Gavin stretched out his paws and raised his tail as he clawed the dungeon floor. He was tired. Three weeks! It had been three weeks since that incident in the bath and it still kept him up at night. He was pretty sure he'd done enough to cover up his distraction. He managed to hold normal conversations with Nines over dinner, and they still walked back to his rooms at night. They hadn't talked about what happened. He didn't dare bring it up, and he was pretty sure Nines had buried the subject because he'd seemed so uncomfortable. Unfortunately, not talking about it didn't mean he didn't think about it. Constantly.
He couldn't even count the times he'd jolted out of a nightmare, only to fall into a steamy dream about him and Nines alone in the bathroom. The sensation of Nines' soft lips and ghosting fingers tracing his skin and following his scars chased him when he woke up. His heart raced when he thought about all the ways Nines had turned and twisted his body. Free-standing in the hot water. Bouncing in his lap on the ledge. Bent over the edge of the tub. Kneeling on the bench. Lying on his back with his thighs thrown wide. Standing, held securely in Nines' strong arms as he rutted against the wall. Facing each other. With his face pressed into the tiles. A hand in his hair. Hands gripping his ass. It always felt so fucking real. Nines was so fucking real. That knowing smirk. The glint in his silvery eyes. The silken tone of his voice and the deep, reverberating chuckle that sent chills down his spine.
Gavin shook it off as he padded his way into the cramped classroom. It was interesting. Different to most rooms. Elijah favoured the taller, standing benches with high stools that were tucked underneath. He'd always said it was more practical for safety, to prevent spillages from getting on students. It was also easier to get away from the edge should anything go awry. He kept his room neat, but somehow mysterious and alluring. Empty vials and jars of all shapes and sizes lined one wall, and another was filled with colourful potions. Yet more were filled with ingredient jars and small drawers. Most of these were speciality ingredients that students couldn't scavenge or grow themselves. Students also had preparation and storage areas, where they could bring plants from Nines' greenhouse to dry, preserve, grind, or press into useable ingredients to be stored.
Elijah felt it was important to teach them not only how to make potions, but how to convert and store the ingredients from scratch. They'd extract venom from fangs, dry and grind plants, and salt or preserve parts of various animals. They would then keep their stored ingredients in their own potion kits, ready to be used in future classes. It was a lot of work, but many students found it both interesting and informative. Elijah's enthusiasm was infectious. Even the most monotonous task could be made interesting if one asked the right questions. While grinding various plants, Elijah explained all the different uses and potions they could enhance. He always chose interesting facts and funny stories he knew about people who had either used or invented them.
One of their favourites was the unfortunate tale of Phineas Phalen. The one and only wizard to make and use a phasing potion. The idea of the potion was that it would make your body lose cohesion so that you could phase through objects like a ghost. Unfortunately, when he invented the potion, he didn't think about how he would take the elixir to reverse its effects. The potion worked. It made his whole body translucent. He could pass through walls of any material, and even the ground beneath his feet. There were some who said he'd once jumped through the earth and fallen all the way to China! That was likely a fallacy. However, it was true that he couldn't touch or drink the cure. Sadly, the potion's effects were permanent. He'd died of dehydration within three days and became a real ghost, and was rumoured to walk the earth to this day. Elijah couldn't confirm such things, of course. All he knew was that he wasn't among the ghosts of Hogwarts.
The students also loved the freedom he encouraged in his classes. No matter what potion they were supposed to be making, there was always room for enhancement or experimentation. If they asked him what would happen if they added or changed an ingredient, he'd tell them to try it and find out for themselves. Many of them were things he'd tried during his own school years, with mixed results. He loved seeing what they came up with. Occasionally, there would be an explosion of foul smelling sludge, or the mixture would erupt into flames, but Elijah was always on hand to limit the fallout.
Once the incident had been dealt with, they'd discuss what had gone wrong. Which ingredient was changed or added? Which ingredients had reacted to make such a mess? If they had a new potion as a result, they had to find out what it did. Sometimes Elijah already knew the answer and let someone try it. There were many funny discoveries they'd made. A nose shrinking potion, a hair growing potion, and a potion that turned your skin bright blue. Elijah always kept the cures to these close by, and if it was a new potion, he'd summon one of his faithful rodents to test it on. The only time he refused was when there were ingredients or combinations he knew were deadly. In those cases, he would study the potion in his free time to work out what it did. If he deemed it safe, he'd test it. If not, it would remain stored.
