Knowledge and Skills

On the open ground at the Edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Professor Flitwick waved his wand, Transfiguration an old-fashioned Wooden Ring in front of Loren, and looked at him seriously. "Don't be reckless. If you notice anything unusual during the spell, don't hesitate to stop the spell immediately."

Loren looked at the Wooden Ring, estimating the distance between him and the Wooden Ring: "I will."

He had already mastered Apparition from the Fantasy Book. His practice in reality was to adapt some of his muscles to the teleportation spell. He sought out the professor to prevent any accidents.

"Listen to my commands!" Professor Flitwick raised his voice, "Three, two, one—"

Loren focused his attention, turning his body backward as he swung his wand, entering Void State in accordance with the Magic Power. Every part of his body was subjected to the pressure of the space; his eyes felt as if they were being pressed into their sockets, and his eardrums bulged inward. His chest and head felt as if they were bound by several steel bars.

Bang!

His figure disappeared from the spot, and then immediately reappeared in the Wooden Ring.

He touched the limbs from all sides, and found that the eyes, nose, and ears were all there. Loren was secretly pleased; it seemed he had succeeded on the first try.

"You have no shortage of goals and composure, but you lack some determination."

Professor Flitwick stood where Loren had been, holding a hair less than a centimeter long in his hand, his face showing confusion and bewilderment. "Beginners often lack focus and composure. Only those who are skilled at Apparition are likely to overlook determination and pull out insignificant things like fingernails, hair, and eyebrows."

"Although it's not as dangerous as losing your hands and feet, it's not a good habit. Some wizards go bald because they lose some hair every time they use Apparition. If it happens too often, they'll lose all their hair."

"To be honest, your spellcasting process is very skillful. If I didn't know you had a solid theoretical foundation and understood the consequences of Splinching, I would have even thought you had secretly practiced it yourself." His voice was somewhat high-pitched.

Loren touched his head, unable to find any missing hair, but he took the matter very seriously.

For the next hour, Loren, under Professor Flitwick's supervision, kept trying to Apparition.

His spellcasting process gradually became more proficient, the amplitude of his wand swings decreased, and he no longer needed to twist his body to enter the Void State.

His physical body quickly caught up with his consciousness, and the choice of teleportation landing point became arbitrary. It can be said that Loren had basically mastered the Apparition.

"What an outstanding talent!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed in admiration. In his opinion, Loren had learned Apparition even adult wizards could never learn in their entire lives.

Although he admired Loren, Flitwick still cautioned him, "Although you've already learned it, Apparition should only be used as a last resort. You must wait until you're 17 and obtain a license from the Department of Magical Transportation before you can use it freely. Hogwarts will also offer instructional classes..."

The Charms professor, who was of somewhat short stature and had elven blood, patiently explained the important points. He knew, of course, that the young wizard in front of him wouldn't listen—if he did, he wouldn't be Gryffindor —but he still patiently explained it again and again.

September is already early autumn. Although the trees in the Forbidden Forest are evergreen, some of the beech trees on the edges have already turned a few leaves yellow at the tips of their branches. A gentle breeze blows from the open field, trailing invisible wings, flying deeper into the forest. A not-so-sturdy tree sheds its first leaf of autumn.

Bang!

The boy's figure entered an unseen dimension, vanishing from his spot and leaving behind a vacuum. Under the influence of air pressure, air rushed in rapidly, creating a deafening explosion.

The next moment, he reappeared in the same spot, his index and middle fingers held together, pinching a slightly yellowed leaf.

Loren's eyes and brows held a youthful arrogance as he handed the leaf to Professor Flitwick: "Professor, I'm giving you autumn as a gift."

Are you trying to bribe me?

Loren smiled broadly.

The notice about the curriculum changes for second and fourth graders was posted on Monday morning. The young Gryffindor wizards gathered around the bulletin board in the Common Room to read the notice, and the discussion went on for a long time.

"The compulsory section is based on knowledge related to the OWLs and NEWTs exams. Non-exam content from the old curriculum is moved to the elective section, and higher-level knowledge is provided for aspiring wizards who want to explore further..."

