After confirming that the Chamber of Secrets truly no longer existed, the heavy stone that had been weighing on Avada's heart finally dropped away for good. He no longer had to live in constant anxiety over Basilisks and diaries, and could at last return to a normal school life with peace of mind.
As for those roosters inside the paintings… well, he decided to treat that as just another one of Dumbledore's daily eccentricities.
After thanking Harry for his help and saying goodbye, Avada enjoyed a satisfying Hogwarts lunch, rested briefly, and then headed off to his afternoon class—the Care of Magical Creatures elective, shared with Ravenclaw.
Just like in canon, Care of Magical Creatures was held outside the castle. There was no fixed classroom; instead, the location depended entirely on the lesson content. The edge of the Forbidden Forest, deep within the forest, the shores of the Black Lake, or even diving straight into the water were all possibilities. Students typically gathered at the castle entrance and were then led to the lesson site by the professor.
"Good afternoon, children!"
The Care of Magical Creatures professor, Silvanus Kettleburn, was a burly old man with rough skin, grey-white hair and beard, and a deeply wrinkled face—but with an impressively vigorous spirit. None of that, however, was what stood out most about him. What truly caught the eye were his limbs.
He had only one and a half left.
His entire left arm, his entire right leg, and half of his left leg were all wooden prosthetics, which clacked loudly against the stone path as he walked.
Despite that, the prosthetics looked well made—his movements, whether walking or waving, were completely natural.
"To be honest, you lot are both unlucky and lucky this year…"
Looking at the two houses of students who had assembled and were staring curiously at his prosthetic limbs, Professor Kettleburn said with theatrical regret.
"The unlucky part is that this is my final year of teaching. After this year, I'll be retiring. Though, truth be told, I don't think I was ever formally hired—been on probation the whole time… Which means your course progression might feel a bit disjointed."
"Aww…"
A wave of disappointed groans rose from the students.
"But—"
Professor Kettleburn suddenly raised his voice, his face brimming with barely concealed pride, "—the lucky part is that since I've only got one year to teach you, I've decided to cram all the most interesting and most extraordinary magical creatures I know into this single year!"
"Wooo—!!"
The students erupted into cheers.
"That does mean your lessons will be a bit dangerous…"
"Aww…"
"But I swear on what's left of my limbs that I've got more than enough experience to handle it! As long as you follow my instructions, I guarantee none of you will get hurt!"
"Wooo—!!"
"Mind you, next year you'll need to be more careful. From what I hear, your next professor will be teaching for the first time—probably not as experienced at dealing with danger as I am…"
"Aww…"
"But!"
He bellowed again, "That professor is a top-tier magizoologist. In terms of hands-on experience, he might even surpass me!"
"WOOOO—!!!"
"Alright!"
Seeing the atmosphere easily whipped into a frenzy, Professor Kettleburn laughed heartily and waved his hand.
"Grab your copies of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, line up, and follow me. We'll start our first lesson at the edge of the Forbidden Forest—"
"The Basic Characteristics and Classification of Magical Creatures!"
As he clack-clacked his way forward, he continued talking.
"The classification system we use today was established over sixty years ago by the renowned magizoologist Newt Scamander, who also happens to be the author of your textbook. He's a friend of mine—we worked together for a while and still exchange letters to this day…"
"But that's not why I chose his book. He doesn't need the money, and I don't get a cut."
That earned a round of laughter from the students.
Soon enough, they reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest. There, more than a dozen small enclosures had already been set up. Each enclosure was divided into several compartments, and inside them hopped and scurried a wide variety of magical creatures.
"Now then,"
He clapped his hands, quieting the students. "Let's see how well you prepared. Who can tell me what the current magical creature classification standards are?"
"Miss Chang, you answer."
Cho stepped forward and replied confidently, "There are three parallel systems. One classifies creatures from a biological perspective, one from a magical perspective, and one based on social danger. That is: the traditional kingdom–phylum–class–order–family–genus–species system; the magical-origin system, which divides creatures into Bloodline-type, Psychic-type, and Mutated-type; and the danger-rating system ranging from X to XXXXX."
"Perfect answer—Ravenclaw gets five points."
Professor Kettleburn praised her with a grin, then gestured behind him.
"As you can see, you've got several enclosures in front of you, each containing different magical creatures. So now, I'll give you a little challenge."
"You may form your own groups—three to four people per group—and take responsibility for one enclosure. Place the creatures you believe belong to the same category into the same compartment. Don't worry, they're all very docile and won't attack you."
"The most accurate group will earn ten points for their house. You have ten minutes. What are you waiting for? Get started—now!"
With his command, the students immediately broke into disorderly motion, forming groups of three or four around each enclosure, eagerly studying the lively creatures inside.
Avada's teammates were his three dorm-mates—Xavier, Stebbins, and Summers. The four of them stood before an enclosure, arguing animatedly over how to sort its inhabitants.
"I know this one—Niffler. The same category should be… Er… Knarl?"
"Wrong. Knarls are Mutated-type, XXX-rated. Nifflers are Bloodline-type, XX-rated. The closest match should be a short-nosed mole."
Avada flicked a bronze Knut, luring the Niffler into scampering over, then ruthlessly scooped it up and placed it into the same compartment as a bobbing mole.
"Alright, fine, you're right."
"As for the Knarls… There aren't any other hedgehog-types here. Help me check if there are any Mutated-type XXX creatures."
"There's a salamander here, but can those two really go together??"
Xavier asked doubtfully, holding a salamander in his palm. The difference felt enormous.
"Then check if there are any mutated mammals left."
"Let me see… Is this a juvenile Graphorn? Is that mutated?"
"No, Graphorns are Bloodline-type… Just put the salamander and the Knarl together. Trust the Niffler whisperer."
"You—!"
After ten noisy minutes, Professor Kettleburn ordered everyone to stop and began inspecting the enclosures one by one.
"Ha!"
When he reached Avada's group, he finally exclaimed in delight.
"Someone finally put Knarls and salamanders together! Biologically they're quite far apart, but in terms of magical structure and principles, they're remarkably similar. Most people lump salamanders together with the Brazilian False Dragon, but those two are worlds apart in reality…"
After checking all the enclosures, Professor Kettleburn declared Avada's group the winners and awarded Hufflepuff ten points.
"Well done, everyone. Every group managed a broadly correct classification…"
He continued cheerfully, "It seems you already have some understanding of what we'll be studying. So now, let's formally begin today's lesson."
"You now know the classification systems for magical creatures. But have you ever wondered why we classify them this way? Where do these standards come from?"
"Biological classification requires extremely complex and advanced verification processes—you won't be able to experiment with those until around fifth year. Danger ratings, on the other hand, are somewhat imprecise, relying mainly on magical potential and historical attack records…"
"So this year, our main focus will be magical classification—Bloodline, Psychic, and Mutated."
(End of Chapter)