No matter what they were making, he always made them write exactly what they'd used and how much. If they had to write it down, he knew they were focusing and measuring carefully. Sometimes they wouldn't know how much of a new ingredient to add, in which case Elijah would go through the recipe and help them decide how much was needed. If it was a volatile ingredient, then it would likely take no more than a pinch. For more diluted additions, they would need a lot more. It also depended what the other ingredients were and how much of an effect they expected. If there were a lot of potent ingredients, they'd need to mix the new ones carefully. Some even needed to be added in a certain order to avoid volatile reactions.
The class Gavin was watching that day was a third-year class. They were making a shrinking potion, so Elijah had plenty of remedies on his desk ready to reverse the effects. Gavin slinked his way in and coiled beneath one of the towering benches. Everyone was standing as their cauldrons bubbled away on top, so no one noticed the raggedy brown cat padding across the dungeon floor. He slipped silently from bench to bench until he was by one of the storage cabinets. It was an old one. Tall and heavy, made of thick wood with sturdy shelves. It was more than strong enough to take his weight alongside the rows of gigantic jars. The jars on the lower shelves were filled with pickled ingredients like bat wings, eye of newt, toad spawn, and scorpion tails. They were all stored in a slimy looking preserving pickle with airtight lids. The jars were good and heavy, bigger than he was. That worked for him. It meant he didn't have to worry about being seen as he slipped between two jars and hid at the back.
He was there incognito. He didn't want Elijah to spot him, and that meant avoiding the students as well. Shrinking potions were fairly easy, and certainly wouldn't bring anyone near his small hiding place. He settled down, folding himself like a small loaf and peering out between two of the large jars. He was glad he couldn't smell the pickled contents. They'd always smelled especially foul. His ears twitched this way and that as he listened to the mumbling voices, the scraping of knives, and the creaking of scales. Quills busily scratched parchment as the students looked at the recipe, measured their ingredients, and wrote it all down.
"Good, Jones. Excellent technique." Gavin searched the dimly lit room to find Elijah leaning over one of the benches. He was swirling a small bowl filled with some sort of red slime. Gavin wrinkled his nose. "You see how he started at the head? You should hold here and pinch all the way down to the bottom. That gets the most fluid from your leech." Gavin scrunched his nose the same way the students did at the explanation, which had Elijah giving a hearty chuckle as he returned the bowl to the table. "Come now, there are worse things to juice than leeches!" The students grumbled before returning to the miserable task. Gavin didn't envy them. He was glad he'd never have to do that shit again. It was gross. The girls in the class definitely agreed.
Elijah chuckled as he watched a small group of them daintily poking and prodding their leeches, squeezing with two fingers like they were still alive. They were holding them at arm's length, unwilling to risk getting any red smears on their robes. Elijah took over for one of them, sliding the bowl closer and leaning right over as he squeezed with three fingers. He circled and massaged his way down the slimy body, encouraging a steady flow of red slime to spew from the end. Two of the girls shrieked as the others groaned and grimaced at what he expected them to do. He spoke in gentle tones, remaining at their bench as he encouraged them to try properly. They were clearly unimpressed.
"Why do we have to use fresh leeches? They're disgusting!" Gavin flicked his tail in amusement as the girl whined. She was a Gryffindor, but clearly not that brave when it came to the nitty-gritty of potions. The other girls grumbled their agreement. You could buy bottled leech juice in Hogsmeade for just a few knuts! They could be saved from such disgusting tasks if not for Professor Kamski's insistence that they harvest their own ingredients.
"The fluid is always most potent when fresh. You know how water goes stale when you leave it out overnight? It loses its bite. It will still make a potion, of course, but the potion won't be as strong. Using old ingredients will affect things like how much you can shrink, or how long the potion will last after consumption. Besides, this is school, and I want to teach you every skill that I can. You may not think juicing leeches is useful now, but what if you choose to go into apothecary later? Or work in a hospital? Trust me, juicing leeches will seem like nothing next year when I have you dissecting pixies!" The girls looked disgusted by the very notion of having to cut open a pixie and search around inside for various innards. The boys, on the other hand, were thrilled. They immediately launched into a series of questions about which parts they would need and how they could be used.
