Sorry this is way late. It's hard for me to keep track of things lately. Still, hope you all enjoy! I have slowed down again writing-wise so updates on this or anything else might take a while. Still, hope you enjoy this anyway :)

Finding out who had possibly dropped a book off in Ginny's school things was surprisingly easy. Lucius Malfoy had been there at the same moment and held a grudge against the Weasley family. The twins mentioned an altercation between their father and him, and Harry had been the one to inform me that he thought he saw the man slipping something into her books. When asked why I wanted to know, I told him and the other two curious people in his group that it was an unimportant solution to a loose thread. No one was aware that Ginny had been the victim of a cursed item of the Dark Lord's and even the trio didn't need to know.

After I informed Dumbledore of the matter, he sent off his summons to the Malfoy Lord to arrive the next day. Said man decided to show up early it seemed though, and I had to make a mad scramble to Dumbledore's office from my shed where I had been in the middle of experimenting with the basilisk items. This meant I ran into the headmaster's office just before Lucius appeared in the corridor. Dumbledore, of course, found my appearance amusing and gestured to his head.

"You're wearing a lovely head covering. I take it his arrival caught you rather unaware?"

I hastily yanked off the cloth and placed it in the open diary before shutting it, embarrassed. "You said he would arrive after lunch."

"Well, I would assume that someone who claims to be the governor of Hogwarts would come rather quickly when told that there had once again been an incident with the Chamber of Secrets."

I frowned at him, seeing that he'd played with Lucius by not telling him everything and therefore, toyed with me as well. This man is the most infuriating—My thoughts were cut off as Lucius stormed into the office, slamming open the door, and rushing in with a bandaged house elf trying to keep up with him. I watched the slim creature in a dirty pillowcase attempt to finish polishing his master's shoes as Lucius ignored the poor thing and stared down at the smiling headmaster.

"So, you said the chamber was open again? That someone was hurt? Why did you wait until now to contact us? Need I remind you that I am a governor of this school and should know the second this sort of thing has occurred; much less for the second time." His gaze drifted to me then, lips twisting in a sneer at my own bedraggled appearance. "And who the hell is this? Why is he here?"

"This is Farlan Daggrow, a Ravenclaw who went to school around your final year. He's been working very hard to ensure that the chamber is dealt with appropriately."

Lucius scoffed, no doubt having zero idea who I was, nor caring. "Then, I hope you will have this incident cleared up quickly or we may have to put in question your abilities to protect the students of this school. We don't want another incident like last time."

Dumbledore's smile grew as he gestured toward me, drawing Lucius's sharp gaze. "You will be happy to hear then, that Mr. Daggrow solved the incident in record time and we simply summoned you to inform you of such."

He whipped around to him in shock. "You… You already found the culprit? How?"

"As I said, Mr. Daggrow—"

Lucius cut him off with a wave of his hand. "No, never mind. I don't care how this idiot did it. Who is the culprit?"

Rude, I mentally huffed shuffling a bit and wondering if I should go but Dumbledore's quick glance had me begrudgingly staying.

"The same person as last time, Lucius," the headmaster answered. "But this time, Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody else. By means of this diary."

He slid the diary across the table as Lucius frowned, though I saw he didn't stare at it long. Harry was right. He knows exactly what it is.

"A clever plan," Dumbledore hummed. "If Mr. Daggrow here hadn't discovered the student with the book, hadn't gotten her to explain what had happened, then what might have happened then? The Weasleys are one of our most prominent pure-blood families. Imagine the effect on Arthur Weasley and his Muggle Protection Act, if his own daughter was discovered attacking and killing muggleborns. Very fortunate the diary was discovered, and Riddle's memories wiped from it. Who knows what the consequences might have been otherwise."

Glad I'm not the only one Dumbledore messes with like this.

"Very fortunate," Lucius bit out as Dumbledore hummed.

"Yes, fortunate indeed. Though, I do believe Mr. Daggrow might explain the other reason you're here."

Lucius glared at me and I gave the headmaster a betrayed look, not sure what he meant until the house elf knocked himself upside the head to draw my attention; gesturing at the diary. I understood immediately, remembering how Dumbledore insisted that I be here when Lucius showed up to help him return the book.

"Y-Yes, you see, I do believe the book belongs to you."

"Are you accusing me some something, Mr. Daggrow?" He spat and I swallowed down my nerves and frowned.

"I asked multiple people who were at Flourish and Blotts at the time Miss Weasley got her books since she found them amongst her school things. All of them said you were there and had a… disagreement with her father. Mr. Potter even saw you slip the diary inside when you borrowed her transfiguration book."

"Mr. Potter would also lie for his friends."

