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During the first half of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Remus Lupin hadn't specifically wanted to be a teacher.
Having a secret that prevented him from entering most areas of work in the wizarding world, teaching had never seemed a strict area he could devote his time.
Still, Dumbledore had called upon him to teach—of all things—Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lupin had experience, and memories. And he had agreed. One year, if nobody learned of his secret. He'd manage it.
It was November. Preparing everything in his office for that day's lessons with the third years, he allowed the classroom to fill up before entering.
He should have realized something was wrong. It was too quiet.
Every student sat quietly at his or her desk, staring at the designs in the wood. Their books, as always, were left in their bags, their wands out in front of them, ready for the day's use.
But no one talked. No idle chatter or mocking. Lupin frowned as he left his office and swept into his classroom.
"Good afternoon, class!" he said, smiling down at them. A few smiled back, but none spoke a similar greeting.
Lupin frowned once again. "What, no 'hellos'? What'd I do wrong?"
A few kids shook their heads, trying to answer the question. However, even the most arrogant in the class remained silent.
"Class, could someone please speak up? I'm sure I would have heard if there was a Silencing Virus coming around…or not, it tends not to make a lot of noise." He smiled briefly, chuckling at his joke. "Seriously, what is going on? You aren't even trying to talk."
Hermione Granger, sitting in the front row, took out a piece of parchment and began scribbling furiously on it. Lupin and the rest of the class watched and waited. Several moments later, she handed the paper to him.
It read, 'Professor, today, in Divination, Professor Trelawny had us drink tea with honey, and she saw a bad omen in Harry's cup that apparently said, if we talk at all today, we'll become deaf. We're not willing to risk it as of now.'
He handed the paper back. "So you haven't spoken since Divination?"
The class, as a whole, shook their heads.
Lupin smiled slightly. "Gryffindors, you're supposed to be brave! Well, if you really want to stay silent for the rest of the day, you can take notes on the grindylow today, no talking in class, if you don't mind." He smirked. "Maybe Professor Trelawny should say stuff like that more often."