One could actually use quite a lot of the pixie. Very little went to waste. The eyes, tongue, heart, spleen, liver, and brain would all be pickled. The arms, legs, and wings would be dried and salted. Even the remaining bones, once clean, would be toasted like tea leaves and ground into a fine powder. Elijah was generous with praise, giving out points here and there for any information they knew about the ingredients. What they were used for, and what effects they carried. Pixie wings were important for intelligence boosting potions, adding stamina and energy. Ground pixie bone was part of certain anti-venoms, counteracting the poison with pixie immunity. The eyes could improve vision in night eye potions. The spleen was excellent at boosting immunity in many restoration and vitality potions.
"Sir, is it true that you'll get smarter if you eat a pickled pixie brain?" Elijah chuckled heartily at the notion and was unsurprised to hear that the Hufflepuff boy had heard it from his older brother. Siblings would often try to trick each other into eating disgusting things, particularly brothers. He shook his head as he continued circling the room, straightening scales and bowls as he went.
"Absolutely not! Pixies are notoriously foolish creatures, so they're more likely to make you dumber…The pixie brain is actually most useful in weight reduction elixirs, although it can also be found in water breathing potions." Elijah paused beside the boy as he circled the room and laid a hand on his shoulder. "And, for the record, I'm wholeheartedly against anyone eating raw ingredients, especially if they don't know the effects. Don't forget, a lot of them can be poisonous in their base form." The boy laughed his nervous agreement and Elijah continued on his way. It seemed he'd been smart enough to ask before going along with his brother's foolishness. He'd likely be in the hospital wing nursing a sore stomach if not. Pixie brain needed other ingredients to dampen its effects.
For the most part, the third years seemed to know what they were doing. Draining the leeches was the most troublesome part, and even the more squeamish girls had managed that. By the end of the lesson, all the students had successfully finished their potions. They were all eager to try them out, and Elijah had sensibly prepared a safe space for them to do so. Gavin thought it was considerate of him to go to such lengths. He'd sectioned off a large part of the floor in a small pen with random objects scattered around it. Most of them were soft and light to limit the risk of injury while giving the students something to explore.
"Alright, class rules!" Elijah held up a hand for silence as he headed over and knelt down to open the pen's door. The students fell silent. Elijah's rules were always worth listening to. He didn't make frivolous rules about control. They were all safety measures, which made them important. "Rule number one! No one steps over this wall at full height. Your classmates might not be visible to you, and I don't want to explain to someone's parents why they're not coming home next year." A small titter of agreement went around the room. "Rule number two. Potions are to be drunk by the pen's door, and you are then to head directly inside. I don't want to step on anyone by accident, and I don't want anyone getting lost." Another sensible precaution. "We'll do this one at a time. I'm going to put the reversal potions inside the pen a little later, but remember, you need to step outside before drinking it. I don't want anyone to get hurt." Everyone seemed to understand the rules, so Elijah waved the first bench over to get started.
Gavin watched from his place on the shelf as the students lined up one by one. They took turns stepping up to the door before drinking their potions and getting smaller and smaller. Their clothes were unaffected by the potion, much to their amusement. Luckily, Elijah had them covered. He used a simple shrinking spell to shrink their clothes at the same time. Once they were small, many of them barely as big as his thumb, they stepped inside the pen and started exploring. Elijah was watchful, reminding them to be careful as they stepped up to the door, and telling those inside to stay back until the door was closed.
Once the last student was safely stowed away, Elijah closed the gate and moved off to prepare the reversal potions. Gavin flicked his tail as he watched the students from his hiding place. They were clearly having a great time. The floor of the pen was covered with some sort of fur rug that came up to their knees as they waded through it. There were soft cushions they could climb on and jump off. They used stacked books as ladders and slides. There was a small metal ring hanging on a string that they used like a tyre swing, spinning in circles and rocking back and forth. At the teacher's table, Elijah was meticulous as he used a pipette to fill a set of tiny vials that looked like they belonged in a dollhouse.
The students sounded hilarious to Gavin's sensitive ears. Their shrunken size and smaller lungs made their voices come out sounding squeaky and high pitched. Elijah had likely seen this often enough not to be affected by it, but had Gavin been human, he would have laughed out loud. He settled for purring softly and flicking his tail as his eyes thinned. Elijah moved to the pen and sat just outside, keeping an eye on the time so that they could finish and be fully grown again in time for lunch. Within the last twenty minutes, he set the vials inside and opened the door, instructing them to step outside one by one and drink their potions. As they grew, he changed their clothes back to their regular size as well.
