Some sixth-year students at Hogwarts are now regretting it, very much.
They didn't study hard and failed the Defense Against the Dark Arts subject in the Ordinary Wizarding Level Examination. In theory, these failed students cannot join the sixth grade advanced class.
But when Professor McGonagall asked Dracula what level of students he was prepared to accept for the advanced class, Dracula directly gave an unreasonably lenient condition that allowed students with a grade of "T (poor)" to participate in the Defense Against the Dark Arts advanced class.
Those students who did not do well in all subjects and had few advanced courses to sign up for were originally worried. If they got too few certificates, their future employment situation would be extremely severe.
There aren't many jobs in the wizarding world, and if they can't even get an exam certificate during their school years, they might just have to go home and farm... No, most of them failed their herbology course, so they probably won't even be able to farm properly when they return home!
After learning that Professor Dracula would accept students with grades of "P", the poor students were immediately happy. Being able to join the advanced class meant that they had the opportunity to continue to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts, which would give them a greater chance of passing the make-up exam the following year.
Therefore, the poor students ticked the box behind "Defense Against the Dark Arts" on the application form for the advanced class, and then happily handed it to their respective deans.
However, they regretted it after just the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class in their sixth year -
How can Professor Dracula's Defense Against the Dark Arts class be considered a class? It's clearly a life-threatening lesson!
He forced the students in the classroom to cast spells continuously. If anyone dared to slack off, he would punish them with spells that did not cause much damage but could cause extreme pain. He did not stop until everyone collapsed on the ground from exhaustion and could no longer move a finger.
If this professor is not a devil, then what is he
"I won't assign you any homework today. Go back and reflect on how to improve your spellcasting skills!"
As the only person who could "stand" in the classroom, Dracula stood out from the crowd and spoke to a large group of students on the ground.
After assigning today's homework, he waved his hand as if he was cleaning up garbage, pushed the students lying on the ground to both sides of the classroom, and placed the pushed-away tables and chairs neatly in the middle of the classroom.
Dracula took a look at the tidy classroom and the messy group of students lying on the ground, nodded happily, and then returned to his office from the steps in front of the classroom.
Twenty minutes later, the next student to attend the Defense Against the Dark Arts class saw this scene -
Both sides of the classroom were crowded with students from various colleges. They were sweating profusely, their wizard robes were soaked, their faces were pale and they were breathing heavily. No one had the strength to move their bodies to leave the classroom...
"What…what happened here?"
Cedric, who came to attend the class, stopped in a daze at the door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, and did not dare to step into the classroom for a long time.
Fred and George poked their heads out from Cedric's left and right shoulders, saw the scene in the classroom, and then gasped.
"Hiss..." Their expressions were greatly shocked. "Is this some kind of large-scale murder scene? Hmm... This is indeed something that Professor Dracula would do!"
Just then, the two of them accidentally caught a glimpse of a red-haired wizard who was squeezed into the corner of the classroom wall and was pinned down by several boys.
"Hey, Fred, look who that is!" George patted Fred on the back in surprise.
"Oh, Percy! This is so rare. I haven't seen Percy in such a miserable state for a long time!" Fred's expression instantly became extremely surprised, and he waved happily to Percy.
Seeing the surprised expressions of his two younger brothers, Percy felt a little embarrassed. But he really didn't have the extra strength to break free from the suppression of a group of strong men, so he could only turn his head silently, facing the wall and began to shut himself up.
"Is it time for class?"
Suddenly, a voice sounded from the front of the classroom, interrupting the tense thoughts of the students at the door.
The fourth-grade wizards looked up from outside the door and saw that Professor Dracula had come down from the office at some point and was now standing on the podium, looking at them with interest.
"The class has already started, why don't you come in?" Dracula asked, "Are you worried that these senior students will affect your class?"
As he spoke, he casually raised his hand and, like throwing dumplings into a pot, threw the sixth graders lying on the ground out of the window onto the corridor outside the second floor.
Given the size of the window, he could only throw five or six sixth graders out at a time, and it took him several attempts to get them all out.
After Percy Weiss, who had been squeezed into the corner, was thrown out, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom became spacious and bright again.
"Okay, can you come in now?" Dracula looked at the little wizards outside the door and asked with a chuckle.
The trembling fourth-grade wizards filed into the classroom, sat in their seats, and looked at Dracula on the podium tremblingly, not knowing what kind of hell would be waiting for them next!
"You seem to be very interested in what happened in the class just now?" Dracula slowly glanced around, then raised the corner of his mouth and asked with a smile.
The little wizards who were swept by Dracula's gaze all shuddered, lowered their heads and dared not speak.
At this moment, they only hoped that a real warrior would stand up and loudly tell Professor Dracula that they were not interested in the content of the previous class and asked them not to let them become like those sixth grade students!
So the real warriors stood up -
"Professor, we are not interested in the content of the last class!"
The little wizards in the classroom who had their heads lowered like ostriches were overjoyed. They raised their heads quietly with admiration in their eyes, wanting to see who had the courage to confront Professor Dracula's power and oppression head-on!
Then they saw two flame-red hairs...
Suddenly, the little wizards felt a pang in their hearts and subconsciously felt that something was wrong.
And the Wesley twins did not disappoint them.
"That's right, professor. We are not interested in the class. We are just more interested in how you make Percy tired as a dog." Fred said with a smile.
"Yes, professor, we must make fun of Percy about this when we get back!" said George.
