On the m of September 3rd, the sky warts was filled with owls. tless owls circled the school, but the letters they carried were not for the newly returudents.

  In the Great Hall, students were buzzing with fusion, chattering about why the school was being swarmed by owls. Despite all the specution, no one could e to a definitive clusion, though many suspected it had something to do with the new professor.

  The first css of the new school year was Transfiguration with Professonagall, a notoriously difficult subject. Having it as the very first lesson was a nightmare for the students.

  In their first year, Eda and her cssmates had practiced transf objects, but today they were tasked with turniles into buttons.

  It seemed as though everyone had pletely fotten st year's lessons, making this Transfiguration css especially challenging. Professonagall paced around the with a stern expression, clearly frustrated with her students' ck ress.

  Some students couldn't even mao trol their wands, causiles to scuttle all over the pce. Others, applying too much force, actally squashed their beetles. A few, in a fit of frustration, simply swatted their beetles dead with their hands. The beetle casualties quickly piled up, with tiny corpses scattered across the .

  'You are the worst css I've ever taught!' Professonagall fumed internally.

  In desperate need of reassurance, Magall made her way over to Eda, hoping for at least oudent to succeed so she wouldn't lose her temper ahe entire css.

  Just as she reached Eda's desk, she spotted Gee Weasley sittio her. With a flick of his wand, Gee set his beetle on fire. A small plume of bck smoke rose into the air, causing Magall's blood pressure to soar.

  Thankfully, Eda didn't disappoint. She pced her beetle on the desk, pointed her wand at it, and softly muttered the intation.

  The beetle transformed into a delicate button, intricately engraved with the initials "E.T."—the first letters of Eda's full name, Esmeralda Twist.

  Points must be awarded, no question about it.

  Watg Eda successfully cast the spell, Professonagall's blood pressure finally returo normal. Her dizziness faded, and her vision cleared.

  Iernoon, the students had Defense Against the Dark Arts. They arrived early, eager to see the new professor. Every year brought a different professor, each with their own teag style. Eventually, one professor would suit everyone's preferences.

  The neointed Professlover Cecil still held a certain y for the students. As long as he didn't pletely botch his first day, the students were willing to give him the be of the doubt.

  Ihe , Professor Cecil was sitting by the window, puffing on a bck pipe. The windoen, and the smoke he exhaled drifted zily outside.

  When the css bell rang, Professor Cecil put away his pipe and moved to the front of the room to begin taking attendance. His voice was a bit raspy, but not unpleasant. After calling eaame, he gnced over the rims of his thick gsses to observe the student.

  Once he finished roll call, he she attendance book shut and, leaning against the le, began his first lesson.

  "I imagine you're all curious about why Hogwarts was suddenly filled with so many owls this m," he said. The students nodded.

  Cecil tinued, "Those owls were here because of me."

  Ign the murmurs that erupted among the students, he went on, "After your parents found out that I was to be your new professor, they sent protests to Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic. They believe that someone like me should not be allowed in a school, but rather be locked up in Azkaban for life."

  Gasp!

  This statement piqued the students' curiosity.

  Why was this professor so disliked that people wanted him locked away iorious Azkaban for life?

  "Why do you think he was locked up?" Fred asked curiously.

  "Maybe he's a Dark wizard," Eda whispered her guess, "or he's crazy."

  Professor Cecil motioned for sileh a downward gesture of his hand, and the room quickly quieted. It wasn't that he anded great respect, but everyone was genuinely curious.

  "I am a Dark wizard," Professor Cecil said, "and I enjoy studying Dark Magi fact, I made many mistakes because of it."

  The students gasped in shock. A Dark wizard ihe school?

  Some of the more timid ones, like Patricia Stinson, were already preparing to flee.

  "o worry," Professor Cecil tinued with a smile. "I'm not going to attack you. I'm not like my predecessors. I also don't want to go back to Azkaban."

  "That pce is absolutely dreadful. It drains all the happiness out of you," Cecil said slowly. "I've paid a heavy price for the mistakes I made. I lost many years of my freedom... and my joy."

  Gee whispered, "Why would Dumbledore hire a Dark wizard just out of Azkaban? Was there really no one else avaible?"

  "Maybe Hogwarts' sary isn't worth risking your life for?" Fred chimed in.

  " you two be serious for once?" Angelina scolded Fred with a sp. "I think Dumbledore has his reasons. He must trust Professor Cecil."

  "Did you fet about st year's disaster?" Gee asked.

  "Who knew he was a Death Eater before teag at Hogwarts?" Angelied. "Cecil's reputation as a Dark wizard is well-known."

  Professor Cecil tinued sharing his story at the front, seemingly unfazed by the students quietly discussing in small groups.

  "What's your take, Eda? You've ied with Dumbledore more than any of us," Angelina nudged Eda's shoulder.

  A person who studies Dark Magic must be well-versed in it, which means he would be skilled in defending against it as well.

  Someone like that would be an excellent fit to teach this subject—provided he doesn't pose a threat to the students. It's uandable why the parents are ed.

  "I think he could actually teach us some useful stuff, something we'll need after graduation," Eda replied. "Whether he stays at Hogwarts to teach or not isn't up to us."

  Standing at the front, Professor Cecil looked at the students and said, "Even though I haven't used Dark Magi a long time, I still believe it has its pce. Magic shouldn't be divided into 'light' and 'dark.' It's only beled as 'dark' because people used it to do bad things, and that's unfair..."

  "Alright, that's enough of that. Let's get back to the main topic," Professor Cecil signaled for the css to quiet down.

  Ohe room was silent, he tinued, "From what I've seen, your knowledge of Dark Magid Defense Against the Dark Arts is as bnk as a sheet of part. So, over the course of this year, I'll be guiding you through what Dark Magic really is and how to defeat it."

  Cecil turned around and began writing the lesson topi the bckboard. With his back to the students, he made a joke, saying, "If I mao survive teag this whole year!"

  Although the students had been whispering among themselves throughout the lesson, the atmosphere remaiense—having a Dark wizard as a teacher brought too much fear into the room. But with that joke, the feeling of dread lightened a bit.

  For the remainder of the css, Cecil didn't say anything unnecessary, nor did he push his personal beliefs. Instead, he stuck closely to the textbook, expining in simple terms how to properly define Dark Magic.

  There was no wand usage during this lesson.

  Cecil was the only one speaking from the podium the eime.

  Yet, none of the students grew restless, because Cecil opened up a new perspective for them.

  He made them realize that Defense Against the Dark Arts wasn't just about waving a wand.

  __________

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