The days of hanging out at Hogwarts

Harry raised his head very high and stared straight at the envelope, but he couldn't help but glance to the side with his peripheral vision, and his ears perked up to try to listen to the teaching content next to him. His mind was no longer on the envelope.

It's so surprising that the idiot Professor Lockhart actually knows how to teach, and the contents of the Oblivion Curse are taught in a decent way. The Ilfracombe Incident, the strange experiences of the memory canceller of the Ministry of Magic, if it were in a serious classroom, Professor McGonagall would have been praised as lively and interesting.

Originally firmly believing that Lockhart was a liar, Harry now felt a little shaken in his heart.

Loren listened very carefully, and these theoretical contents brought him great gains.

He had spent a lot of time during the summer working on memory magic - Legilimency and Occlumency. Practicing two kinds of magic gave him a preliminary understanding of the brain and soul. Lockhart's views on the surface memory of the brain and the deep memory of the soul opened up a new perspective for him, and many of his usual doubts were answered in new ways.

He had a hunch that after learning the Forgetting Curse, the other two memory spells would make great progress.

Lockhart spoke with excitement, twirling the wand in his hand around his finger: "Remember, the Oblivion Curse is not unbreakable. Torture and time that go deep into the soul may make the Oblivion Curse ineffective. Some extreme spells In one case, someone was able to break through the Forgetting Curse with a strong will. Of course, such cases are very rare..."

The talk lasted until late, and tonight was all theory, with no demonstrations or exercises.

Loren and Harry left the office together. The door closed, and Harry put away his dazed expression while copying the envelope and came back to his senses.

"I must have copied thousands of envelopes," Harry said wistfully.

"At least he didn't show off the contents of the letter, right?" Loren was in a happy mood.

Harry thought about the fan letters and what Lockhart might write in reply, and nodded happily.

After turning a corner and stepping up the stairs, Harry said: "I didn't expect that he taught the Forgetting Curse in a decent way. By the way, do you really want to be a memory canceller?"

"Of course, no one in the school knows that this is Loren's dream career." Loren's voice was decisive.

Then Harry understood and nodded: "Oh, it's false."

Suddenly, a strange voice whose direction the source could not be heard sounded: "Come... let me... tear you apart... kill you..."

Harry, who was about to continue teasing, jumped suddenly, stopped, closed his mouth and acted like he was listening. But nothing was heard, and the sound just now did not appear again.

After a moment, Harry turned his head and looked at Loren in confusion: "That sound! Did you hear any strange sounds?"

Seeing Harry's nervous expression, Loren pretended to be confused and shook his head: "What is the sound? Aren't you the one who has been talking?"

Harry's brows knitted together: "That - that voice said - didn't you hear it?"

Although he already knew that he could speak Parseltongue, he did not connect the strange sounds he heard with Parseltongue, thinking it was some Easter egg hidden in Hogwarts Castle.

This thousand-year-old castle is like this. When some young wizards go out at night, they have heard the screams of people being tortured and the screams of wailing banshees.

Loren said: "Maybe you copied too many envelopes and got a little sleepy."

He probably guessed that Voldemort should have gone to the Chamber of Secrets during the weekend and awakened the basilisk. This is a plan that Dumbledore has already arranged. The basilisk's deadly gaze has been safely dealt with, so there is no need to worry about the safety of the students.

The stage has been set up, and the show is about to begin just waiting for the protagonist Harry to appear...

Entering late September, it is already the fourth week of school. Whether it is the new teaching in the second grade, the fourth grade, or the normal teaching content in other grades, it is on the right track.

The little wizards finally got rid of the holiday fatigue and devoted themselves to campus life. The shore of the Black Lake was crowded with little wizards practicing magic spells. The light of magic spells and the waves caused by squid tentacles came and went.

In this atmosphere, Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration Club was opened.

There was no announcement posted on the bulletin board in the common room, but Professor McGonagall suddenly announced during class:

"The Transfiguration Club is provided for young wizards who are capable of learning and are interested in continuing to study and explore Transfiguration. If you want to join the Transfiguration Club, you must pass the exam. The test papers for each grade are different. Get an E or above in the exam Only students can join.”

