had also felt that Durmstrang's curriculum might not be suitable for Hogwarts students, so she had specifically edited it, blurring her own face and the hand gestures for the Dark Arts...
But it seems that wasn't enough...
Looking at the angry McGonagall, Lyra bit her lip. "I will... I will strictly screen my memories..."
"If that doesn't work... if... if Professor McGonagall wants to see... you can review them first..." Unknowingly, Lyra even started using honorifics.
(Though I don't know if English really has honorifics like that)
"Review?" McGonagall paused. She shook her head gently. "I am not questioning your ability, Miss Hamilton."
"Creating such formation items already proves your talent."
"However..." Looking at Lyra, who was pale and constantly shaking her head to deny her talent, McGonagall sighed. "However, you need to understand the kind of curriculum suitable for Hogwarts students."
"Understand?" Lyra froze.
"Yes." McGonagall thought for a moment. "Perhaps you could sit in on other professors' classes."
"There are still a few days until your next Defense Against the Dark Arts class, correct?"
"Th... three days..."
"Then I hope you can use these three days to listen to other professors' lectures." McGonagall said slowly. "Perhaps you will gain a better understanding of Hogwarts' teaching methods."
"I... I can't... I can't do it..." Walking into someone else's classroom to observe... Lyra felt she absolutely couldn't do it!
I'll definitely attract a huge amount of attention from the students! Just going to the bathroom these past few days, Lyra had encountered countless students greeting her.
Chorus after chorus of "Hello, Professor Hamilton!" had nearly sent her to Madam Pomfrey.
Seeing Lyra's resistance, McGonagall pressed her lips together and said, "Since doing it as a professor won't work... then do it as a student."
"As a... student?" Lyra was stunned.
"Yes." McGonagall stood up slowly and walked to the door. "I will explain the situation to the other professors."
"You just need to attend class with the other students." Seeing the resistance on Lyra's face, she couldn't help but recall the method Dumbledore had told her.
"Miss Hamilton, I trust you greatly." She enunciated each word clearly. "I hope you will not disappoint me."
"D... Disappoint?"
"How... how could I..." Hearing that word, Lyra trembled. "I will... I will go listen to the classes!"
Click.
As the office door closed, Lyra slumped to the floor like a deflated balloon... Trusted again...
But this kind of thing...
Lyra pressed her lips together and looked at the timetable.
The nearest class...
Was Mr. Lockhart's Defense Against the Dark Arts class...
Thinking of that sunny, cheerful man, Lyra took a deep breath and clenched her fists.
I cannot disappoint Professor McGonagall!
I must study Mr. Lockhart's teaching methods carefully!
Minerva McGonagall, happy that Lyra had accepted her suggestion, didn't know that her biggest headache, Professor Lockhart, was about to potentially double.