"And your son?" I countered, making his gaze narrow. "Draco Malfoy also confirmed you were there, had an argument with Mr. Weasley, and that you paused to talk to Ginny. If you want an adult witness, Mr. Lockhart would undoubtedly come and give his recounting of the events for the next hour."

Lucius looked ready to curse me if he wasn't in Dumbledore's office and said headmaster thankfully helped draw away some of his ire.

"While we may not be able to prove it—now that Riddle's consciousness has been removed from the diary—I would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out any more of Lord Voldemort's old school things. If any more of them find their way into innocent hands, I think Arthur Weasley, for one, will make sure they are traced back to you just as Mr. Daggrow has."

The wizard stood angrily and whipped around with a command for the house elf. "We're going, Dobby."

I winced when he kicked the house elf through the door and down the stairs before gritting my teeth. I might regret this. I turned to Dumbledore who slid the diary back to me, both of us knowing what was still inside as I took it and hurried after Lucius.

"Lord Malfoy!" I called once I reached the corridor, stopping him as he reached the top of the stairs. "You forgot your book. We have no need for it here."

He snatched the book back and tossed it to Dobby who caught it awkwardly, before stepping into my space with a growl. "The second you leave this school, you best expect that I will be there to make sure you meet a rather untimely end." He turned and called again for the house elf. "Come, Dobby."

Dobby looked uneasily back at me and I nodded toward the book, miming for him to open it. He was concerned as Lucius snapped at him again, but when he let the diary fall open, his eyes widened and he lifted up the head covering that I had incidentally left inside.

"I said, come!" Lucius shouted, turning to see what had stopped the elf only to see the creature holding up the cloth in awe.

"Master has given Dobby a cloth. Master gave it to Dobby."

"It's a head covering, actually," I explained, as Dobby lifted it and placed it lightly on his head between his ears. "Ah… Not quite but, uh… close."

"What's that?" Lucius said in disbelief. "What did you say?"

Dobby looked back at him with a grin. "Got a head cover. Master threw it, and Dobby caught it, and Dobby… Dobby is free."

Lucius purpled in rage, turning his heated gaze toward me and rushing forward only for my wand to snap out and the shadowy Grim that had taken to hiding in my shadow to step between us with a growl.

"I believe Dumbledore told you to go, sir," I said sharply, nodding toward the ground where a glowing runic stone I had tossed lay at his feet. "One small spell and you will be shot down the stairs at quite the speed… possibly on fire."

Lucius growled but left, his cloak sweeping behind him and once he was gone, I let out a sigh of relief. Dobby looked at me impressed as I picked up the runic stone and its glowing red color faded.

"What magic is that?" He asked and I blinked, glancing at the stone and back.

"It's runic magic but… well, it wouldn't actually do what I said. It's just a symbol that when magic is added, it glows. I have others that actually do something but I grabbed one at random. One of the useless ones, apparently."

"Dobby is very grateful to Mr. Daggrow, sir. Mr. Daggrow freed Dobby."

"Yes, well… even house elves are beings who feel things."

"Dobby?"

The two of us looked down the hall where Harry was now standing, looking surprised before hurrying up to us.

"It is. What are you doing here, Dobby?"

"You know each other?" I questioned, getting a nod from them both as Dobby answered.

"Harry Potter was being warned by Dobby!"

"Yeah, if you could call blocking me from getting to school, causing trouble at my aunt's house, and hitting me with a bludger count as 'saving,'" Harry grumbled before looking at me. "Why's he here with you, Mr. Daggrow?"

"Mr. Daggrow free Dobby from Lord Malfoy!"

"Malfoy?" Harry questioned, surprised as I sighed, rubbing at my face.

"Mr. Malfoy's father had to do with the chamber being opened. There's not enough evidence to pin anything on him but Dumbledore gave fair warning. Helping to free Dobby was just… happenstance."

"You mean, you couldn't see someone getting mistreated?" Harry challenged as Dobby fiddled again with the head covering.

I grumbled under my breath. "Don't you start, Potter."

Harry chuckled before I helped Dobby tie the head covering around his neck instead. The house elf stared at it in wonder and I cracked a small smile.

"You're free to do as you want, Dobby. Should you want a position here, I'm sure you can ask Dumbledore."

Dobby shook his head, ears flapping. "Dobby is free elf. Dobby will do what Dobby wants! Farewell, Harry Potter! Goodbye, Mr. Daggrow!"

The elf vanished with a crack and I gave the amused Harry a look.

"Come on. There's still class, isn't there?"

"It's lunchtime, sir."

I rubbed the back of my head. "Yeah, well… I was close."

