28 Chapter 28: Educational Plan

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Again, you're getting two versions of this chapter, scroll down until the next disclaimer for the rewritten version.

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Transforming into the cartoon character Tom was, admittedly, not Sherlock Forester's plan A. Seeing as how he only had two months to learn as much magic as possible however, he didn't have enough time to raise his skill to a sufficient level for a more elegant transfiguration.

After some careful self-assessment, Sherlock reckoned his grasp of magic was currently on par with a sixth-year Hogwarts student, although he understood a far broader range of spells. His proficient edge lay in his manifold applications of Transfiguration. Yet, the viable transformation outcomes lacked the detailed finesse and accurate life-likeness that Sherlock desired.

Unwilling to be the laughing stock of his own classroom, Sherlock opted for the less detailed form of Tom, a beloved cartoon character devoid of intricate elements. As long as the magical effect, which Sherlock had imbued during the transformation, was preserved, Tom served its purpose. Perhaps making use of a cartoon character would also soften the students' perceptions of him.

After all, a lover of the 'Tom and Jerry' cartoons could never parallel the coldness of someone like Snape.

As for acquiring real, living dark creatures as teaching specimens, Sherlock had pondered over it. However, his innate, almost paranoid cautiousness at Hogwarts left him drawing blanks on potential sources. Though, Hagrid might be an accomplice in this endeavor in the future.

The dueling challenge continued to play out in the classroom. The Hufflepuff student's fumbles and Ron's failed attempts stoked the competitive spirit in the other young wizards.

From the view of a bystander, they didn't perceive Tom as a formidable adversary. He was just nimble, agile, and possessed the ability to morph at will, but that didn't make him scary. Sherlock's version of Tom was, indeed, far from spectacular.

The basic incendiary spell "Incendio," which students would learn in the fourth grade, could subdue Tom easily. Alternatively, the universal counterspell "Finite Incantatem", taught in the third grade, could also undo the transformation, reverting Tom to a regular desk. However, the students were only in their second year and had yet to master either spell.

Thus, with a steady procession of mediocre curses, the students continued their futile attempts to vanquish Tom for the rest of the lesson.

As the class neared conclusion, Sherlock transfigured Tom back into it original form - a mundane desk. He urged students to reclaim their seats and began the lesson's closing words.

"The apparent insubstantial aura of Tom, we all noticed," he began. "so what accounted for your inability to conquer him? Was it the lack of potency in your acquired magic? Or did your physical abilities impose a limit on your dueling skill?"

"Perhaps all these contributed to some degree," Sherlock continued. "you've only completed one year of magical study after all. Defeating Tom might indeed pose a challenge. However, do you honestly believe the magic you've learned thus far only involves a stupidly waving your wands and mindlessly casting spells?"

"As part of your homework, I want you to reflect on how to leverage your current knowledge to overpower Tom. Pen down your formulated strategies. The length of your essays doesn't matter, as long as the content describes an effective strategy, even if it's a single word."

"In our next class, you can challenge Tom again using your drafted strategies. Successful challengers will earn an additional twenty house points. No one, however, will be exempted from future homework assignments for the month."

With the conclusion of the second-year class, the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students exited the classroom, spirited and exhilarated.

In essence, this was their first true Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. The prior term with Quirrell had largely involved textbook readings and self-study. Unanimously, students from both houses found Forester's class intriguing. Even students who hadn't experienced a class yet were intrigued after hearing from the first and second-year students who already had their classes on the first day.

The Tom duel further offered a glimpse into the man behind Professor Forester's usually icy demeanor. A man genuinely aloof would never have a soft spot for Tom the Cat, a character synonymous with humor and silliness, would he?

This revelation somewhat dissipated the intimidating aura that clung to him, his frosty exterior not dissimilar to Snape's. The school term had just begun, and the outgoing and intellectually curious Ravenclaw students were already seeking Forester out in his office, asking him questions about Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Most Hogwarts students had quickly warmed up to the new professor. Sherlock viewed this as an auspicious development. Their perceiving him as approachable would subtly alter the other professors' views of him, gradually softening the impressions held by Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore.

