Harry Potter: Reborn as a Prisoner in Azkaban

A practical lesson; although it had only been less than a month since the start of term, the fifth-year students felt as if the last time they had a practical lesson was over a year ago.

Even as the group followed Professor William down the corridor, a few students couldn't help but wonder if they were dreaming.

"Ah!"

A soft cry came from within the group. The boy who made the sound suppressed the rest of his yell and glared angrily at the person who had pinched his arm.

"What are you doing?"

"Does it hurt?"

His angry tone was met with a concerned question, which surprisingly made him feel a little better.

"It hurts a bit; was it an accident? Be more careful next time."

"Hurts? Great! We're not dreaming!"

The girl who had pinched him exclaimed in delight. Even though she tried to keep her voice low, her joy was contagious, spreading to those around her. She quickly darted to the back of the group, whispering excitedly with her girlfriends.

***

William sighed inwardly. Do those kids in the back think I couldn't hear or see them?

They're fifth-years already, yet they still have time to flirt. Maybe I haven't assigned enough homework?

With that thought in mind, William quickened his pace toward the prepared practice classroom. As he had said before, giving the students a practical lesson was part of his plan.

Even though fifth-years needed to absorb a large volume of theoretical knowledge, practical spellcasting training was still essential. Otherwise, they might find themselves all theory and no skill during the exams, resulting in subpar scores.

If practical lessons can motivate them to study harder, perhaps I could increase the amount slightly. In any case, they seem to have plenty of free time between classes. I can always make up for the missed theory lessons with more homework.

After opening the classroom door, William stood by, watching the students file in one by one while considering how to adjust the course schedule.

However, he spent so much time thinking that by the time he snapped out of it, the students were already busy messing with today's practice objects.

"They're so cute!"

"So white and fluffy!"

"The gray ones are adorable too~"

All the worries the students had carried with them vanished as they focused on the creatures on the desks. The rabbits, semi-wild ones from the Forbidden Forest, were descendants of domestic rabbits that had been released there years ago. Occasionally, Hagrid would replenish their numbers with new ones, some of which were left over from feeding his other creatures. As a result, these rabbits were quite charming in appearance.

"Quiet down!"

William frowned and strode to the podium, adopting a rare strict tone. If he let the students keep playing with the rabbits, they'd get too attached, and the lesson would never start.

He wasn't one of those twisted medical professors who encouraged students to bond with lab animals only to dissect them later. Rabbits, mice, and monkeys; the three main experimental animals, already contributed enough by giving their bodies. Asking them to perform tricks would be going too far.

"Stop crowding around the cages. Those of you who've taken the animals out, put them back. Everyone, gather at the front. We'll start with a brief theory segment."

Thanks to the authority William had built up over the past few weeks, his commands were swiftly obeyed.

"This lesson, we'll cover common spell injuries and other frequent types of harm, along with their emergency treatments. The theory segment will take fifteen minutes, and the remaining time will be for hands-on practice. If there are no questions, each of you can grab a handout from the desk."

William gestured to the thick stack of papers that had been sitting unnoticed, overshadowed by the rabbits' allure.

***

"That's all. You've noted the key points, haven't you?"

"Yes, Professor. Treatment for burns, emergency evacuation during fires, and methods to avoid being caught in a crowd during chaos."

Although some of the material wasn't directly related to magic, none of the students raised any questions. They were so focused on the lesson that they didn't even glance at the thick stack of papers attached to the back of their handouts.

"At worst, they're extra worksheets. We'll just do them."

The professor's imposing demeanor had kept them attentive during the lecture, but now that it was over, they were itching to dive into the practical part of the lesson.

"Very well, remember this; Form groups of two, choose your own partner, and take one rabbit per group. After inflicting a magical wound on it, proceed to heal it."

"Inflict a wound?"

The students froze for a moment before quickly realizing what he meant.

Those who had already grabbed a rabbit were particularly stunned, doubting their own hearing.

"That's right, inflict a wound. Two people in a group, one casts the spell, and the other performs the healing. I promise that every rabbit used in the experiment will be released afterward, but the lesson must go on."

William addressed the class firmly.

Though it sounded like animal cruelty, it was a necessary part of the lesson.

Whether before or after the course name change, any class with "Defense" or "Self-Defense" in its title required first aid training. To be exact, every healer in the wizarding world had to pass their OWLs in this subject to qualify for employment.

As cruel as it seemed to use rabbits, William couldn't conjure a group of injured humans out of thin air.

If he didn't use rabbits, what was the alternative? Have students injure each other for the sake of practice?

That was a joke he could only make in jest. If such an idea were seriously considered as a regular course, not even Dumbledore, known for his progressive outlook, would agree to such a ludicrous proposal. Injuring students was simply something that should never happen in a school setting.

"Yes, you heard me correctly. Now, everyone, find your partner, choose your experiment materials, and begin." William repeated his instructions.

He felt no shame in his approach. A professor of defensive magic who didn't teach healing would be neglecting their duty. His responsibility was to ensure that wizards could protect themselves and competently handle emergencies when danger arose.

No matter the course title, the Professor's medical knowledge was held to a high standard.

Every wizard's wand had the potential to handle wounds effectively, but without systematic training, these students would only respond to injuries by blindly pouring bottles of Dittany on them; and that would be true negligence on his part.

Reluctantly, the students began moving, gently stroking the rabbits. Their innate reverence for life was a natural and beautiful quality shared by most.

"Ah!"

"Ah!~"

"Hiss!!"

Shrieks echoed throughout the classroom. These rabbits weren't laboratory animals; they were wild rabbits.

And wild rabbits could bite.

As William watched the students fumbling awkwardly, he let out a small sigh of relief. Eating rabbits didn't bother him, but using them for borderline cruel medical experiments was something he found difficult to stomach; likely the students felt the same way.

Now, however, the situation had changed. The students were probably going to be much more enthusiastic.

The first aid theories they had just learned weren't being applied to the rabbits, they were being applied to the students themselves.

"Hold it down; I'll create the wound!"

A student who had just been bitten looked eager and ready.

It was clear that he no longer had any psychological barriers.

"Relax. Stun it first—anyone who kills a rabbit will serve detention!" William had to reassert his authority with a new command.

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