"Well, I hope you all found that informative." A flurry of enthusiastic agreement circled the room. Lessons like this, where they actually got to try their potions and have fun, were quite rare. It was often the case that their potions weren't interesting enough to use, or had limited capabilities. There was no use in taking things like healing potions if you weren't injured, and it wasn't like Elijah was about to deliberately hurt someone for a demonstration. There were also things like love potions that were brewed but banned from actual use. They mainly brewed them so that students knew what they were doing if they ever tried it in their free time. It was better that they knew how than that they tried alone and got it wrong. "Alright, class dismissed." Elijah smiled and nodded as his students filed out, murmuring a few kind words and answering questions as they went. "Are you going to say hello?"
Elijah seemed unsurprised as he turned away from the open door to look at the cabinet where Gavin was hiding. He leaned back on a stool and folded his arms with an almost fond huff. Gavin had no idea how he knew, or when he'd noticed, but there was no point in staying hidden. He was staring right at him. He pushed to his paws and stretched his small legs before hopping to the ground. Elijah watched without comment as he grew and contorted back into human form before giving an almost timid smile of greeting as he leaned back on the cabinet and crossed his ankles.
"Hi, how have you been?" Elijah almost scoffed at the somewhat cocky greeting. He'd been spied on for almost two hours without warning. Gavin's presence didn't bother him, but he could have let him know he was there.
"Not so bad…and you? How have you been settling in?" Gavin was surprised to note a hint of care hidden beneath his largely indifferent tone. He wasn't sure when they'd grown so distant. It could have been in the final two years of school when he started living exclusively with Tina's family, or it could have been the years since, after he'd passed his auror exams. He'd been distant, figuratively and literally, throughout his career. A lot of his work had been classified and taken him overseas. The only time he really heard from Elijah was to berate him for his life choices and suggest he find a safer career, and that was mostly at their parent's behest.
"Pretty good, I think…Classes are going well…Better than I expected." Phck, I didn't think it would be this awkward…He hadn't spoken to him properly in so long that it felt weird. "I-uh, I didn't mean to interrupt," he added as he waved an arm around the classroom. If Elijah hadn't called him out, he wouldn't have thought he'd noticed his presence. Granted, he'd been teaching for many years at this point. Phck, he must be coming up on five or six by now…
"Oh, I'm used to an audience…You don't need to hide if you're curious. You're welcome to come and watch anytime." That would defeat the object of spying, but he thanked him anyway. It wasn't like Elijah was really on his list of suspects. He was too honest for that, and there was Chloe to consider. If Elijah was caught up in shady business, she'd know about it, and she'd always been a gentle soul. There's no way she'd be involved in anything bad. "Mother and father will be pleased…You know how they hated you being an auror." Gavin openly scoffed, unable to hide his disdain.
"I can't believe you still keep in touch with them." It came out sounding far more judgemental than intended, but he couldn't help it. Those people had done nothing but whisper poison in their ears since they were children. He still remembered the first gathering he'd ever been to. It had been normal at first. Dinner, music, and dancing. Then the games had begun. Games that involved releasing a terrified muggle into the grounds and hunting them for sport. The screams had cut him to the core. He and Elijah had been eight years old. Too young to join in, but old enough to know it was wrong. Their parents had justified it, of course. Muggles were animals. It was no different to hunting a moon calf. Luckily, they'd been too young to wield wands, or even have one. Gavin didn't know if Elijah had ever taken part in the games during their school years. He'd stopped going home and escaped to Tina's long before reaching OWL level.
"They're our parents." That seemed to be all the justification Elijah needed. Gavin held back from responding. Their parents would murder Tina and Chloe in a heartbeat if they could get away with it. Maybe Elijah didn't get that. Maybe he'd somehow convinced himself they weren't that bad. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to learn otherwise. So long as he and Chloe stayed at Hogwarts, they'd probably be safe. "I don't see them often…It's letters mostly." That made him feel a little better. At least he wasn't drinking their poison on a regular basis, and the distance probably made them seem less awful than they actually were. "Slinky asks after you as well." That brought a smile to his face.