The little wizards sitting in their seats kept winking at the two who stood up, staring at them with angry eyes. However, the twins were immersed in the joy of laughing at Percy, and did not react at all to what they were doing, nor did they notice the "kind" reminders from their classmates.
"Very good." Dracula looked at the two of them with a half-smile, and said slowly, "In that case, I can let you experience for yourself how Percy Weiss is as 'tired as a dog' as you said."
The tables and chairs in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom were moved to both sides of the classroom again...
…
The next day, Dracula's notoriety spread throughout Hogwarts Castle.
The reason why the news did not spread until the next day instead of becoming widely known that night was not because the impact of the incident was not big enough, but because the students who had experienced the first day of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class were exhausted and fell into a deep sleep without even having the time to tell others about their tragic experiences.
It was not until the next day when these students regained some energy that they remembered to tell the students who had not yet attended the Defense Against the Dark Arts class about the content of the class, wishing them to take good care of themselves and hoping that they were okay...
The young wizards at Hogwarts all agreed that Professor Dracula had restrained himself when he first came last year - it was just a matter of letting a classroom of students cast spells on him at the same time, which now seemed like a piece of cake!
In the eyes of the young wizards, the cruel Professor Dracula, in order to let everyone experience what it feels like to be "exhausted like a dog", even lowered the Defense Against the Dark Arts advanced class to the lowest "T" level, and was blatantly unwilling to leave out any student!
…
The eighth floor of the main tower, the Hogwarts principal's office.
"Professor Dracula, many professors have come to me recently to give me advice on you." Dumbledore sat behind his desk, helplessly looking at Dracula who was lying skillfully on the sofa opposite him. "They all said that after taking your class, the students had no energy to listen to their lectures."
"What does it have to do with me?" Dracula said nonchalantly. "In the Ordinary Wizarding Level Examination last semester, the failure rate of Defense Against the Dark Arts was almost the highest. This makes me lose face and I am very unhappy."
"So in my future classes, I must intensify all practical exercises, so that those little wizards who only think about having fun all day long will learn a lesson from me!"
At the end of his speech, Dracula's voice unconsciously became colder, and the temperature in the principal's office dropped by more than ten degrees in just a moment.
The weather, which seemed a bit hot in late summer and early autumn, suddenly seemed like winter!
Fox, the phoenix, who was leisurely grooming his feathers, suddenly became angry. All the time he had spent combing his feathers was in vain.
Dumbledore waved his wand helplessly, restoring the temperature in the headmaster's office to its original state, then stretched out a hand to smooth out the golden-red feathers that had just exploded for Fawkes.
"Professor Dracula, I didn't mean to say that your teaching method is bad." Dumbledore weighed his words and said in a negotiating tone, "I know what you think. It is indeed very effective to improve students' grades through practical exercises."
"As far as I know, increasing the intensity of actual combat can not only improve students' Defense Against the Dark Arts skills, but also improve their adaptability, combat quality, and the application of other subjects, such as Transfiguration and Charms."
"Besides, you and I both know that Voldemort has returned, and he may regain his full strength and make a comeback at any time. By then, if the students of Hogwarts can have a higher level of practical ability, they will have a better chance of survival."
Dumbledore looked solemn and gave a series of affirmations to Dracula's teaching methods.
"Since the principal is so impressed with my teaching methods, why did you call me here?" Dracula looked at him in surprise and asked casually.
"What I mean is that although this kind of practical training does have great benefits, it is not without disadvantages." Dumbledore said, "This teaching method that drains students' physical strength will inevitably make them devote all their energy to Defense Against the Dark Arts and neglect the study of other subjects."
"As a result, basic subjects such as Transfiguration and Charms will be gradually neglected or even forgotten by them. However, Defense Against the Dark Arts is not just an independent course for learning how to deal with dark creatures and dark wizards. In fact, it is more like a defense subject that relies on various basic magic subjects."
"Therefore, I suggest that for the all-round development of the young wizards, try not to delay their other courses."
Dumbledore looked deeply into Dracula's eyes and analyzed him in detail.
"You really are worthy of being the headmaster, Dumbledore." Dracula sat up from the sofa, chuckled and shook his head, "What you said is indeed reasonable and logical. I am speechless."
"I don't deserve it. I just have some shallow teaching experience." Dumbledore smiled and stroked his long white beard.
"Okay, then tell me, is there any teaching method that can take into account both practical exercises and the study of other subjects?" Dracula asked.
"Professor Dracula, we can think about the problem from another angle." Dumbledore winked at him. "Since practicing actual combat in class will cause students to become tired and delay their next class, why don't we find a time when there are no other classes to conduct actual combat practice?"
"You mean... to give extra classes during the students' break?" Dracula raised his eyebrows.
"Don't say that, Professor Dracula. The term 'additional classes' doesn't sound very nice!" Dumbledore said with a smile, "We can change the term - for example, hold a dueling club!"
"Wizard duels can be said to be a traditional event in the magic world for thousands of years. It is regarded as the most honorable duel between wizards. No young wizard can resist the temptation of a fair duel. Believe me, they will definitely come to join this duel club."
"Professor Dracula, what do you think of my idea?"
Looking at Dumbledore's smiling face, Dracula's mouth twitched.
"... You understand little wizards, Mr. Headmaster." He affirmed Dumbledore's plan, "But... there are still some little wizards who have never experienced the feeling of being 'exhausted' in class. I need to let them feel it too. I can't favor one over the other, right?"
"Then let's wait until next Monday. The Duel Club will officially open after dinner next Monday!"
…
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