As preparations for the Duelling Club got underway, both Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts suddenly became wildly popular. Students' enthusiasm for class noticeably increased, and they listened with an unusual level of seriousness.
This year's "one-year-only" Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Ted Stokke, certainly noticed the change.
Professor Stokke was an elderly wizard who always wore a light blue robe that looked perpetually clean and freshly pressed. His hair and nails were immaculately trimmed, and his hands were so well-maintained that—if you ignored the grey hair and forehead wrinkles—you'd have sworn they belonged to someone in their thirties.
While he was nothing like the "mad Muggle" doctors who sliced people open, Professor Stokke, a former Healer in the Spell Damage ward at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, clearly had a talent for hand care.
After retiring from St Mungo's, Professor Dumbledore had personally invited him to take up a teaching post at Hogwarts. It was also worth mentioning that he was a relative of Blenheim Stalk, the well-known Muggle studies scholar and author of Muggles Who Notice Oddities.
Naturally, Regulus had invited Professor Stokke to serve as one of the Duelling Club's part-time instructors—but the professor didn't quite approve of the idea. He informed Regulus that hosting duelling competitions was not only unsafe, but would inevitably increase the workload for the Hospital Wing...
...
At the Defence Against the Dark Arts podium, Professor Stokke opened his copy of The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection and said, "The spell you'll be learning today is Petrificus Totalus. Please turn your textbooks to page one-hundred and thirty."
The little wizards seated below quickly flipped their textbooks to the correct page, then looked up with rapt attention as Professor Stokke prepared to explain the most essential part of learning a new spell—
Presenting case studies.
"Our department once treated quite a number of patients related to the Full Body-Bind Curse—Petrificus Totalus," he began, adjusting his spectacles.
"There was one witch, for example, who—after a holiday in Paris—suddenly developed the whimsical idea of having skin with the texture of marble sculpture. So, naturally, she attempted a self-modified version of the Petrification Spell on herself…"
A murmur of concern passed through the classroom.
"Students familiar with my department's work may have already guessed the result—yes, the spell went wrong. Terribly wrong. Both her arms turned into solid marble. In the end, her husband brought her to us at St Mungo's."
"Now, human transfiguration spells like this are highly dangerous. We treated her with Mandrake Restorative Draught and other remedies, and after two full months, we managed to restore her to normal."
He paused, letting that sink in, then added in a calm, almost offhand tone:
"Of course, not all patients are so lucky. To this day, there's still a goblin-shaped stone statue on the fifth floor of St Mungo's. It's been standing there for several centuries. To this day, we're still unsure—was it once a living goblin?"
The students seated below the dais were entirely absorbed in the tale—especially Regulus's friend Dirk Cresswell, who was particularly fascinated by magical beings like goblins, merfolk, and house-elves.
"So, I do suggest you take today's lesson seriously. If not, I may have to welcome you to my former department... as patients."
Professor Stokke gave a gentle smile.
A chill ran through several students in the front row. Under Professor Stokke's vivid storytelling, St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries was beginning to sound like somewhere between a cursed art gallery and a soft-core Azkaban...
"But don't be afraid—Petrificus Totalus is a full-body bind curse. It merely paralyses the target. Strictly speaking, it's not a true Petrification Spell. Your magical power hasn't reached that level yet either. First, get familiar with the incantation and wand movement with me—"
It had to be said, due to the existence of people like Lockhart and Umbridge, Regulus had always viewed the quality of Defence Against the Dark Arts instruction at Hogwarts with deep scepticism. But Professor Stokke was different—he was clearly a master of his craft, and his understanding of spells had reached a far more advanced level.
Whereas most only discussed what spells did, Professor Stokke also considered how to undo them.
That kind of thinking was exactly what the Duelling Club needed most!
"Excellent. Five points to Slytherin—Black!" Professor Stokke called out as he walked over, visibly pleased after Regulus successfully immobilised the rat in front of him.
"Thank you, Professor! I have a question," Regulus said, lowering his wand.
Professor Stokke gestured for him to continue, an encouraging expression on his face.
