A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts
Chapter 84: Professor Serpent

In the first class of the new term, Felix Harp sensed the inner restlessness of the young wizards. They were all eager for the class to end so they could go to the courtyard to see the serpent creature.

He cleared his throat, capturing the attention of the young wizards, and waved his wand gently, "Wulong chūdòng." Accompanied by a cloud of black smoke, a small snake with dark spots coiled around its body landed on the lectern.

It hissed, its slender body constantly twisting.

The young wizards looked up one by one, craning their necks to get a clearer view.

Felix's wand glided across its scales, and the appearance of the small spotted snake underwent a dramatic transformation. Its smooth scales became thick and solid, giving off a metallic sheen; its color turned a vibrant green, emitting the distinctive radiance of venomous snakes.

Even its body swelled quite a bit. It raised its flat snake head, and a pair of yellow eyes looked cold and fierce.

"Professor, is this... the serpent creature?" a student asked.

"That's right."

"So, Potter and them defeated this little fellow?"

The young wizards in the audience expressed some disappointment; it seemed too small, just about three or four feet.

Especially with the serpent creature crouched on the lectern, it seemed even more inconspicuous.

Many young wizards suddenly had a feeling of "I could handle this."

But the appearance of the serpent creature was indeed quite intimidating, especially those yellow eyes, which looked truly chilling.

Felix didn't comment on their reactions and continued to explain, "The greatest threat of serpent creatures lies in their eyes; they possess a deadly gaze. In other words, when you see them, you might have already lost the ability to fight back forever."

The murmurs in the audience quieted down.

"And furthermore—"

He waved his wand, and the small serpent creature crouched on the lectern suddenly leaped off the table, causing the young wizards in the front row to jerk their bodies backward in unison.

And as it arched in a half-circle in mid-air and landed precisely in the center of the classroom, the small serpent creature's body rapidly expanded.

In an instant, it enlarged by more than ten times. Before they could react, it had filled up more than half of the classroom's space.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Many young wizards screamed, hastily dodging the enormous serpent creature that loomed over them. But soon, they realized that the creature's body had turned from solid to a form of black mist.

A young wizard sitting on the floor summoned the courage to reach out; his hand went straight through the black mist. He raised his head to see that many people had half their bodies immersed in the mist, and now they were frantically moving out, terrified.

Felix said with a wicked grin, "Well, this is the true size of a serpent creature."

After a while, the young wizards realized that this thing posed them no harm and began to calm down.

Several students sheepishly got up from the floor. One of them, a young witch named Campbell Jin, used her wand to stir the scales of the misty serpent creature, turning the nearby scales back into a mass of black mist.

Many young wizards followed her curiosity. During this process, the misty serpent creature wandered around the small classroom, its massive snake body passing through desks, chairs, books, and people.

But by now, most of the young wizards were no longer afraid. They playfully poked at it with their wands, causing various colored sparks to flicker within the hazy mist.

After a few minutes, the serpent creature shrank back to a size of about three or four feet, its body transforming back from mist to a radiant green solid.

"Professor, is this the true form of the serpent creature in the Chamber?" a young wizard asked in an awe-filled tone.

"You can interpret it that way." Felix conjured a chair and sat down, "Since you're curious about the serpent creature, let it teach you today."

The young wizards exchanged puzzled glances, but at that moment, a voice similar to that of Professor Harp came from the mouth of the serpent creature.

"Open your books to page 79 now. We will study an excerpt from the manuscript translated by the ancient runic expert, Calair Matthews, in 1842. This manuscript dates back approximately seven centuries."

Many young wizards were startled, but having had the prior experience, they managed to stay seated without falling off their chairs again. They stared with wide eyes at the diminutive serpent creature standing on the lectern with its upper body raised.

They blinked in confusion and then looked at Professor Harp, who sat calmly in a corner. Numerous complex thoughts raced through their minds.

The small serpent creature opened its mouth, revealing thin, dagger-like teeth, "Indeed, it's me, your Ancient Runes professor. So, what are you waiting for?" The creature suddenly approached the front row of young wizards, causing one of them to drop her quill.

"Campbell, tell me, what did I just talk about?"

"Pr-Professor, you just talked about the runic symbol Eoh, representing yew tree, symbolizing death and rebirth, and also signifying continuity and endurance," stammered Campbell Jin, a young witch.

"Very well said, Ravenclaw ten points," hissed the serpent creature.

Campbell breathed a sigh of relief and sat down, patting her chest.

"So, why aren't you writing it down?"

The other young wizards began to furiously scribble.

In the remaining class, the young wizards gradually warmed up to this somewhat eerie "Professor Serpent." The serpent professor continuously roamed the aisles on both sides, occasionally approaching inattentive students, glaring at them with its yellow eyes, and loudly exclaiming, "Don't look at me, look at your books!"

Meanwhile, Professor Harp, sitting in the corner, wore a smile on his face from start to finish, his mood seeming quite delightful.

As the class approached its end, Felix Harp stood up. He waved his wand, and amidst the reluctant expressions of the young wizards, he transformed their serpent professor back into black mist.

"For your homework today, you are to recount the contents of this manuscript on a piece of parchment, using the knowledge you've gained in your third and fourth years."

Just as the bell rang to signal the end of class, the corridor filled with the sound of bustling footsteps and chatter—these young wizards were eager to rush out and head to the courtyard. Inside the fifth-year Ancient Runes classroom, the young wizards absentmindedly packed up their belongings and left the room at a leisurely pace.

"Hey! Campbell, come on, let's go see the serpent creature!" Her friend called out to her, brimming with excitement, "I've been looking forward to this since my last Transfiguration class."

Campbell responded nonchalantly, "You go ahead."

"What about you?"

"I suddenly lost interest in the serpent creature," Campbell replied.

The young wizards walking out of the Ancient Runes classroom with her nodded in agreement. They not only had a class with the serpent creature but also received a lesson on studying Ancient Runes from it.

...

In the courtyard, quite a few young wizards had gathered, huddled together in a blurry crowd.

In the midst of the young wizards was a massive serpent creature, about forty feet long. Its body was as thick as an oak tree trunk, with scales the size of a hand's palm, giving it a rough appearance that glistened with a cold, icy green light.

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