Chapter 46: The Billywig

"The spell to deal with the Billywig is very simple, but it requires you to concentrate. When you cast the spell, you must be fully focused, clear about your target, and not make any mistakes.

Remember, Billywigs can fly very fast. They won't give you a second chance to cast a spell."

After carefully explaining the points to pay attention to, Professor Oren continued, "Let's practice the spell without wands first. Repeat after me — 'Flipendo!' "

"Flipendo!" The students chanted together.

"Very good." Professor Oren said with satisfaction. "Now, let's test the effect of your spell."

He had the students line up and come forward one by one, casting the spell on the Billywig in the cage.

The first one in line was Kanna.

She was originally in the middle of the line. But she was quickly surrounded by Gryffindor fans and pushed to the front.

Since Professor Oren had called out her name, these little lions had been eager to see what was so special about this girl, who had managed to conquer Snape.

"Brave girl." Professor Oren smiled, "I remember you're called Kanna, right?"

"Yes, Professor."

The second time's the charm. Having had the experience twice before, Kanna was much better now.

Although she was still nervous, at least she could communicate normally. The first thing she thought to do was to answer the professor's question, not to run away.

"Don't be afraid, it's just a simple spell." Professor Oren said patiently, "Remember what I said. Focus. You can do it. Believe in yourself."

Kanna took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and pointed her wand firmly.

"Fl, Flipendo!"

"Swish!" The sound of tearing air echoed through the room.

Professor Oren, standing nearby, subconsciously took a step back.

Honestly, if she was closer, she wouldn't even need a spell. She could just stab the Billywig to death.

Thankfully, the result was good.

As the spell ended, the Billywig in the cage fell to the ground.

"Excellent. One point for Hufflepuff." Professor Oren shouted, simultaneously taking out a second cage.

He had brought three Billywigs to class yesterday because he didn't have any experience.

He thought it would be enough. But it was completely insufficient. Sometimes, the first one hadn't recovered yet, and the third one was already lying down.

And every time this happened, the students from both houses would stare at him. It was so awkward.

To prevent this from happening again, he brought ten Billywigs this time. It would be enough.

"Next, Santos, it's your turn."

Santos, whose name was called, hurried forward and began chanting the spell.

"Flipendo…"

Nothing happened. The Billywig in the cage was still happily spinning in circles.

"Relax, don't be so nervous." Professor Oren walked over to him and said gently, "Make sure you enunciate the spell. Your last syllable was too quiet. Let's try again."

Santos nodded and extended his wand again.

"Flipendo!"

This time, it worked.

"Very good. Next…" Professor Oren replaced the cage.

Two in a row successfully made the others more confident. They were eager to try.

But also, because they were so confident, some people completely forgot what Professor Oren had said. When it was their turn, they didn't even look, and they simply shouted the spell at the cage.

The result was that nothing happened to the Billywig. Instead, the cage broke.

As a result, Professor Oren had to be extra careful, ensuring that he could repair the cages as quickly as possible.

But soon, he realized he had made things too easy.

One Gryffindor freshman at the back of the line saw that there were too many people in front of him. He started to quietly chant the spell.

He only wanted to practice beforehand, and then amaze everyone when it was his turn... but he forgot he was holding a wand.

Next to the podium, Professor Oren, who was chanting a Repairing Charm, suddenly felt his legs go weak. He instantly collapsed to the ground.

If it had just been a fall, it wouldn't have been a big deal. Professor Oren was an adult wizard, after all. He would only have a few scrapes at most, and a single white willow patch would fix it.

But the problem was, his Repairing Charm was interrupted.

A Billywig escaped and furiously charged towards the students in front of him.

It had wanted to do this all along. It had been feeling completely weak since yesterday. Now, it was going to get revenge!

Faced with this situation, some of the students started running around the classroom in panic. Others raised their wands.

"Flipendo!"

"Flipendo!"

…

A dozen spells crossed each other. Although they didn't hit the Billywig, they managed to stop it from moving forward…

Now, the students were even more excited, like they had discovered a new world. They raised their wands again, ready to take another shot at the moving target.

"Stop it, all of you!" Just then, Professor Oren, lying on the ground, shouted.

He pulled out his wand and, as the Billywig flew over his head, shouted,

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Professor Oren reached out and caught the falling Billywig. He put it back in the cage and, with trembling hands, stood up.

He rubbed his waist painfully.

No wonder people said that the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts was a thankless job. It was true!

Enduring the pain, Professor Oren looked at the students with concern. "Are you all alright? Did anyone get stung?"

"No, Professor." Everyone shook their heads.

"That's good." He breathed a sigh of relief. After repairing the podium, he said, "Let's continue the lesson. Right… everyone except the first one, put away your wands."

Everyone obediently did so.

Although they were a little disappointed, after seeing Professor Oren's angry expression, they didn't dare to cause trouble again.

After all, nobody wanted to be hit with a Petrificus Totalus spell.

With this mindset, almost everyone could succeed on the first try. The progress was much faster than before.

But Professor Oren didn't look relaxed at all. On the contrary, he was even more nervous.

By the end of the lesson, he didn't even leave any homework. He left the classroom without looking back.

This lesson was tiring. He didn't want to stay a minute longer.

Back in his office, Oren drew the curtains and took a satisfying sip of his tea.

No matter what, it was finally over. Although there were some unexpected events, he managed to control the situation. All ten Billywigs were… Hmm?

Wait, why are there only nine left?

Oren quickly dropped his teacup and counted twice more.

That's right, one was missing.

One cage was empty, and there was a hole the size of a fist in it.

"Merlin's beard..." Oren quickly ran back to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. But he didn't find anything there.

"It must have been those new students' spells hitting the cage!"

Oren looked at the open window in the classroom and lamented, "Fifty Galleons, gone just like that!"

…