Hogwarts: I Am Such a Model Wizard

Chapter 717: Snape’s Double Standards

Kyle and Kanna hurried to the classroom, their conversation having delayed them, but they managed to arrive just before class began. Snape was already there, standing at the front with a piercing gaze fixed on the latecomers.

Truthfully, Snape’s mood had been sour ever since learning a few days earlier that Kanna had snuck back from France. But what could he do? The moment he heard about her return, he had stormed furiously to the headmasterʼs office to confront whoever had dared interfere with his plans.

However, upon seeing Nicolas Flamel, with his snowy hair and unsteady gait, Snape’s anger evaporated. Instead of demanding answers, he found himself thanking the venerable alchemist and personally escorting him out of the school.

There was no alternative. Even if Snape cared little for reputation, crossing someone over six centuries old was a gamble he wasn’t willing to take. The man looked fragile enough to be toppled by a breeze. What if Snape’s sharp words caused Flamel to keel over on the spot?

So, Snape swallowed his frustrations and saw Flamel off with uncharacteristic politeness. Yet, this didn’t mean the matter was settled. Snape knew full well that Kyle was the reason for Kanna’s return, and his disdain for their association burned hotter than ever.

“What are you standing there for?” Snape snapped, his voice cold as ice, his eyes narrowing as if the two students were errant potion ingredients out of place. “If you’re late, find a seat. Or do you expect me to escort you personally?”

“Yes, Professor,” Kyle replied quickly, pulling Kanna toward a seat in the last row. This only deepened Snape’s scowl.

Kyle, however, was unfazed. He even raised an eyebrow in a small, defiant gesture. For a fleeting moment, Snape found himself wishing he were a true Death Eater, unburdened by any connection to Dumbledore. If that were the case, he could cast Sectumsempra on Kyle without hesitation.

Of course, that was merely a fleeting thought. In reality, Kyle’s attention wasn’t even on Snape. He was observing the classroom, surprised to see how quickly Snape had stamped his personality onto the Defense Against the Dark Arts room.

The windows were completely covered with thick curtains, leaving the space dimly lit by flickering candles. The walls were adorned with grim images of people suffering the effects of dark magic—wounds grotesque and limbs distorted. The effect was as unnerving as the jars of ominous ingredients displayed in the dungeons.

Before long, Snape’s cold voice broke the silence. “Before we begin, I have something to say, and I expect you to listen closely and remember every word.”

Snape avoided looking at Kyle, turning his head slightly as he continued, “So far, you’ve had six—or perhaps seven—teachers in this class.”

This was a nod to Tonks, who had taken over after Umbridge’s departure but adamantly refused to be officially recognized as a professor.

“Each of these teachers,” Snape went on, descending from the platform, “had their own methods and priorities. But as far as I can see, none of them have truly prepared you to face dark magic.”

“Professor Moody taught us that,” a voice interjected from the crowd.

Snape’s head snapped toward the source. “Oh? So, Mr. Derrick has faced dark magic himself, has he?” he asked with a venomous edge. “Or do you believe you can handle Death Eaters so easily that my lessons are unnecessary?”

The student, Mikel Derrick, lowered his head and remained silent.

“Hufflepuff loses five points,” Snape said with cold indifference. “In my class, you will raise your hand before speaking.”

He continued, his tone sharp, “Alastor Moody was a competent professor, and he did request permission from the headmaster to expose you to real dark magic. But the headmaster refused, arguing that you are not yet adults and such exposure would be premature.”

A low murmur rippled through the classroom as students recalled that Moody himself had mentioned Dumbledore’s reluctance to allow him to demonstrate dark magic in class.

“But thatʼs different now. Youʼre in your seventh year, and the situation has suddenly changed...” Snapeʼs voice rose slightly, commanding the room’s attention. “Whether you like it or not, you must face the threat of dark magic head-on.”

“You will learn how to resist the Imperius Curse or fend off Dementors, which could give you the Kiss at any moment.”

“Professor!” a girl raised her hand hesitantly. “But haven’t the Dementors disappeared?”

“Not entirely,” Snape replied with a cold edge. “The Ministry’s efforts have made them less aggressive, yes, but they have not been eradicated. There are far more of these creatures than you might believe.”

He walked slowly toward the podium, his movements deliberate. Turning sharply, his gaze flickered toward Kyle—an intentional or accidental glance, hard to decipher.

“Perhaps I should demonstrate the true nature of the Unforgivable Curses,” Snape mused, his tone chilling. “As seventh years, I trust you don’t need a refresher on what the Unforgivable Curses are. Or is there anyone here so hopeless as to not know?”

Silence answered him.

“Good,” Snape said with a curt nod. “It seems there’s hope for you after all. Let us begin with the Cruciatus Curse—so you may grasp its effects firsthand.”

