Chapter 236: The Only Choice
Professor Flitwick waved his wand, and a stack of white parchment sheets scattered into the air, drifting toward each student. Wade reached out and caught the one that landed in front of him. On it was a list of elective courses, class times and locations, along with simple descriptions. At the bottom, there was a section detailing which courses were required for various professions.
The classroom buzzed with quiet chatter.
“Don’t panic, children,” Professor Flitwick said, waving his arms reassuringly. “Any hasty decision is likely to be wrong. Take your time, think carefully. And—happy holiday.”
…
“In that case,” Wade muttered, “my holiday’s definitely not going to be happy.”
Inside the Umbrella Room, Theo sat with a grimace. “Everyone in my family’s been writing me letters, all giving me advice on which electives to take.”
“Same here,” Neville said nervously. “They’re all giving different opinions. I don’t even know who to listen to.”
“Why don’t we collect and organize all their suggestions?” Wade suggested. “Their advice might be helpful, but we don’t have to accept everything. We just need to pick the parts that work best for us.”
“Sure! Yes!” Neville practically threw his stack of letters onto the table, eyes full of hope. To be honest, he trusted Wade more than his own family.
His grandmother had impossibly high expectations—pressuring him to excel beyond any reasonable standard. Meanwhile, his uncles and other relatives were pessimistic, convinced that passing even two O.W.L.-level exams would be a victory.
But Wade looked at Neville’s actual abilities and real needs. He didn’t see a prodigy or a failure—just a student who deserved fair guidance.
Soon, Theo, Michael, Padma, and others brought out their parents’ and elders’ letters, sharing their advice.
Harry, after consulting the group, pulled Ron into the discussion. “I’m worried you’ll pick the wrong course,” he said.
Ron shifted uncomfortably. “To be honest, I just want to drop Potions.”
“Me too,” Harry said, nodding. “But we still have to take all the original subjects. Otherwise… we’d just end up taking a few easy ones.”
Michael sighed. “It’s true. If only we could just take the easy doors.”
Wade pulled out a large whiteboard and began drawing a table:
- Ancient Runes
- Divination
- Arithmancy
- Care of Magical Creatures
- Muggle Studies
Neville held up a letter and read it aloud. “My uncle says Arithmancy is extremely difficult—requires memorizing tons of charts. He says I shouldn’t waste time on it. It’s impossible.”
Wade wrote beneath Arithmancy: [High difficulty. Requires: strong memory retention, strong math ability]
“He also said I shouldn’t take Ancient Runes—too many words and sounds to memorize. If I take it, I’ll probably not even be able to write ‘0’ correctly,” Neville asked, eyes wide. “Is that really true, Wade?”
Wade smiled. “Not quite that extreme. But the symbol for ‘0’ is Demiguise, the same as the Invisibility Beast. The pronunciation… well, it’s a bit tricky.”
He made a strange, guttural sound—nothing like English.
“Also,” Wade added, “many Ancient Runes texts have multiple valid pronunciations depending on context. And the books themselves are written in different directions—sometimes you write from left to right, then switch to right to left, or even upside down. These shifts affect how the meaning is expressed.”
Neville grimaced. “That sounds way too complicated.”
Without hesitation, he crossed both Ancient Runes and Arithmancy off his list.
The others around him nodded silently, all making similar decisions. Only Hermione seemed unaffected.
“Theo,” Wade said, “you have a letter?”
Theo pulled out a yellowed envelope. “Oh—this is from my aunt. She says if I just want to get a certificate, Divination’s the best choice.”
Neville hesitated. “My grandmother says it’s all nonsense. She told me not to take it.”
George, holding Ron’s letter, said, “Well, for someone with real talent, Divination is actually amazing and useful… wow, foreseeing the future.”
“That’s definitely Percy,” Fred snatched the letter and read aloud. “He says… I think you lack the talent… Hahahaha!”
Ron turned red and snatched the letter back. “Percy’s taken all the classes! He knows the situation better than you two!”
“Oh?” Fred raised an eyebrow. “And what useful advice did he give?”
Ron opened his mouth, then froze. He couldn’t answer.
In truth, after analyzing everything, Percy had recommended two courses that were both easy to pass and useful for the future: Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies.
> “Care of Magical Creatures is relatively enjoyable and the exam is quite passable. As for Muggle Studies, I think it should be manageable for you, given your father’s influence.”
Percy’s advice was solid and practical. But after reading it, Ron quietly crossed out Muggle Studies in his mind. He wanted to choose Divination instead.
Because Percy had added:
> “This is a pointless subject. As long as you’re willing to make up wild stories, Professor Trelawney will give you a high mark—she doesn’t care if you actually predict anything. Honestly, I doubt she’s half as good as she claims.”
>
> “I took it just to complete the twelve O.W.L.s required for the honor. But for you, I don’t think that’s necessary.”
Ron’s eyes lit up at the words “just make up wild stories and get a high mark.” That was exactly what he wanted.
But saying it out loud felt like admitting he wasn’t smart.
He hesitated, then finally just described Percy’s advice objectively—without revealing his own desire.
Wade gathered all the letters, added more detailed notes to the board, and by the time the last one was processed, nearly every confused student had a clear idea of what to do.
Wade set down the chalk.
“Even though the advice varies, there’s a pattern,” he said. “Arithmancy and Ancient Runes are both extremely difficult—require massive memorization and strong mental retention. The other three are relatively easier.”
“Care of Magical Creatures is hands-on. Muggle Studies has some memorization, but it’s manageable. Divination is easy to pass—but Professor Trelawney’s reputation isn’t great. You won’t learn much useful knowledge from it.”
He looked around the room. “So… have you decided what you’ll choose?”
“Wade,” Michael asked, “what about you? What are you taking?”
Wade smiled.
“Of course… all of them.”
For him, it was the only choice.
The only one… that could give him a chance at mastering the Time Management Device.
(End of Chapter)
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