He shook his head but led the way to the Great Hall, though despite how easily the Chamber of Secrets had been dealt with, I doubted the rest of the school year would be the same. Dumbledore better not have any more secrets happening this year. A basilisk was plenty of excitement for me.

"You're joking," I muttered, giving the announcement parchment back to Dumbledore in annoyance. "A dueling club?"

He shrugged with that same damn easygoing smile on his face. "Lockhart insisted and we all know someone else needs to be there to ensure no more incidents like the Quidditch game happen again. Given how you both have been teaching lessons together, it was natural that you would be picked to assist."

"But I don't know anything about formal dueling."

"Then, leave those specifics to him. It might very well be something he knows. You can simply help prevent student injuries by lightly directing the club away from his… errors."

I gave Dumbledore an annoyed look. "And at what point do we just call in a newspaper about him faking it?"

"Should you happen upon proof, then we will do so."

My eyes narrowed. He just wants me to do all this, doesn't he? "Then, if anything happens to him…?"

Dumbledore shrugged. "He has claimed to be an excellent duelist. If he couldn't properly defend himself against someone who is new to dueling then, one would assume he was falsifying his claims."

You're joking. He's giving me permission to beat him in a duel? No, more than that. He wants me to humiliate him and get him removed. Oh, this is—

"—cunning," I said with a huff. "Making me do your dirty work."

"I was merely answering your question," he answered and I shook my head, heading out for now.

I would need to prepare something, after all. The club was to begin that evening. I wonder if that Collin boy will be there… I could do with a few pictures and perhaps the twins might like to help. As much as I hate teaching, if it means getting rid of him before the holidays, I'll do what I can. This meant I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon looking into Lockhart's supposed accomplishments and sending off owls for information from those local to his feats. It was possible to wipe the memory of a single wizard who did a task, but not all the witnesses of said events. And if they find out he's been making money off them, they will be furious too.

For lunch, I found Collin Creevey; a first-year who carried around a camera mostly to take pictures of Harry. I managed to convince him to be at the dueling club though, paying him to ensure he got as many pictures of the action as possible. I already had a reporter contacted who was eager enough for the story that she replied right away. Rita Skeeter might make some sketchy articles that bend the truth but this would be good publicity for her. Bringing the twins in on things was mostly just for me. They would prank and annoy him leading up to the duel and agreed to do so after too. They couldn't resist a bit of fun.

So, when it was nearly time for the club to meet, I made my way to the Great Hall and swept aside the tables and benches. The floor was cleared and a stage was made for our more proper duel. Lighting was adjusted and a few wards were put in place to ensure any wayward spells didn't cause any damage to the hall. I sighed in relief when I finished, shaking out my wand hand and sitting on the edge of the stage as Lockhart entered with a grin that quickly fell at the sight of me.

"Ah… yes. Dumbledore mentioned my having an assistant. I didn't expect… well, no matter. I see he had the Great Hall set up. Excellent! The students shall be arriving any moment."

I rolled my eyes and ignored his rambling, instead looking over a book with the rules for formal dueling. I wanted to see what I could and couldn't use in a duel. Runes… runes… runes… Merlin, does no one ever consider the offensive and defensive capabilities of runic spells? The noise around me began to grow steadily as students filtered in and by the time I lifted my head from the book, a majority of the school seemed to have appeared.

I blinked in mild surprise, having not expected so many. Have they never been taught dueling? One would think a club like this or a class would have been taught. Yet, here they all were, and then there was a scattering of groans and excitement when Lockhart strolled out onto the stage in a rather bright plum dueling robe. I rolled my eyes as he quieted the group and addressed them while I idly tucked my book away and got to my feet.

"Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions—for full details, see my published works," Lockhart said with a wink before he saw me waiting and lost some of his enthusiasm. "Ah, let me introduce my assistant, Apprentice Farlan Daggrow. He has informed me he knows only a bit about dueling and is lacking in the formalities but we shall work on that for everyone. But first, a demonstration!"

The students looked between us and muttered to each other. Placing bets, probably, I mused, seeing the twins smirking in the back as they held up a few galleons. Brats.

"Now, we will move to our starting positions and hold up our wands in the accepted combat position. Mr. Daggrow, do you—"

"Yes," I cut him off as I turned away and stopped at the other end of the stage.

"Right, yes. Bows first," he said, giving me a flourishing bow as I just half-heartedly bowed back before lifting my wand as though it were a sword in front of me. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course. One. Two. Three."

