Chapter 415: A Bad Joke
Chapter 415: A Bad Joke
Upon seeing Kyle, Hermione forced a smile, her eyes heavy with dark circles and a face on the verge of tears.
Kyle approached and sat across from her. "Hello, Kyle," Hermione said, her voice hoarse.
Kyle glanced at the books on her desk, 'Why Muggles Need Electricity,' along with some on Arithmancy Divination and Ancient Runes.
"So, you chose to use the Time Turner, didn't you?" Kyle asked softly.
Hermione paused, her hand on the book. "Yes," she nodded. "I couldn't give up any subject. I couldn't do it..."
"But you don't look well," Kyle said. "Are you sure you can make it to the end of the year?"
Hermione looked as exhausted as Lupin had on the train, as if she might faint at any moment.
Kyle had no doubt that she would fall asleep during the exams in a few months.
"I don't know," Hermione said, tugging at her hair in distress.
Her voice was loud, drawing some displeasure from others, but fortunately, Madam Pince was too far away to hear.
"Can you tell me how you managed before?" Hermione asked. "You took all the classes and got high scores, even full marks..."
"I always thought it wouldn't be difficult if I had a Time Turner, but I realized it wasn't like that after I used it."
Hermione tugged at her hair again, "The more I use the Time Turner, the more I find my memory slipping, and it's hard to concentrate in class.
If this continues, I'll get a lot of E's in my exams. I can't even imagine how disappointed Professor McGonagall would be if I don't get all O's."
Hermione became increasingly distressed, eventually breaking down in tears.
She hadn't talked to anyone in a while, especially after Christmas, when she told Professor McGonagall about the Firebolt, causing Gryffindor to lose to Slytherin in Quidditch.
Almost overnight, she became the most unpopular person, even Harry and Ron stopped talking to her.
But Hermione didn't mind; at that time, the heavy workload was already overwhelming her, leaving no time to worry about such trivial matters.
It wasn't until recently, after they won against Hufflepuff, that things started to improve.
However, the problem was that Ron and Harry couldn't really help; they only made things worse, and it was better when they weren't talking before.
At least then, she wouldn't get angry about things unrelated to schoolwork... like Harry sneaking off to Hogsmeade and getting caught by Professor Snape.
Hermione couldn't understand why, even Harry himself, everyone knew Sirius Black was after him, but why did he have to go to Hogsmeade?
Was it interesting to put himself in danger?
Kyle, sitting across from her, didn't know she had thought so much; he assumed she was suffering from the torment of the Time Turner.
This was normal; Percy had been the same initially. Due to using the Time Turner, he was a bit hysterical throughout the year and couldn't wait to return it during the holidays.
According to Diana, the Time Turner could take your body back several hours, but not your mind.
And human energy is limited; using it frequently leads to eventual breakdown.
Kyle tapped the table with his fingers, "Can I ask if you're using the Time Turner every day?"
"Every day," Hermione nodded.
"How much time?"
"Before Christmas, about two to three hours, now it's six hours," Hermione said.
Six hours?
Kyle shook his head.
This meant Hermione had to stay awake for at least 22 hours a day, and this had been going on for nearly three months, no wonder she had such heavy dark circles under her eyes.
"My suggestion remains the same—drop two classes, Divination and Muggle Studies."
"Those two classes are useless to you and a complete waste of time," Kyle said.
This time, Hermione didn't argue.
She had been skeptical before, but now she realized that Kyle was right.
"Also, try not to use the Time Turner outside of class as much as possible," Kyle continued. "I assume your class schedule doesn't repeat every day."
"Three times a week," Hermione replied.
"What do you do during the other times? Study or do homework?"
"No," Hermione shook her head. "Most of the time, I'm studying Ancient Runes. It's an interesting subject, but it's too difficult. One class per week is not enough."
As she spoke, Hermione suddenly looked up. "I heard from Professor Babbling that you got full marks on your Ancient Runes exam last year, and the last student to achieve that was fifty years ago.
So, without using the Time Turner, you completely understood the professor's lecture?"
Hermione had wanted to ask this question for a long time. She spent several hours on Ancient Runes every day, yet she couldn't compare to Kyle's progress with just one class per week... She couldn't help but feel a little discouraged.
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"Well, our situations are a bit different," Kyle said vaguely. "During the holidays, I met a very enthusiastic person who has been teaching me Ancient Runes. It's like having a private tutor, and I studied with him for the entire holiday. It's normal that my grades improved."
"A private tutor?" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes widening with envy.
"Is it Professor Babbling?"
Kyle shook his head. "No, it's another professor. He originally wanted to apply for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, but Headmaster Dumbledore didn't agree."
"Oh, why didn't he choose to teach Ancient Runes!" Hermione said with frustration.
She looked at Kyle and asked hopefully, "Is that person still teaching you? Can you recommend him to Hogwarts?"
"If we had another professor, maybe this class could be held more frequently."
"Unfortunately, he left last year, and I can't find him," Kyle said.
Hermione was a bit disappointed. She genuinely wanted to attend more Ancient Runes classes.
"Let me give you a suggestion," Kyle said, looking at her. "Forget everything from the first Ancient Runes class. It's of no use to you now. Just follow the order in the book.
After that, you'll realize that this subject isn't as difficult as you imagined..."
"Forget?" Hermione was puzzled. "But the combination formulas of the runes are important. I read in the book that they are the most crucial part."
Rune combinations?
If Kyle remembered correctly, that should be the last chapter in Advanced Runes.
In other words, this content wouldn't be taught until the end of their sixth year.
Professor Babbling's quirky sense of humor hadn't changed at all.
"Forget it," Kyle said. "Before you master the arrangement and writing of Runes, no matter how much time you spend, you won't be able to understand those runes.
"It's like Transfiguration. You first learn to turn a matchstick into a needle, not a teacup into a rabbit."
"But," Hermione blinked, "if that's the case, why did Professor Babbling teach us about rune combinations in the first class..."
"That's her quirky sense of humor," Kyle laughed. "Think carefully. Did she mention anything related to runes in the subsequent classes?"
Hermione lowered her head and pondered for a moment.
With Kyle's reminder, she realized that Professor Babbling hadn't mentioned runes again after that, and the content became much simpler.
Hermione slapped the table and exclaimed, "Does that mean I've been wasting my time all this time?"
...
(End of Chapter)
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