With the arrival of November, the weather became very cold almost overnight.

The mountains surrounding Hogwarts Castle are gray and covered with snow and ice. A thin layer of ice has also begun to form on the surface of the Black Lake. And every morning when they walked out of the Slytherin common room, there was frost on the ground outside the stone gate.

They had to add thick clothes to keep out the cold.

Matthew Wakefield has drastically reduced the number of trips to the library or the Room of Requirement.

When he's not working, he prefers to sit in the fluffy armchairs of the Slytherin common room, reading a book or writing his homework while the fire is lit by the fireplace...... If you don't understand something, you can ask the senior students around you for advice.

As Hermione Granger had previously "predicted", Professor Rozier had once again been "nowhere to be seen" since Halloween...... The official explanation given is that her injuries have not healed.

And the principal of "Gellert Grindelwald", every morning, noon and dinner, will appear on time at the guest of honor in the auditorium.

Perhaps Hermione's previous "guess" was correct, Professor Grindelwald did not have full authority over the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and he could not stay at Hogwarts for long......

And what appears in front of them every day is dressed up by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Rozier.

However, Matthew's "prophecy" was not wrong. Although the headmaster who appeared in front of them every day was most likely fake, the "real murderer" hiding in the dark was still afraid of it, and he did not dare to create a new attack.

Except for the insignificant little "episode" on Halloween Eve, there was peace inside the castle.

......

Professor Rozier "has not recovered from his injuries", so the first-year Defence Against the Dark Arts class is still taught by Professor Troka on an interim basis.

Their level of defense against the Dark Arts also began to improve little by little under Professor Troka's teachings.

It's another Friday afternoon, and it's another Defence Against the Dark Arts class—

"Of all the protective spells, the 'Petrification Charm' is undoubtedly the simplest...... At the same time, it is also one of the few that is suitable for those of you who are new to magic!"

"You know, the younger the wizard, the less likely it is to control the magic in the body...... Blindly exposed to those powerful protective spells, even if you are gifted enough to learn them, there is a great chance of accidents!"

Professor Troka's voice was still hoarse, but his face had been fine lately, at least much better than when he first arrived at Hogwarts.

"At the same time, the Petrification Charm is one of the few spells that doesn't do any damage...... Most of the time, petrification is the most important spell to use when facing plausible 'enemies'...... This prevents them from causing unnecessary damage if they are not enemies. ”

"Professor Rozier should have taught you that the Petrification Charm is a Petrification Charm'......! Keep in mind that it takes a lot of practice to become proficient with any of the protective spells!"

The stress is on the first P and the second T, so note that there is a pause of about half a second between the two words...... Make no mistake!"

Professor Troka's Defence Against the Dark Arts class was undoubtedly more popular than Professor Rozier's. Of course, this is not because of the academic level, but because Professor Troka is much more accommodating than Professor Rozier, and the atmosphere in the classroom is much better.

"The effect of the Petrification Charm allows your target to be bound and unable to move for a certain period of time...... Of course, the target of this spell will still be able to function in the body, so it won't do any damage. ”

"In addition, there is a solution to the Petrification Charm, the spell is 'Finite Incantatem', so when you realize that your Petrification Charm is casting the wrong target, be sure to use the Finite Incantatem as soon as possible!"

"Remember, Incantatem's accent is ...... at the end"

In fact, this was the third lesson after they started learning the petrification spell.

It's just that Professor Troka is still repeating these details over and over again, just like in Transfiguration class, so that they can remember them.

They were also divided into small groups in pairs to conduct actual combat drills.

Matthew's partner is Draco Malfoy.

He raised his wand, aimed it at Matthew, and shouted, "Petrify!"

But at the end of his wand, there was a sudden explosion, and poor Malfoy was hit back by a blow and slammed into a wall behind him.

Malfoy, who fell to the ground, let out a groan of pain.

"Malfoy! there was a half-second pause between the two words! Don't forget that!" Professor Troka scolded as he helped Malfoy to his feet.

Poor Draco Malfoy, who had nearly two months less classes than the other students, was now almost at the tail of the crane in all of his classes.

"Wakefield, you try!" Professor Troka commanded, gesturing at Matthew.

Matthew raised his wand and aimed it at Malfoy:

"It's all petrified!"

A faint red light shot out from the end of Matthew's wand and hit Malfoy's body accurately.

I saw Malfoy's arms clapping to his sides, his legs standing upright, standing straight. His whole body stiffened, and he swayed in place a few times before falling to the ground with a thud, looking as hard as a plank. At the same time, his face, the upper and lower gums were locked together, and he couldn't speak, only his eyes were rolling.

"Well done, Wakefield!" Professor Troka praised:

"Now, unravel Mr. Malfoy's petrification spell!"

Matthew raised his wand again: "Stop!"

I saw another red light.

This time, Malfoy's stiff body quickly recovered in an instant. He quickly got up, gasping for air.

"It's perfect!" Professor Troka also gave Matthew a high rating for his mantra relief.

......

About ten minutes later.

Professor Troka looked at his watch and said, "Okay, this class is over, I hope you will practice well when you go back!"

"It's a terrible feeling to be petrified!" Malfoy whispered as he gathered away his wand.

"Don't be discouraged, you're just close to success. Matthew responded.

"By the way, Wakefield!" Professor Troka called Matthew's name again:

"You stay alone for a while!"

Matthew was stunned.

"I'll see you in the Great Hall!" Malfoy waved, and then walked out of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom with Crabbe and Goyle.