Chapter 140: Chapter 140 Invitation
Three Broomsticks Inn.
Mrs. Rosmerta brought two glasses of mead, "The best oak-rubbed mead, low in alcohol, you'll like it."
"Thank you, ma'am."
She smiled and nodded, and turned to greet the other customers.
Belby looked around the inn and saw seven or eight adult wizards talking in whispers, in addition to three or two small ones.
"I have a feeling this place is doing a lot better than the Hog's Head Inn." He said.
"The Hog's Head Inn specializes in strong liquors, and minor wizards don't go there much." Felix said, "And the attractiveness of the proprietors and the interior is even more jarring."
Belby glanced at the curvaceous Mrs. Rosmerta and thought about the wrinkles on the Hog's Head Inn owner's face and the dirt-covered glasses, and especially the dirty, rotten smell inside the bar ...
"Well, you're right. I wouldn't go there for nothing more than the necessary reason, either."
Felix bowed his head and took a sip of mead, which tasted excellent, the sweetness of honey and the freshness of oak wood filling his lips and teeth, barely feeling the taste of liquor, but as it slid down his throat, he could clearly feel a long wave of heat rushing to his heart, warming his whole body.
"How does it feel to be back in school, Damocles, almost a month now?"
"It's very relaxing, and it feels like I'm young again." Belby chuckled, "Sometimes, though, I really want to crack open some students' little brains and see if they're stuffed with Bubotuber pus?"
Felix looked at him speechlessly, worthy of being a master of potions, the metaphor is so refreshingly simple.
Bubotuber is an extremely ugly plant, its pus is no less ugly, it is a sticky yellow-green liquid, with a pungent smell of oil.
You can't blame him for being mean, though; the challenges Belby encountered from the academic rubble comprehensively outclassed Felix in every way - because the Defense Against the Dark Arts class is mandatory, and every young wizard is required to take it until sixth grade.
As we all know, the quality of teaching in this class has always been worrying.
Felix said, "There are always some good students, aren't there?"
"That's true," Belby reflected on himself, "and I lectured a little too fast, you know, to make up for the previous deficiencies. In the second year, for example, they haven't even seen a few low-risk magical creatures, let alone know how to handle a minor vile hex."
" You brewed the potion just for this?"
"That's right, I collected a list of minor vile hexes they've mastered and made a special topic to teach them how to deal with them."
"That sounds great, Damocles, you have a talent for teaching."
"No, Felix, your 'answer space' has helped me a lot."
Felix looked at him in disbelief.
Belby explained, "I converted the information I looked up into test questions, put them on the answer space, and urged them to complete them after class as part of the homework."
Is this ... online homework?
The all-subject version of the answer space had been available for some time, and each professor was given a dragon skin scroll that allowed them to modify and add questions for the corresponding subject - Felix opened up that part of the access.
However, most professors clearly place more emphasis on fifth and seventh graders, and they have moved all the questions from the OWLs and NEWTs exams of recent years, while for other grades, they may simply provide a focus range and corresponding reference chapters.
No one seems to have realized this use of answer space...
Felix looked at him, and Belby said with some embarrassment, "Although I only plan to substitute for six months, I also hope to make a good record. Honestly, I don't want the young wizards telling the new professor how bad I am in the next academic year."
"Don't worry, there shouldn't be a better professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts class in the last ten years than you," Felix said with great appreciation that he had encountered most of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors in the last ten years during his school years, and the few that remained had, as far as he knew, have fairly below average reputation.
Not to mention the last two years, a dark wizard and a fraud.
At the end of this little gathering, Belby talked about his latest teaching project, "In addition to the little vile hex topic, I'd like to do a topic on forbidden forest creatures, which are equally dangerous magical creatures."
He also formally extended an invitation to Felix to explore the Forbidden Forest together.
Looking at his somewhat faltering tone, Felix understood in his heart that he is afraid of being affected by the curse and wants to find a partner who can look out for each other in case of danger, so that he will not be isolated as a result of an accident.
For example, meet a Warthog?
Felix thought for a moment and agreed, he is also ready to fully explore the forbidden forest once, pick up some miraculous materials by the way.
Every time he saw the snake fang carving knife, it always felt like it was teasing him.
Felix had the intention to transform the unicorn dagger that Hagrid gave him into a carving knife.
Back at school, the two parted from each other.
On the way back to the office, Felix saw several young wizards with a look of obvious awe and gratitude on their faces, which confused Felix a bit.
Did word about Peeves' ghost spread? Not another outrageous rumour, is it?
All the way until the third wave of young wizards he encountered, all with similar looks, Felix could not hold back his curiosity and called out to one of them, "Finch-Fletchley, what is going on in the castle these days?"
Justin Finch-Fletchley looked at him with an adoring face, "Professor Hap, it's about the Peeves Ghost."
Felix thought to himself, "Indeed, it is, is it really a rumour about me taking out the Peeves Ghost?
He said softly, "Tell me more about it."
Justin said with some excitement, "A few Slytherin students said you couldn't stand the Peeves' mischief and used magic to teach him a lesson."
Nothing wrong with getting this far, Felix thought to himself.
"Please continue."
"... Everyone noticed that Peeves ghost became weird, he seemed to be mimicking different students' speech, and dumbing down."
No problem getting here either.
"And then what?" He wanted to know at what point the wording went awry.
"Then Ron's twin brother noticed something different about Peeves ghost, and they conjured up a big fan and fanned Peeves around the castle for exhibition."
Felix: "... very creative idea, did they get into any trouble?"
"Does attracting many ghosts count?"
"Ghosts?"
"Yeah, they clapped their hands on the sidelines, especially a short, chubby ghost with a big pair of glasses, she was just overjoyed." Justine Finch-Fletchley said.
Was it Moaning Myrtle? Felix guessed.
"Where are they now?" He intended to go over and see.
"Oh, they were in the yard - they were going to throw an impromptu party, and then Professor McGonagall took them away."
"She looks pretty upset," Justine added.
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