[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-transfiguration-master-of-hogwarts":3,"chapter-the-transfiguration-master-of-hogwarts-the-transfiguration-master-of-hogwarts-chapter-31":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Transfiguration Master of Hogwarts",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2320736,4539,"Chapter 31: Defense Against the Dark Arts","the-transfiguration-master-of-hogwarts-chapter-31",31,"\u003Cp>Soon it was time for this week’s Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and Allen decided to ask Professor Quirrell for guidance today, so for the first time ever, he sat in the front row, causing Hermione, who always sat there, to glance at him with a strange look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry and Ron also seemed to sense that Allen’s behavior was unusual today; they were loyal friends and actually followed him by sitting behind him, despite the fact that they usually sat near the back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The class began quickly; Professor Quirrell froze upon entering and seeing Allen and the others in the front row, his expression stiffening, his speech more stammering than usual—though fortunately, the smell of garlic in the classroom was much lighter today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, classroom discipline collapsed once again: students chatted quietly, passed notes openly on their desks, or began snoring loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen heard his two friends whispering about Quidditch behind him, then suddenly fell silent—he turned around to find they had fashioned two “swords” out of parchment and were fencing each other! Soon Harry lost the “duel” from too many hits, clutching his chest in a mock-wounded pose and “struggling” to utter his “last words.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen almost wanted to join in—but he reminded himself he had a mission today, so he forced himself not to dwell on what was happening behind him, focusing instead on Professor Quirrell and trying hard to pay attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon Allen couldn’t take it anymore—he realized Professor Quirrell was even more stammering than usual, yet no one was paying attention to him! Everyone was busy with their own affairs, and Allen couldn’t understand why Quirrell, reading straight from the textbook, could stumble so badly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe he’s got severe social anxiety—he gets like this around crowds,” Allen reasoned inwardly for Quirrell’s sake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Allen had devoted most of his attention to Quirrell today, he noticed the professor kept glancing his way, then quickly looking away—this made Allen’s spirits lift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems my seriousness has caught Professor Quirrell’s attention—I’ve already made an impression on him!” Allen thought with quiet delight, straightening his posture even more...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Allen had a faint feeling that Quirrell wasn’t glancing at him—he was constantly glancing behind him. Yet Allen quickly dismissed the thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Behind me are just two slacking-off idiots—why would Professor Quirrell care about them? He’s definitely watching me. My plan is going to make big progress today!” Allen quickly convinced himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, when Quirrell glanced his way again, Allen decided he should respond to the professor’s attention—he offered Quirrell what he considered his brightest smile and nodded politely...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Quirrell never responded; their eyes never met. Allen felt as if Quirrell was playing hide-and-seek with his gaze—eventually, he sheepishly dropped his smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Professor Quirrell’s social anxiety must be severe—I’ll need to work harder to earn his favor,” Allen thought silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The class passed quickly; the bell rang on time, and despite his halting lecture, Quirrell was swift to leave—he had already gathered his books and teaching tools before the bell even faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen jumped up and hurried after him; his confused friends behind him followed suit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprisingly, Quirrell walked fast—Allen had to jog to catch up—but Quirrell ignored him and walked even faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen had no choice but to call out: “Professor Quirrell—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have a question about Defense Against the Dark Arts I’d like to ask you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quirrell could no longer ignore Allen—he stopped, his eyes darting nervously around Allen’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry and Ron caught up too, panting heavily. If it had been Professor McGonagall or Professor Snape, they’d have been too nervous to approach—but since Quirrell had no real authority, their curiosity drove them forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quirrell stepped back involuntarily, clutching his books tightly to his chest, stammering: “H...h...h...what...what...is...it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve been reviewing the Petrification Charm ahead of time and ran into a few questions,” Allen said quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Petr...ification...Ch...charm...we...we...haven’t...g...gotten there yet...w...wait...till...we...do!” Then he turned and walked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen watched Quirrell leave helplessly, feeling a pang of defeat—and even began doubting his decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron sidled up: “Why are you studying the Petrification Charm? That’s next year’s curriculum!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen hesitated, then decided to reveal a little of what he knew, whispering: “I feel something bad is going to happen at Hogwarts—I want to strengthen myself, get ready.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hogwarts is the safest place in the world—nothing bad could happen!” Ron scoffed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry had a different thought: “Don’t you remember that three-headed dog on the fourth floor? I think Allen’s concern has some merit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop overthinking it. If we ever ran into something that serious, one more charm wouldn’t make a difference,” Ron shrugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he suddenly remembered something, grabbed Allen, and whispered excitedly: “Are you learning the Petrification Charm to deal with Malfoy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen scratched his head, realizing he couldn’t explain it to Ron, and sighed: “No way—Malfoy’s already over with.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ron wouldn’t drop the topic: “Actually, our spells aren’t that strong right now—you’d be better off just punching Malfoy while he’s casting!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harry agreed this tactic was viable—he was quite interested in confronting Malfoy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Allen stared at Quirrell’s retreating figure, at his conspicuous purple turban, his emotions swirling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Quirrell turned his head—their eyes met—and he quickly blinked at Allen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen nearly thought he’d imagined it, ready to confirm—but Quirrell had already vanished lightly around the corridor’s end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Allen gazed in the direction Quirrell had gone, his heart stirring, silently thinking:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll have to pay a visit to Professor Quirrell’s office.”\u003C\u002Fp>",904,"2026-06-20T16:09:23.977Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0e391258d400e19d90d2686dc5e4153800b94e755245fee3643fb52d8dd19910","the-transfiguration-master-of-hogwarts-chapter-32","the-transfiguration-master-of-hogwarts-chapter-30",284,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-transfiguration-master-of-hogwarts-cover.jpg"]