Course Selection

On Monday morning, the young wizards were passing by the bulletin board when they suddenly noticed two new updates.

The nearest young wizard leaned in and read the two new messages aloud, word by word:

"Announcement: This Wednesday at 8 PM, the Duel Club will be holding an event in the Great Hall. Instructors: Severus Snape and Sirius Black Black."

"Notice: This Friday at 3 PM, the Animagus class will officially begin in the Transfiguration classroom. Students who have passed the exam are requested to attend on time."

"The first lesson will not involve any practical content, and all students who are interested in Animagus are welcome to audit the class."

The two pieces of news caused a stir among the crowd, and the young wizards began to chatter excitedly about them.

"Professor Snape and Professor Black? Two advisors?"

"Will they have a duel demonstration? Who do you think will win?" Lee Jordan's voice was the loudest in the crowd.

This sentence immediately drew all attention, making the second news item about the Animagus class seem insignificant.

"Stimulate!"

"I can't wait to see Merlin's beard!"

"I wonder who will win?"

"It must be Professor Black. I've been wanting to see someone beat up the old bat for ages."

"It's a bit difficult. Although they were classmates, Professor Black was delayed by ten years, while Snape had ten more years to practice magic..."

The young wizards were buzzing with discussion under the bulletin board.

Their discussion was quite loud, and Loren and others nearby could hear it as well.

Loren remained motionless, sitting cross-legged on the sofa, tracing patterns on a timetable with his fingers and muttering something like "choose, don't choose..."

Ron put his arm around Harry's shoulder. "Don't worry, Sirius Black's magical abilities may not be as good as the old bat's, but he's definitely stronger than the old bat."

"Sirius Black will give the old bat a good punch on the nose, knock him out of his mind and unable to use his spells," Ron said confidently, excitedly waving his fist.

Snape, who was chronically pale and malnourished, looked very weak, while Sirius Black, though thin, was physically robust. This explanation seems plausible.

Following Ron's reverie, Harry also wore a silly smile.

Hermione couldn't help herself and raised her wand to tap each of them on the head. "Can't you guys think about something serious? Think about whether that Beetle reporter will be handed over to the Ministry of Magic?"

Ron cried out "Ouch!" and rubbed his head, retorting, "Professor McGonagall said we don't need to worry about this; she'll handle it."

"Yeah, yeah." Harry nodded, rubbing his head.

"Don't you want to know how Professor McGonagall will handle this? Aren't you curious?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.

"Curious," Harry nodded. "But we're more curious about the duel between Sirius Black and the old bat."

Ron nodded quickly. "That's right, that's right!"

"No, we have to remind Sirius Black that he can't fight the old bat head-on with magic; he should fight him in close combat."

Harry couldn't sit still any longer and grabbed Ron, running outside.

"You!" Hermione exclaimed in exasperation.

"Relax, the Beetle has been handed over to Professor McGonagall, we should trust her," Loren said calmly.

Hermione said with a hint of worry, "I'm afraid Professor McGonagall will hand her over to the Ministry of Magic and she'll be acquitted in a few days. After all, they can't even keep an eye on Wormtail Peter."

"Dumbledore sensible; he'll take these things into account." Loren picked up his quill and circled "Care of Magical Creatures," "Divination," and "Arithmancy" on the timetable.

Hermione noticed his movement, craned her neck to look, and asked in confusion, "What's this?"

"The courses that third-year students will be able to choose should be announced before the Easter break," Loren explained.

With a week to go before the Easter holiday, Loren wasn't surprised at all that she had such inside information.

It might have been told to him by an upperclassman, a junior wizard from another college, or even by a professor.

That's just how this guy is; Hermione's already immune to his weirdness.

"Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Arithmancy, Ancient Rune, Muggle Studies..." Hermione read the options on the paper.

Hermione frowned, looking somewhat conflicted, and asked, "Can I only choose a maximum of 3 courses?"

Care of Magical Creatures sounds intriguing. She also wants to learn Divination and Arithmancy. She's been exposed to Ancient Rune under Loren's influence and wants to learn those as well.

Muggle Studies, which sounds like a wizard's perspective on Muggle, is something Hermione is also very interested in.

Everyone wants to learn, what should I do?

"In theory, you can only choose a maximum of 3 courses. Choosing more may cause time conflicts. Many different elective courses are offered at the same time."

Although the Time-Turner existed, Loren didn't want to see the little Witch scrambling for lessons. In the end, Hermione dropped the course anyway, and he wanted to try guiding Hermione ahead of time.

However, seeing Hermione's increasingly distressed expression, Loren sighed helplessly, "But there's no written rule that no professor will refuse to enroll a student in a course."

A glimmer of hope returned to Hermione's eyes.

The news of second-year course selection spread quickly, and within a day, all the second-year wizards knew about it. Many considered it a serious matter concerning their long-term future.

Everywhere on campus, you could see second-year students discussing their timetables. The Gryffindor would even ask upperclassmen for their opinions, hoping to glean some insider information—which course had the least homework, which exam was the easiest to pass.

Having gained nothing, these senior students simply smiled mysteriously.

Just like the Castle stairs, the upperclassmen were waiting to see the young wizards make a fool of themselves and to laugh at their regret after choosing their courses.

After all, that's how they got here back then.

There was one exception: the kind-hearted Percy was eager to pass on his experience to the younger generation.

Evening, in the Gryffindor Common Room.

Percy was surrounded by a group of bewildered second-year wizards. Their expectant gazes filled Percy with a sense of accomplishment, and he felt extremely happy.

"Cough cough!"

