Chapter 20: A Different Kind of Slytherin
Tuesday afternoon. The Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom smelled of old leather and dust.
Regulus sat in the third row of the Slytherin section, watching Professor Galatea Merrythought at the lectern — a self-proclaimed former adventurer — demonstrate with sweeping gestures how to identify and avoid Grindylows in a swamp.
"...And remember, children! If you see the water bubbling and hear cackling, back away immediately! Grindylows love nothing more than dragging an isolated wizard underwater!"
Merrythought flourished his wand, conjuring a blurry water-creature shape in the air. He had clearly not prepared a live specimen.
'Tom Riddle,' Regulus mused. 'Voldemort. The Dark Lord. Simply because he was passed over for the Defence Against the Dark Arts professorship, he cursed the position.'
From that point on, no professor lasted longer than a year — each meeting with misfortune, forced resignation, or outright disappearance.
Childish and cruel revenge.
And more absurdly, the curse genuinely seemed to have degraded the teaching quality.
Perhaps the professors subconsciously knew the post was cursed and went through the motions.