The Wind and the Wings of Hogwarts

Black turned angrily to Snape, as if ready to pounce on him and fight him again at any moment.

Lu Ping quickly pulled him back.

"Hello, Severus," Lupin greeted Snape in a friendly manner.

But Snape didn't appreciate it and simply looked away.

Black looked even angrier, and Lupin had to pull him back behind the teachers' table, far away from Snape.

In the period that followed, the two newly appointed teaching assistants did indeed bring about positive changes to the two courses they were teaching.

First, there was the class on protecting magical creatures, and Grapland's arrival greatly improved the class's situation.

Hagrid seems to have rekindled his passion for magical creatures at his suggestion, and students have begun to encounter some dangerous and exciting types of magical creatures in class.

Scott and his companions were able to ride the hippogriffs as they had hoped.

It must be said that it was indeed a thrilling experience full of fantasy and adventure.

Grapland and Hagrid worked very well together.

Hagrid always manages to find some unusual and magical creatures, while Grapland always manages to arrange the class in a meticulous and orderly manner.

The improved curriculum made the students like Grapland even more, and they called the teaching assistant "the magical Grapland."

And the magical Glapland lived up to expectations.

In a recent class, she successfully lured a unicorn clan out of the Forbidden Forest, allowing students to get up close and personal with these beautiful and noble creatures.

Of course, this only applies to girls.

Unicorns dislike boys approaching them; they are too proud. Even Hagrid, who tamed the Thestrals and Cerberus, could not tame these magical creatures.

Beside a stream in a tranquil forest, lively girls, led by Grapple, frolic with beautiful unicorns by the water.

This is a very beautiful scene.

Unfortunately, Scott and the other boys could only squat at a distance with Hagrid, watching this scene with envy and listening to Hagrid's excited shouts.

Scott, Roger, and the Weasley twins squatted together.

“Perhaps we can find some unicorn tail hairs after class,” George said, his eyes lighting up. “I think Mr. Ollivander would be happy to buy them!”

Poor George didn't notice that his twin brother wasn't listening to him at all.

Fred's eyes kept following Angelina, the tall, athletic, dark-skinned girl, who was playing in the water with the unicorn.

In short, the lessons on protecting magical creatures became enjoyable after Grapland's arrival.

Hagrid often spoke highly of his teaching assistant, while Grapland frequently praised Hagrid's ability to tame dangerous animals.

The professor and teaching assistant for the Conservation of Magical Creatures class got along very well, and the class became popular again.

Speaking of Defense Against the Dark Arts, the course underwent significant changes with the arrival of Lupin, the teaching assistant.

It must be said that the partnership of old friends Black and Lupin is clearly more harmonious than that of Hagrid and Grapland.

Compared to the enthusiastic but carefree Blake, Lupin was more composed and meticulous, and he was always able to help Blake fill in any gaps in his knowledge during class.

He was able to treat Slytherin students more fairly and also to dissuade the emotionally unstable Black.

After Lupin joined the faculty, Black began to deduct points from Slytherin House significantly less often.

However, it is clear that Snape was not grateful to him for this.

The Potions Professor continues to blatantly and unscrupulously express his disgust for Black and Lupin in any situation through his words and actions.

What truly made Defense Against the Dark Arts class more popular were the numerous spectacular duels demonstrated by Black and Lupin during practical classes.

This course was practically brand new; Hogwarts had no prior experience with it, nor any relevant textbooks. Both professors and students had to figure out how to teach and learn it through trial and error.

The way to learn is through practical experience.

That's what they say, but in practice, you'll find that you don't necessarily improve just by doing real-world exercises.

Young wizards living in a peaceful era are far removed from combat and cannot receive various messages through multiple channels like Scott did in his previous life. Often, their dueling practice is like a game.

Scott is one of them.

Since none of his classmates could match him, he was unable to fully demonstrate his true skill level in practical classes.

Lupin's arrival changed the practical training course.

He and Black, two wizards who had experienced real wizarding wars, demonstrated through duels what real battles between adult wizards were like for the young wizards.

Unlike the playful back-and-forth between students, their battles were a real, life-or-death struggle.

The level of tension, excitement, and intensity is incomparable to what it was before.

Such demonstrations set goals for students more intuitively, helping them understand the gap between themselves and these two outstanding adult wizards, and also helping them find the direction for their efforts.

In addition, because Black and Lupin often served as Scott's practice dueling opponents, Scott also got to know them well during this time.

Of course, Scott was no match for these two in a direct fight, mainly due to the difference in magic power, combat awareness, and combat experience.

Although Scott had a "remarkable track record" in the past, in reality, he had mostly used methods of sneak attacks and assassinations.

