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Chapter 16: Time Is of the Essence
Chapter 16: Time Is of the Essence
"What?" Michael asked, perplexed.
The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry operated on a seven-year curriculum. However, if a student failed to pass at least one subject in their Ordinary Wizarding Levels (also known as O.W.L.s), they would have to leave the school after their fifth year. Michael couldn't understand why Vede would ask such a common-sense question.
"Seven years," Vede replied, his voice heavy with emotion. "But a year only has fifty-two weeks. Minus the summer and Christmas holidays, we only get to spend about thirty-eight weeks a year at school, which amounts to just two hundred and sixty-six weeks in seven years!"
"Well..." Michael thought about it. "That's true—so what?"
"So... even if I can finish a book in a week, that's still only two hundred and sixty-six books in seven years! But how many books are there in the Hogwarts library? Hundreds of thousands! It's like being let loose in a treasure vault, free to take whatever you want, but you walk out with only a small bag of galleons. Don't you think that's a waste?"
Michael felt that Vede's words made a lot of sense, and he suddenly felt a sense of urgency, a feeling that time was slipping away.
"And think about this," Vede continued, "we only have these seven years... no, two hundred and sixty-six weeks, to be in the safest place in the world, where we can ask questions of the greatest wizards of our time. Our Transfiguration teacher is Professor McGonagall, one of only seven registered Animagi in the past century. Our Charms teacher is Professor Flitwick, a Duelling Champion. Our Potions master is the brilliant Professor Snape... Even though our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher isn't the best, where else will you find such an exceptional learning environment after leaving Hogwarts? When you graduate and come across advanced magic or complicated potions, who else will be so selfless as to guide you and teach you step by step? When you want to learn powerful spells in the future but lack the connections, will it be too late to regret not taking advantage of Hogwarts' library?"
Not just Michael, but the surrounding students who had unknowingly fallen silent, nodded in agreement.
"So, Michael," Vede asked in a low voice, "do you still think that studying only eight books in one-seventh of our time here is enough?"
Michael, who had been completely convinced by Vede's argument, shook his head vigorously. He wanted to say something but stopped short, feeling agitated as he thought about the two weeks he had already "wasted."
He no longer felt like chatting with the girls and instead pulled out the discarded Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration from the corner and began to study.
For a moment, the Ravenclaw common room became quiet, filled only with the sound of turning pages and quills scratching on parchment. Two fifth-year students who had rushed back just before curfew thought that Professor Snape had invaded the Ravenclaw common room, and they dared not even breathe loudly, tiptoeing back to their dormitory.
......
In the Great Hall at dinnertime:
"Something's not right, Fred."
"Yeah, it's really odd, George."
The red-haired twins looked at each other and simultaneously reached out to grab a Ravenclaw student, pinning him to their house table before he could utter a sound.
"What do you two want, Weasley?" the restrained Ravenclaw boy said irritably. "I don't have time for your pranks."
"Hmm? What's going on?" Ron mumbled, looking up from his chicken leg.
"It's got nothing to do with you, little Ronnie!" Fred pushed his younger brother's head back down. The twins held the Ravenclaw boy by the neck, one on each side, and asked, "Davis, what's going on with you Ravenclaws lately?"
"Eating with a book in hand—""Walking with a book in hand—""You can barely spot a few Ravenclaws in the courtyard during lunch breaks—""Even Quidditch training isn't as enthusiastic as before—""You didn't even go on a date on the weekends!"
"Have you always been such a bookworm, mate?"
"Seriously, did Snape slip you a love potion or something?"
"Like, a 'Love of Learning' potion or something."
The thought of associating Professor Snape's face with a love potion, a concoction that exuded a pinkish fragrance, made Roger Davies shudder involuntarily. "Don't be ridiculous. Professor Snape wouldn't use a love potion... I mean, there isn't such a love potion... I mean, we just suddenly realized—life is short, and the time we have for studying is even shorter."
"Huh?" The Weasley twins looked at him, perplexed.
Roger Davies took a deep breath and looked solemnly at the twins. "Fred, George, do you know how long we'll be at Hogwarts?"
Fred silently reached out to feel his forehead.
"I haven't gone mad!" Davies slapped his hand away and spoke earnestly about theories such as "266 weeks", "tens of thousands of books", and "not studying hard is like entering a treasure mountain and leaving empty-handed".
After finishing his speech, Davies headed to the Ravenclaw table with his book for dinner, while the Weasley brothers looked at each other, and even Harry and Ron, who had been focused on their food, unconsciously paused.
A culture of diligent studying began to quietly spread throughout Hogwarts.
Of course, most people's enthusiasm lasted only for a brief moment. For instance, Ron only put in effort to finish his History of Magic essay before he started fiddling with his wizard chess set again. As for the twins, they still spent most of their time playing pranks and experimenting with magical tricks. However, there were also some who were quietly inspired to start working harder.
Michael was one of those who studied intermittently. He was intelligent but not diligent. Sometimes, he would be influenced by Vede and put in effort for a while, but soon enough, something more interesting would capture his attention, such as using magic to make little paper people fight or discussing music or fashion with pretty girls.
Most of the time, the practice room was occupied by Vede, Hermione, Theo, and Ryan.
Sometimes, they would have a visit from Professor Sprout of Herbology, probably out of concern that they might be conducting some dangerous practices. After seeing the setup of the practice room and the group's learning outcomes, she couldn't help but praise them. She awarded five points to each house and expressed that students could seek her guidance during her free time, and she would be delighted to help them with their queries.
Professor Sprout was indeed a very gentle and amiable witch. She almost never treated students differently based on their houses and only showed favoritism towards those with exceptional talent in Herbology. Not long after, Professor Sprout recommended a Gryffindor student to join their study group—Neville Longbottom.
The round-faced boy was honest and hardworking. Although he was very clumsy in his studies and learned spells slower than anyone else, he was diligent and well-behaved, quickly becoming a part of their small group.
One weekend evening, a notice posted on the bulletin board in the common room stirred up excitement among all the first-year students—they would be starting their flying lessons the following week!
(End of Chapter)
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