Chapter 735: Highlighting the Important Parts
Chapter 735: Highlighting the Important Parts
As if to celebrate the upcoming Christmas, the weather around Hogwarts suddenly cleared up, and the sky even displayed a dazzling pale pink hue.
When morning came, a shining white frost covered the trees and flower beds in the courtyard. Professors began decorating their classrooms with their unique brand of magic, filling the castle with a festive atmosphere that made one feel as if they had wandered into a fairy tale.
The shadows that Sirius Black and the Dementors had once cast over Hogwarts now seemed like a distant memory.
Students happily discussed their holiday plans for the Christmas break, and notices about trips to Hogsmeade Village quietly appeared on the bulletin boards in the common rooms.
However, not everything was going smoothly for everyone.
At a gathering of the Transfiguration Club, Cedric casually mentioned during their chat that, for some reason, he had been unable to successfully ask Cho Chang out, and had been feeling dejected about it for quite some time.
"If she's busy this time, there's always next time or the time after that..." Albert suggested, thinking that since Cho Chang had already made plans with friends to go to Hogsmeade, they could always meet up another time.
However, seeing the dejected look on Cedric's face, it seemed more likely that she had politely turned him down.
"These things can't be rushed, it seems," Cedric mumbled, changing the subject to invite Albert to join him in studying past exam papers they had borrowed from the library, apparently deciding to throw himself fully into preparing for the upcoming O.W.Ls.
"Maybe another day, I'm a bit busy lately," Albert politely refused.
Albert already had a good idea about the O.W.Ls. By comparing the key points he had obtained from Isabelle with his own class notes, he had a fairly accurate estimate of the exam scope.
In reality, most of the exam focus didn't change much from year to year; they just rearranged the topics.
As long as he could pass the practical exams, achieving excellent results wouldn't be difficult.
If anyone knew what Albert was thinking, they would probably want to punch him a few times, even if they knew they couldn't beat him.
As Albert returned to the Gryffindor common room, he found Fred and George actually hard at work for once, joining the others in diligently doing their homework.
"We're planning to go home for the Christmas holidays this year," George explained, noticing Albert's surprised look.
In truth, the Weasley twins were feeling the pressure of their fifth-year coursework. If they didn't start putting in some effort, they risked facing detention.
"Have you heard? Stinson bought a large bottle of calming potion from Kenneth. That guy seems to have exam jitters," George added.
Lee Jordan placed two cups of milk tea loaded with sugar in front of the twins. Consuming large amounts of sugar was supposed to help stabilize their emotions and maintain a positive mood—a tip they'd picked up from Albert.
"I thought you two didn't feel any pressure about the O.W.Ls," Albert commented.
He knew that Fred and George weren't taking the exams very seriously and were instead focusing most of their energy on developing their joke products.
"We don't feel pressured, but as you said, we can't just drop all our subjects. Otherwise, I doubt the school would let us advance to the next year. We at least need to pass the exams," Fred said between sips of his overly sweetened tea, complaining, "Just how much sugar did you put in this?"
"You said you wanted extra, didn't you?" Lee replied innocently.
"I have the exam highlights here," Albert interjected, always generous in sharing what he considered to be key points for the exams, helping his friends get through this challenging period. "If you master all these points, you should have no trouble getting a good grade."
"Fantastic!"
Lee was the most excited, frantically taking notes as Albert fetched his notebook from the dormitory. He planned to memorize these highlights, finding it much easier and more efficient than blindly reviewing everything.
"We're not aiming too high. As long as we pass most of the courses, we'll be happy," Fred said, setting down his quill and picking up a book of spell notes.
"You two really don't have much ambition," Angelina commented, showing interest in Albert's revision as the O.W.Ls were just too important for everyone.
"Never mind, I think we should focus on our strengths and try to get high scores in the subjects we're good at," Fred and George replied. They weren't interested in notes for other courses. If they had to memorize all the highlights Albert had marked, they simply wouldn't have enough free time.
Strengthening their strong subjects would undoubtedly lead to better grades in some areas. Even if they couldn't achieve 'Outstanding,' they needed to at least get 'Exceeds Expectations.' In fact, ever since the start of their fifth year, Fred and George had subconsciously given up on some courses, such as History of Magic, Astronomy, Divination, and Care of Magical Creatures.
