Chapter 37: Making a Name for Himself
Chapter 37: Making a Name for Himself
According to the schedule, Slytherin had only one class on the first day: History of Magic, which they took with the Ravenclaw students in the afternoon.
The class was taught by the ghost Professor Cuthbert Bins, and it was held on the second floor.
On the second day, after lunch in the Great Hall on the first floor, Jerry, along with the other young Slytherin wizards, ascended the grand marble staircase to the History of Magic classroom on the second floor.
During lunch, Jerry ran into Hermione, who had been sorted into Gryffindor. Hermione expressed her regret that Jerry wasn't in Gryffindor, but she reassured him that he was still her best friend, no matter what house he was in.
In class, the ghostly Professor Bins, looking extremely aged, droned on about the history of magic in his wheezing, monotonous voice. Most of the Slytherin and Ravenclaw students were already on the verge of falling asleep under the professor's soporific narration.
However, one young wizard was markedly different. He sat in the front row, his back straight, and his eyes bright and alert, seemingly unaffected by the professor's hypnotic voice.
This was Jerry, who intermittently activated his "Brain Booster."
A History of Magic class lasted a couple of hours, and Jerry couldn't keep the "Brain Booster" active the entire time; it was too much of a strain on his brain. So, when the professor covered content that was already in the textbook, he would turn it off. But when the professor delved into additional material, he would activate the "Brain Booster" to aid his memory and understanding.
In reality, the History of Magic class wasn't as useless as other young wizards claimed, even though it didn't teach any practical magic or spells. If you paid close attention, you could learn a lot about the secrets of the wizarding world.
Jerry's knowledge of the wizarding world was limited to movies and certain short videos, which provided a very superficial understanding. Professor Bins's History of Magic class, however, offered a more detailed and realistic view of the entire wizarding world.
This knowledge would be extremely helpful for his future studies in magic. Just as learning the language, writing, and unique cultural knowledge of a completely unfamiliar country would be very challenging, understanding the history of that country would significantly reduce the difficulty.
Perhaps this was why all the young wizards thought History of Magic was the least useful course, yet it was a part of their curriculum at Hogwarts every year.
"Alright, that's all for today's lesson. Now, let's have a question-and-answer session. Who can tell me about Emmerick the Evil?"
As the class was about to end, Professor Bins, as usual, initiated the question-and-answer session. He generally didn't expect much from this part, as most of the young wizards were just waking up, and few knew the answers.
However, he didn't mind, as his classes had always been like this.
Sure enough, the groggy young wizards looked at each other when they heard Professor Bins's question.
Just as Professor Bins was about to dismiss the class, Jerry in the front row raised his hand.
"What's your name?"
"Jerry Carmen!"
Jerry stood up and replied.
"Then you can answer the question!"
A look of surprise appeared on Professor Bins's aged face.
Jerry cleared his throat, drawing the attention of all the young wizards, and began to speak:
"Emmerick the Evil was a short-lived but extremely powerful wizard. He became the master of the Elder Wand and terrorized southern England during the early Middle Ages. He was defeated in a duel with Egbert the Evil by a spell called 'Slaughter.' He once..."
You see, the Elder Wand was actually mentioned by Professor Binns in the first-year History of Magic class.
"Very good, three points to Slytherin!"
Professor Binns was surprised that a student could recite his lecture word for word, which was a rare occurrence.
"Mr. Carmen, can you tell me about Ulick the Oddball?"
"Ulick the Oddball was a medieval wizard famous for his eccentric behavior, such as wearing a jellyfish as a hat and sleeping in a room with over fifty pet Augureys. He is considered one of the quirkiest wizards in history and often becomes the punchline in wizarding jokes."
Jerry repeated the content he had noted down during the class, word for word.
"Jerry, you are one of the best students I've seen in terms of memory. Another three points to Slytherin!"
As Professor Binns finished speaking, the Slytherin first-years, who had been somewhat unclear about the situation, immediately clapped happily. The importance of house points had been clearly explained by Professor Mcgonagall the day they entered Hogwarts Castle. Winning the House Cup through house points was the highest honor for Hogwarts students.
So the proud Slytherins were naturally thrilled to see Jerry earn six house points for their house in the very first class.
Jerry had already left a strong impression on the first-year Slytherins during the opening banquet by calmly and elegantly conversing with the terrifying Bloody Baron. Now, their admiration for him grew even more.
Of course, Draco Malfoy was an exception.
Jerry's ability to converse calmly with the Bloody Baron demonstrated his courage, and his success in earning six house points in History of Magic showcased his intelligence. Despite their pride, Slytherins appreciate excellence, especially when it comes to pure bloodlines, which Jerry clearly had.
After the History of Magic class, Jerry noticed that the proud young Slytherins began to engage with him more actively. A blonde witch named Daphne Greengrass was particularly enthusiastic.
The next morning, the first class was Defense Against the Dark Arts, taught by Professor Quirrell, who was wrapped like a mummy and reeked of garlic. He also spoke with a stutter.
However, Jerry did not underestimate Professor Quirrell. He knew that this Ravenclaw-born professor was far from weak, as he had managed to bypass Gringotts' defenses and steal the Philosopher's Stone. Moreover, Voldemort, the ultimate villain of the wizarding world, was hiding in the back of his head.
Setting aside the professor's deliberate act of timidness, his lectures, when listened to carefully, were not entirely without value. At the very least, by the end of the class, Jerry had gained a deeper understanding of the spells in the textbook.
(End of Chapter)
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