Chapter 391: The First Week
Chapter 391: The First Week
That evening at dinner, the debate from class had already spread like wildfire. It seemed everyone knew what Umbridge had done in class. Naturally, this sparked a lot of controversy, and Liam saw two Ravenclaw students arguing heatedly about the Ministry of Magic's actions in the corridor leading to the Great Hall.
"Can't believe so many people still trust the Ministry of Magic when it's clearly lying", Harry said, forcefully cutting into his steak as if he were hacking at Umbridge.
"Some people are just clueless, others benefit from the chaos, and some rely on the Ministry for their livelihood", Liam shrugged. "So, Harry, don't let it get to you. We just need to unite those who are willing to stand with us and at least keep the neutrals on our side. There's no point wasting energy on those who are never going to support us, and it's not worth getting upset over their attitudes."
"Thanks, Liam. I feel better now. I'll try to stay calm in front of that toad", Harry looked up and thanked Liam.
"Besides, that woman wants us to be her spies", Hermione said. "Remember, she said if we hear anyone say it's not safe outside, we should report it to her."
"Yeah, those Slytherins will be lining up to join that toad's side", Ron said, spearing a piece of mashed potato with his fork. "Things are going to get even worse for everyone."
"Obviously", Liam said, spreading his hands. "She's here to spy on us and to be a thorn in Dumbledore's side for Fudge. It's clear she'll try to rally students who are willing to oppose Dumbledore. Otherwise, why would Fudge send her? I wouldn't be surprised if she starts forming a small group as a test—"
"Please, stop. I just want to eat my dinner in peace", Harry said, not wanting to hear about the complex relationships. "Let's just eat. We have a ton of homework to do after this."
Speaking of homework, it was undeniable that the professors were assigning more this year, especially since it was their O.W.L. year. Liam felt that the amount of homework today was already equivalent to three days' worth.
"How could Dumbledore let this happen?" Hermione suddenly exclaimed, startling Liam. The Alchemy writing quill he was using to write on parchment jerked forward, leaving a long diagonal line.
He looked at Hermione, seeing her angrily tapping the armrest of her chair, causing the stuffing to spill out through a tear. "How could he let that horrible woman teach us, especially in our O.W.L. year?"
"It's a compromise", Liam said, tapping his wand on the parchment to erase the line. "After all, the summer break was a major blow to Fudge. Dumbledore is concerned that if we push things further today, we might completely alienate the Ministry of Magic. We're already tense enough dealing with Voldemort; we don't need to make more enemies."
"But Fudge isn't planning to compromise. The Headmaster seems to have miscalculated", Ron said, sounding annoyed.
"That's because our Headmaster and Minister Fudge both judge others based on themselves", Ginny said, a bit sharply. "Clearly, the Minister's brain is full of Mooncalf dung, and he thinks everyone else's brain is a fertilizer pit."
This remark made the surrounding students laugh. It seemed most people didn't take Fudge's rumors from the holidays seriously.
"However, seriously speaking, our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is a pure consumable. They change every year. We just need to get through this year." Liam looked at the group of students gathering around and said, "Alright, let's get to work. Today's homework is no joke."
Snape's homework was indeed challenging, mainly because Liam needed to pick out from his memory which knowledge the current him should possess. He felt that if he wrote about the use of Moonstone in creating the Rose Madonna Fragment, it would definitely cause trouble.
On the other hand, the History of Magic essay about the Giant wars was easier to write. As someone who already had two crowns, Liam found that he had a significant advantage in comprehensively analyzing a war.
The next day's academic load was equally heavy. In Charms, they reviewed the Accio spell. Professor Flitwick emphasized this, believing it had a high chance of appearing on the exam. Naturally, a pile of homework followed the class.
Only Professor Mcgonagall was kind. After Liam made the snail disappear in one go, she exempted him from the day's homework. However, others didn't feel the same way, as only Hermione, besides Liam, was exempted. The rest still had to practice the spell to prepare for the next afternoon's session with the snails.
In Care of Magical Creatures, Hagrid hadn't returned yet, likely still in Eastern Europe liaising with the Giants. Liam couldn't understand why, after the victory, those creatures were allowed to leave without any consequences. He felt that at least those Giants with human blood on their hands should have been tried and punished, rather than being allowed to roam free and potentially regroup.
Professor Grubbly-Plank's class was fairly standard. Today, she covered the Bowtruckle, a topic in the syllabus. After using Nature Magic, Liam easily calmed the small creature assigned to their group and even got it to pose for them. He and Hermione, along with Neville, took the opportunity to quickly sketch the Bowtruckle.
The last class was Herbology. As expected, Professor Sprout emphasized the importance of O.W.L.s from the start. Liam sincerely hoped the professors would stop mentioning this, especially since every time he heard it, he thought of the mountain of homework. The essay Professor Sprout assigned at the end of the class only made his mood worse.
Friday morning was still gloomy and damp. The Gryffindor Quidditch team tryouts began under these conditions. However, the tryouts started poorly, with the Slytherin Quidditch team and a group of students supporting Umbridge sitting in the stands, jeering at each Gryffindor player.
Despite the hurdles, Ron managed to make the cut. This wasn't because he was the best, but because the other candidates either lacked the skill or couldn't fully commit to being Quidditch players. Only Ron could maintain a decent level of play while fully dedicating himself to the sport, so he naturally made the team.
"Congratulations, Ron." When Ron came off the field, Liam congratulated him. Knowing that Ron's performance was directly tied to his mood, Liam hoped his support would lift his spirits a bit.
In any case, the week's classes finally came to an end. Liam silently hoped this was just the professors' way of establishing authority and that things would improve next week. Although he didn't think that was likely.
(End of Chapter)
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