After spending a little more time calming Buckbeak, Lewis smoothly climbed onto the Hippogriff's back, earning envious looks from all the watching students.
Buckbeak rose to its feet.
Lewis expertly grabbed a handful of its neck feathers and squeezed gently with his legs.
It was a technique he had learned while riding Lara.
Buckbeak immediately understood the signal.
Its enormous wings spread wide on either side before beating powerfully as it soared into the sky.
Riding a Hippogriff wasn't any steadier than flying on a broomstick, but it was exhilarating in an entirely different way.
Under Lewis's guidance, Buckbeak circled Hogwarts Castle.
They skimmed across the Black Lake, soared over the surrounding hills, climbed high into the clouds, then dived back down over the castle grounds.
They completed two or three full laps around the castle before finally returning to the paddock.
Buckbeak landed gracefully and lowered its body, allowing Lewis to dismount with ease.
After that shared flight, Lewis could clearly feel an invisible bond forming between himself and the Hippogriff.
He affectionately patted Buckbeak's sharp beak.
Having enjoyed the freedom of the skies, Buckbeak happily rested its head against Lewis's shoulder.
The Hippogriff was clearly in an excellent mood.
Flying on a broom, flying through his own transformations, and flying atop a Hippogriff each offered their own unique pleasures.
Lewis could now fully understand why Hagrid loved these magnificent creatures so much.
Still…
Out of all the magical creatures he had ridden—unicorns, centaurs, and Hippogriffs—Lara remained the most comfortable mount.
Come to think of it…
He had another ride available now.
A dragon.
Maybe someday he should have Onyxia transform back into her true form and take her for a flight.
At that very moment…
Deep inside the Ministry of Magic…
Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
Dragon Research and Restraint Bureau.
Lady Prestor, who was casually chatting with several coworkers, suddenly sneezed.
"Lady Prestor, have you caught a cold?" one wizard immediately asked, seizing the opportunity to curry favor.
"I'll make you some hot coffee."
"No, I'm perfectly fine."
The Black Dragon Princess shook her head.
"I just have the strange feeling someone is plotting against me…"
When Lewis returned to the paddock with Buckbeak, he received a welcome worthy of royalty.
His feat of riding the Hippogriff had earned everyone's admiration.
Even if Buckbeak accepted them, very few students possessed the courage to fly on its back.
With Lewis acting as mediator, nearly every student got the chance to pet Buckbeak.
Before long, everyone had fallen in love with the majestic creature.
By the end of the lesson, Hagrid's damaged reputation from yesterday's incident had completely recovered.
This was the influence of Lewis—the Hogwarts trendsetter.
Besides Care of Magical Creatures, Ravenclaw students were most excited about Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Any doubts regarding the new professor had already disappeared.
The Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students had experienced Professor Lupin's classes first.
Afterward, they couldn't stop bragging about fighting Boggarts.
Everyone agreed Lupin was an excellent teacher—even with Lewis's legendary substitute lessons from last year setting the standard.
Especially memorable had been Neville's Boggart transforming into Professor Snape before being forced to wear his grandmother's clothes.
The entire lesson had apparently been hilarious.
Naturally…
Snape himself didn't find it amusing in the slightest.
Ever since that day, whenever he heard Lupin's name, murderous intent practically flashed from his eyes.
When Lewis entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Professor Lupin hadn't arrived yet.
Only after every Ravenclaw student had taken their seats, unpacked their books, parchment, and quills, and begun chatting did Lupin finally appear.
Compared to the weary man from the train, he looked completely different.
Though his robes remained patched and worn, genuine warmth filled his face.
His complexion had noticeably improved.
Apparently, he'd finally been eating proper meals.
"Good morning," he greeted with a smile.
"Please put your textbooks back into your bags. Today's lesson is entirely practical."
"You'll only need your wands."
"Look at those robes," Malfoy whispered to the surrounding Slytherins.
"Even our house-elves dress better than he does."
The Ravenclaws were surprised.
Lupin merely glanced at Malfoy calmly without saying a word.
"All right."
Once everyone was ready, Lupin gestured toward the door.
"Follow me."
The students exchanged curious looks before eagerly following him.
They crossed the empty corridors.
Rounded a corner.
Then immediately spotted Peeves flying toward them.
Everyone braced themselves for trouble.
Instead…
Peeves spun around and fled.
It was practically a rout.
The Ravenclaws looked at Lupin with newfound respect.
They had already heard about the incident.
Professor Lupin had once used a simple Projectile Jinx to perfectly plug Peeves' nose.
It was one of the rare occasions where Peeves himself had become the victim of a prank.