As Dumbledore had expressed during the opening banquet, he was indeed anticipating Sherlock's transformation — a metamorphosis Sherlock intended to openly display.

Buoyed by the successful commencement of the first day's lessons for the first and second years, he felt better equipped to tackle the more advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts classes.

On the dawn of the second day, the fifth-year students buzzed with excitement, pondering the unique lesson Professor Forester had in store for them.

Then they saw Sherlock stride in, an impressive stack of parchment clutched in his hands.

"Do you know the biggest hurdle you'll encounter in your fifth year?" Forester queried, foregoing the usual pleasantries to delve right into his speech.

Unsure of what this cryptic question could mean, the students exchanged amused glances, shaking their heads in collective ignorance.

Sherlock sighed, shaking his head in slight disappointment.

"It appears students these days aren't as diligent. In my days, even fourth-year students would already be knee-deep in their preparations for next year. Yet here you are, in your fifth year, without the faintest clue of what lies ahead."

The current Sherlock, not being a Hogwarts alumnus, was purely indulging in the age-old teacher's rhetoric of telling students how lazy they were in comparison to prior generations.

"O.W.L.s, or Ordinary Wizarding Level examination – the first life-changing magical examination you will face. The examination, administered by the Ministry of Magic, will test you across twelve diverse subjects."

"As with previous examinations, grades include O for Outstanding, E for Exceeds Expectations, A for Acceptable, P for Poor, and D for Dreadful. But these grades form the Ministry's assessment of your five-year learning journey at Hogwarts, and serve as an important reference for you post-graduation."

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, one of the twelve subjects, is mandatory for all students."

"Given Professor Quirrell's rather lackluster instruction last term, you are, unfortunately, effectively a year behind your actual progress. Consequently, you must devote extra effort in the upcoming year to compensate for this setback and gear up for the impending examination."

"To aid in this, I have created a comprehensive educational plan for the forthcoming year — I call it H.O.O.T., or Highly Optimized O.W.L. Training." (T/N: really proud I came up with that)

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This is the second disclaimer, below is the rewritten chapter.

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Choosing to transfigure into the familiar figure of a Cornish Pixie was not initially the path Sherlock Forester had intended to walk. His ambitious mind dreamed of elaborate and intricate transforms, ones that would leave his students aghast and full of admiration.

However, the harsh realization of his limited time frame left him with a sobering clarity. With only two months to extend and master his magical skills, he had to accept the fact that he wouldn't have the luxury of time to craft a more elegant transfiguration.

After a ruthless, yet honest, evaluation of his abilities, Sherlock reached the conclusion that his magical prowess was currently comparable to that of a sixth-year Hogwarts student, although he had a far broader comprehension of a wide range of spells.

His true strength lay in the multifaceted application of Transfiguration. Despite this prowess, his transformations lacked a detailed finesse, a life-like vitality that Sherlock yearned to possess.

Determined to abstain from becoming a source of mockery in his very own classroom, Sherlock chose simplicity. He decided on the less intricate design of a Cornish Pixie, a sweet, uncomplicated character that he could mimic without arising suspicion.

Furthermore, implementing something as whimsical as a mythical creature in the class might alleviate his students' perception towards him – humanizing the seemingly stern professor. Lastly as he foresaw the little wizard would underestimate the opponent, such that he was able to teach them a hugely important lesson - that regardless of the appearance of the enemy, they should always be taken seriously.

Again he remembered the saying "You may strategically disdain the enemy, but tactically take them seriously."

Besides, the idea of using Cornish Pixies to teach his students appealed to him, as he vaguely seemed to remember that the incompetent Lockhart had also made use of them, resulting in his humiliation.

Of course Sherlock had previously contemplated using real, living dark creatures as specimens for teaching purposes but quickly dismissed the idea. His innate caution ingrained deep from his experiences at Hogwarts, living under the constant supervision of Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore, nudged him against the risky endeavor. Although, propositioning Hagrid in the future might present an interesting prospect.