He paused, his expression darkening. Then, with a surprising shift to an unnervingly smooth tone, he said, “Kyle, how about doing me a favor?”

Kyle, caught off guard, stared at Snape, confused by the sudden request and the faintly sinister smile on the professor’s face. For a moment, an unsettling thought crept into his mind: Snape wouldn’t actually cast the Cruciatus Curse on him...would he?

“So, will you help?” Snape prompted softly.

“But, Professor...” Kanna began, her voice edged with unease, but Kyle cut her off.

“Of course,” Kyle replied, regaining his composure. “But, Professor, may I defend myself with a Shield Charm? After all, when facing Death Eaters, no one simply stands still and takes it.”

Snape’s lips curled in a thin, mocking smile. “Oh, what nonsense are you imagining?” His voice was laced with derision. “I only meant for you to open the curtains so the class can see better. You didn’t think I would cast the Cruciatus Curse on you, did you? How absurd! Using the Cruciatus Curse on another person is a grave violation of Wizarding Law, regardless of the circumstances.”

The sarcasm in his tone was unmistakable. “Hufflepuff loses ten points for such dangerous assumptions.”

Kyle’s mouth twitched slightly, catching the gleam of mischief in Snape’s eyes. It was clear the professor had done this on purpose. Snape could have opened the curtains with a flick of his wand, so why make it a task? And his manner and tone just moments ago had been deliberately calculated to suggest something far more sinister.

“Why are you still standing there?” Snape snapped, impatience creeping back into his voice. “I don’t care to repeat myself.”

“Of course, Professor,” Kyle said calmly, as though nothing had happened. He walked to the window, opened the curtains, and returned to his seat. Sunlight flooded the room, dispelling its earlier gloom.

Snape waved his wand lazily, extinguishing the candles, and pulled a rat from his cloak, tossing it onto the floor. Before anyone could react, his wand moved sharply.

“Crucio!”

The effect was immediate. The rat’s body contorted, its limbs curling tightly against its body as it rolled and convulsed violently. Its shrill, anguished squeals filled the room, sending a shiver through everyone present. The sheer pain emanating from the creature was palpable.

Several students turned away, unable to watch. Some of the girls averted their eyes, their faces pale with discomfort.

Snape, unfazed, waved his wand again and spoke in a low, steady voice: “Avada Kedavra!”

A flash of green light burst forth, and the rat fell still. It lay motionless on the floor, unmarked but undeniably lifeless.

“The Death Curse... or Killing Curse.”

“It’s not very pretty, is it?” Snape said lightly. “But I must say, this is the spell you are most likely to encounter in the future. As you can see, it can end all life. If you wish to survive, you must find a way to avoid this spell.”

“And don’t even think about resisting,” Snape added, casting a sharp glance at Kyle. “The Shield Charm is useless against the Killing Curse.”

He waved his hand, and the rat on the floor vanished.

But the tension in the room did not disappear with it. The entire classroom was steeped in an eerie silence. Everyone’s minds were still replaying the rat’s desperate, intermittent squeals and the image of its lifeless form lying still on the floor.

Until...

“What are you all standing there for?” Snape barked. “Why aren’t you writing this down?”

The class jolted to attention. Quills and parchments were hastily retrieved, and everyone scrambled to take notes on what Snape had just said.

“Perhaps some of you are wondering,” Snape continued as the scratching of quills filled the room, “why I demonstrated only two of the three Unforgivable Curses.”

“That is because the Imperius Curse is the only Unforgivable Curse that can be countered through your own abilities. With enough willpower, you can break free of its control, though it is far from easy.”

“What are we going to do about it?” someone asked hesitantly, raising their hand.

“I will teach you,” Snape replied, his tone sharp, “but not yet. Before that, you must be fully prepared to learn another spell.”

“Now, take out your quills and write down everything I say.”

The students obeyed immediately, their heads bowed over their parchments.

“I demand that you relax your minds and rid yourselves of the habit of daydreaming,” Snape instructed, his voice cutting through the room. “Especially before sleeping—clear your minds of all unnecessary thoughts.”

As soon as Snape mentioned relaxing the mind, Kyle knew where this was going. It was obvious Snape intended to teach them Occlumency, the most effective defense against the Imperius Curse.

But Kyle also knew that Occlumency wasn’t an easy art to master. Harry’s experience had proven that—it had taken him nearly half a month to make any progress, and that was with Snape’s intensive one-on-one guidance in the beginning, followed by relentless practice sessions with the Wampus Cat.

Few professors would willingly teach such a challenging and time-consuming skill to their students.

To be honest, as a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Snape was surprisingly competent. If only he could stop singling Kyle out so often, Kyle wouldn’t mind admitting that Snape was a great teacher.

For now, though, that opinion remained firmly unspoken.

...

Half the lesson had passed by the time Snape finished speaking.

