Hogwarts: I Am Such a Model Wizard

Chapter 368: Cedric and Fred

Amidst the noisy hubbub, Professor Lupin had to raise his voice and call out through the door, “Come back here—you haven’t received your homework yet!”

Whether it was his imagination or not, as soon as he said that, the students bolted even faster, and a few seconds later, they had dashed down the stairs and vanished.

At this, even the students still in the classroom began to shuffle, glancing hopefully at the door and shifting their feet as if considering a quick escape. But a moment later, the door swung shut with a decisive click.

“Homework: please read the chapter on Fwoopers and write a short essay on handling them,” Professor Lupin announced, tucking away his wand with a casual air. “One foot in length. And for those who left early, it’s one foot six inches. Could someone in their House kindly remind them that this will be due by our next class?”

Upon hearing that the escapees had an additional six inches to write, a few students patted their chests in earnestness, volunteering. “Don’t worry, Professor Lupin, we’ll make sure they know!”

“Trying to skip out on homework… How dare they!” another student chimed in. “Six inches longer is exactly what they deserve!”

...

Professor Lupin nodded. “Thatʼs all, class dismissed!”

The students excitedly chatted among themselves as they filed out of the classroom.

“Kyle, wait a moment. I need to talk to you about something.”

Kyle, who had just reached the door, stopped in his tracks and turned around. “What is it, Professor?”

“It’s just a small matter,” said Professor Lupin as he walked over.

With class just ending, the corridor nearby was busy with students passing by. Professor Lupin glanced around at the students coming and going and spoke in a low voice, “Come with me for a bit. It won’t take long.”

“Okay,” Kyle agreed, then turned to Kanna and said, “You go on to the Great Hall. I’ll catch up with you in a minute.”

“That’s fine,” Kanna replied. “Professor Lupin said it won’t take long, so I’ll wait here for a bit.”

“Well... alright.”

After parting from Kanna, Kyle followed Professor Lupin through two corridors until they stopped outside the door to the staff room.

“Go on in,” said Professor Lupin, opening the door and stepping aside.

Kyle had been here once before, but that was back when it was still Professor Lockhart’s domain. With Professor Lupin in charge, all the excessive decorations had been removed, leaving only a few old, sturdy chairs.

When Kyle entered, he saw someone already seated inside.

Snape was lounging in an armchair, and he turned his head as Kyle walked in, giving him a narrow-eyed look.

“Severus,” Professor Lupin greeted him, “what brings you here?”

“Dumbledore mentioned it,” Snape replied. “I came to tell you that in a week’s time, the potion will be ready. You can come to collect it then, or I can deliver it to you... whenever you need it.”

“Thank you, Severus,” Professor Lupin said. “This is a great help.”

“It’s for the safety of the students, so there’s no other option,” Snape replied, casting a glance at Kyle, though whether intentional or not, it was difficult to tell.

Kyle, however, simply looked away, feigning interest in the pattern on an old wardrobe nearby.

“Well, I’ll leave you to your conversation,” Snape said, rising from his seat. He headed toward the door, but as he passed Kyle, he stopped abruptly and asked, almost casually, “By the way, you were awarded the Order of Merlin, Second Class, for killing a werewolf at St. Mungo’s, weren’t you?”

“No,” Kyle replied with a faint smile. “I only wounded it, Professor, and I managed that with the help of Professors Hagrid and Kettleburn.”

Professor Lupin’s eyebrows lifted slightly, and an uncomfortable expression crossed his face.

“Really... I must have remembered it wrong.”

Snape’s mouth twisted into a sneer before he turned and swept out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

“Alright,” Professor Lupin said, walking over to a corner. He opened his suitcase, pulled out several sheets of parchment, and laid them on the table. Then he took out two Galleons and handed them to Kyle along with the parchment.

“Professor, what’s this for?”

“Remember? You lent me two Galleons on the train,” Professor Lupin said with a smile. “It just so happens that Professor Dumbledore advanced me a month’s salary.”