"How is he these days?" Leaving Slinky at his parents' mercy was one of the few regrets he had about leaving home. Slinky had always been a kind, humble soul, despite the harsh environment he lived in. Luckily, he was also very good at doing as he was told, so his parents had little reason to punish him. He also knew when to stay out of their way and often escaped becoming a victim of their wrath. He wasn't too old for a house-elf, barely middle-aged, and looked much the same as most other elves. Small and thin with floppy ears and big sad eyes. He'd been a constant in their lives since birth, and they'd always been kind to him, despite their parents' insistence that he was just a servant and nothing more.
"In good spirits, as always. I've been trying to convince mother to send him here to stay with me, but she's obviously reluctant to let go of her only housekeeper." That was a shame. He knew Elijah and Chloe would treat him well. He didn't have a bad life compared to many other elves, but that didn't mean it was good. Their parents could be tyrannical, and if Slinky was around when they were in a bad mood, he'd take the brunt of it. A shove, a kick, a thrown shoe, or the swipe of a cane, and every time he just had to take it. He was the family house-elf. Unless he was given new clothes and dismissed, he had no choice but to do as they said. Gavin had never really figured out why he went along with it. He'd asked him about it once when he was very young, and Slinky had been adamant that he liked living with them, and there was nothing more terrible to him than the suggestion he should leave.
"Tell him I'd like to see him next time you write…He'd really like it here." Hogwarts was safe and comfortable, and the other elves seemed in excellent spirits. They enjoyed their work and were always cheerful if they happened to be caught. Their makeshift clothing also seemed to be a little better than the rags Slinky always wore. They probably used old bedding to make new clothes when they could. He'd seen them in all sorts of tartans from worn blankets, thick cream material from old curtains, and even the house colours from discarded bedding. Slinky's rags were so old and dirty he didn't even know where they'd originally come from.
"I will…I'm glad you're alright." Gavin didn't know where that blurted confession came from, but he could tell it had taken a lot for him to push it out. Elijah looked almost bashful as he rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. His long hair was tied up in its usual slick bun, a look their parents had despised for years. It was one of the smaller acts of rebellion that Elijah had always indulged in. "I was worried when I heard what happened, but actually seeing you was…" He couldn't look him in the eye as he spoke. Gavin had been delirious. Screaming and raving, afraid of anyone who went near him. His green eyes had been wide and unseeing. He hadn't recognised him at all. No one had been able to promise it was temporary at that stage, either.
"Yeah, it was pretty rough." Gavin didn't like to think about. He still lived with the torture almost every night. The only night he hadn't was the night he'd curled up and fallen asleep on Nines' lap. He wasn't sure whether it was the warmth of his presence or because Nines had been relaxed, but it had soothed him. "You coming for lunch?" Elijah politely declined. He had another class right after lunch, so he needed to clear up the pen and find the ingredients they needed. It would be a sixth year class, so far more complex than a simple shrinking potion.
Gavin also had a class that afternoon. A first year class. They were going to be learning the Protego spell. It was a standard duelling spell used for defence, and also the first practical spell they were going to learn. It was always better to focus on defence first, and this spell would set them up for years to come. Many previous professors had foregone practical spells completely during the first semester, believing students should learn theory for extensive periods before actually picking up wand skills. Gavin disagreed. The sooner they got wands in their hands, the better. Once Hank had taught them Levioso, he'd make use of the two together.
The first years were the most cautious around him, which made sense considering his scars and size. The older students were far less intimidated. He'd become known as one of the spiffy professors, whatever that meant. They liked his casual nature and knew they could talk about pretty much anything, and he wouldn't rat them out to the other staff. He was someone they could go to with their problems and get an honest opinion, and they could ask him anything about his lessons and he wouldn't laugh. He took his time with the slower students and was always ready to step in if a duel got too heated. Correcting wrist technique was also a talent he'd developed. He considered it to be among the most important skills. Casting a spell wrong could easily result in a loss of control, or a broken wrist. He knew if they could get the wrist angles down, it would improve their accuracy and make their spells stronger.
"Alright, we'll try it without an attack first. When you cast, you should notice a shield, almost like a bubble, forming around your body…Protego!" Gavin flicked his wrist and the students hummed in awe as the large bubble appeared. It was just barely visible, flickering with purple energy and crackling a few moments before dissipating. "The spell won't last long, which is why you need to wait for the last second. Judging when to cast is actually the hardest part. Too soon and the spell will wear off and leave you vulnerable. Too late and the attacking spell will already be too close. You need to learn how to judge for yourselves. Everyone casts differently. I don't need to say the spell out loud, and I've learned to move fast, so I can cast when the attacking spell is around…here." Gavin held his arm at full length, stretching as far as he could. "Just under a metre away." The class was impressed. That was really close for a spell that was moving at speed. "For others, they may need to start casting the moment the attacking spell leaves their opponent's wand, at four or five metres."
