A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 151: Course Selection

"Please come in," Felix Harp said.

The two sat across from each other on the sofa, plates of assorted treats and two cups of pumpkin juice floated onto the small table.

"Oh, thank you," Hermione said. "Professor Harp, I haven't properly thanked you for the beautiful Easter eggs you sent."

She didn't have many friends, and her Easter chocolate eggs were usually limited to her parents, roommates, Harry, and Ron.

"It's nothing, I'm glad you liked them," Felix replied courteously. He had ordered a batch from a candy shop and had given them to close acquaintances like Hogwarts professors, students, and pen pals he was closely connected with.

In his view, it was a matter of social courtesy.

Aside from attaching handwritten cards, he hadn't put much thought into it—after all, one couldn't expect cafeteria staff to be skilled in making Easter eggs.

"Miss Granger, do you have any questions about your third-year course selection? And shouldn't you be consulting Professor McGonagall about this?"

"I'll be talking to Professor McGonagall tomorrow," Hermione nodded, took a deep breath, and continued, "In fact, I've checked off all the courses, even though some people say there might be scheduling conflicts. But from what I know, Percy, Ron's brother, he took all the courses in his third year..."

"Percy Weasley?" Felix blinked. "He did excel in Ancient Runes."

"I don't want to give up on any subject. What I mean is—" she said slowly, "since someone can do it, why can't I?"

Felix understood her mindset. "So, you want to know the secrets behind it from me?"

"Yes, Professor, if you're willing to reveal."

"Hmm, it's a semi-public secret among professors, but they do their best not to share it with other students and go to great lengths to conceal it... Of course, some bright individuals can surely pick up on the anomalies."

"Are you one of them, too? Or perhaps you're a firsthand witness to this secret, like Percy?" Hermione's breath slowed as she looked at Felix with hopeful eyes.

"Unfortunately, I also learned about it later. During my school days, I didn't choose Muggle Studies and Arithmancy, which led me to miss out on a valuable opportunity," he said with a somewhat melancholic expression.

"You didn't take Muggle Studies?" Hermione looked at Felix in disbelief.

"Yes, at the time I thought that class was a waste of time. No one could have foreseen that I would later become an expert in Muggle-related issues."

Hermione thought to herself that she couldn't comprehend it either; it was truly absurd. However, considering Professor Harp's Muggle background, it wasn't entirely unfamiliar.

"So, this secret is—"

"Using a Time-Turner, which allows you to go back a few hours."

"Go back in time?" Hermione stared at him in shock. "But, Professor, that's impossible!"

"Otherwise, why would students choose two conflicting classes?" Felix retorted.

Hermione was left speechless.

She heard Professor Harp continue, "I haven't studied the intricate details of this magical creation, so I don't know its exact mechanics. But from publicly available information, the Ministry of Magic strictly regulates the use of Time-Turners, enacting hundreds of laws and imposing the severest penalties for misuse."

"But then why would students—"

"Strict guarantees and scrutiny are needed, Miss Granger. In places unseen by you, successive Hogwarts headmasters—currently Dumbledore—act as guarantors, while Professor McGonagall must write various letters attesting that the user is an exemplary student, ensuring it won't be used for purposes outside of learning."

Hermione suddenly thought of a nickname for Percy—Exemplary Percy.

"So, if you were to apply, Professor McGonagall shouldn't refuse," Felix Harp reassured her.

If his assistant obtained a Time-Turner, perhaps he'd have a chance to conduct research? However, Felix cautiously approached this sudden idea, as he mostly saw dangerous cases of Time-Turner misuse in the scarce information available.

Using a Time-Turner wasn't dangerous; the danger lay in arrogantly manipulating time.

Hermione left with contentment.

As she left, Professor Harp warned her, "Don't reveal the existence of the Time-Turner to anyone. It would greatly trouble Professor McGonagall and pose a significant threat to the user."

...

Other second-year wizards were also worrying about course selection, as it would directly impact their futures—after this course selection, the subjects for OWLs and NEWTs exams would be essentially determined.

Each young wizard had their own methods—

Students from wizarding families would discuss this matter in detail with their families, but sometimes, this could have a reverse effect. For example, Neville's relatives had all written him conflicting advice, leaving him bewildered and unsure.

"Do you think that Arithmancy sounds harder than Ancient Runes?" When Hermione returned, she saw Neville asking Harry for his opinion in the common room.

"Um... maybe?" Harry mumbled, looking at a course selection form and course materials.

Ron patted Neville's shoulder. "Mate, obviously you should choose Ancient Runes!"

Neville hesitated. "My memory isn't great, and Professor Snape said—"

"Oh, don't listen to him. He doesn't have a kind word to say about anyone," Ron whispered mysteriously. "Let me tell you a secret—Professor Harp is the strongest among all the teachers. Once you become his student, Snape won't dare to bully you anymore."

"But... Professor Harp was Snape's student too~"

Ron was left speechless and stammered, "Maybe they don't get along, you know?" He saw Hermione entering and immediately sought her support. "Hermione, you must know, right?"

"I haven't seen any evidence that the two professors don't get along!"

Ron sulked as he sat back down.

Harry looked up and asked Hermione, "Did you get any advice from Professor Harp?"

"I didn't inquire about course details, just resolved a question..." She thought of Felix's warning to her and brushed over the topic vaguely.

Percy was more than willing to offer advice to younger students. He was surrounded by a group of them, their voices carrying to Harry and the others. "This is related to your future plans. If you enjoy outdoor activities, feel free to choose Care of Magical Creatures; if you're into calculations and puzzles, you can go for Arithmancy; I personally highly recommend Ancient Runes. Professor Harp has given this course an entirely new significance."

The young wizards left thoughtfully, envying the magical puppets that dotted the school grounds.

"...Some might tell you that Muggle Studies is foolish, but personally, I believe wizards should have a comprehensive understanding of the non-magical world, especially since you can't guarantee whether you'll be involved in work closely related to Muggles. Just a side note, Professor Harp is an expert in this field too!"

"As for Divination, I also recommend you choose it. The reasoning is quite simple. If you have the gift of prophecy, this course will change your life; even if you don't, Divination is one of the easiest subjects to pass."

The young wizards left, pondering their choices.

Harry also had something to consider—what would he do in the future?

If he considered what he was best at, undoubtedly it was Quidditch. But he wasn't sure if he would become a professional Quidditch player.

In the end, after discussing with Ron, he chose a few of the same new courses—Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, and Ancient Runes.

He felt that if these courses were challenging, at least he had someone friendly who would help him.

Dean, who had also grown up in the Muggle world, said to the two, "Except for Ancient Runes, I picked everything blindly."

Due to various influences from Felix, other students leaned towards placing Ancient Runes as their top choice.

At the beginning of the new school year, enormous surprises awaited them.

And Felix knew nothing about it.

The plot of this school year was entering its final countdown. The author was preparing to wrap things up, encountering a bit of writer's block.

Wishing all the students success in their exams, not wasting their youthful prime. Keep it up!

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