Chapter 766: The Hogwarts Tutoring Club
Chapter 766: The Hogwarts Tutoring Club
The group appeared in an obscure corridor on the seventh floor of the castle to check out the secret passage Fred had mentioned earlier.
"The entrance is here," Fred declared as they stopped in front of a portrait of a middle-aged wizard. After Albert confirmed their solitude with his map, Fred stepped forward and whispered the password to the portrait, "On the Sly."
The wizard in the portrait raised his index finger to his lips and shushed them before rotating the frame open to reveal a hidden passage.
The entrance was well-concealed behind Edgar Straud's portrait and required a special password to access, meeting Albert's requirements perfectly.
"This password suits what we're doing quite well," Lee Jordan teased.
"Shut it, Jordan," the three friends chorused, turning expectantly to Albert for his next move.
Albert set down a bulky book from his backpack and, wand in hand, tapped it lightly on the cover three times.
The book suddenly opened, and a door slowly rose before them, fitting seamlessly into the passage as if there had always been a hidden chamber there.
"That's amazing, when did you make this?" Lee Jordan asked, knocking gently on the door before him, clueless that it was actually a book in disguise.
"It's just a prototype, similar to a wizard's tent. I call it a 'Fairy Tale House'," Albert explained briefly.
Eagerly pushing the door open, they were greeted by... darkness.
"Close your eyes, I'm turning on the lights," Albert instructed, raising his wand to release several spheres of light. The room instantly illuminated, revealing a space much larger than a classroom.
"The Undetectable Extension Charm never fails to surprise," George sighed, recalling how they used the same charm at home to create space for their prank product development.
"It's empty in here," Fred observed, looking around. "We'll need to move some things in."
"Already taken care of," Albert assured him, gesturing to the boxes Lee Jordan was carrying.
"When did you...?"
"While you guys were training for Quidditch."
Albert pulled out a pocket watch and glanced at the time before turning to George. "Could you wait outside for the others? Just in case they don't know how to get in."
"No problem, leave it to me!" George took the map from Albert and asked curiously, "Why not make the map more detailed?"
"It works fine as it is. Making it as detailed as the Marauder's Map would take a lot more time," Albert replied, motioning for Fred and Lee Jordan to help set up the room.
Soon, the room was transformed with soft cushions, a blackboard, armchairs, and magic dummies for students to practice spells on.
"I bet they'll be stunned," Fred said, arranging the armchairs in an arc facing the blackboard.
"This is great. Is this your secret base, George?" Angelina asked as she entered the room, her eyes wide with wonder.
"Yeah, we didn't want others to know about it at first, but then we decided to use it as a hangout spot," Lee Jordan explained, unable to contain his excitement.
"I had no idea there were such places in school," Angelina whispered.
"Hogwarts is full of secrets, and if you dig deep enough, you'll always find some pleasant surprises," Fred said with a wink. "This secret chamber has more tricks up its sleeve, too."
"Like what?" Angelina asked, her curiosity piqued.
"This secret room only appears at specific times."
"Liar," came the retort.
"You'll see soon enough."
"Specific times?"
"What magic are you teaching us today, Albert?" Aria asked as she fiddled with the fake wand in the magic puppet's hand. Turning to Albert, who was setting up the room, she added, "By the way, where did you get these things?"
"They were teaching tools of a former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," Albert replied, pausing briefly before continuing, "After the professor left, these were tossed into a storage room in Hogwarts. We stumbled upon them when we first found the storage room, and they've come in handy for practicing magic."
"A storage room? You mean the dungeons?" The girls were surprised, having never heard of such a place in Hogwarts Castle.
"No."
"I think a more fitting name for that place would be a junk yard. It's where most of the things Hogwarts doesn't need end up," said Lee Jordan. "There's a mountain of stuff piled up there, much of which is unusable."
"I'm more curious about what that is," said a Hufflepuff boy, Cedric, as he nodded towards the glowing object floating in mid-air. There were several similar objects in the room, providing ample illumination.
"It's a magical prop used for lighting. You can call it a'magic lamp,'" Albert explained.
Cedric seemed to realize something, his eyes widening in shock as he stared at Albert in admiration. "I think it's a brilliant invention."
George closed the door to the room and turned to Albert. "Looks like everyone's here. Let's begin."
Albert took a headcount and saw that there were about a dozen students present, mostly Gryffindor fifth-years, with a small number of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students he recognized.
"Alright, take a seat, everyone," Albert gestured for them to sit.
"I thought you were going to teach us magic?" The Hufflepuff boy next to Cedric, eager to learn, couldn't help but question Albert's apparent lecture-style approach.