I whipped my wand toward Lockhart, who was more than stunned at my silent casting before the spell hit him and sent him flying off the stage and into a wall. I blinked, glancing at my wand curiously. Odd. Silent casting usually dulls the effect of the magic, though perhaps my intent to absolutely destroy him superseded that. I glanced over at the students who were rather pleased other than a few concerned fans of his—the twins taking multiple galleons and sickles from those around them who'd bet against me.

"W-Well, there you have it," Lockhart said with a pained smile as he got unsteadily back onto the stage. "That was a rather powerful…"

"Disarming charm," I informed him as a student brought him back his wand. "Silently cast."

"Yes, well…" He cleared his throat awkwardly. "An excellent idea to show them all, Mr. Daggrow, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy—however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see."

I raised a brow at that, knowing he couldn't have seen it coming with it being silently cast and he shuffled a bit before hastily turning back to the students.

"Enough demonstrating! I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs."

"Lockhart," I interrupted, making him flinch before he gathered himself.

"Y-Yes?"

"Perhaps we best start with how to defend before tossing students directly into throwing curses at one another. There may be wards protecting the walls but I doubt Madam Pomfrey wishes to have multiple students entering the infirmary because they didn't know how to stop a spell."

He flushed, realizing what he'd about to let happen, and nodded. "Too right! Yes, as Mr. Daggrow said, we best show you how to defend yourselves first. Another demonstration then. Any volunteers?"

A few fans of his raised their hands and he hummed, seemingly unsure who to pick before I sighed.

"Miss Granger and Miss Weasley," I called up, making Lockhart startle. "Both are more than capable of attempting a disarming and shielding spell, are from the same house so there's no animosity between them, and will have similar feelings about attempting to throw a spell at each other."

"Right. Yes, of course."

I huffed with a shake of my head as the two girls stepped onto the stage awkwardly. Lockhart attempted to show Hermione how to do something but I waved him off and brought the two students together to show them.

"I hope you both don't mind me borrowing you. I feared Lockhart would choose a Slytherin or two students who wouldn't be capable of anything more than violence or shoddy spell work."

"I don't mind," Hermione said with a smile as Ginny nodded.

"Good. Now, I'll start with you, Ginny. You'll be doing the disarming charm. The more intent you put behind it, the better the outcome."

"I can't do it silently like you did though."

I cracked a small smile. "I don't expect you to. Silent casting takes time and practice. You won't begin to learn it until your later years here at Hogwarts. Just use it how you normally would but again, intent is what matters. The thought of casting it to take a wand gives one result but put desperation, emotion, or even hatred behind the act and you will have a spell with more power. Enough to knock people off their feet."

We glanced at Lockhart and Ginny snorted but nodded in understanding.

"And don't worry about hurting Hermione. I trust she can shield herself and should anything occur, I will be tending to her and not vanishing her bones by mistake."

"Okay," she said with a smile, giving Hermione a nod. "I wish you luck."

Hermione nodded in return as I explained things to her as well.

"Now, the shielding spell isn't as changeable by your intent. The thought of desperately protecting yourself won't make it any stronger or weaker. Casting it in time depends solely on your speed. You know how to cast a shield spell?"

"Yes, but if intent doesn't make it stronger, then what does?"

"Focus," I hummed. "Magical duels can last forever but the reason they don't is because, at some point, someone loses focus. Whether it's because of heightened emotions, the commotion around them, exhaustion, or a purposeful trick. Any shield will fall if the caster's focus is removed from the task at hand."

"But there are different sizes of shields and different strengths. Wouldn't there be a way to make a shield stronger? Bigger?"

"There are different incantations for those shields. A basic shield is simple, quick." I swept my wand through the air to show her the spell, creating a shimmer in front of me before it was gone. "But there are shields that are built to protect buildings and walls. Shields to encapsulate a space or a group of people. Even Aurors depend on the basic shielding spell to protect themselves and where the shield could fail, they replace it with other spells. Transfigured items, levitating debris into the path of a spell, a counter-spell impacting the same space as the one cast. One must be flexible when it comes to dueling, especially in an informal setting."

She nodded, thinking about it. "Okay. Will you be teaching this later? In class?"

I cracked a smile. "It should be in the curriculum somewhere, I'm sure. Now, keep to the basics. You know what to do."

I stepped away from her and waved for them to bow. They did so and got into position as Lockhart counted.

"One, two, three!"

"Expelliarmus!" Ginny shouted, throwing a red spell at Hermione who swiped through the air with her wand.

"Protego!"

The disarming charm hit her shield harmlessly and I stepped between them to ensure they both stopped as Lockhart and the students applauded.

"Excellent work to both of you! Yes, that is the proper technique. Ten points each. Now, let us form pairs where one will cast the shielding charm and the other a disarming charm."