Lupin looked mildly surprised by Peeves' reaction but continued leading the class through another corridor before stopping outside the staff room.
"Come in."
He opened the door and stepped aside.
The staff room was a long chamber with wood-paneled walls.
Old mismatched chairs were scattered everywhere.
No teachers were present.
The students filed inside.
"My colleagues have been extremely supportive," Lupin explained as he shut the door.
"They kindly lent me the staff room for today's lesson."
He then gestured toward the far end of the room.
There stood nothing more than an old wardrobe where teachers stored spare robes.
Lupin walked over beside it.
The wardrobe suddenly shook violently.
Bang!
Bang!
It repeatedly slammed against the wall.
"No need to worry," Lupin said calmly as several students instinctively jumped backward.
"There's a Boggart inside."
Most students felt that was precisely the reason to worry.
Thanks to the Gryffindors' enthusiastic storytelling, everyone already knew what awaited them.
The vivid descriptions of yesterday's lesson had left the Ravenclaws both nervous and excited.
"Oh no…"
Padma Patil paled.
"Professor Trelawney predicted I'd encounter a terrible omen this week…"
Nobody wanted their deepest fear exposed before the entire class.
Meanwhile, Malfoy stared nervously at the rattling wardrobe handle.
"Boggarts enjoy dark, enclosed places," Lupin explained.
"Wardrobes, spaces beneath beds, cupboards beneath sinks…"
"Once, I even found one living inside a grandfather clock."
He looked around the classroom.
"So…"
"Our first question."
"What exactly is a Boggart?"
As one, every Ravenclaw student turned toward Lewis.
He couldn't help smiling wryly.
Most of them already knew the answer.
But ever since his first year, they'd become accustomed to letting him answer the opening question.
It had practically become Ravenclaw tradition.
To them, it was a sign of respect.
Lupin followed everyone's gaze.
He looked surprised…
Then nodded in understanding.
He hadn't expected the remarkable student he'd met aboard the Hogwarts Express to command such prestige within his own House.
"Lewis," Lupin said with a smile.
"It seems this question belongs to you."
Lewis stood.
"A Boggart is a very unusual magical creature."
"It differs fundamentally from ordinary magical beasts."
"According to the latest research, it's most closely related to Dementors and poltergeists—such as the Peeves we encountered."
"All three are manifestations born from emotional energy."
He paused before continuing.
"A Boggart peers into a person's heart and transforms into whatever they fear most."
"It does this because fear is its source of nourishment."
"In that respect, it's quite similar to Dementors."
"The difference is that Dementors feed upon happiness instead."
"That is why Boggarts are classified as Dark creatures."
In Lewis's own opinion, however, Boggarts were even more fascinating than that.
Strictly speaking, a Boggart's transformations weren't true Transfiguration.
They were illusions.
Everything it created was fundamentally false.
Yet paradoxically…
Those illusions still possessed a degree of reality.
For example…
A Boggart transformed into a full moon could genuinely trigger a werewolf's transformation.
A Boggart disguised as a Dementor couldn't truly consume happiness…
But it could evoke fear almost as effectively as the real thing.
It perfectly embodied the idea that something false could become real through perception.
Lupin nodded appreciatively.
"An excellent answer."
"As expected of Ravenclaw's representative."
"Mr. Grimm's knowledge is truly exceptional."
"He even mentioned several cutting-edge theories regarding Boggarts."
"Everyone should learn from him."
"Ten points to Ravenclaw."
The Ravenclaws weren't remotely surprised anymore.
Lewis always included advanced material whenever he answered questions.
They'd long grown accustomed to it.
Even so, smiles spread across the House.
They were beginning to genuinely like Hogwarts' poorest professor.
At least Lupin wasn't stingy with House points.
Nor did he play favorites.
"So," Lupin continued.
"The Boggart inside this dark wardrobe has no fixed form."
"It doesn't yet know what anyone outside fears."
"No one knows what a Boggart truly looks like when it's alone."
"But the moment I release it…"
"It will instantly become whatever each of us fears most."
Even the Slytherins listened attentively.
Nobody wanted to embarrass themselves in front of the class.
"Which means," Lupin continued,
"we possess one enormous advantage over a Boggart."
"Can anyone tell me what that advantage is?"
This time Lewis deliberately remained silent.
Instead…
The other Ravenclaws eagerly began raising their hands.
Lupin blinked in surprise.
"It seems Ravenclaw has changed considerably since I graduated."
"You've learned to take the initiative…"
"Rather than simply observing everything from afar like Ravenclaws did in my day."
He smiled warmly.
"That's a wonderful change."
Everyone present knew exactly why.
Lewis had changed the culture of Ravenclaw House.
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