Neville read the contents of the announcement word by word, a blank look on his face. He turned to his friends and asked, "What does this mean?"

"Whoa!" Seamus cheered, jumping up and bumping into Neville's chubby body before bouncing back. "That means you don't have to memorize ' One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi ' anymore! We can skip half of the Big Bat's lessons."

Neville couldn't help but laugh, but then felt that it wasn't good to make fun of the professor like that. He pursed his lips, his cheeks flushed with joy. "I have to memorize it, I have to memorize it. I also need to use this book in Herbology Class. I really like Herbology Class."

Upon arriving at the Great Hall, similar discussions took place at each of the Head of House's long tables.

"Will we learn less after the reform?" a young Ravenclaw Witch asked, her brow furrowed, anxiously seeking an answer from their Prefect Penelope Clearwater.

Penelope Clearwater was also in a dilemma, unsure of the potential impact of such a reform.

Seeing her predicament, Percy at the next table took the initiative to speak up and help his girlfriend. He replied in a steady voice befitting the Prefect, "No, although the compulsory courses have been reduced, the elective courses have been expanded. If you want to learn, there will be more and more advanced knowledge for us to choose from under the new teaching system."

"Praise be to Professor McGonagall! She halved the time the bat demon tortured her!" Lee Jordan immediately chimed in to Percy.

In the past, the Twins would stand up and cheer at times like this, but surprisingly, this time Twins remained silent and instead looked Percy and Penelope up and down with suspicious eyes.

The two huddled together and whispered to each other in a voice that no one else could hear:

"You know what I'm thinking, right?"

"I also think they look alike."

"But..."

The girls were whispering amongst themselves, and the one who had initially asked Penelope was still puzzled:

"If that's the case, why not just add the more advanced content directly into the original textbook, so that it's just as easy to learn as before?"

Cedric Diggory of Hufflepuff joined the conversation. "Because there are some young wizards who are not good at learning theoretical knowledge, reducing the compulsory curriculum will give them more time to spend on vocational skills and practical training."

Cedric is a classmate of the Twins. He is gentle yet approachable, possessing the typical kindness of Hufflepuff. He is one of the Twins' reliable sources of answers for their homework, is skilled at Quidditch, and gets along well with almost everyone.

As the undisputed next Hufflepuff Prefect, everyone listens to what he says and follows his line of thought.

Penelope is of Muggle-born origin and once struggled with the path she should take in the future. The Wizarding World is not very large, and she doesn't have many career options. She has also received practical training in magical skills.

Hearing Cedric's words, her eyes lit up. "Yes, after graduation, a lot of theoretical knowledge is simply not applicable. If we spend that time on practical training in some profession-related magic, it will benefit many people."

The young wizards around them started chatting along this line of thought:

"Like Quidditch players, if they choose to become professional players, practicing is the more important thing."

"There are also clerical jobs at the Ministry of Magic, which require learning how to read reports and write reports."

"Aurors should practice Dark Arts defense and practical spells."

"My dad wants me to help out at the store after graduation, so I don't need the magic of going to school!"

George and Fred exchanged a glance, their eyes sparkling with surprise; they certainly understood what more free time meant.

After everyone shared their thoughts, they gradually understood the benefits of the reform: compulsory courses would guarantee students passing the OWLs and NEWTs exams, elective courses would expand their knowledge to higher levels, and less academically inclined wizards would have more time to prepare for their careers.

This argument was immediately accepted and spread rapidly amidst the chattering of the young wizards, soon reaching the ears of the professor at the High Table.

"The older students really do think things through more," Professor McGonagall said with a pleased smile. "When I mentioned the reform to Loren and Hermione, they didn't even think of that."

"After they graduate from Hogwarts, they will face the world head-on. Some students will even get married soon and take on family responsibilities. The school should not only teach them knowledge. I didn't realize that." Dumbledore's eyes were full of sighs and regrets. He sighed, "Minerva, you are better and more competent than me."