The twins actually did well in Care of Magical Creatures, but Hagrid's performance this semester had been so poor that they couldn't see any future in the subject. Additionally, Albert had already mentioned that he wouldn't be taking the Advanced Care of Magical Creatures class next semester, so the Weasley twins decided to drop the subject as well.
"You two are certainly thorough in your abandonment." Albert wasn't too surprised; if he were in their shoes, he might have done the same.
After all, if they were already planning to give up, how they performed on the exams didn't matter much.
"You two are really clever."
Lee Jordan's tone was a bit sour. He was the one struggling the most in the dormitory, and he also wanted to drop those four classes. However, he didn't dare to be as bold as Fred and George, as poor O.W.L.s exam results would make life difficult going forward.
"If you're dropping the rest of your classes, how many O.W.L.s do you plan to take?" Shanna asked, looking up from her notes.
"Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Potions, and Defense Against the Dark Arts?" George replied.
"Passing three out of five would be great."
Indeed, passing grades didn't make much of a difference; at least a 'Good' was needed to be allowed to advance to the higher-level classes.
"I think our future lies beyond academic achievements." Fred shrugged.
"What do you mean?" Angelina asked, curious.
"Take Wood, for example. He plans to join the Quidditch team trials after graduation, putting almost all his effort into Quidditch practice and not caring about his grades at all." Fred continued, "We also have our own goals."
"Since we've already..." George trailed off, noticing Albert's warning glance, and cleared his throat, "I mean, I really question the necessity of completing all seven years here?"
"So, you're not planning on coming back for our sixth year?" Alicia found their suggestion absurd.
"We've actually considered this," George admitted.
"Do you think your family will allow you to take a break from school?" Shanna interjected, doubting their parents would go for such an idea.
"We don't know yet; we haven't discussed it with them," the twins replied.
Shan's words clearly struck a nerve with the Weasley twins, and it was highly unlikely that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would permit them to take a break from their studies.
"Something interesting is going to happen at Hogwarts next year, and you'll definitely regret missing it if you leave now," Albert suddenly said, changing the subject.
"What interesting thing?" Everyone leaned forward, clearly intrigued.
"It's going to be a feast." Albert said mysteriously, "However, I think it's best to keep it a secret for now. You'll be surprised when you find out, just like the Hogwarts Sorting Ceremony."
"You're really asking to get punched, leaving us hanging like that."
Fred, George, and Lee Jordan all pounced on Albert, intending to tickle him into explaining, but he seemed to have anticipated their move and dodged out of the way.
At 10 p.m., the four of them finished their homework and returned to the dormitory.
"We have something we want to discuss with you," Fred said suddenly.
"What is it?" Albert asked, setting down his empty cup of hot milk and looking at Fred with a puzzled expression.
"Do you still need the Marauder's Map?" Fred asked.
"You want to give the Marauder's Map to Harry, don't you?" Albert stated, seeing through their plan.
"You've seen right through us, as always." George nodded, "We do plan to give the Marauder's Map to Harry as a Christmas gift. That way, he can use it with his Invisibility Cloak to sneak into Hogsmeade. It's just too sad for him to be cooped up here alone."
"I'm surprised you're willing to give away such a valuable item." Lee Jordan chimed in.
"We've memorized the locations of all the secret passages in the school." Fred said, "We don't really need it anymore."
"We thought we should pass it on to someone else." George added, "Just like the original creators of the Marauder's Map left it for future rule-breakers."
"You two aren't planning to drop out after getting your O.W.L.s, are you?!" Lee Jordan exclaimed, thinking that dropping out now would be very unwise.
"If we could, we would." Fred and George exchanged a glance, "Staying in school is just a waste of time."
The reason they wanted to give the map to Harry was that they no longer used it as much, and they could also tell that Albert didn't need it anymore either. He had figured out the principles behind the map and could probably create something similar.
It wasn't good for only Filch to know the locations of all the secret passages in the castle; the map should be passed on to other students to... bring more joy to the school, and those hidden passages shouldn't be forgotten.
"Potter does need that map." Albert hadn't expected Fred and George to ask for his opinion first. He smiled and asked, "But aren't you worried about him encountering dangers outside the school?"
"We're more concerned about what you mentioned earlier than Harry facing dangers." Fred and George said in unison.
"I'm also curious about what interesting things will happen at Hogwarts next year?" Lee Jordan probed, pretending to be stern, "You might as well spill it now."
Late into the night, laughter echoed from the window illuminated by lamplight.
(End of Chapter)
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