Regardless of Atlas' excitement for defense against the dark arts, he still had to go to potion class.
Atlas found himself sitting in Professor Snape's Potions class, surrounded by cauldrons bubbling with strange, colorful liquids that should later become an herbicide. The class was going as expected, with Snape's sneers and insults echoing through the dungeon classroom. But Atlas was focused on something entirely else: maintaining his Occlumency barrier.
As he concentrated on keeping his thoughts locked away, he noticed something interesting—Snape wasn't trying to read his mind. Atlas even risked a glance at the Potions Master, meeting his cold, black eyes head-on, when he gave him his extra assignment. But still, Snape made no attempt to invade his thoughts.
While it was possible that Snape was simply too skilled to be detected, Atlas felt a sense of relief. His barrier might as well be a flimsy piece of paper, but he was confident that at least it was enough to let him know if someone was trying to pry into his mind. Atlas thought that maybe Snape only used legilimency on troublemakers and Harry.
Quirrils' class was unsurprisingly full of surprises. As Atlas and his classmates approached the classroom, they were met with an unexpected sight. A nearly invisible barrier blocked the entrance, leaving them all confused and wondering how they were supposed to enter. Some tried pushing their way through, while others attempted to cast offensive spells, but nothing seemed to work.
Professor Quirrel watched with a smile, offering only moral support and cryptic advice to "think outside the box" and “use your knowledge from all subjects.” The class was determined to break through the barrier, but it was Hermione who finally had the breakthrough.
With a flash of inspiration, she realized that they had all learned two spells last week: the levitation charm and the cutting charm. Though a single cutting charm couldn't penetrate the barrier, they had the advantage of numbers.
The class worked together to coordinate their efforts, casting the difindo charm in unison until the barrier finally shattered.
As the students shuffled into the classroom, they were met with a sly grin from Professor Quirrel. "So, what have you learned?" he asked. Hermione eagerly piped up, "Teamwork is important!" But Quirrel was not impressed. "No, no, no. You should already know that greater numbers mean greater power. Now, what have you really learned?"
Silence descended on the classroom as everyone struggled to come up with an answer. Even Atlas was at a loss. Finally, Quirrel broke the silence with disappointment in his voice. "You learned that no barrier is truly impenetrable. You, a few first-year students, were able to break through a barrier created by me, someone much more powerful than you."
“So, what can you learn from that knowledge?” asked Quirrel.
Finally, after a long moment, Pansy Parkinson raised her hand. "We need to know how strong our shield charm is and what it can block for it to be used effectively." she said confidently. Quirrel nodded, pleased. "Exactly. And what do you do when your shield charm can't block an attack?"
Atlas, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. "You have four options. You can just take the hit, you can still try to block the attack to weaken it, you can dodge the spell entirely, or you can counterattack and let your spell clash with the attacking spell."
Quirrel's face lit up at Atlas's answer. "Very good, very good," he said. "But why would you ever choose the first option when the other options could keep you from harm completely?"
Atlas thought for a moment before responding. "Well, if you know you're going to lose a spell clash anyway, or if there are multiple attackers, then it might be better to take a non-lethal hit, instead of getting surrounded after you dodged."
Quirrel nodded in agreement. "Yes, and there's one more reason why you might choose that option," he added with an cold smirk. "You can surprise your enemy by taking the hit and immediately counterattacking. Of course, you have to be sure you can survive the attack. Survival is always the top priority in a fight. Remember, the winner is always the one who survives. Mister Potter here is the prime example for that."
After a thorough discussion of magical theory, Professor Quirrel decided it was time to get his first-year students to put their knowledge into practice. With a wave of his wand, he conjured a shower of sparkling red and green sparks that danced around the classroom. "Today, we'll be learning Vermillious and Verdimillious, two spells that will allow you to shoot red or green sparks out of your wand," he explained, a mischievous glint in his eye.
The class eagerly listened as Quirrel demonstrated the spells, shooting dazzling red and green sparks into the air. "These spells are almost harmless, so don't worry if you get hit," he reassured them. "Now, let's form groups and practice! One student will shoot a spark, and the other will block it with Protego. If it's red, you block; if it's green, then it's time to dodge!"
The students quickly formed groups, giggling and chattering with excitement. They took turns shooting and blocking spells, sending sparks flying in all directions. Some students were quick and agile, dodging every spell with ease, while others stood their ground, their shields glowing brightly as they blocked the oncoming sparks. Some others, were hit because they were too slow.
Quirrel moved around the room, helping those who struggled with the Shield Charm, and giving pointers to those who were struggling to hit their targets.
For most of the students, this was the first time they had felt like real wizards, and they relished in the experience. Even the pureblood children seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Atlas found himself training with Hermione, who was getting better and faster with each spell she cast. He had to admit, he was impressed with her skill, but his experience in the Room of Requirement made it easy for him to keep up with her.
