Friday.
"Ken? Were you looking for us?"
At noon, Avada intercepted Harry and the other two at the entrance of the Great Hall just as they finished lunch, earning him a look that mixed confusion with outright alarm. They clearly remembered that something similar had happened last term—and that incident had nearly blown the basilisk into the open.
"You didn't discover something terrifying again, did you?!"
"…Not to that extent. I'm not some walking disaster."
Avada shrugged innocently. After all—what bad intentions could the Killing Curse possibly have?
"I just wanted to ask you a favor."
He pulled the three of them into a sparsely populated corner, which only made them more nervous.
"This weekend, could you avoid using the Room of Requirement for a bit? I need it to brew some potions."
"Oh, that?" Hermione visibly relaxed. "No problem. We weren't planning to use the Room of Requirement this weekend anyway—we're going to Hogsmeade."
"You are. I can't go."
Harry looked rather dejected.
"Harry didn't get his guardian's permission slip signed," Ron explained helplessly. "We even went to Professor McGonagall this morning, but she refused to approve it. I really don't get it—she knows perfectly well what Harry's home situation is like. That's way too rigid!"
"Yeah…"
Avada nodded along casually, while inwardly feeling secretly pleased. Just as he'd hoped—they really were going to Hogsmeade this weekend. That made his plan much less likely to be exposed…
"Hey, wait a second."
Hermione suddenly looked up at him in shock, her brown curls almost bristling.
"What kind of potion needs to be brewed secretly in the Room of Requirement? Don't tell me it's another illegal potion? Did something go wrong again that you need to investigate behind the scenes?!"
The moment she said that, Harry and Ron snapped their heads up as well—especially with Hogsmeade suddenly being closed on Saturday mornings this term, plus all the rumors about Sirius Black flying around lately…
"Absolutely not!"
Avada fought hard to keep his mouth from twitching.
"Can't I just have my own life and research?"
"And you want me to deal with Sirius Black? Do you really think I'd last even five seconds against someone Azkaban couldn't hold? You want me to handle a guy like that?!"
To completely dispel their suspicions and let them enjoy their Hogsmeade weekend in peace, Avada had no choice but to grit his teeth and talk them down.
"Anyway, up to now, I haven't seen any signs of danger like last year. Hogwarts is still a school, after all—it used to be the safest place in Britain just a few years ago. You can't seriously expect world-ending disasters every single year, can you?"
"Uh… sorry. We're probably just being too sensitive."
Seeing that Avada looked genuinely displeased, the three quickly apologized. Ken had been under immense pressure for so long—now that things had finally calmed down, it was only natural he wouldn't want old matters brought up again.
"It's fine. I'm really just brewing potions for my own reasons…"
"You're sure you won't need the Room of Requirement this weekend? Good. Then I hope you enjoy Hogsmeade—there are tons of new things there. And Harry, don't be too upset. You'll get another chance to go someday."
After encouraging them—and subtly reinforcing the "going to Hogsmeade this weekend" point—Avada parted ways with them, went back to the Great Hall for lunch, and checked his schedule.
"Afternoon classes… Defense Against the Dark Arts? Double period?"
"Finally, I can start observing Lupin. I wonder what my Boggart would turn into…"
…
"Good afternoon, everyone!"
The fourth-years' Defense Against the Dark Arts class that afternoon was shared between Hufflepuff and Slytherin. The weathered-looking new professor was already waiting in the classroom, greeting them with a warm smile once everyone had arrived.
"I'm afraid there's been a slight change of plans. This lesson was originally meant to be practical—but the Boggart I prepared was, unfortunately, blown apart by the third-years yesterday. So today we'll have theory instead. I'll catch another one when I have time…"
"A Boggart?"
"That's right—a Boggart. I know you were introduced to this Dark creature in third year. But as fourth-years, we're about to enter a very special field—one whose mysteries and depth remain at the forefront of magical research even today."
Lupin smiled lightly.
"And by coincidence, the Boggart you studied last year happens to be closely related to this field. I'm guessing your previous professor didn't let you actually face one in practice?"
A ripple of quiet laughter ran through the classroom. Everyone remembered exactly what last year's professor had been like.
"Now then, please consider this question."
As the laughter subsided, Lupin spoke again.
"How does a Boggart learn what you fear?"
The classroom went still. After a moment, only a few hands rose hesitantly.
"Mr. Shafiq, why don't you answer?"
Lupin glanced at the roster and called on Baron.
Baron lowered his hand, stood up, and replied, "Through basic Legilimency, Professor."
"Correct. Three points to Slytherin."
Lupin smiled encouragingly and gestured for Baron to sit.
"Legilimency—it means reading thoughts, directly peering into the contents of your mind. Some of you may find this term unfamiliar, but over the coming year, you'll hear it often. We'll study how such magic is used—and how to resist it…"
"That's right. This is what fourth- and fifth-years begin to touch upon: resisting the most profound and dangerous forms of Dark Magic—mental magic."
"Of course, mental magic is extremely difficult and complex, and resisting it is just as challenging. In fact, up until graduation, we'll only gain a very basic understanding of it. Anyone wishing to go further will likely need to enter certain specialized professions and continue learning through vocational training."
"Now, please turn to page five of your textbooks. We'll begin our formal introduction to the field of mental magic—using Boggarts as our example."
Lupin picked up a piece of chalk and rapidly wrote a long string of complex formulas on the blackboard behind him.
"First, we need to understand several basic definitions and concepts…"
He lectured methodically while writing, prompting Avada to roll his eyes slightly. The material was easier than second- or third-year content for him.
And because the Ministry of Magic strictly regulated mental magic, the fourth-year textbook's discussion of mental power was indeed far too superficial. At most, it taught a few meditation techniques to steady the mind, dispel fear, or break free from simple illusions. It didn't even touch on Occlumency—let alone anything more advanced.
'No wonder Psychodynamics is listed as a restricted book. The sheer volume and depth of knowledge in it are on an entirely different level compared to the textbooks…'
(End of Chapter)