A cheerful and confident voice interrupted the conversation, "Professional skills, I don't think there's a professor more suitable to teach this than me."

Lockhart, dressed in a blazing gold suit adorned with green plant stripes, approached and said, "Headmaster Dumbledore, I can start another Career Club."

"I think these young wizards who are about to enter society must be very confused. They need a knowledgeable mentor who is proficient in a variety of professional skills to guide them out of the fog." Lockhart's tone was affectionate, revealing a dazzling smile that fully displayed his good teeth.

A strange idea is gradually becoming popular among young wizards: make career choices, practice professional skills, and only learn the required courses.

In the corridor, everyone excitedly discussed various professions, their future lives, and what they wanted to do when they grew up.

If you want to become Quidditch player, practice more; if you want to become Aurors, practice Defence Against the Dark Arts. If you have a shop or property, you can play to your heart's content.

Hermione frowned as she listened, feeling that this shouldn't be the case, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong.

The girl wore a simple magic robe, with a white shirt underneath the black outer robe. Her fair face was tense, and she was biting her lip in deep thought.

Like a slightly cool autumn breeze, it gently blows into people's hearts, causing ripples to spread across the calm water.

Loren had been troubled by one thing for the past few days: Apparition was prohibited within the Hogwarts grounds. He was thinking about how to lure Hermione out of the Castle, then demonstrate Apparition to her and show her who the real boss was.

The reform was being piloted in the second and fourth years for almost a week, and Hermione was engrossed in the advanced electives, but he couldn't find an opportunity to take it.

"I want to work as a candy maker at Honeydukes!"

"I want to too!"

Two freshmen who had just enrolled walked past me.

Hermione couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Loren, tell me, which is the right choice: knowledge or professional skills?"

Looking at the academy insignia on their robes, Loren chuckled, "It depends on the Hufflepuff. For you, knowledge is definitely more important. For Seamus, perhaps skills are more important."

"But—" Hermione watched the two newborn badger cubs disappear into the distance, "How can they be sure they've chosen the right profession?"

"No one can guarantee that the choice is the right one," Loren paused for a moment, thinking about how to phrase it, "However, knowledge will give us more choices in the future. A student who has mastered all subjects can use the knowledge of Defense Against the Dark Arts to become Aurors, and if he finds it doesn't suit him, he can switch to an administrative job. If he doesn't like that either, he can use his knowledge of Potions Master to make magical candies."

Hermione listened with a look of admiration in her eyes, nodding repeatedly.

"Shall we go see Hagrid this Saturday?" Loren said casually.

"Okay, sure!" The girl was completely oblivious to anything amiss.

The Second Floor Hogwarts Castle late at night.

Most of the lights in the corridors and hallways were off, and the Magical portrait hanging on the walls were all face down, the canvases facing the walls, the paintings seemingly asleep. The entire Castle was quiet, the shadows concealing Filch and Mrs. Norris on their night patrol, as well as other unknown things.

Dumbledore slowly walked down the stairs. He was having trouble sleeping again, and he felt an emptiness inside if he didn't have a cup of Hot Cocoa. Just like in his student days, he made his way to the Kitchen.

"Homage to the great Slytherin!" came the soft, hoarse voice, and a not-so-tall figure disappeared into the abandoned Girls' Bathroom.

Dumbledore's languid eyes suddenly opened, revealing a divine light, and a profound smile appeared on his lips.

He had only known about the Chamber of Secrets and the Basilisk for a week, and had only some rough plans. He hadn't had time to make a thorough plan or take any action before he encountered such a surprise late at night.

Dumbledore headed towards the Kitchen, unhurried. He had long understood that one didn't need to grasp every detail; as long as the overall picture was clear, the rest would be easy.

Being stared at by the Basilisk is fatal, which is too dangerous for the students. However, using the Deluminator to remove some of them should leave only petrification, allowing the plan to proceed. The last thing to watch out for is its fangs...

"Hot Cocoa is such a wonderful thing." The soft murmur dissipated like the wind into the Castle night.