Chapter 54: Astronomy Class
Chapter 54: Astronomy Class
Astronomy Tower is the tallest tower in Hogwarts, and that's where astronomy classes are held, right at the very top.
This Astronomy Tower is indeed very tall, and those who climb up to the top for class know it all too well.
As they climbed the spiral staircase, they didn't know how many floors they had passed, but everyone felt a strange sense of dizziness, and their breathing became rapid due to the exertion.
"What floor are we on?" Alicia asked between breaths.
"Eighth floor," George replied, pointing to a painting of a drunken knight beside him. He smiled as he introduced it to the group, "Last time Fred and I were here, we saw this guy stumble and fall into the river after getting drunk. He almost drowned."
"How could a character in a painting possibly drown?" Angelina scoffed.
"Who says they can't? Look closely!" Fred playfully winked at the group and cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting at the painting of the drunken knight: "Ah!"
Then, to everyone's amazement, the drunken knight in the painting seemed startled by the shout. He suddenly panicked, started running around, and eventually fell into a river in the neighboring painting.
The drunken knight splashed about in the water a couple of times before sinking. The woman in the neighboring painting quickly called for help, trying to pull him out of the river.
Everyone stared at the scene, their mouths agape in shock.
Soon, they had no choice but to quicken their pace upward, as Fred's shout had angered the nearby paintings, who glared at Albert's group with displeasure.
"We're almost there," George panted, and after what felt like an eternity, they finally neared the top.
"It's certainly a long way up. Luckily, we left early enough," Albert said, glancing at his pocket watch. Class was about to start.
"By the way, I wonder if we'll still have astronomy class if it rains tonight. We won't be able to see the sky," George suddenly realized.
"Who knows? I guess we'll just get a ton of homework!" Angelina said as she pushed open the wooden door of the Astronomy Tower.
Professor Sinistra was already waiting for them at the top, having just finished another class.
As night fell, the wind atop the Astronomy Tower was strong, and everyone huddled in a corner to chat. The Hufflepuffs hadn't arrived yet, and they were cutting it close.
"They must have gotten lost," George said with a hint of schadenfreude, hoping that Professor Sinistra would deduct points from the Hufflepuffs.
However, George was destined to be disappointed, as Cedric and the other Hufflepuffs arrived just before class started.
"This place is hard to find; we almost got late," Cedric Diggory said, breathless but smiling as he greeted the group.
"Alright, come over here, everyone. Class is about to begin," Professor Sinistra said, drawing the newcomers toward her. Beside her lay an object covered with a canvas.
"I know you're unfamiliar with astronomy, so this class will teach you all about it," she said, pulling back the canvas to reveal what was underneath.
"This..." Albert was intrigued by what lay beneath the canvas—a small solar system model encased in a round glass dome.
The solar system model was beautiful. In the center burned the sun, surrounded by the nine planets and their moons, all floating within the spherical glass, sparkling in their respective positions.
"This is the solar system, where we live," Professor Sinistra said, pointing to the Earth. "This term, you will learn how to use telescopes to observe the night sky and locate the nine planets in the sky above us."
The students from wizarding families seemed unfamiliar with astronomy, and Albert wondered if they even knew the name of the planet they lived on.
Professor Sinistra held her wand and pointed to the moving celestial bodies, giving them a simple introduction to their motions, their solar system, and other basic astronomical knowledge. She also taught them how to draw star charts and label the names and positions of the nine planets.
For Albert, this was nothing new.
However, for the others, memorizing all this information in a short time was a challenge.
"Wrong, that's the position of Mars, not Jupiter," Albert corrected Fred's mistake with a sigh, and George wasn't faring much better.
After everyone finished drawing their solar system charts, Professor Sinistra began teaching them how to locate the planets in the starry river above.
The wizarding telescopes were quite impressive, perhaps due to magic, as they provided clearer views than ordinary Muggle astronomical telescopes.
"Have you found Mars yet?" Shan asked, squinting as she peered into Albert's telescope.
They had no idea which one was Mars, and for a newcomer who had never used a telescope before, adjusting the focus alone took a significant amount of time.
"Nope," Albert sighed. In truth, he had already looked in the direction Professor Sinistra had pointed, but finding Mars among the countless stars was no easy task.
Professor Sinistra walked around, occasionally checking the students' telescopes and correcting their mistakes.
"I wonder if it's truly possible to travel to space with magic alone?" Albert's mind suddenly wandered to this peculiar thought.
Probably not! After all, the number of wizards in the Harry Potter world is scarce, and scarcity implies a lower likelihood of producing geniuses...
Perhaps the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic has researched this, but ultimately, it's just research...
Shaking off these thoughts, Albert refocused his attention on the telescope, admiring the countless stars that filled the night sky.
In the past, he had rarely seen such a stunning starry sky.
Even by the end of class, Albert hadn't found all nine planets of the solar system, but he didn't mind. The more important part of this class was to gain a basic understanding of astronomy and learn how to use telescopes. Professor Sinistra's homework was simple: remember the approximate positions and names of the nine planets.
"It's almost curfew; let's head back," Jordan reminded them.
"I'm a bit hungry. I'm going to the kitchen to get something to eat," Albert said, checking his pocket watch. They still had about twenty minutes.
"Wait, we'll come with you," the twins said, quickly handing their bags to Jordan. "Don't worry, we'll make sure to bring food back for you."
"You..." Jordan watched their retreating figures, his body shaking with anger. "You three... jerks, wait for me! Don't leave me behind!"
(End of Chapter)
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