Chapter 154: 33
Chapter 33: Defense Against the Dark Arts
"Ethan, get up!"
Terry looked at Ethan, who was still lying in bed, and seemed puzzled.
"You got up early yesterday to chat with the senior students, but not today?"
"Ah! Got it!" Ethan replied groggily and reluctantly opened his eyes.
He had returned to the dormitory past five o'clock that morning, and it was only eight o'clock now. Resting for such a short time was hardly refreshing; in fact, he felt even more tired.
"What did you do last night?" Gene asked curiously, noticing Ethan's exhaustion.
"Nothing, just couldn't sleep," Ethan lied. He couldn't exactly say that he had been sneaking around, gathering treasures hidden by Hogwarts students over the centuries, and had even grabbed a copy of "Advanced Potion-Making" from the Potions classroom.
Ethan already owned a copy of that book, but Snape's version had numerous annotations and contained several dark spells. Considering he had already taken so much, he thought Snape's book wouldn't be a big deal. Besides, it gave Harry a chance later on.
"Our next class is Defense Against the Dark Arts. I heard from a senior that the teacher for this class changes every year. Some of them don't even last a full year. I wonder if it's true," Terry said, chatting with the others while Ethan washed up.
"It's true. I heard that a mysterious person cursed the Defense Against the Dark Arts position," Gene confirmed. Coming from a wizard family and living in a magical community, he had heard various stories.
"In that case, why would Professor Quirrell be so eager to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts? He used to teach Muggle Studies," Terry pondered, sharing more gossip he had picked up from a senior. Quirrell was also a Ravenclaw and was quite popular for his Muggle Studies classes.
Ethan, now back from washing up, shook his head. Quirrell's class was a complete waste of time. Despite his knowledge, he was a terrible teacher. It felt like Dumbledore had gone mad, given the peculiar professors he had hired for this crucial subject. Even Lupin, who was a competent teacher, was a werewolf and thus couldn't teach for long.
Defense Against the Dark Arts was a critical subject, on par with Transfiguration and Charms, essential for self-defense, especially for half-blood and Muggle-born wizards. Ethan thought it might be better to rebrand the subject and eliminate the cursed reputation, making it easier to find a suitable professor.
Dumbledore should be held accountable for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors who ended up injured or cursed, and for the students who didn't receive proper training. After all, he was the headmaster.
…
"Are you waiting for me to have breakfast together?" Ethan asked Penelope with a smile as he and his roommates entered the common room.
"Yes, I was waiting for you. I've been here for a while, but it seemed like you weren't waking up," Penelope replied, stepping closer to Ethan. "What were you up to last night?"
"I'm the class leader for Ravenclaw, and it's my duty to supervise you. If I catch you doing something bad..." Penelope teased, pretending to be stern.
Ethan spread his hands in mock innocence. "I really had insomnia. What bad things could I have done?"
"Okay, but don't let me catch you!" Penelope warned playfully.
Ethan's roommates trailed behind, whispering to each other, hesitant to approach. Penelope was usually serious, and they didn't dare to joke around with her like Ethan did.
After breakfast in the Great Hall, Penelope headed to her ancient runes class. Though she hadn't chosen all subjects like Hermione, she was still taking a lot of courses, except for Divination and Arithmancy, which she found uninteresting and unhelpful.
…
"Do you smell something?" Terry asked as they approached the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. "Garlic, I smell garlic, and it's really strong!"
Entering the classroom, Ethan saw that several classmates already inside looked quite uncomfortable.
"Bubble-Head Charm!" Ethan cast the spell on himself, enclosing his head in a large bubble, much like a fish tank. This simple spell, which he had learned from a book, was originally meant for underwater breathing but also worked to filter out unpleasant odors.
"Give me one too!" Michael, who usually didn't talk much, requested urgently.
Ethan cast the Bubble-Head Charm on his roommates and soon on students from other houses who couldn't bear the smell. Even the Slytherins eventually came over, rationalizing that it was about group solidarity, not asking for help from other houses.
Cassandra approached Ethan with a resigned look. She was surprised at how much he knew, including a spell meant for fourth years.
When the bell rang, Quirrell entered the classroom and was visibly shocked to see students wearing bubble-like helmets. He started the class by reading directly from the textbook, without any interaction or explanation, ignoring raised hands and questions.
Ethan, seeing no point in the class, laid his head on the table and dozed off. He could read "Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection" on his own; there was no need for Quirrell to read it to him.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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