What makes a reliable professor?

Even the most aloof Slytherin girl, Alecto Caro, showed a hint of pity and instinctively leaned back. The Gryffindor boys, who had just been filled with longing, fell silent, and the timid Peter Pedro even trembled.

Professor Hecate scanned the group of children who had just entered Hogwarts. Nine Slytherins and seven Gryffindors. To be honest, compared to Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, these two houses were significantly more likely to produce students who went astray and became extreme.

Professor Hecate sincerely hoped that none of her students would become targets of her classmates' future pursuit. But she also understood that such worries were almost futile.

The old lady's expression flickered with complexity for a moment, then returned to normal. She deftly withdrew her legs and clapped her hands to bring the children back to their senses.

"As you can see, you only understand the importance of Defense Against the Dark Arts when you are really fighting to the death with criminals."

"However, there's no need to worry too much. Although I don't think it's necessary for me to remind you, the truth is that most of you will never become an Auror, and if you're lucky enough, you'll never have to duel with any other wizard in your lifetime."

"I realized when I was in school that you can't become a Defense Against the Dark Arts expert without a rebellious spirit; but then again, the world doesn't need that many Defense Against the Dark Arts experts. While I hope this long speech of mine will fully arouse your interest and attention, there's no need to be too nervous—here, in my class, you just need to concentrate and study hard, and knowledge will flow into your minds."

Professor Hecate smiled slyly, then suddenly changed the subject.

"So, can anyone tell me how many spells I just cast?" she chuckled. "I'll add two points for the student who answers correctly. It's not fair, because none of them are written in the first-year textbooks—and I'm an old lady who encourages self-study. As we get to know each other, you'll soon find out that if you love Defense Against the Dark Arts, it's easy to earn House Points from me."

She swept her encouraging and expectant gaze over the group of young wizards in the classroom, even rousing Sirius, who was in a very bad mood.

Moreover, this was indeed a question clearly beyond the curriculum, testing not so much preparation ability as family background. Although Edmund was not proud of his "family tradition of learning," he raised his hand immediately to show respect for Professor Hecate's teaching methods.

Indeed, only Edmund and Sirius could answer this question. Both the Soman and Black families are pure-blood families that place great emphasis on the individual abilities of wizards.

The Illusion Charm, which allows one to blend into their surroundings and thus "disappear," and the Reveal Charm, which dispels concealment, are neither considered unorthodox. They could even pronounce the incantation accurately.

To ensure fairness, Professor Hecate asked the two students from different houses to read out their answers together, and then chuckled as he added 2 points to both the Gryffindor and Slytherin students who answered correctly.

This completely fails to reveal the harsh reality that the issue is actually a screening process for "potential troublemakers."

"Alright, alright, although I don't think it's so bad that the first lesson ends here—I'm confident that I've made a good impression on you and sparked your interest in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"But if that's all, it's practically submitting a pay cut request to our old headmaster. Let me see... Very well, young wizards, please come forward one by one according to your seats. Hmm, let's start with you, brown-haired girl, what's your name?"

Pollyanna, whose name was called upon by the professor, tried her best to maintain a blank expression and not show any nervousness. After registering, Professor Hecate led her to the lens with the gold frame.

The professor waved his wand and cleared his throat:

"What I show you is not your reflection, but your inner desires—when I was in school, the Mirror of Erised was one of the teaching aids at Hogwarts. But because its properties were so addictive, Headmaster Depp couldn't withstand the pressure in the last few years of his term and put it away. I was young then and thought it was utterly boring... Now I think he had his reasons."

Professor Hercat smiled.

"You old woman, always nagging! But that's the origin of this teaching aid before you. I didn't want you young people to miss out on the opportunity to experience these kinds of magical items, so I went to Headmaster Dumbledore to have this lens made. It's not as dangerous as the Mirror of Erised, which will constantly reflect your inner desires; you must stand before it and think hard about what kind of person you want to become, and what difficulties and obstacles you will face on the path to self-realization! And then..."

Professor Hecate looked encouragingly at Pollyanna. The little witch understood, biting her lower lip, and closed her eyes nervously and curiously… As her thoughts raced, a white light suddenly shone through the lens, causing another commotion. The light moved back and forth, as if replicating the arc a wizard's wand must trace when casting a spell; after three times, the several beams of light converged, forming a string of English words: "Spell Stops Instantly."

Professor Hecate nodded in satisfaction and patted the little witch on the shoulder reassuringly. Then she raised her voice again:

"Very good demonstration, Slytherin, one point." She paused. "As you've seen, stand before the lens and contemplate your future, and the lens will reveal the incantation you must learn to achieve your desired goal. It may be very profound, or it may be something from a book, which you will learn this year!"

"Although I want to say that the most important thing is the whole process of thinking about the 'future'... diligent study is also essential! Therefore, I promise you that everyone who gets an 'E (Good)' in this course can ask me about this spell to the future after class, and I will be happy to help you master it in advance."

"—Don't blame me for being too demanding. This is indeed my little trick to ensure that Defense Against the Dark Arts won't hold you back on NEWT."

The cunning yet kind old lady clapped her hands again.

"Well then, please come forward one by one. I'll remember the spell you all need. Then cheer as much as you like, because I won't be giving you any extra homework today... and you'll soon realize that this is a rare break for my class, hehe."