Milk_Is_My_Drug
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Chapter 58: The Demo Professor
🕑 Added 2025-04-03 22:54:22 +0000 UTCDante left the Slytherin common room, his mind preoccupied with the day’s tasks. As he walked through the dimly lit corridors of Hogwarts’ dungeons, he was met with an unexpected sight: Luna Lovegood, standing at the dungeon exit, her dreamy smile as bright as ever. She greeted him with a wave, her voice soft but cheerful.
"Hello, Dante," Luna said, her eyes twinkling with curiosity. "I haven’t seen you in a long time. You disappeared one day, skipped a whole year, and now you’re skipping every class this year. Where have you been?"
Dante nodded, his expression calm but not unkind. "Things came up," he replied simply. "Why are you here, Luna?"
Luna smiled, her tone as airy as ever. "I missed meeting you, and I’m here on behalf of my year. The third-year students want to have a Defense Against the Dark Arts class with you as the teacher."
Dante raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Why? Isn’t Alastor Moody doing his job?"
Luna shook her head, her blonde hair swaying gently. "He’s trying, but he’s not very good at explaining things. And he’s quite scary to many of the students. They’re not able to learn properly, so they asked me to try and convince you to give them a class."
Dante tilted his head slightly, his silver eyes studying her. "What made them think I’m good for something like that?"
Luna’s smile widened. "Your reputation in the school is quite formidable. Some students consider you as good as Headmaster Dumbledore. They think you will be able to teach them better than anyone else."
Dante’s expression remained neutral, but his mind was already working. In all of his previous seven lives, he had only seriously taught four students. The idea of teaching an entire class was foreign to him, but Luna’s request intrigued him. After a moment of thought, he nodded. "Alright. I’ll give it a try. Later this evening."
Luna’s face lit up with joy. "Thank you, Dante! I’ll let everyone know." She turned to leave but paused, looking back at him. "Oh, and we’re covering werewolves right now."
Dante acknowledged her with a nod, and Luna skipped away, her strange radish earrings bouncing with each step. Dante watched her go, then turned and headed back to his room. If he was going to teach, he would do it properly—and that meant preparation was in order.
___________
The word spread quickly among the third-year students, and by evening, the agreed-upon classroom was filled to the brim. Students from all four houses had gathered, their curiosity piqued by the prospect of a class taught by Dante Malfoy. Even some professors had arrived, though their reasons varied. Dumbledore was there out of sheer curiosity, eager to see how Dante would handle teaching. McGonagall, on the other hand, was there to ensure Dante wasn’t teaching the students anything dangerous.
When Dante arrived with Luna, he glanced briefly at the two professors but otherwise ignored them. The students fell silent as he stepped to the front of the room, their eyes fixed on him with a mix of awe and anticipation.
Dante began the class without preamble. "Today, I’ll reiterate the latest topic you’ve been covering: werewolves." He waved his wand, and small manuals appeared on each student’s desk, including those of Dumbledore and McGonagall. The manuals were neatly organized, with sections on history, habits, detection, counter-spells, and potions.
Dante explained, "This manual is to help you organize the information. Let’s start with the history of werewolves." He proceeded to give a detailed overview, covering everything from the origins of lycanthropy to the societal treatment of werewolves over the centuries. His explanations were clear and concise, and he frequently paused to ensure the students were following.
Next, he moved on to werewolf habits and behavior, explaining how to identify a werewolf in human form and how to detect their presence. He then detailed the most effective spells against werewolves, ranking them by difficulty of casting. The students listened intently, taking notes as Dante spoke.
Finally, he reached the potions section. "The Wolfsbane Potion is the most well-known remedy for lycanthropy," Dante explained. "However, it requires a Potions Master to brew, which makes it inaccessible to most. That’s why I’ve included a simplified version of the potion in your manuals. It’s easier to prepare and can be made by third-year students, though it’s less effective than the original."
The students exchanged excited whispers, flipping through their manuals to find the simplified potion recipe. Even Dumbledore and McGonagall looked impressed, their eyes scanning the detailed notes with interest.
Dante then opened the floor for questions. The students hesitated at first, but soon their hands were shooting up. Dante answered each question with patience, his explanations thorough and insightful. By the end of the class, even the most hesitant students felt confident in their understanding of the topic.
After the class ended, the students filed out, their voices buzzing with excitement. Dumbledore and McGonagall approached Dante, their expressions a mix of admiration and curiosity.
"That was an exceptional class, Dante," McGonagall said, her tone genuine. "Your preparation and teaching methods are truly impressive."
Dumbledore nodded in agreement. "Indeed. I’ve rarely seen a class taught with such clarity and depth. And the simplified Wolfsbane Potion—I’ve never heard of it before. Where did you find it?"
Dante’s expression remained neutral. "I created it. The original Wolfsbane Potion requires a Potions Master, so I made a version that third-years could brew. It’s less effective, but it’s better than nothing."
McGonagall’s eyes widened in surprise. "You created it? Just for this class?"
Dante shrugged. "If I was going to teach, I wanted to do it properly."
Dumbledore and McGonagall exchanged a glance, both stunned by the lengths Dante had gone to for a single class. If this was the standard he set for himself, it was no wonder he considered most of Hogwarts’ classes inadequate and skipped them brazenly.
As Dante left the room, McGonagall turned to Dumbledore, her voice soft but filled with awe. "Albus, I’ve been teaching for decades, but I’ve never prepared for a class like that. For the first time, I feel like I’m not a proper professor."
Dumbledore sighed, his expression thoughtful. "Dante Malfoy is in a league of his own, Minerva. His standards are... extraordinary. But perhaps we can learn something or two from him."
McGonagall nodded, though her mind was still reeling. Dante’s class had been a masterclass in teaching, and it had left her questioning her own methods. As she and Dumbledore left the classroom, they couldn’t help but wonder what else Dante was capable of.
As Dante walked away from the classroom, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corners of his lips. The experience of teaching a class had been... unexpectedly enjoyable. Watching the students’ faces light up with understanding, seeing their curiosity grow with each question, and even the way they hung on his every word—it was a kind of satisfaction he hadn’t anticipated. For a moment, he allowed himself to entertain the thought that teaching might not be such a bad way to pass the time.
It reminded him of his experience with his four students, there was something inherently rewarding about sharing knowledge, about seeing others grow because of what he had taught them