"Does Protego work on every spell?" a young Gryffindor asked as she raised her hand.
"No, not all. This is a common defensive spell, and it's useful for most standard duels, but not all spells can be deflected. The killing curse will tear straight through any barrier, so your best bet is to dodge or place a physical barrier in the way. Whether it works for stronger attacking spells like Bombarda and Glacius very much depends on the strength of your cast. Remember, your spells are only as strong as your will. If you're weak, your spells will be weak. You need to put intent behind everything you do." A flurry of agreement and understanding passed through the room as he spoke. Once they were ready, he had all of them line up in rows. The classroom had been cleared, desks and chairs neatly stacked out of the way at the side of the room. Since they were defending, it didn't matter if someone else stood in front of them as they cast, so he had three rows lined up ready to practice.
"Is there a specific movement we should use?" It was a Ravenclaw boy this time, someone keen to work on technique and get everything precise. Gavin obliged, taking a position at the front and raising his wand slowly. He raise his arm, almost like he was blocking a physical strike. That was the best technique he'd found. Others found it easier to point their wand upwards or swing it like a bat, as if they were hitting the spell back.
"Most of it's personal preference for this one. The most important thing is what you're thinking. You need to really imagine that you have a shield. Put a barrier between you and the incoming attack. You need to have full confidence in that barrier and believe it will hold. The angle of the incoming spell can also be an issue, but we'll work on that more once you reach practical duelling level. For now, I'll be happy if you just manage to make a bubble, even if it only lasts a second." A flurry of agreement circled the room. At first they believed he had low expectations, but they soon realised it was a lot harder than they thought. On the first try, nothing happened for many of them. They were thoroughly disappointed as they looked around at their classmates. Only one of the Ravenclaw students had managed on the first try, and even then it had barely lasted an instant. "Don't give up! You're doing great. Remember, you need to really believe it'll work. Imagine you're really in danger, like a fifth year just lost control of their Incendio spell and you're about to be burned to a crisp. You have less than three seconds to defend yourself, and you really need to believe in this spell!"
The students seemed uncertain, but he could see a few of them had closed their eyes to think. They may have been following his scenario, or perhaps they were thinking up their own. A bully picking on them. A fight with their sibling gone awry. Fighting poachers in the wilderness. Battling dark wizards. Whatever the case, they needed to truly believe they had a shield and that it would work. The second try seemed to go better. Many of them managed a few small purple sparks. They crackled through the air in front of them, barely making a bubble shape. Gavin enthusiastically handed out words of encouragement and praise. He stopped beside a Hufflepuff boy to correct his posture and demonstrate again before circling round to tap an inattentive Slytherin girl on the head. He leaned down to her level and straightened her wand arm, murmuring instructions as he circled her arm and moved it into a defensive pose.
"Protego!" The Ravenclaw boy had it. His bubble lasted a full two seconds on his fifth try. Since he was first, Gavin gave him ten points and had him act as a secondary teacher. The boy beamed as he enthusiastically spoke to two of his friends, another Ravenclaw and a Slytherin, about how he'd managed to make the shield. He shared what he'd been thinking about, how he'd stood, and how it had felt as energy crackled from the tip of his wand. The three of them cast together, and on the third try, his friends had it. All three beamed, and then it spread like wildfire. It was often the case that explanations from peers were easier to follow than those from teachers. If you all had the same failings and lack of experience, there were tips and tricks that only those on your level would think of. Gavin watched as those three students went to help the others, and then those students moved on to help more.
"Good job! I mean it. You all managed to cast within two hours and hold the bubble for a full two seconds. Five points to everyone! Now, Peter, you were first, so what do you think? Want to try it for real?" Peter was the Ravenclaw boy from earlier, and he seemed thrilled at the prospect of using Protego in a practical demonstration. "I'm going to use a basic cast, alright? Just a small ball of energy. If it hits you, it'll sting a bit, but it won't be serious. I'll even count it down for you, okay?" Peter nodded, and they cleared a space. The rest of the students huddled on either side to watch as Gavin and Peter faced each other with their wands ready. Basic cast had no words, so Peter knew that once Gavin hit three, he'd automatically cast on the next swing.
