It was yet another gloomy and cold morning as the rain pelted down on the castle.

The temperature
of the dungeon had chilled considerably and many of the students shivered quietly. Upon entering
the designated classroom, the presence of a tiny female near the chalkboard bewildered them. “Are
you sure this is the right classroom?” a student whispered to a friend of his. The whispering picked
up until a dark-haired boy decided to address the stranger. “Who are you?” he asked curtly. The
stranger turned her head to the side a little and paused before going back to scribbling on the
chalkboard again.

“HELLO!?!” the same student said loudly. Finally, he managed to incite a reaction from the stranger
up front. She turned around slowly and noticed the mass of students crowding the entrance, many
with curious expressions painted on their little faces. With a wave of her hand, she welcomed the
students in and flicked her wand at the other empty chalkboard. More writings appeared on the
chalkboard as the students took their respective seats.

[i]Hello and welcome to today’s Defense Against The Dark Arts lesson!

Due to Professor Nuel's outburst last week, the staff have decided to send her for a medical
examination, thus her teaching assistant will be filling in for her until she returns. I am that said
person and you may call me Professor T.

Please skim through Page 147 and we will begin the lesson shortly.[/i]

The sound of students flipping through their textbooks and muttering among themselves permeated
the small room. Professor T moved to stand behind her desk before waving her wand at the
chalkboard again.

[i]Chimera

[img]http://thanasis.com/modern/chimaera.jpg[/img]

The chimera is a ferocious, bloodthirsty creature with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a
dragon's tail. It originated from Greece and was said to be the daughter of Typhon and
Echidna. The chimera is also related to the Neamean Lion and the Lernean Hydra.

What is the Ministry of Magic classification of this beast?[/i]

The students silently wondered why the professor didn’t just say all that out loud but no one
mentioned it aloud. Several hands shot up into the air and Professor T nodded her head at a student
sitting in the left corner. “XXXXX. It is a known wizard killer and impossible to train or domesticate.”
she recited softly.

[i]Speak up, girl! I can’t hear you.[/i]

The girl repeated herself again, louder than before.

[i]That’s correct! Five points to Hufflepuff.

 The Chimera is a fire-breathing creature and it is said that even lead cannot withstand the
heat of its’ breath. It is almost impossible to kill. There is only one recorded incident of this
creature being killed by the wizard (who then died after falling off his winged horse). There
may be other similar incidents out there but none have been discovered and proven thus far.

Chimera eggs are classified as ...?[/i]

A number of the students scanned through their textbooks for answers before putting their hands
up. Professor T pointed at a bored Slytherin student sitting in the last row who hadn’t bothered to
participate. “Class A something, whatever.” he answered nonchalantly. Her friend groaned, knowing
that Slytherin was definitely going to lose some points.

[i]Five points FROM Slytherin for incompetence and insolence!

Now, they are, like Dragon Eggs, categorized as Class A Non-Tradeable Goods. However, certain
unscrupulous wizards break the law by selling them on the black market.

Does anyone have questions before class is dismissed?

A tentative hand slowly rose up before the student asked loud and clear, “Is it true that "Dangerous"
Dai Llewellyn was eaten by a Chimera?”

Dai Llewellyn, a very famous Quidditch player for the Caerphilly Catapults, was indeed killed by a
Chimera while holidaying in Mykonos, Greece. Details of his death were not publicized but it was
suspected that he was eaten.

Now, I almost forgot to mention this but a wizard or witch can defend themselves from the Chimera
using a shield charm. A simple ‘Protego’ charm will deflect the fiery breath of this dreaded creature,
giving one a little bit more time to run away safely.

Alright, remember to jot down the questions on the chalkboard before you leave. [/i]

Majority of the students packed up hastily and rushed out of the class. A few lingered behind at the
entrance, gossiping about the weird behaviour of their professor of the day.

One of them broke off from the gossipmongers to ask Professor T why she hadn’t said a word in
class. Strangely, Professor T was already gone. She couldn’t have left through the door since they
were blocking it. It was like she just vanished. This fuelled the gossip even more and news of the
unusual professor spread like wildfire for the next few days.