"Disarming only," I said sternly, eyeing the students as they began to pair off. "Anyone casting anything different on purpose will lose house points and gain a week's worth of detention if not more. We are here to learn, not assault other students. The same goes for those attempting to take aim at anyone but their designated partner. You want to pick a fight, you come up here and duel me. Understand?"

There were nods of agreement and a few disgruntled Slytherins but no one pushed the issue as they drifted off into pairs and began. Lockhart walked through the group initially while I stayed on stage and watched from above. Then, we switched which student was casting the offensive spell and defensive spell, and Lockhart stood above to ensure things went well while I wandered through the group. There wasn't much time left once we'd finished that and Lockhart announced it was time to adjourn.

"We will meet every other week at the same time and place unless otherwise notified," he hummed as I cut in.

"More spells will be covered for offensive and defensive moves in our lectures every week as well. So, do pay attention or you will fall behind in both areas. Now, go to bed. You have classes tomorrow. You all did excellent work."

The students applauded and left as Lockhart fluffed his hair with his hand and left too, leaving me to clean up. Prick but at least the students had fun. I drew my wand to swing the benches and tables back in place with a smirk. And I got to launch Lockhart off his feet. Can't wait to see his face when I finish getting the evidence I need to prove he's a fraud.

"Oh, what a wonderful day that will be."

Classes were going by fast as ever and soon, the Christmas holidays were upon them. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had all chosen to stay and kept themselves busy but Harry noticed someone else was being busier than usual. Though, it wasn't hard for anyone to see that when Farlan was dropped dozens of letters during the Christmas feast.

"Who do you think they're all from?" Ron asked, curious himself after the haggard man had proven that there was more to him than what he seemed.

Between the dueling club and their lessons with him, Farlan quickly changed the opinion the school had of him. Those who had once brushed him off as a quirky, fumbling assistant were now muttering about how he'd easily launched Professor Lockhart off his feet and his skills in teaching the students in his Dark Arts lectures. He was, after all, teaching everything they were supposed to learn that week in a day thanks to Lockhart failing to teach them anything during the week. More and more students were seeking him out during his office hours as well, and even the trio had found him in the Dark Arts classroom with a number of students trying to work things out in their lessons.

Their little group kept to themselves, for the most part, to help keep him from being overwhelmed. It was obvious to them that he didn't care for all the attention and while he didn't mind teaching curious students, he was obviously overwhelmed. So, they did what they could and Hermione would occasionally drop in to ask him for references in books instead. Not that their opinion of him hadn't changed. They were the only ones who knew he'd fought a basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets and ended what could have been a slaughter of innocent students. They hadn't been told who the culprit was but they knew that Lucius Malfoy had been involved, and word had gotten around that he'd been removed as a school governor.

"Maybe they're letters from the Ministry about removing Lockhart next," Harry offered as Hermione frowned, but said nothing.

She had yet to admit that Lockhart was useless at his job but given how much help they were receiving from Farlan, she was close. For now, she was just holding back her judgment and had stopped arguing with the two boys about their insults. Still, even she was curious about the multitude of letters he suddenly had as McGonagall leaned over and spoke with the man who was tearing open letters and reading them, before setting them aside. After he finished though, he got up, saying something to Dumbledore before hurrying out.

"Wonder what happened," Hermione asked as they watched him go and the other two shrugged.

Turns out, Farlan was gone from the castle for the rest of the holidays. They had asked McGonagall about him because they wanted to ask him about a few things, but she said he was out on a project and wouldn't return until the holidays were over. When he finally did return, he looked busier than ever and they hesitated on bothering him. The twins had mentioned some big project he was working on but he'd refused to share it with them until he was finished. All they were told was he'd been traveling over the break to research something. Eventually, the trio forgot about it though, as they had to soon decide on their electives for the following term.

"It could affect our whole future," Hermione pressed since Ron and Harry didn't look as convinced about the importance of it all.

"I just want to give up potions," Harry muttered, not really caring for the subject much but hating it more when Professor Snape was in charge.

"We can't," Ron said with a frown. "We keep all our old subjects. I'd have ditched Defense Against the Dark Arts if it weren't for Farlan."

Harry hummed in agreement as Hermione huffed.

"It's a very important subject to learn no matter who is teaching it."

Their entire year of students were all sitting and grumbling to each other during their lessons about their possible choices and Harry was relieved that Farlan had noticed when it was his turn to teach for the week.

"I take it we're all rather distracted this evening?" He asked, getting some sheepish looks from the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs in his second-year lessons.

"Sorry, sir," Harry spoke up, drawing his attention. "We've got to choose our electives for this year."

