HP: Too Late, System! I’m Already the DADA Professor

Aside from Hermione Granger, every other student wore a look of utter defeat.

No sooner had Douglas Holmes announced the end of class than Harry Potter spotted several classmates closing in on him and Ron Weasley. With a sheepish grin, he grabbed Ron and made a hasty retreat.

As they hurried out, they nearly collided with a group of third-year Hufflepuffs waiting at the classroom door for their next lesson. The Badgers watched in bewilderment as the Boy Who Lived dashed past, trailed by a herd of thoroughly demoralized Gryffindors.

If even the famously lively Gryffindors looked like that, just how terrifying was this new professor?

Still, the Hufflepuffs consoled themselves—surely a legendary alumnus from their own House would go easy on them. Yet no matter how they pressed the Gryffindors for details, all they got were sighs and headshakes. Not a single word about the class.

That silence did nothing to calm the Hufflepuffs' nerves.

Between classes, Douglas checked his system:

[Scholar Development System]

[Student satisfaction rating for this class: 5 points.

Homework completion rating: 0 points.

Average progress rating: 9 points.

Classroom activity rating: 9 points.

...]

The high activity score made Douglas chuckle—clearly, the system had its quirks. If he spent the whole class lecturing while students dozed off, the activity rating would tank. But get everyone involved, reciting at the top of their lungs, and the system was convinced they were all wildly engaged.

As for the sky-high average progress, he suspected he had Hermione to thank for boosting the numbers. Satisfaction, on the other hand, clearly depended on the students' moods.

With these insights, Douglas felt much more confident about his teaching strategy going forward.

When the third-year Hufflepuffs filed in and took their seats, Douglas arrived right on time, his warm smile instantly dispelling the gloom left by the Gryffindors.

He didn't seem so scary after all!

But when Douglas announced that their first task was to memorize the textbook, the Badgers' faces fell. Asking Hufflepuffs to learn a whole book? Unless it was a cookbook, that sounded impossible.

But as a Hufflepuff himself, Douglas decided to show his juniors some special consideration. He launched into a barrage of motivational sayings, leaving the young Badgers dazed and inspired.

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration!"

"Learning is labor—a labor of thought. And all labor brings rewards!"

"The decisive factor in becoming a genius is diligence."

His efforts paid off. After a hearty helping of motivational 'chicken soup,' the Hufflepuffs began to believe their scholarship could rival even Ravenclaw's. Hard work and steady effort—nothing suited them better.

Douglas was quite pleased with his tailored approach. More importantly, the system's ratings at the end of class left him satisfied.

By lunchtime, a tense and stifling mood had settled over the Hogwarts Great Hall. Rumors flew from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables: the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor was an absolute tyrant. The very first lesson brought tests, endless memorization—worse, they were expected to study both in and out of class.

And as if that weren't enough, he'd appointed Class Representatives in every House and year to supervise after-class studying. His homework load even outstripped Professor McGonagall's. Thanks to Ron and Harry's latest escapade, second-year Gryffindors got saddled with an extra ten-inch essay.

Ron was so rattled he swore off ever telling the story of their flying car adventure again.

Meanwhile, the Hufflepuffs were busy swapping Douglas's inspirational quotes. Some were even planning to carve them into their bedposts for daily encouragement.

Douglas, anticipating the lunchtime gossip, wisely avoided the Great Hall altogether, having a house-elf deliver his meal to the office.

The first afternoon class was fourth-year Gryffindor. From fourth year onward, the curriculum focused primarily on spellwork. Dark Magic was divided into three main categories: jinxes, hexes, and curses. Each had its own counter-spells and methods of breaking them.

If Dark Magic was the spear, then Defence Against the Dark Arts was the shield. But to master the shield, you first had to understand the spear.

So, Douglas planned to start by teaching the students what real Dark Magic looked like. Of course, he wasn't about to introduce anything illegal—nothing like that for anyone below sixth year.

For their first lesson, Douglas decided on a baseline assessment. He took the fifth-year exam, stripped out the sections on counter-curses and advanced breaking spells, and handed out the modified version as the fourth-year test.

With a new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor every year, the students' foundations were all over the place. There was barely enough time in fifth year to catch up, but for fourth years, Douglas still had time to patch holes before O.W.L.s.

When he entered the classroom, arms full of parchment, the Weasley twins let out dramatic groans. The rest of the fourth-year Gryffindors joined in, wailing in unison.

Douglas simply stood at the front, expression cold.

"I'm glad you already know what's coming. Time is short, so I'll keep this brief. From now on, the two Mr. Weasleys are your Class Representatives. If they can't complete their assignments, I'll be holding you all accountable. Now, begin!"

With a flick of his wand, the parchments soared through the air, landing neatly on each desk. He ignored the twins' silent, strangled protests.

Under Douglas's peculiar, knowing smile, the twins managed sheepish grins and got to work. They remembered all too well how much trouble that smile had brought them in the past.

For the rest of the lesson, Douglas paced the room, occasionally stopping behind the twins to watch them squirm as they wrote.

The afternoon flew by—Douglas had four classes in total. Besides fourth-year Gryffindor, there were third-year Ravenclaw and first-year Hufflepuff, both of which he ran with the same "memorize the textbook" approach.

The final class was sixth year.

Sixth and seventh years were different—they were mixed-House classes, and the curriculum was on a whole other level. Students below sixth year would never be shown what illegal Dark Magic truly looked like. But from sixth year on, they began learning how to defend against the darkest spells. Under a teacher's supervision, and within strict limits, sixth- and seventh-years could even study some Dark Magic themselves.

For this class, Douglas didn't assign tests or force them to memorize passages. Nor did he appoint Class Representatives. Instead, he opened the textbook, Confronting the Faceless, and had everyone turn to the chapter on Inferi. Then, he taught—thoroughly and seriously.

The more ordinary his teaching, the more uneasy the students became. Other years might not know, but the sixth years did—especially the Hufflepuffs who'd had Douglas as their Prefect. This man was anything but ordinary.

Rumors from the lower years told of a first lesson so intense that every student left on edge. Why would he go easy on them?

The period passed quickly. Douglas explained the origins of Inferi, discussed common defensive spells, and even shared two personal encounters with the creatures.

All in all, the professor taught with dedication, and the students took notes just as diligently.

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