A day at Hogwarts.

Chapter 630 Something's Wrong

On Friday of the first week of school, an unusual atmosphere filled the classroom for the second Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

The atmosphere was so intense it felt almost tangible; every student could sense the unusual atmosphere.

Because next to the blackboard was a huge beehive, covered with thumb-sized black bees, motionless as if asleep.

Needless to say, this terrifying little thing is the target we're dealing with today.

As soon as the school bell rang, Umbridge picked up the attendance book and took attendance in her high-pitched voice.

She still wore an overly sweet, almost unsettling smile, which looked like a deliberate act and gave people a very uncomfortable feeling.

“Today, we’re going to talk about the Obstruction Spell,” Umbridge said, looking at Charles.

Hermione, sitting in the front row, almost reflexively raised her hand, her face full of longing, her arm straight up, her eyes fixed on Umbridge, hoping for a chance to answer the question.

However, Umbridge didn't spare Hermione a single second of his gaze, as if she didn't exist at all.

Today, she called out his name directly, her gaze fixed on Charles, her eyes shining with an unusually ardent light, reminding Hermione of how Ruby looked when she saw the Italian crispy pork roll last night.

"Then, Mr. Smith, please tell everyone what the Obstruction Charm is, and its effects, uses, and limitations?"

Her voice was so sweet it sounded like it had just come from a Honeydukes shop, making your teeth ache.

Hermione reluctantly and slowly lowered her hand, pouting in frustration. She was filled with confusion and a hint of grievance. Why did they always skip over her and specifically target Charles, who was sitting in the corner?

Charles, whose name was called, sighed inwardly and calmly stood up.

He felt that all the students in the class were focused on him, many of them curious and inquisitive, their gazes shining on him like spotlights.

Charles answered clearly and fluently: “The obstruction spell is ‘Impedimenta’, pronounced ‘im-PED-i-MEN-ta’.”

"It is a spell used to hinder the movement of a target, significantly slow down its speed, or bring it to a complete stop."

"Its main purpose is defense. It can effectively stop or slow down the attack speed of humans or creatures, temporarily immobilizing the attacker, thus creating an opportunity for the caster to counterattack or escape danger."

"With skillful use, it can even freeze a high-speed flying wasp in mid-air instantly."

He paused, then added a crucial limiting condition: "However, this hindering effect is only temporary, with an average duration of only a few seconds."

"Furthermore, while the spell is effective for most animals and humans, it has little effect on creatures with hard outer armor, such as crabs or blast-tailed snails, unless the caster can hit their vulnerable parts that are not protected by armor with extreme precision, such as their abdomen."

His answer was detailed and accurate, like a precise textbook.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant, Mr. Smith!" Umbridge burst into an overly exaggerated round of applause and praise, his smile almost overflowing. "A textbook-perfect answer! Ten more points for Gryffindor!"

Her warm attitude toward Charles drew attention, and many students exchanged puzzled glances, their hearts filled with doubt.

As always, Umbridge himself showed no intention of demonstrating.

She turned to Cedric, who had been standing like a statue on one side of the classroom, and said in that sickeningly sweet tone, "Well then, Mr. Diggory, now please give us a practical demonstration of the application of the Obstruction Charm."

Cedric's expression looked like he had been forced to swallow an entire jar of caterpillar-shaped chocolates, which contained zero chocolate.

He reluctantly cast a spell on the beehive, and the finger-sized black bee immediately came to life.

A collective gasp filled the classroom, the sound rising and falling like an eerie symphony.

“Children,” Umbridge said with a smile, seemingly oblivious to the students’ sudden pallor, “it’s time for practice.” “Mr. Diggory will release these teaching aids in a limited manner. Your task is to successfully cast barrier spells on them to ensure you don’t get stung.”

She spoke as casually as if she were talking about catnip, but the students were on high alert.

Cedric nodded with difficulty, raised his wand, first demonstrating how to use the Obstruction Charm, and then looked at the Blackbeard.

"Buzz!"

The enraged Black Forest Bees broke free of their magical restraints and rose up like a dark cloud.

The atmosphere in the classroom instantly plummeted to freezing point. The students stared at the densely packed black bees on the black beehive, their faces drained of color, and fear seemed to freeze the air in the entire classroom.

Lavender and Parvati immediately hid behind Charles, but they forgot that these dreadful bees would circle around people.

A commotion immediately erupted in the classroom.

When the bell finally rang, it was like a pardon.

The students practically scrambled out of the classroom, many still patting the imaginary black bees on their bodies, asking their classmates to check if one or two were clinging to their backs.

In the corridor, the students, still shaken, gathered in small groups, discussing the nightmarish practical lesson they had just experienced.

However, many people have discovered new problems.

"Did you see that?" Lavender whispered to Dean. "Umbridge called on Charles to answer the question again, and even gave him ten extra points!"

"And have you noticed how strange the way she looks at Charles is?"

Her voice was filled with surprise and confusion.

“This is the second time!” Dean said seriously. “Every time he asks a question, he almost always gives him pointers and praises him so much.”

"I even suspect that Charles might have some kind of leverage over her?"

His guesses were bold and imaginative.

Parvati agreed: "There's definitely something wrong. She's like that with everyone else... well, you know, that fake smile and bureaucratic tone."

"But with Charles, he was like a completely different person."

Her tone was firm, as if she had discovered some major secret.

Ron rubbed his arm, which he had almost been stung, and muttered to Harry and Hermione, "What is she trying to do? This blatant discrimination is suspicious."

Harry frowned, looking like he wanted to say something several times, but then stopped himself.

Hermione noticed his behavior and asked, "Harry, do you know anything?"

Harry opened his mouth, but in the end shook his head.

He had seen similar things before; many people took special care of Charles, but their real purpose was to get Mr. Smith.

"Could it be..."

Harry didn't want to think any further.

(End of this chapter)