"Yeah, and some of us are more confused than others," Dean Thomas muttered, getting Farlan to nod and set down the armful of parchment he'd brought in.

He then leaned against his desk and faced the group, humming. "I suppose we can forgo today's revision on imps to discuss this, though I recommend those who are still struggling with them come to see me during my office hours. Can I trust you to do that?"

They nodded, relieved that someone was going to help them with their choices, even if it was only to give them more information on what it was they were going into.

"Then, I will give a brief overview of each of them and allow you to ask any questions you may have regarding them."

Hermione's hand shot in the air. "Which ones did you take?"

"All of them except Muggle Studies," he replied with a shrug. "As a half-blood, I grew up in the muggle world and had no need to consider it. Muggle Studies does have its uses though and I recommend it for those who live outside of the more populated muggle areas especially those interested in being Aurors."

"Aurors need it?" Someone questioned and Farlan nodded.

"Muggle Studies does more than show you muggle objects, culture, and hobbies. They give you the information you need to blend in. Aurors are often tasked to stay in muggle areas for a given time in search of people or for monitoring. Blending in is vital to doing wizard work while keeping the Statute of Secrecy," he explained. "The other subjects are a bit more… specific, I suppose. They are electives for a reason and as such, having or not having them won't technically disqualify you from doing something but having taken and passed certain electives will benefit you for various positions."

Farlan summoned the blackboard over and used his wand to list out the four electives with simple one to two-word definitions beside them. For Muggle Studies, he added what he'd already said about future Aurors and pure-blood students beside it as well.

"Now, Arthimancy is one of the less appealing electives to most students," he pointed out, making the word glow as he explained it. "Mostly because it involves numbers. If you do not like math, this is not generally a topic for you however there is more to Arithmancy than just crunching numbers. Arithmancy looks at how numbers and magic go hand in hand. The numbers three and seven have been proven to have very distinct effects on magic, though the reasoning why has yet to really be explained."

A hand was raised and he nodded to the Hufflepuff.

"How would this affect the choice of a future career? It's just numbers, right?"

"It's actually a mix of numbers, magical theory, and ancient magic studies," Farlan corrected, glancing up at the ceiling in thought. "I know being a Curse-Breaker requires that you have an Owl in Arithmancy because of the nature of their job."

Another hand shot up from Justin Finch-Fletchley. "What's a Curse-Breaker?"

"A Curse-Breaker is a person who works with the wizarding banks and travels to various areas in order to uncover forgotten treasures. They are well-known to hold a highly dangerous job because at any moment they could be killed by an old curse that protects said treasures. Hence, why they need to understand Arithmancy well. Knowing how ancient witches and wizards used numbers to amplify their magic and create curses is vital when it comes down to breaking the curses. There are other avenues where Arithmancy might be helpful such as other positions in the Ministry but generally knowing how numbers can change magic can prove beneficial. Curse-breaking is the only job where it is a mandatory requirement that I know of though."

A few nodded, looking eager at the thought of what Curse-Breaking entailed while Farlan changed the blackboard to include that and switched the glowing elective to Divination.

"Choosing to take Arithmancy is also helpful while taking Divination, so I would recommend taking both if you can, however, Divination is… a tricky subject that isn't for everyone."

Hermione frowned at that, having been someone who wanted to take all the electives and she rose her hand. "What do you mean it isn't for everyone?"

Farlan hummed, tipping his head as he tried to think of what to say. "Divination is… picky. There are those who have a 'gift' as they like to call it and they are the ones who excel at Divination. It isn't something you can learn or read about in a book. To accurately use and thrive with Divination you have to have this gift and, well, you won't know you have it until you try Divination. That's not to be mean or exclusive, it's just how Divination works. It's all fortune telling and reading the stars and magic around you."

Parvati rose her hand. "What is Divination exactly? It's not all just reading a crystal ball, is it?"

Farlan shook his head. "Not at Hogwarts, no, though different teachers teach it differently and there are many methods of learning the future. Professor Trelawney teaches here and does a mixture of rituals from crystal balls, to tea leaves, to dream interpretations. That's not to say you need one of those rituals to predict something. Seers have the gift of predicting the future and those who are gifted enough are said to have made prophecies that even the Ministry must protect. However, everyone does it differently. Seers will have visions. Diviners will use a ritual like tarot card reading or palm reading. Centaurs study the stars and I myself have used bone reading though very rarely do I dabble."

"Centaurs?" Someone called, stunned.

"Yes. While many wizards treat them as Beasts without intelligence, it is ridiculous to think so. They are plenty capable of utilizing their own gifts and stargazing for answers to the future with surprising accuracy. The only issue is very few wizards bother with them and even fewer try to understand their prophecies when they talk in riddles. It's a shame when there is much to learn from them just as much as muggles or any other species on this planet."