Peter licked his lips as he waited for him to start. Gavin counted steadily and flicked his wrist, sending a ball of golden energy bolting through the air towards Peter. Peter panicked a little, unsure when to cast, but he managed to throw up a shield at the last second. The yellow energy struck, breaking it right away. Peter was staggered, but remained on his feet, unharmed. The students offered yells of encouragement and clapped enthusiastically. Gavin grinned and nodded his approval. It wasn't bad for a first try.
"That's good Peter, but this time watch your timing. You need to focus on when to cast and make it as strong as possible." Peter nodded his agreement and took up a defensive stance again. He was more confident now that he knew what to expect. Gavin counted and sent another golden ball his way, watching a stronger shield pop up to catch the ball. This time Peter wasn't even staggered. His shield remained strong, even after the yellow energy had finished crackling its way around it. "That's great! Five points for Ravenclaw! Who else wants to try?" Gavin had a young Gryffindor girl volunteer next. Once she'd defended twice, he paired up all the students and let them try against each other for the last ten minutes.
It went mostly without a hitch. One wayward spell caught Gavin off guard as he circled the room. The entire class stopped dead as he dropped into his usual defensive pose and raised his wand, ready to fight. His face must have been truly menacing, as a few of the more timid students hid behind their braver peers. He quickly got to his feet with a sigh, calming his racing heart and returning his wand to its holster with a reminder to be careful. Another spell knocked over a stack of chairs, which he swiftly righted. Two more sent a couple of students rolling across the floor, and one more tossed a Hufflepuff boy clean into the hall through the open door. Unfortunately, that brought Connor inside.
"What on earth is going on in here?" he demanded in an overly protective tone. He scowled angrily as he stormed inside and looked around at the bewildered students.
"I think that's enough for today. Make sure you practice for next week! Thomas, are you alright?" Gavin asked, largely ignoring Connor's irate form for the moment. The small Hufflepuff boy returned to gather his books, grinning from ear to ear. He certainly didn't seem traumatised by the experience. Indeed, it seemed he'd found it quite invigorating. Gavin grinned and ruffled his messy golden hair before sending him on his way with a reminder to practice. Once he was gone, Gavin shut the door and turned to face Connor's displeasure.
"There's a good reason that students don't perform practical magic during the first semester!" Gavin remained silent, opting to let him wear out his own arguments before he responded. It wasn't like he'd listen to him anyway. Connor had his methods, and Gavin could respect that. He even understood his caution. Spells were dangerous. First years were small. He just didn't think that made them helpless. "At this stage the students barely understand the theory behind the spells you're teaching, and you think it's a good idea to just let them run riot with a basic cast?" He raised an eyebrow at that. That wasn't what he'd been doing at all.
"You have your methods. I respect that, I do. You're right in assuming that most practical magic should be left until at least the second semester, and I largely agree, but the sooner they pick up Protego, the stronger they'll be overall. Before I let anyone loose with something more dangerous than a basic cast, I want to be fully confident that they can defend themselves. You know how strong Protego is! Once they've got it, they can defend against almost anything, and that's an invaluable skill in this class. They're not running riot with attacking spells. It was their first lesson using Protego, and a couple of spells went awry, that's all." Connor's lips thinned as he swallowed his disapproval. He didn't think they should be using a basic cast, and he also didn't think one of his students being flung into the corridor was acceptable. Having said that, he knew Gavin's point about Protego was well made. It was defensive magic, so it wasn't dangerous. It was the basic casting that had him worried.
"I agree that defensive spells are a valuable resource, but they shouldn't be aiming spells at each other at such an early stage in their development!" Gavin disagreed, but that was fine. He and Connor were different teachers with different methods. They wouldn't always see eye to eye, even if they could agree on certain points. This wasn't the first time they'd clashed over methods, and it probably wouldn't be the last. "If I hear of other incidents like this, I'll have no choice but to take it to the headmaster." Gavin snorted at that threat. They'd already had this conversation, and Hank had taken his side. His classroom, his rules. He knew better than to say that out loud though. It wasn't his intention to make an enemy of Connor. He actually liked him when they weren't bickering about his teaching methods.