"Albert, the reason we're here is to help each other improve our grades in the Defense Against the Dark Arts exam," Cedric gave his friend a subtle nudge, signaling him to refrain from interrupting and wasting others' time.
"What I'm about to share with you tonight covers the key points of the exam," Albert scanned the room, feeling a bit like a professor himself. "Of course, Professor Lupin may have his own ideas about what's important, but it won't hurt to hear it from me first, as a way to reinforce your memory."
"Why don't we just practice instead?" A Ravenclaw girl raised her hand, eager for a more hands-on approach.
"The O.W.Ls for Defense Against the Dark Arts aren't just about practical skills, there's also a written exam. Now, no more interruptions, let's make the most of our time," Albert ignored her further, continuing on with his lesson. "Based on the past exam papers I've collected, the content of the Ordinary Wizarding Levels hasn't changed much over the years..."
Albert shared his insights on the O.W.Ls and the topics he believed would be tested, having studied the past exam papers thoroughly.
The so-called exam focus wasn't dry or boring; Albert always followed up his explanations with relevant practice questions, ensuring that everyone was engaged and absorbing the information.
"...One of the key topics is the five characteristics of werewolves. Throughout the years, the written portion of the Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.Ls has always tested students' knowledge of werewolves, likely because the Ministry of Magic wants us to be able to identify and stay away from these dangerous dark creatures, should they be lurking nearby."
"I'm curious, where did you get all these past exam questions?" The Ravenclaw girl asked again, her curiosity piqued.
"As long as you're willing to spend some galleons, it's not difficult to get your hands on recent O.W.L. exam papers," Albert replied.
Albert withdrew three pieces of parchment from his backpack and addressed the group, "Alright, today's gathering comes to an end. I assume most of you won't bother taking notes, so I've simplified and summarized the content onto these parchments. You can pass them around and review them at your leisure."
He handed the parchments to Cedric from Hufflepuff and Katrina from Ravenclaw.
"Why are there only questions here?"
"The content I went over today is all in the book Dark Forces: A Self-Defense Guide. You can draw and memorize it from there. In fact, the O.W.L. exam scope is entirely based on that book, and to this day, not a single question has strayed from its contents. So, you don't need to worry about the exam being too difficult. As long as you review the right material, you can easily achieve high scores in your Dark Arts Defense exams."
"For our next gathering, we'll practice defensive and dispelling charms to ensure you can pass the practical exam. Before then, I suggest you commit to memory what I've taught today. You should also start your revision soon!" Albert added, "I'll have someone inform you of the next gathering."
"Will you teach other subjects, Albert?" Shana asked eagerly.
"Only Dark Arts Defense. Alright, everyone, please leave the room in an orderly fashion. Lee Jordan, could you organize that?" Albert instructed.
"That was a detailed and fantastic lesson," Katrina deliberately lingered to chat with Albert. "Have you ever considered becoming a Dark Arts Defense professor at school?"
"No, I've never thought about it. This subject is rather cursed, and I don't think I could handle it," Albert promptly vetoed the idea.
"If you charged students for crash courses, I think many would be willing to pay," Katrina knew the value of the parchment in her hands. She had spent so long flipping through exam papers, and yet Albert had effortlessly summarized the key exam points.
"Let's not bother with that. I never do things that aren't worth the effort," Albert shook his head. "Besides, I don't need the money anymore."
"That's a strange thing to hear from you," Katrina rolled up the parchment and placed it in her pocket, smiling as she watched the others gradually leave. "I think many will regret not coming today."
"At least, the Slytherin students won't show up."
After everyone had left, Albert raised his wand to extinguish the light above and then closed the door, transforming it back into a book and returning it to his backpack.
In the corridor outside, the students lingered, waiting to bid Albert farewell.
"I hope the next gathering is soon; I can hardly wait," Cedric said with a smile. "By the way, would you mind if I brought a few more people next time?"
"Not at all, as long as they don't cause trouble," Albert replied.
"Goodbye, Professor Albert," someone called out.
Soon, everyone joined in, teasingly bidding Albert farewell and bestowing upon him the title of 'Professor'.
"Professor Albert?" Fred teased.
"I have no desire to become a teacher, and I'm certainly not old," Albert said.
"What does being a teacher have to do with age?" George asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, Albert is a year older than us, so he is more mature," Fred pointed out, steering the conversation in a different direction.
"You'll soon envy the fact that I'm a year older," Albert said mysteriously.
"Oh, stop teasing us!" Lee Jordan wrapped an arm around Albert's neck. "Have you made another prophecy? Spill it!"
"Hehe, you'll find out next semester. Just wait and see!" Albert replied.
(End of Chapter)
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