"What's the difference between the Petrificus Totalus spell we learned today and the true Petrification Spells you encountered at St Mungo's?"
The professor paused to think, then answered seriously, "The spell we practised today doesn't actually cause harm to the target. Take this rat, for example—he can't move, but his eyes are still active, and his senses and bodily functions are continuing as normal—"
"Hmm."
"Whereas some true Petrification Spells can cause temporary—or even permanent—damage to a person's body or mind. It's a malignant form of Dark Magic. Furthermore, petrification at that level is closely tied to advanced human transfiguration…"
"Professor, if you know how to treat such cases… then that must mean you also know how to cast such magic, right?"
The moment Regulus asked the question, the quiet murmur of students practising spells dropped off almost entirely.
Under the focused gaze of the class, Professor Stokke gave a small nod.
"Should we learn it too?" Regulus's second question brought the classroom to a dead silence.
Professor Stokke raised an eyebrow, visibly surprised.
"You're all still far too young. Magic of that kind isn't particularly safe for students at your level…"
"Will the older students learn it then?" a curious classmate piped up.
"To my knowledge," Professor Stokke replied cautiously, "Hogwarts does not offer formal instruction in Dark Magic. And spells of that nature do fall under the category of Dark Magic…"
At the mention of Dark Magic, several of the younger students gasped theatrically.
Language, after all, is a powerful tool: that's why the subject about magical beasts is called Care of Magical Creatures, while the subject about Dark Magic is titled Defence Against the Dark Arts.
Such naming conventions quietly plant ideas in young minds—one subject evokes responsibility, the other resistance. A subtle trick for instilling ideological imprinting in the brains of unsuspecting little wizards.
It was clear from the little wizards' reactions—Hogwarts' subtle ideological conditioning was working quite well.
"Then, Professor, do Dark wizards learn that kind of magic?" Regulus asked knowingly.
He did, after all, come from a family that wasn't exactly full of sunshine.
Certain relatives—like Bellatrix and her charming husband—practically lived and breathed Dark Magic...
Professor Stokke hesitated for a moment, but ultimately gave a truthful nod, unwilling to go against his conscience.
"If Dark Magic can cause permanent, irreversible damage," Regulus continued, "then if we encounter Dark wizards, do the spells we learn give us any real ability to defend ourselves?"
"Dark Magic… is indeed very..." Professor Stokke paused, visibly troubled, then went on with a weary sigh, "But the effectiveness of a spell doesn't inherently depend on whether it's classified as Dark…"
It was a difficult thing to explain.
For wizards—who more or less came into the world with wands in hand—the real question was always: What kind of path should they follow?
If everyone has a wand, does it lead to chaos? (Acquiring wands)
Not necessarily. In fact, time and time again, he'd seen the same pattern: those who used Dark Magic had fewer inhibitions, their spells were far more destructive—and, more often than not, they were the ones who ended up winning.
He had witnessed this all too frequently during his years at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
Are these children already starting to show interest in Dark Magic? Professor Stokke thought nervously. Professor Dumbledore had explicitly told him not to encourage students to explore it...
"Like Headmaster Dumbledore, right?" Regulus prompted gently, seeing the professor lost in thought. "And Grindelwald."
"Oh, yes! Exactly!" Professor Stokke let out a sigh of relief. "It's precisely because the most powerful Light wizard of our age is on our side that we were able to defeat the Dark wizard Grindelwald—who is now imprisoned in Nurmengard."
"So, as long as you practise your spells diligently, you don't need to be afraid of Dark wizards or Dark Magic."
Professor Stokke smiled—finally, he'd managed to steer the conversation back on track.
"In that case, Professor, what do you think of the Duelling Club idea now?" Regulus asked, eyes gleaming. "We'll be able to practise spells even more!"
"Hm... very good," Professor Stokke conceded, somewhat reluctantly.
...
Take this as an example: if you say you want to start a Duelling Club for self-defence, some professors may hesitate or disapprove.
But if you vaguely suggest an interest in Dark Magic, suddenly they'll be falling over themselves to support your Duelling Club just to redirect your curiosity.
Heheh~ A certain Muggle named Orwell really didn't lie to me.