She patted the pile of parchment papers on the lecture table and made a dull sound: "Now, students who have no intention of joining the club can leave get out of class early and go to the auditorium for dinner."

Seamus and Dean looked at each other, and Dean asked quietly: "Do you want to join the Transfiguration Club?"

Seamus shook his head. He was not good at transfiguration. He was not a young wizard with enough ability to learn, and he had no intention of exploring in depth in the field of transfiguration.

But they are still young and do not have enough confidence in making such seemingly important choices, and are somewhat hesitant about leaving. Other little wizards are in a similar situation. They want to give up but are afraid of any bad effects.

Seeing this, Professor McGonagall emphasized: "Clubs are just places for extracurricular activities. There is no need to force yourself to join every club. You can even not join any club. It will not affect your grades and exams. And new students are recruited every school year. Regarding the selection exam, students who are hesitant can observe the activities of the club for one year and then take the exam next year.”

Seamus and Dean were relieved, stood up and walked out of the classroom. With the leader in charge, other little wizards followed and left one after another, leaving the classroom mostly empty.

Loren and Hermione had received an invitation from Professor McGonagall in advance, and if nothing else happened, they were the default candidates to be the leader of the junior section of the club. Naturally, they did not leave and were sitting upright in their seats.

Harry and Ron looked at each other and stayed. Surprisingly, Neville also stayed.

Facing his friend's surprised look, Neville scratched his head and said hesitantly: "Professor McGonagall didn't say what would happen if you fail the exam. There will be no loss anyway. I want to give it a try."

"Neville, you are no worse than anyone else, you will definitely pass the exam." Hermione encouraged.

Neville smiled shyly. During the holidays, grandma said that he was becoming a bit of a man.

The test paper content is divided into two parts. The first half is a simple fill-in-the-blank question. The content is mainly the original text in the textbook, key points of transfiguration spells, precautions for transfiguration steps, etc. There is no difficulty at all.

There is only one essay question in the second half: talk about your understanding of Gamp's basic deformation law and analyze the five exceptions?

The little wizard who turned the page and read the question was confused, what is it?

This is the first time the young wizards have seen this kind of essay question without a standard answer. Their previous learning method was to memorize the basic rules of transformation and the five major exceptions, and then they would be considered masters.

Now a question suddenly appears. It does not ask you about the content of the basic deformation laws, nor does it ask you what the five exceptions are, but it asks about your understanding and opinions. Most students don't even remember what the five exceptions are. They only learn Gamp's basic rules.

The little wizards are divided into three categories. One type was staring at the question in a daze, trying to figure out what the question was about; the other type was scratching its head and gnawing at the end of the pen, and the quill was gnawed bald but could not figure out how to answer the question; the last type was Hermione and Loren, they Writing to answer questions.

Hermione didn't know the answer, so she first stated the basic law of transformation, and many thoughts came up during the presentation. So she recorded these thoughts and wrote them on the test paper.

Loren, on the other hand, wrote whatever came to his mind, eloquently and eloquently. He wrote down his thoughts on Gamp's basic deformation laws at will, and just filled it in, without expecting to score points.

Listening to the sound of the two pens scratching the parchment, the little wizards gradually became anxious. Several little Gryffindor wizards were squirming in their seats, feeling uncomfortable. They once again experienced the torture that Loren had given them during last year's final exam. This feeling of not being able to write anything while others filled it all was too torturous.

Is this a top student? The little wizards were trembling.

When the exam was over, Professor McGonagall put away the papers, said a few words and left.

Marking of test papers takes time, and the list of selected students will be posted on the bulletin board in the lounge, but formal club activities will not start until October.

Following the Transfiguration Club was Professor Snape's Potions Club.

Different from the public activities of the Charms Club and the recruitment and selection of the Transfiguration Club, the recruitment method of the Potions Club is straightforward - Snape directly sent an invitation letter to the young wizard.

Wednesday, noon, auditorium.

Loren stacked several pieces of steak together, poured them with black pepper sauce, and bit into them like a hamburger. Looking at it made him feel happy.

There was a sound of flapping wings, and many more owls than usual passed through the skylight of the auditorium and landed next to their respective destinations.