Occlumency was not a skill one could master overnight. Emptying one’s mind was difficult enough on its own, so Snape saw no point in wasting class time on it. Instead, he planned to let the students practice and familiarize themselves with the technique on their own after class.

For the next half hour, Snape checked on everyoneʼs progress with the basics of Defence Against the Dark Arts. One by one, the students demonstrated their proficiency with the Disarming Charm, the Shield Charm, and the Slowing Charm.

Snape had prepared himself for the worst. With a new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor every year, it was only natural for the studentsʼ performance to be subpar. He had even drafted a scathing critique in his mind, ready to deliver.

However, to his surprise, the results were far better than expected. At least half of the students could perform the required Charms proficiently.

Initially, Snape dismissed this as a fluke. But when he raised the difficulty and tested them again, he found that the majority had indeed mastered the three Charms.

It was an unexpected, yet pleasant, discovery.

What Snape didn’t know was that most of the Hufflepuffs had participated in Dumbledoreʼs Army in previous years. The three Charms he was testing were precisely the ones Cedric Diggory had focused on during those meetings.

Unfortunately, with Cedric having graduated and the DA disbanded after Umbridgeʼs departure, the students had lost the opportunity to continue practicing in a group setting—a fact many of them regretted deeply.

After class, the students gathered in the hallway, speculating about how Snape planned to teach them to resist the Imperius Curse.

Some had already figured it out.

“Of course it’s Occlumency,” Kanna said as she walked with Kyle toward the Great Hall. “What else would you need to empty your mind for but that?”

Kyle mulled it over for a moment and realized she was right—there wasn’t anything else that made sense.

Anyone who was familiar with the concept could easily guess what Snape was thinking.

”Do you need any help?” Kyle asked.

Since he still hadnʼt returned the Wampus Cat, he thought he could assist Kanna with her homework in the Room of Requirement. He had already worked out a plan: he could discuss it with the Wampus Cat and ask him to be gentle, or, as a backup, he could write to Newt and inquire if he had any Wampus Cat kittens available, preferably two or three months old. At that age, the kittens were like fluffy balls with natural Legilimency abilities but still too young to feel pain from minor scuffles, making them ideal for the task.

“No need,” Kanna replied with a smile, shaking her head. “Actually, I’ve been learning Occlumency since last Christmas, and Professor Snape even gave me a detailed schedule.”

“Look...” She pulled out a parchment booklet and handed it to Kyle.

The front pages were filled with detailed notes on the process and precautions for learning Occlumency, all summarized from various related books. Some of it was identical to what Snape had explained in class earlier.

The latter part of the booklet delved into specifics: how to truly empty one’s mind, what techniques to use, and even which potions could aid the process. Every step was meticulously documented. Among the seven types of potions Snape listed, Kyle noticed one ingredient that stood out—Felix Felicis.

Though it was only a single drop mixed into a ten-day supply of Dreamless Sleep Potion and administered once every three months, it was still enough to seem extravagant. Felix Felicis, after all, was meant to be taken sparingly, drop by drop.

Kyle handed the booklet back to Kanna, muttering, “If he’d been this attentive when teaching Harry, they wouldn’t have nearly come to blows.”

“What was that?” Kanna asked, her voice so soft he almost didn’t hear her.

“Nothing,” Kyle said quickly, shaking his head and changing the subject. “So, have you learned Occlumency?”

“I’m not sure,” Kanna replied with a slight shrug. “But I haven’t needed Dreamless Sleep Potion since before the holidays, so... I guess I’ve learned it.”

Kyle felt the word guess was entirely unnecessary.

After more than half a year of dedicated study using Snape’s guide and the Deluxe Potion Set, Kyle was certain he could teach Occlumency to anyone, let alone someone as diligent as Kanna.

Curious, he suggested they test her skills. Kanna agreed; she was eager to find out how far she had progressed.

After lunch, the two headed to the Room of Requirement.

Kanna stood still, visibly nervous, while the Wampus Cat sat opposite her, its pale blue eyes fixed on hers in an unblinking stare.

For about a minute, the room was silent, save for the faint hum of magic in the air. Finally, the Wampus Cat shook its head slightly, then leapt back into its suitcase.

Though Kyle had suspected that Kanna had mastered Occlumency, seeing it confirmed still left him astonished. After all, Harry had only recently achieved the same feat—and under far more turbulent circumstances.

While Kanna had taken nearly ten months to learn, much longer than Harry, her progress had been smooth, almost effortless. She had achieved mastery naturally, without any of the setbacks or frustrations Harry had faced.

Kyle couldn’t help but compare their experiences. If Harry had been given the choice, Kyle was certain he would have gladly avoided the shouting matches and grueling sessions in the basement of 12 Grimmauld Place.

Kyle himself felt a pang of envy. He hadn’t been afforded such a comprehensive guide or special potions when he was learning Occlumency.