"Wait, you said you did rituals too. Are you gifted?" Ron questioned and Farlan rubbed the back of his neck.

"I have been told so, though again, I don't really use Divination. I never felt the need to know my own future and given most predictions are very vague, there was little point. My predictions were often warning me of danger ahead and I worked many years with magical creatures, so it was generally just common sense."

"What about what you can do with it?" Another student asked. "Like jobs and things."

"Hm, as far as I know, there's no position where Divination is required like Arithmancy. Most people who wish to use it as a career do their own prophesying for money much like muggle fortune-tellers. Others might work in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry as I believe they have a few positions where someone gifted might prove beneficial with other prophecies or in understanding older magic methods. My suggestion? If you are interested, you are welcome to try it but if you discover that you do not have the gift, you are best off dropping it. There is no learning the subject in any fashion and even if you tried, you would not pass your Owls attempting a ritual without a gift."

A few students muttered amongst themselves about the topic—mostly young women who were curious about fortune telling—but Hermione huffed, silently crossing that one off her list. Farlan went onto the next one as soon as they quieted down, already looking fond.

"Care of Magical Creatures is a personal favorite, though I do not suggest it if you are looking to stay clean or have zero care for animals in any fashion. This is not a class that will be easy physically as you will learn how to care for, identify, breed, and maintain the health of various magical creatures. It might sound like a sort of petting zoo, but you are handling and learning about creatures that can harm you especially if you are not paying attention or treating them as you should. Any creature can be a threat but it's always the people who cause them to be such a way. Though I will admit there are creatures that start off unfriendly but it is up to you to ensure you keep your distance or know how to handle them."

"If it's so dangerous, why do they still teach it?" Someone asked and Farlan hummed.

"The same reason any class is still taught. People need to know what they're doing in a situation where they have to deal with it. Not to mention, that people are needed to fulfill jobs that require the handling of creatures."

"Like what?"

"There's a strict regulation on creature trade and breeding, for one thing. There are people who work under the Ministry in order to ensure those practices are put to a stop before they get too dangerous. They are required to know how to handle more dangerous magical creatures. Magiczoologists are all about learning and discovering said creatures and what there is to know about them. The reason we have certain potions and objects is because someone went out of their way to learn the magical qualities of unicorn hair for wand-making or boomslang skin for use in a Polyjuice Potion. Despite the dangers many magical creatures possess, they all have their uses and without them, our world would not be what it is. Even dragon-keepers are required in order for us to have wands and clothing and potions. It's dangerous, but someone has to do it and despite all that, there are people who thrive in caring for creatures."

Farlan reached into his robe and pulled out a little red salamander and a leathery ball. The salamander spat a little red coal onto the ground as Farlan smiled fondly.

"Salamanders to keep the school fireplaces running."

He set the creature onto his shoulder and threw the ball into the air, making student gasp as it formed into a leathery lizard-type creature.

"Swooping Evils whose venom has memory-altering capabilities. I might be partial to the more scaley ones but I'm sure many of you here have various pets—magical and non—that you care for and respect. All creatures deserve the same care and that class is the start of learning how to do that."

The Swooping Evil flew back and curled up into a ball again, getting tucked back into Farlan's robes as he waved his wand at the blackboard again.

"Finally, Ancient Runes, another favorite of mine as I'm sure many of you already know. It is unfortunate that Hogwarts only offers the basic understanding of the runes as a language here and that is generally what you are taught in the elective course, however, ancient runes serve a vital function in all magic. We wouldn't have our wand-based magic without having first come from runic spells and enchantments. Any item around the school that has functioned on its own in some way is because of runic spells and enchantments. The tripping suit of armor, the moving stairs, the tables in the Great Hall, and even the passageways to the various common rooms are all powered by runes long since inscribed within these walls. Some are no longer visible and others require a keen eye to see them but they are there if you look."

"So, it's a language class?" A Hufflepuff questioned.

"Generally, yes. Hogwarts teaches you the foundation of translating and writing ancient runes. That being said, given the power one can put into them and the many patterns they create, runes can be used in several ways that many are quick to ignore. I have put a good portion of my life into studying them and have found that they have offensive and defensive capabilities just like wand-based spells. They are usually best off being used as enhancements on items or property but are used in Divination and Arithmancy."

"I don't understand," Seamus Finnegan complained. "How can you use a language offensively?"