His only real direct opponents were Jasmine Travers, Idrick Stryner (who has since graduated), a few Slytherin students, and the thief Fletcher.

The enemies Scott had previously encountered who required direct combat were generally less capable than Black and Lupin.

Especially the thief Fletcher, as an adult wizard, although he is very cunning and has many tricks up his sleeve, his actual strength is not as good as Stirrner's.

In short, putting aside the fact that magic power can only grow naturally, Scott also lacks combat awareness and experience.

Scott felt that the biggest beneficiary of Lupin's arrival might actually be himself.

Because more people were added to the practical training sessions, Blake and Lupin were able to spare some time to act as his practice opponents, helping him develop his combat awareness and increase his combat experience.

Chapter 290 Candlelight on Halloween Eve

It turns out there's a reason Lupin was able to become good friends with Black and Harry's father; this seemingly composed middle-aged man also has a mischievous side.

At the end of October, when everything was on track, Lupin guided Neville with words, just like in the "original story," and Neville ended up having Boggart's Snape dressed up in his grandmother's clothes.

This incident quickly became a laughing stock throughout the school.

According to the students present, Snape was wearing a long, lace-embroidered dress, a top hat with an old, worm-eaten eagle specimen on top, and a huge scarlet handbag in his hand.

It is said that students in the next classroom heard Blake's laughter.

This incident not only made Snape dislike Lupin and Black even more, but also made Neville even more miserable in Potions class.

Scott took a rare trip to the greenhouse outside the castle outside of his herbalism class, and there he happened to run into Neville, who was hiding alone in the greenhouse wiping away tears.

"Hey, are you alright, Neville?"

Scott looked at the chubby little boy squatting in front of the flowerpot.

"Oh, I...I'm fine." Neville hurriedly stood up, his round face flushed red. "Y-you, hello, Scott."

Scott walked up to Neville. "I need some yarrow. Of course, I've already spoken to Professor Sprout."

Neville quickly wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve. "I know where the yarrow is. I'll take you there."

“Wait a minute.” Scott pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to him. “This is Professor Sprout’s signature. She said that since you’re helping to take care of the Bubble Pods here, perhaps you could help me gather some yarrow?”

Neville took the note and said, "Of course, I'd be happy to help."

“Thank you, Neville,” Scott said with a smile. “Professor Sprout speaks highly of you; she really appreciates your grades in Herbalism.”

Neville blushed again and said softly, "N-nothing... I just enjoy taking care of these plants."

He led Scott through a row of trellises planted with fang geraniums and toward the other side of the greenhouse.

Scott added, "That's your strength, and that's what makes you better than others. For example, I'm not good at dealing with plants."

“But you’re great at everything else,” Neville said shyly.

“No,” Scott said. “I’m not very good at herbs and potions, and my knowledge of astronomy and magical history is just so-so. That’s just how everyone is different.”

“Thank you.” Neville glanced back at Scott. “I know you’re encouraging me.”

Scott smiled again. "I told you before, you should be more confident, and you're in a much better situation now, aren't you?"

“Yes.” Neville nodded first, then hesitated and said, “But Professor Snape… oh, my performance in Potions class today was a complete disaster.”

"Professor Snape, yes, many people are indeed afraid of him."

Scott said.

“Even my roommate Milton, whenever Professor Snape was watching him, his mind would go blank and his hands would make mistakes.”

Upon hearing this, Neville immediately nodded in agreement, sharing his sentiment.

"But if you ask me, you don't actually need to be afraid of him."

Scott said in a relaxed tone.

"Honestly, he wouldn't really hurt the students, it was just some verbal... um... sarcastic remarks..."

Scott shared his experience with Neville.

"When faced with those words, just be thick-skinned and pretend you didn't hear them!"

Neville stopped and turned around to look at him in surprise.

Scott patted him on the shoulder and looked back at him with an encouraging look.

Neville opened his mouth, and finally said with a touch of weariness, "Thank you, I think I'll give it a try."

He took a few steps forward and stopped in front of a flowerbed with a small patch of yarrow.

"This is it."

He crouched down and began to help Scott pick yarrow, while muttering to himself.

"Yarrow can detoxify, reduce swelling, stop bleeding, and relieve pain. It is said that Native Americans used yarrow root decoction to strengthen muscles."

"Wearing it can ward off evil, and drinking yarrow tea before divination can enhance perception. In some legends, yarrow is considered one of the plants most loved by demons and is also known as demon nettle."

“You really are good at this, Neville.”

Scott watched his nimble movements.

"I just wanted to test whether yarrow tea could really improve perception during divination, specifically arithmetic divination."