In the days that followed, discussions about the once–cool, once–formidable Defense Against the Dark Arts professor never ceased throughout the school.
"Hey, have you been to Professor Baker's class yet?"
"Yeah, I have… You noticed it too?"
"I did. Loads of people have. Professor Baker seems totally out of it now—he talks slowly, his tone is flat, and he just seems… drained!"
"Yes, yes, exactly! And he used to be amazing! Besides the actual lesson content, he'd teach all sorts of practical tips and even share some of his own adventure stories—his classes were the type you didn't want to end. But lately he only recites the textbook in this monotone voice. It's detailed, sure, but nowhere near as interesting!"
"Sigh… How could a perfectly good professor change so much in just ten days? Should we visit him? Maybe desserts and milk tea will perk him up?"
"Plenty of people have already visited him—even Professor McGonagall went to check up on him. Still didn't help…"
"You're talking about Professor Baker? Let me tell you, I've got inside news from my friend in Gryffindor. He said Professor Snape is jealous of Baker for getting the Defense position, so he secretly drugged him!"
"Huh? But I heard Professor Binns got tired of teaching History of Magic and decided to try out a new course—in secret, he possessed Professor Baker instead!"
"I heard it was a curse cast by the Dark Lord slowly taking effect… Also, what does 'possessed' even mean?"
Unfortunately for all the flying rumors—no matter how dramatic—they had absolutely no effect on the two students currently training desperately inside the Room of Requirement: Avada and Baron.
Inside the Room of Hidden Things, the space had been transformed entirely. Piles of junk had been swept into corners or arranged strategically as decoys or cover. A wide open area now occupied the center of the room, where Avada and Baron stood with their wands held high, strange light flickering across the tips as they chanted lengthy, complex incantations.
After what felt like ages, both finally lowered their wands at the same time. A wave of exhaustion washed through their heads as they exhaled heavily.
"Very good."
The black crystal orb containing Professor Baker's soul rested inconspicuously among the clutter. "With this, the second stage of the spell is complete."
"You two are learning even faster than I expected. At this rate, the entire spellwork should be ready by mid-February."
"Rest a bit, then we'll begin today's lesson."
"Merlin above, I feel like my head's about to explode…"
Baron sat on the floor clutching his skull, groaning in pain. Though he was nearly unmatched among first-years, and ordinary coursework barely challenged him, the sheer volume and difficulty of what Professor Baker needed them to learn was overwhelming.
The consciousness-extraction spell alone required seven steps, each filled with theory that took them days to study, followed by even more time to prepare properly. On top of that were the combat strategies for ambushing the fake Baker, plus traps, potions, curses, and countless other components—not to mention their regular combat training…
And of course, they still had classes during the day and homework at night!
Avada was faring even worse. With no real-life demonstrations to rely on, theory-only learning rendered his Magical Perception nearly useless, and even after his talent had been optimized, he still lagged slightly behind Baron. The pressure was so intense that he'd spent the past few days collapsing the instant his head touched his pillow, barely remembering returning to his dorm at all.
Xavier, Summers, and Stebbins had all expressed concern, telling him not to push himself too hard. But Avada couldn't reveal the truth, so all he could do was push harder—finish the task sooner, ease their worries sooner… and ironically end up looking even more exhausted.
During the relentless training, an interesting thought had slowly formed in his mind:Next year, wouldn't Voldemort possess Quirrell and infiltrate Hogwarts?
He wondered—would Professor Baker's magic work on him?
After about ten minutes, Professor Baker summoned them again.
"Today we'll learn the Disillusionment Charm. It plays a major role in our plan—both in acquiring magical materials and in the final confrontation—so you must master it thoroughly."
"Don't worry. The Disillusionment Charm is far easier than the magic you've been working on. Few people learn it mainly because it's too specialized, so the Ministry of Magic restricts instruction to Aurors and certain special professions…"
His voice drifted calmly from inside the crystal ball. "The charm itself isn't difficult—comparable to third or fourth-year level. The true challenge lies in mastery. Since the Disillusionment Charm works by altering the color of the caster's body to match the surroundings, a poorly cast version will only turn you into a blurry patchwork of colors—sometimes even making you more noticeable…"
"Professor,"
Avada raised his hand, finally voicing a question he'd had ever since reading the original books."If the Disillusionment Charm only changes surface color, then how does it achieve complete invisibility?"For example, if I stand in the middle of a room with a black floor and white walls, and cast the charm—what happens? If I turn white to blend into the walls, wouldn't I become extremely obvious from an overhead angle?"
Baron froze for a moment at the question, then turned toward the crystal ball with the same puzzled expression.
"Very perceptive! You've pinpointed the core issue immediately."
Professor Baker's approving tone followed: "This is why, aside from learning the spell itself, mastering its usage techniques is absolutely crucial."
"Those who use the Disillusionment Charm rely heavily on positioning—hugging walls, crawling low, avoiding exposure to multiple angles at once. And because the charm only provides visual concealment, one must also learn scent suppression, tracking avoidance, stealth techniques, and so on…"
"I was actually worried you'd feel overwhelmed if I told you all the training at once. I was planning to keep it secret a bit longer."
"…"
"So there's no spell that just makes you completely invisible at once?" Even Baron couldn't help asking in despair.
"No. Unless you possess an invisibility cloak made from Demiguise hair."
Professor Baker sounded helpless. "And the Demiguise's invisibility mechanism is still a mystery. If you could crack it and develop a true full-invisibility spell, the Department of Mysteries and Auror Office would fight over you."
"So don't think about shortcuts. Focus on your training."
Avada: …
If someone handed him a Demiguise, he was confident he could develop a proper invisibility spell within days—and scare Professor Baker so badly his finish would turn to frosted glass.
Unfortunately, that wasn't possible. Even though he got along fairly well with fourth-year Rolf Scamander, he couldn't exactly ask him to steal one from Newt.
So for now, he could only shove his grand ambition aside and follow Baron in their wand practice with a miserable expression.
(End of Chapter)