The little spectacled owl with patterns around its eyes called "coo" twice, put the letter next to Loren, and went to eat cookies. Hermione and Harry also received the same envelope.

The dark green envelope with dark gold lines was really eye-catching. Among the four people sitting together, only Ron did not receive the letter.

Ron raised his head and looked at the skylight. His neck was sore and he didn't even wait for his owl. He asked sourly and curiously: "What kind of letter is this?"

Hermione put down her knife and fork and opened the letter, briefly reading the contents: "The sender is Professor Snape, inviting us to join the Potions Club."

"Really?" Ron muttered. Although he was not interested in the Potions Club, he was the only one among the few who had not received the letter, and he still felt sour.

"I understand that you and Loren received the invitation," Ron turned to look at Harry, "Why can you also receive the invitation, and the old bat still wants to continue to torture you?"

Harry, who was a little complacent at first, suddenly felt that the lunch steak was no longer tasty. Thinking about it, it seemed that this was really possible. He hesitated: "Then I refuse the invitation?"

"How dare you refuse Snape's invitation?!" Seamus came over and looked at him in shock, "Then can you still eat with peace of mind in the future?"

One sentence knocked Harry's courage back, and Ron suddenly felt relieved after hearing this sentence. The sourness in his heart disappeared, and instead he felt a little happy.

Loren was surprised when Harry received an invitation from Snape, but after thinking about it carefully, it didn't seem surprising.

None of the first-year freshmen received invitations.

There are several other young wizards who received invitations in the second grade, including Rolf Scamander from Hufflepuff, Michael Corner from Ravenclaw, and Draco Malfoy from Slytherin.

The higher the grade, the more young wizards will receive invitations. The Potion Club is a niche club, but its members can form a class together.

The little wizards in the auditorium were discussing this matter enthusiastically.

Guest of honor seat.

Professor Flitwick was whispering to Professor McGonagall: "The Transfiguration Club should recruit more people than the Potions Club, right?"

Professor McGonagall nodded: "The first half of the test paper is all basic questions, and there are no standard answers to the subjective questions at the end. It is mainly to test whether they have their own thinking about transfiguration. Students who pass the basic test and have the ability to think independently can be selected."

"Have you thought about the club activities?"

Professor McGonagall paused: "I plan to open an Animagus guidance class."

“What a great idea!”

Professor Flitwick blew his beard and exclaimed: "There are only seven registered Animagus in the British Ministry of Magic. If your instructional class is successful, Minerva McGonagall's name will be resounding throughout the magical world!"

"Haha, what's the matter..." Professor McGonagall said modestly, but the smile on her lips could not go away.

"If this initiative is successful, it will prove that club activities are enough to supplement the deleted class hours, and there will be a lot less resistance when implemented."

"Yes, I hope it succeeds..."

Seeing Potter below having trouble with his invitation and actually hesitating, Snape looked gloomy and asked Harry to deal with the slugs while planning club activities.

Dumbledore looked at the dark green gilded invitations in the hands of the young wizards, and asked slowly: "Have the arrangements been made?"

"Well," Snape responded, "let the juniors be responsible for processing the raw materials, and the seniors be responsible for brewing. We can use the Malfoy family's channels to buy these low-end potions to Africa."

Finance is the missing link for Hogwarts to become completely independent. The plan has been set since Lucius Malfoy sent the raw materials.

This batch of low-end potions and finished potions are sold, raw materials of all levels in Africa are harvested, and then returned to the school to prepare potions of all levels. Some are sold to Africa in exchange for raw materials, and some are used as the financial backbone of the school.

With the school's own property, there are no restrictions on many things. The Ministry of Magic can't control Hogwarts, and the School Board can't control Hogwarts either.

Seeing that Dumbledore was hesitant, Snape added: "It is not unfair to help the school take the first step towards financial independence, gain advanced potion knowledge, and accumulate experience as a potion master. Many students want to work in the field after graduation. Potion work, these experiences are more precious to them.”

"Who can predict how the future will develop? Try to respect their own wishes." Dumbledore sighed: "And your experiment on reviving the dead, what are the plans?"

"I have my own plans."