"If I ever step out of line, I'll report to Hank myself." He held Connor's gaze, the raise of his brow telling him they were done. Connor bit his tongue and left, doing his best not to let it agitate him. Once he was gone, Gavin sighed and leaned against his desk for a few moments. After taking a few breaths, he waved his wand and returned the desks to their usual places. His next class was all theory and book work. Not his favourite type of class, but since the students were learning Confringo, it was better to follow Connor's ideology and get the theory down first. He might demonstrate the spell himself, but he wasn't about to let the fifth years loose with it yet. He'd barely finished returning the desks when the first few turned up, ready to start. They helped return the chairs, obviously disappointed that it was a theory day. Two hours of book work was rough.
He started off easy, writing the spell on the board and asking if anyone knew anything about it. A tall Ravenclaw girl at the front could tell him it had been created sometime in the first century, but no one knew who did it. It was largely assumed to have come from somewhere in western Europe, possibly modern day France or Germany. Since it was a long distance attacking spell, it had likely been created for warfare. That all seemed fair and likely, so Gavin handed out a few points before asking for anything else. A Slytherin girl with curly red hair and bright green eyes knew that if it came into contact with fire, it would be stronger and last longer, so it was often used in tandem with fire spells like Incendio.
"I'm glad you know so much. It's a sign you've been doing the reading." He continued on, writing a few notes on the board about notable occasions they knew it had been used. They'd covered a few of the more prominent events in Magical History class, particularly around the time there had been multiple dragon poaching rings. Dragons had always been sought after as pets and commodities. Either they were trained as guards or cut up for potions and wand making. Such things were done largely humanely these days, though dragon fighting had regained popularity in recent years. Procuring and training dragons to fight was dangerous work, and highly illegal. That also meant any fights had to be extremely well planned and secretive. Gavin had broken up more than one ring in his time as an auror.
Another thing he pointed out was that, since Confringo made fire spells last longer, it also made them more prone to spreading. If someone was hit with Confringo and a fire spell, they were likely to spread the flames further, either to other people or in the immediate vicinity. As well as the danger of spreading fire, they also went over how to limit the damage. The simplest defence was Protego, to block the spell completely. If one got hit, then an ice or water spell was the best way to limit injury and put out the flames. A spell to remove oxygen, starving the flames, would also be effective, though obviously dangerous for anyone close enough to be caught up in it. The same was true of using earth to smother the flames.
"Alright, no casting today, but I want you all to practice the wand motions for the next class, alright? Stand up and take out your wands." The students were eager to obey after an hour and a half of talking theory and taking notes. Their heads were heavy with new information, and they were rapidly losing focus. That was part of the reason he hated teaching two hour theory classes. Students only had so much focus for books. It helped when they could talk, but the best remedy for fatigue was always action. As soon as they were on their feet, the energy level shot up. A flurry of chatter circled the room until Gavin called for silence. "The movement for this spell is very similar to Wingardium Levioso, only the flick is a little more sideways." Gavin moved his wand slowly, giving them plenty of time to follow his movements. He did it a few times, watching as a few of them followed with their own wands.
He set them practicing and circled the room slowly, straightening a wrist here, correcting a flick there. After around ten minutes, he could tell it was grating on some of them. What was the point in swishing and flicking without getting to actually fire off a spell? It was frustrating, and they hated being treated like children. Gavin understood, but he also knew that they were children, whether they'd admit it at their age or not. They all thought they were mature, but they weren't. He knew they weren't irresponsible, but they also weren't quite ready to cast the spell just yet. Theory and motion was always first, especially for attacking spells.
"Alright, before you go, I'll show you what can happen when you combine Confringo with Incendio, alright?" That seemed to appease them somewhat as a grumble of agreement travelled around the room. They sat patiently as Gavin summoned the training dummy, rolling it across to the front of the room. He stepped between the front desks and raised his wand, taking a breath as he readied his aim. "Incendio! Confringo!" He let off the spells one after another, so they worked in tandem. Incendio hit first, lighting up the leather clad frame in flames. Confringo hit right after, knocking the dummy clean off its wheels and making the flames flare so high they almost reached the top of the spiral staircase. "Glacius!" Gavin grinned as he used the ice spell to freeze over the dummy and trap the raging flames in a twisting spire of ice. Cries of awe rose as the students got to their feet and hurried over to touch the frozen flames. It was somewhat beautiful, like a sculpture. "Obviously, when you try it we'll be doing it in the outside duelling court…Wouldn't want to burn the school down, right?" Another flurry of agreement passed through the room, and Gavin let them pack away.