But just as he was about to block another spell, he felt a touch on his Occlumency barrier. His mind immediately snapped to attention, and he focused all of his energy on his mental defenses. He had forgotten about his physical defenses, though, and Hermione's spell hit him square in the chest, knocking him back a few steps.
For a moment, Atlas was disoriented, but he quickly looked around the room, searching for Quirrel. He saw him across the room, helping a student with their Shield Charm. Quirrel wasn't even looking in his direction, but Atlas was almost certain that it was Voldemort who had tried to invade his mind.
Hermione rushed over to him, apologizing and asking if he was okay. Her concern brought his mind back into focus, and he realized that Quirrel's legilimency attack had distracted him so much that he was still staring holes in the air. He was fine, but the attack had caught him off guard, and he knew he would need to be more careful in the future. He quickly calmed Hermione down who seemed to fell guilty. Before they could go back to their training, the class ended.
As the class ended, the students gathered to have lunch together, but Atlas couldn't shake off his worries about Quirrel's legilimency attack. His mind was filled with questions like "Why me?" and "Is my cover blown?" He pondered over the possibilities, and after a while, it dawned on him that Quirrel is Voldemort and that for some reason he changed his behaviour. Although there was a slim chance that Quirrel was just a skilled legilimens, Atlas decided to assume that he was indeed facing the Dark Lord himself, as he couldn’t find any reason Quirrel would target him. However, the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. Why would Voldemort single him out for a legilimency attack? Was he checking every student, or was there something special about Atlas? Unfortunately, he had no way of answering these questions, as detecting a legilimency attack required occlumency skills, which no one in the class possessed. The mystery of Quirrel's intentions left Atlas with a lot to think about over lunch. He also thought about the possibility of Voldemort being the hero, but that raised the question of why he hadn't been able to rebuild his body until now.
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As the students made their way to the classroom for their magical theory class, they were surprised to find the door closed. Usually, there would be a sign or message if the class was cancelled. However, their curiosity was soon satisfied when a distinguished-looking gentleman appeared down the hallway. He could easily be mistaken for a male model with his striking white Kemp hair, crystal blue eyes, and snow-white beard. He sported a unique and extravagant red military wizard robe, topped off with a walking stick - though he walked so confidently that the stick seemed more of a fashion statement. Despite his peculiar appearance, there was an undeniable air of authority that surrounded him, and the students were quickly hushed into silence. As he approached the classroom, the door swung open, and he signalled the students to enter.
The classroom was filled with a hushed silence as the students took their seats. They had heard that the professor for Magical Theory was one of the most accomplished wizards in the magical world, but they didn't know what to expect. Suddenly, the door opened, and in walked a man who commanded attention with just his presence.
"Good afternoon, students," he began, his voice deep and authoritative. "I am Bartholomew Ward, your professor for Magical Theory. Now, before we dive into today's lesson, I want to share a bit about myself."
The class leaned in, intrigued.
"I am the second-oldest teacher at Hogwarts, after Albus Dumbledore," he continued. "I've spent many years working for the Ministry of Magic as an auror and later as a magical researcher. I have fought in every large Wizarding war of this century, but my wife threatened me to leave me if I went for another military campaign, which caused me to dive into magical research. However, my career came to an abrupt end when my wife was attacked by a berserking Wampus, a magical feline creature that is disgustingly proficient in mind attacks. She now needs my constant care, but when Albus Dumbledore himself asked me to join the faculty here, I simply could not refuse. Literally, I could not refuse; that guy is basically extorting me. Never underestimate your headmaster; he is a sly fox."
The students were in awe and shock at the professor's story. They assumed he was a powerful wizard, but they didn’t know he was a war hero. To add to that, they were unsure how they should react to his comments about Dumbledore, and most were quite curious what the Professor meant when he said Dumbledore was extorting him.
"Now, onto today's lesson," he said, straightening up. "Magical Theory is the very foundation of our magical world. It is the study of magical laws, their limitations, and their possibilities. Today, we will be discussing the fundamental principles of magic and what makes a wizard a wizard. We need to catch up because I cancelled the last lesson, so we won’t have a question-and-answer session this time. But trust me when I say, by the end of this year, you will have a newfound appreciation for the power and complexity of magic."
"So, what is magic?" he asked, leaning forward on the desk. "I'm sure you've all done your homework, but let me sum it up. Magic is a type of energy that can be influenced by intent. But here's the thing, why do we need wands and spell incantations if our intent is enough? Magical creatures surely don’t need one."
The professor paced back and forth, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Well, my dear students, wands and spells help us focus our intent and channel the magic. Without them, it would take years of studying to cast even the simplest of spells."