"I can call you a pimple-nosed brat for one thing," Farlan teased with a half smile, earning chuckles and Seamus wrinkled his nose. "But runes are just a written or carved word that you can imbue with magic. Much like the stones I showed you previously…"

He pulled out a runic stone from his hip pouch and tapped it with his wand, making it glow. Then, he tossed it to Seamus who scrambled to catch it only to yelp and drop it onto his desk where it slowly began to burn a hole through it.

"…I can use runes and rune patterns to create weapons that can then be used offensively," Farlan hummed, summoning the stone back, stopping it from glowing with heat, and repairing the desk. "I won't say how, as I don't need you all blowing up various parts of the school, but I have already created a rune that has the capability of detonation after a set time period and causing about five square meters of damage. A simple adjustment could make that area larger as well if I wished to."

Murmurs started up at that, and Farlan continued.

"You all have already seen them being used defensively if you attempted to walk past the corridor that was sectioned off earlier this year. Much like a shielding spell, my runes can work the same way though it requires a bit more planning. When it comes to careers though, I would again say those looking into being Curse-Breakers should take this course as well as any who are interested in older studies of magic and magic theory. Once the fundamentals of the language are clear to you, you can then branch off into your own individual studies and see what you can come up with. Depending on how interested you are, I may speak with Dumbledore about offering my services to those who wish to expand past learning just the language aspect."

More students became excited about that but Farlan held up a hand.

"However, you must first prove your skills in learning the language. The fundamentals are vital in this work and skimping on that will make actual use of runes both useless and highly dangerous. Not knowing the language and using the wrong wording or pattern can result in death if one is not careful and I refuse to risk any of you in such a way, especially if you came to me carelessly."

There was the chime of the bell then and Farlan sighed as the students begrudgingly started to pack up, chatter rising as they began discussing their electives in a more excited manner than what they'd come in with.

"I do hope that helps give you a better understanding of what you're going into. You do not have to let what I said sway you one way or another and I encourage you to think about yourself when picking electives. What works for one person may not work for others and don't let your friends or family push you into doing something you don't want to do or that you don't feel comfortable doing," he called out over the noise. "Remember! Review imps if you're concerned about the knowledge you have on them. Next week should be on Yetis, the full body-bind curse, and the smokescreen spell. Don't let our discussion put you behind."

The students left with a lot on their minds but all feeling far more comfortable than they had before.

"What are you thinking of taking, Harry?" Ron asked, curiously.

"Magical creatures probably and… maybe Ancient Runes?"

"Seriously?" He said, surprised. "I thought you'd go for something easy like Muggle Studies. Reckon my dad knows a bit so I might take it."

"Well, he gave us a lot to think about, didn't he?" Harry shrugged. "I don't think I'd be any good at Divination and I'm terrible at maths. Maybe I'll do Muggle Studies too. I lived with my aunt and uncle who are muggles but the way Farlan made it sound, there might be something I can learn from a wizard's point of view. What about you, Hermione?"

Hermione hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I was going to try and take them all—"

"Course you were," Ron drawled with a roll of his eyes.

"—but what Mr. Daggrow said about Divination seems worrying."

"You mean the whole 'gift' thing?" Harry asked, getting a nod.

"I don't like taking a class just to find out if I have some gift for it or not. If I do, then it's fine but if I don't… Well, I don't like the idea of having to drop it right after. Feels like a failure, you know?"

"So, you won't take it then?"

She shook her head. "Probably not. I can't see it being useful anywhere either. Like he said, most people just use it for themselves or to make money. It's not required for any future career and it doesn't really make you look any better either. I'd rather give myself the extra time to study other subjects."

"You're still going to take all the others? You're mad," Ron scoffed.

"Well, the rest sound useful. I'm not sure how many I'll take after the Owl level, but the rest seem fine. They're all helpful no matter what career I choose in the future and… well…" She flushed a bit in embarrassment. "I kind of want to learn from Mr. Daggrow about the runes. I-It's a very interesting subject a-and already I have a pretty good grasp on the language!"

Harry cracked a smile as well and gave her a small nudge. "Then, we'll take it together. Like you said, it seems interesting and Farlan has helped us a lot already. You think you could help me get started early? I kinda want to see about learning from him too."

Hermione nodded, eager and thrilled. "I've got a ton of books you can look at though it's mostly just memorizing words and symbols. I'm sure if you work hard at it, you could have most of it down before next term."

Ron groaned at the two of them but smiled a bit too. "Yeah, all right. We all know what we're picking now then? So can we stop talking about it? Harry, isn't there a Quidditch game coming up?"

Harry blinked, having forgotten about the match coming up and they went off talking about that as they went to the Great Hall for dinner. A dinner where even the rest of the staff had noticed the more relaxed atmosphere, not knowing it had been Farlan who'd caused it.