Chapter 280: The Substitute Teacher for the Magical Animal Care Class (Edited)

Malfoy hadn't been seen since Monday afternoon when he was injured, which fueled the rumors. Some Slytherin students swore they had seen Malfoy's arm cut like butter by a sharp claw, bleeding everywhere.

"He only has a cut on his arm!" the Gryffindor students present indignantly explained.

"Then why hasn't Draco left the hospital yet?" The Slytherins always had a good argument to counter this.

As a result, the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students were treated to quite a spectacle.

On a bright morning, after breakfast, Tom had his first lesson on Care of Magical Creatures in his life. After what happened on Monday, Tom thought Hagrid's teaching style would be more conservative, but something unexpected happened.

Tom and the group were supposed to meet in front of Hagrid's cabin, but the young wizards were stopped halfway by Filch, the caretaker. Filch took them off the path to Hagrid's cabin and led them toward the castle.

There was a lot of chatter among the young wizards, and some asked Filch where they were going and why the lesson was being held in the castle. But Filch merely smiled and didn't answer.

He was enjoying the atmosphere, relishing the looks from the young wizards as they begged for more.

"You'll find out soon," he said in a hoarse voice, gleeful, and urged the students to hurry up and enter. The students could only walk back through the entrance hall with sad faces. They had the impression that Care of Magical Creatures classes should be held outdoors. Professor Kettleburn had often taken students to the Black Lake and sat them down for a lesson. If the class had to be held indoors, Care of Magical Creatures was likely to be as boring as History of Magic.

Filch led them to an empty classroom on the first floor, next to the library, and knocked on the door three times.

"Come in!"

Filch pushed the door open, and a figure stood behind the teacher's desk. Tom's mind stopped thinking as he looked at the familiar figure and listened to the familiar voice, following his classmates into the classroom with his mouth agape.

Filch watched the young wizards enter the classroom, and when the last student had entered, he gave a humble smile. "They're all here, Professor Scamander," he said, then bowed his back and closed the classroom door.

In the classroom stood Tom's "old" acquaintance, Newt Scamander, still dressed in the same clothes as the last time he had seen him. Tom even wondered if he had a wardrobe full of the same clothes.

Newt straightened his clothes a bit and prepared to introduce himself to his classmates, but upon seeing so many pairs of eyes staring at him, he froze for a moment.

"Hello, everyone... my name is Newt... Newt Scamander, and I am your substitute teacher for Care of Magical Creatures class." He stuttered through this initial statement, but the young wizards before him fell silent.

The first thought that crossed their minds was, "That name sounds familiar," followed by, "Oh my goodness." He was the author of the textbook that had appeared in the castle as a temporary professor. Forget about Lockhart!

Observing the students' reactions, Newt squeezed out a smile. "Ah, it seems like everyone has read my book, that's great..."

Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, a metallic noise echoed from one side of the classroom as a student's textbook fell to the floor. It's not a big deal for a book to fall, but what's not so great is when the little wizard's textbook happens to be "The Monster Book of Monsters."

This book has a special feature—it moves and bites.

Wayne Hopkins was packing his bag when he accidentally dropped the textbook to the ground. The clasp that held it shut and prevented it from moving snapped open, and the book jumped, unleashing its vitality.

Newt saw the book and laughed. "Your textbook is actually this book."

The book sensed his approach and tried to turn around to take a bite, but Newt was quick enough to poke its spine with his index finger and run it up and down.

"Sometimes, the author of a book adds a bit of fun magic to enhance the reading experience." When it comes to his specialty, Newt becomes a different person. He becomes quite talkative. He's not foolish or slow, but he's not comfortable being in front of people and dealing with many unfamiliar faces.

He put the silent textbook back on Wayne Hopkins' desk, observed how the young wizards did the same, and after arranging his own book, he approached the podium, facing the class, and placed an old leather case on the podium.

"It's better to say a thousand words than to do one thing," said Newt, who became a man of few words again. He didn't want to chatter with the young wizards but rather a man of action, teaching by doing... physically, as they say.

With two snaps, the case opened.

"Everyone line up, come towards me, and remember, don't move once you enter, just as I did..." Newt gestured to the young wizards to line up behind him in a long queue. Then, he climbed onto the podium as the first one and entered his suitcase.

However, in Newt's blind spot, a dark and plump figure emerged from the suitcase when he wasn't looking and sneaked into a drawer beneath the case, curling up silently.

The next miraculous sight was that of a medium-sized suitcase, but Newt's feet were completely out of it, followed by his calves and then his thighs, as if he were climbing a staircase, gradually disappearing before everyone's eyes.

"The Undetectable Extension Charm!" The young wizards shivered. The spell was well-known among more knowledgeable wizards, but it was clear that Professor Scamander's suitcase was no ordinary one—he wanted the entire class to enter! And he couldn't simply let the students study inside the suitcase, could he? So there had to be something special inside, and with the course name, the answer was clear.

They lined up and slowly made their way towards Newt's suitcase. The suitcase was small, but since none of the students were large, no one got stuck.