He paused, looking around at the eager faces before him. "Now, I know some of you may be wondering about wandless magic, accidental magic and the like. It is a purer form of magic, some say, as it isn't influenced by the wand core. But let me tell you, it takes a lot of practice and dedication to master, as the wand helps you guide and, more importantly, control your magic. Only the more experienced wizards can cast nonverbal spells, and even fewer invest the time to learn wandless magic."
With a sudden clap of his hands, the classroom was illuminated by a ball of light hovering above the professor's hand. The students leaned in eagerly, wondering what magical demonstration would come next. The professor's voice boomed with excitement as he explained the spell.
"This is lumos, cast without a wand and without a chant. Now, the spell itself may not seem like much, and I'm sure Professor Flitwick has already taught it to you. But watch what happens when I cast the same spell with a wand."
The professor pulled out his wand and raised it high, pouring his magic into the spell. As he spoke the incantation, the entire room was engulfed in a blinding light, brighter than anything the students had ever seen. Even those in the back rows shielded their eyes, amazed by the sheer power of the spell.
"When you use a wand, it amplifies your magic, guides it, and makes it faster. That's why most people only learn wandless magic if they have a lot of free time," the professor explained as the light faded away.
The professor's grin widened as he looked around the classroom. "Ah, the mysteries of magic. It never ceases to amaze me how much we don't know." He paused for a moment, as if lost in thought, before refocusing on the task at hand. "But before we dive into the depths of arcane knowledge, let's start with the basics. Because as they say, without a solid foundation, the entire structure is bound to crumble."
Leaning forward on his desk, he began to speak with the kind of excitement that could only come from someone who truly loved their subject. "Now, what exactly is a wizard? In ancient times, it was believed that anyone could learn magic, so long as they had a sufficient understanding of nature and the workings of magic. But then, something changed. The Romans invented wands, and with the reduced time to train a wizard came a realization. Some people just didn't have the ability to use magic. So they began to study it, and eventually, they came to a conclusion: magic is in the blood."
This caused most of the Slytherin students to nod with pride.
The professor paused dramatically, letting the weight of his words sink in. "For over two thousand years, wizarding families kept their bloodlines pure, only marrying other wizards to ensure the strength of their magical abilities. But then, just twenty years ago, a young Muggleborn wizard named Rufus Watson turned the entire idea on its head."
He leaned back in his chair, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Rufus, whose father was a Muggle scientist, used his father's technology to study the differences between wizards and Muggles. And what did he find? A special gene that separates the two. Either you have the ability to be a wizard, or you don't. There's no such thing as a 'stronger bloodline.' That holds true unless a family changed their bloodline. A famous Example is Salazar Slytherin who changed his blood or DNA to get the ability to talk with snakes. But those modifications don’t change the wizard’s magical abilities."
Draco Malfoy interrupted the class when he said, “That is not true. My father said...”
Before Malfoy could say what he wanted, Professor Ward interrupted him and answered, “Your father tells you what he wants you to believe, but let me tell you one thing. He knows horseshit. That someone like him is leading the house of Malfoy is a disgrace to your whole family. He is an incompetent wizard and a corrupt politician who only knows how to wield the money his ancestors made. And I would bet that when Voldemort killed Watson, it was because your father and his little circus were offended that their standing in our society was questioned. So if you interrupt my lesson one more time, you will lose a hundred points for your house, and you will rub the floor with Mr. Filch till the end of the year. Is that clear, Mr. Malfoy.”
Malfoy lost all the color in his face and nodded, scared, at the professor's outburst.
“I asked you if that is clear or do you have something in your ears too?” asked the professor, leaving Malfoy without any dignity as he replied, “Yes, Professor! It is clear.”
The professor leaned forward again, his eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint. "So, now let us continue with the lesson after Mr. Malfoy interrupted so rudely. With what we have learned, what makes one wizard more powerful than another?
He looked in the round and a few people raised their arms but he still choose to answer the question himself.
“It is practise, understanding and will. Magic is not just a mere force, it's a manifestation of our own Intent. To harness its full potential, you must learn to focus your Intent and trust in your abilities. Doubt is your greatest enemy and can only hinder your progress. Remember, every great mage started from where you are now, and they all had to practice and understand the fundamentals before they could become truly powerful. Don't let the fear of failure hold you back. You may not get it right the first time, but with each attempt, you'll learn and grow stronger. So, my dear students, I encourage you to embrace the power within you and never doubt your ability to wield magic. Practice, understanding, and will are the keys to unlocking your true potential.”
As Professor Ward wrapped up his thought-provoking speech, the class bell rang, signaling the end of the session. The students gathered their things, eager to continue the discussion outside the classroom. Professor Ward reminded them of the upcoming lessons on the limitations of magic, and advised them to read the next chapter of their magical theory book in preparation.