The sparring challenge with the magical Pixie continued to unfold amidst the excited chattering of the classroom. The failed spell casting attempt from the Hufflepuff student and Ron's amusing lackluster performance only fueled the growing competitive spirit amongst the future wizards and witches.

For the silent observers the playful Cornish Pixie, despite its nimbleness and shape-shifting abilities, didn't paint a picture of a formidable adversary. The simplicity of Sherlock's creation, however, was far from spectacular, in fact even to a third-grade student the challenge would seem trivial.

Older students could easily triumph over the Pixie using the basic incendiary spell "Incendio", taught in the fourth grade, or revert the Pixie back to its original state as an ordinary desk using the universal counterspell "Finite Incantatem", taught in the third grade. Fortunately, the present roster of students were only in their second year and couldn't boast mastery of either spell.

Hence the see-saw of failed attempts and futile curses continued till the last chime of the lesson bell.

As the lesson reached the final stages, Sherlock, with the flick of his wand, transfigured the animated Pixie back into its former boring, immovable state of a desk. He instructed the students to retake their seats and commenced his closing monologue of the class.

"The seemingly harmless demeanor of our Cornish friend did not go unnoticed today," he began. "Yet, all of you struggled to suppress it. Was it the limitation of your magical abilities? Perhaps, your physical prowess could not support your ambitious attempts?"

"I concede, each of these factors might have played a part," Sherlock continued, his voice filling the silent class. "You have journeyed only a year into your magical studies after all. Overpowering a Cornish Pixie can be challenging. However, do you truly believe that the magic you've amassed so far only involves aimlessly waving your wands and recklessly casting spells?"

"For your homework, I want you to contemplate on the strategies you can come up with to leverage your current knowledge against the Pixie. Write down your thoughts, strategies, ambitions. The length of your work is irrelevant, only its effectiveness matters, even if it's a single, powerful word."

"In the coming class, you will again have the opportunity to challenge the Pixie using your new strategies. Success will earn you an additional twenty house points, however, no one will be exempt from future homework assignments for this month."

And with the conclusion of the second-year class, the energized Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students, brimming with anticipation for the next challenging class, left the classroom, leaving behind a satisfied Sherlock Forester.

The Pixie duel further offered a glimpse into the man behind Professor Forester's usually icy demeanor. A man genuinely aloof would never play tricks on his students, or let them fool around like this, instead, like Snape, he would give them boring, difficult tasks, all the while punishing them for the tiniest mistake. If any of them had giggled at one of Snape's assignments, like they had when Forester first revealed the Cornish Pixie - well they would've been doomed.

This revelation somewhat dissipated the intimidating aura that clung to him, his frosty exterior not dissimilar to Snape's, but his interior more akin to the lighthearted Professor Flitwick. The school term had just begun, and the outgoing and intellectually curious Ravenclaw students were already seeking Forester out in his office, asking him questions about Defense Against the Dark Arts.

As Dumbledore had expressed during the opening banquet, he was indeed anticipating Sherlock's transformation — a metamorphosis Sherlock intended to openly display.

Buoyed by the successful commencement of the first day's lessons for the first and second years, he felt better equipped to tackle the more advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts classes.

On the dawn of the second day, the fifth-year students buzzed with excitement, pondering the unique lesson Professor Forester had in store for them.

Then they saw Sherlock stride in, an impressive stack of parchment clutched in his hands.

"Do you know the biggest hurdle you'll encounter in your fifth year?" Forester queried, foregoing the usual pleasantries to delve right into his speech.

Unsure of what this cryptic question could mean, the students exchanged amused glances, shaking their heads in collective ignorance.

Sherlock sighed, shaking his head in slight disappointment.

The current Sherlock, not being a Hogwarts alumnus, was purely indulging in the age-old teacher's rhetoric of telling students how lazy they were in comparison to prior generations.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, one of the twelve subjects, is mandatory for all students."

"To aid in this, I have created a comprehensive educational plan for the forthcoming year — I call it H.O.O.T., or Highly Optimized O.W.L. Training." (T/N: really proud I came up with that)

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