“No, Professor, I—”

“Listen to me, Kyle,” Professor Lupin interrupted. “I know what you’re trying to say, but as a professor, I can’t accept money from my students. That’s simply not acceptable... Do you understand what I mean?”

Professor Lupin’s expression grew serious.

“I understand,” Kyle replied, taking the two Galleons.

“But I also want to thank you,” Professor Lupin added, his smile returning. “Thanks to those two Galleons, I was able to buy a decent outfit for teaching.” He didn’t hide his embarrassment and even chuckled, “The cheapest clothes in Hogsmeade cost fifteen Sickles apiece, and the extra money was enough to buy a box of Chocolate Frogs, which used to be my favorite... By the way, do you collect the cards?”

He pulled a Chocolate Frog card out of his pocket.

Kyle glanced at it... Salazar Slytherin.

”No!” Kyle shook his head decisively.

Professor Lupin seemed unbothered and simply assumed Kyle already had that card. ”And this is my thanks to you.” He lifted the parchment in his hand and said, ”I remember you attempted the Patronus Charm on the train but weren’t able to summon a full Patronus.”

”This is a summary of my notes on the Patronus Charm. I think it might be helpful.”

”Er...” Kyle hesitated. He wanted to explain to Professor Lupin that he actually knew how to cast the Patronus Charm well, but since it was a gift, he took the parchment to avoid any awkwardness. ”Thank you, Professor.”

”Youʼre welcome,” Professor Lupin replied with a smile. ”If thereʼs anything you don’t understand, feel free to come and ask me.”

”Er... I will.”

”Alright, go on then,” Professor Lupin winked. ”Donʼt keep your friends waiting.”

”Goodbye, Professor.”

Just as Kyle turned to leave, he suddenly noticed two figures lying motionless on the floor in front of him—Cedric and Fred. They appeared lifeless.

”Oh, itʼs the Boggart...” Professor Lupin noticed as well and approached them. ”I thought it had been neutralized, but I didn’t expect it to be hiding here. Let me take care of it—”

Before he could finish, Kyle had already raised his wand. Almost instinctively, a towering flame erupted from it, taking the form of a flame dragon in midair.

”Pop!”

The flame dragon spewed a ball of fire, and a wave of intense heat swept through the entire office. Windows shattered instantly, and the desks and chairs were reduced to ash in seconds. Cedric and Fredʼs ”bodies” disappeared as a black, mist-like shape twisted and contorted in front of the dragon before finally dissolving completely.

The entire scene unfolded so quickly that by the time Professor Lupin processed what was happening, the office lay in ruins.

”Stop—!”

Staring at the immense flaming dragon, he drew his wand in horror. ”Finite!”

But nothing happened. The ”dragon” seemed to grow even more ferocious, turning its massive form to face him with its jaws open wide.

Then, just in time—

”Finite!”

A burst of golden flame flared up and enveloped the ”flame dragon,” causing its vast body to shrink rapidly. Now, just like the Boggart moments before, the ”Dragon” writhed and struggled until it finally vanished completely.

Professor Lupin looked up, dazed and confused.

The office was in shambles: tables, chairs, cabinets, and windows had all been obliterated. Even the door was barely hanging by a single hinge. Outside, footsteps echoed closer—someone had heard the explosion and was approaching.

”Sorry, Professor, I...”

”That was dangerous...” Professor Lupin exclaimed, still stunned. ”Thatʼs not how the Fire-Making Charm is supposed to be used!”

With that, he hurried out of the office, intercepting the approaching students before they reached the door. ”Thereʼs nothing to see here. Head to the Great Hall for dinner… quickly now, don’t be late for your afternoon classes.”

”Oh, Professor McGonagall… you’re here too…” Lupin turned to her with a reassuring smile. ”Don’t worry, it’s nothing, just a little mishap with a Fire-Making Charm. It’s all under control.”