Percy coughed twice, mimicking Professor McGonagall's serious expression, and said in a strained voice:

"As for course selection, it depends on where you want to go."

"You must plan for the future early. Divination and Arithmancy can help you glimpse some things in the future... Divination tests your talent more, while Arithmancy is more rigorous. It depends on your ideas."

Hermione's eyes lit up. She turned her head and whispered in Loren's ear, "Do you know what the talent for Divination is?"

"It's probably some kind of Prophecy."

"Can any wizard learn this?"

"The course is open to students and we can choose to take it as an elective, which means we can all learn it, right?" Loren, somewhat uncertainly.

Professor Trelawney's Prophecy and Divination seem unreliable; her serious Prophecy are mostly triggered randomly, but it can't be said that she is completely unreliable.

She doesn't seem to learn much in class, and her assignments and exams are basically made up. The future Hermione might even have a falling out with Professor Trelawney.

Professor Trelawney had made Prophecy in front of him, but regardless, Loren still wanted to see for himself. "Whether he has talent or not, let's make a choice first."

Hermione nodded happily. "That's what I think too."

Loren pursed his lips and remained silent.

Going back, Percy continued explaining the purpose of Divination: "In Professor Trelawney's words, Divination Class is the most profound of all magical arts—"

"Hahahaha!" The Twins standing to the side couldn't help but burst out laughing, clutching their stomachs.

Loren knew what they were laughing about; Percy and the Twins were completely on different wavelengths.

Percy was talking about serious topics, Twins were laughing at the unspoken rules of the Divination Class —homework was all made up, and the worse Prophecy your exam results, the higher your score would be.

George scoffed, "Come on, Percy, don't you know what Divination Class is like?"

Percy stared blankly at his two younger brothers, seemingly imitating Professor Snape.

Seeing Percy's less-than-pleasant expression, Fred stopped smiling and said to the young wizards in a serious tone, "Percy is right. You won't regret choosing Divination Class."

This made George burst into even louder laughter.

Fred also had a suppressed laugh on his face. After dragging George, who was laughing so hard he couldn't stand up straight, away, he burst into loud laughter on the stairs.

What's wrong with the Divination Class?

"Should we choose or not?"

"Choose it. Fred said he won't regret it."

Hearing the young wizards' chatter, Percy stood there, unsure where to begin.

"What about the other courses? What are their advantages and disadvantages?" Loren raised his hand to help him out.

Percy gave him a grateful look. "Next up is Ancient Rune, a complex and difficult subject that is used when studying Ancient Magic and history. If you don't have a particular interest in these things, it's best not to let them torment your brain."

"Which was harder to learn, Ancient Rune or Arithmancy?" Neville mustered his courage and asked.

"To be honest, Ancient Rune are a bit more difficult." Percy relaxed and got into the zone. "Next is Muggle Studies. People always say that choosing Muggle Studies is foolish, but I personally believe that wizards should have a comprehensive and thorough understanding of non-magical societies, especially if they want to do work closely related to Muggle."

"The Ministry of Magic has many positions. For example, the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes has a special Muggle Relations Committee, and the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad also frequently contacts the Muggle community. There's also the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, the Department of Memory Deletion..."

"The Care of Magical Creatures is very interesting. It involves a lot of outdoor activities and contact with all kinds of animals that have magical Magic Power."

After answering the questions, Percy went to settle accounts with the Twins. The group of young wizards dispersed into different small groups and began discussing the matter closely.

Seamus and Dean put their hands behind their heads and leisurely lay down on the sofa, exuding an air of nonchalant laziness.

Have you chosen your courses yet?

"I've made my choice."

"How did you choose?" Neville asked enviously.

Seamus said with a profound look, "Although I don't know what to choose, I know what not to choose."

Neville looked bewildered. "What do you mean?"

"Did you hear what Percy said? Ancient Rune and Arithmancy are very difficult!" Seamus patted him on the shoulder. "Don't make things difficult for yourself. You can't go wrong with choosing an easier course."

Ron and Harry's eyes lit up, their confusion vanished. The aura of the salted fish gradually grew stronger and spread.

Loren's eyes flickered... It seemed that there was some truth to it.

To prevent him from being assimilated, Hermione quickly pulled him away. "Have you decided what you want?"

Loren gave her a strange look. "Didn't you see it before? Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Arithmancy."

"What's the reason?"

"I've studied Runes, and I'm not interested in Muggle Studies."

"Oh!" Hermione nodded thoughtfully.

Wednesday evening, in the Great Hall.

The long dining table was removed, and a square, gilded stage rose in the center. To give the students a better view, the ceiling turned velvety black again, and hundreds of magical candles floated in the air.

All the young wizards in the school knew that Professor Black and Professor Snape were at odds and that they might really fight tonight, so they arrived early. They crowded together, everyone eager to be in the front row and watch, their faces full of excitement.

Ron stood on tiptoe, craning his neck to look around. "Is anyone hurt? I don't see Madam Pomfrey here."

Harry smiled broadly, "Don't worry, Sirius Black will just give him a good beating, he won't seriously injure him."

Loren didn't speak, standing silently beside Hermione, though a hint of excitement flickered in his eyes... It looked like Sirius Black would be the one to teach Snape a lesson.

"They are professors!" Hermione said. "Professors should set an example for their students, and with Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick here, they won't let things get out of control."

What she said made sense, which disappointed Loren, who had ulterior motives.

Amidst the commotion, Sirius Black and Snape stepped onto the stage together.

Sirius Black wore a long black trench coat, his face was thin, and his hair was short and neat. He had a confident smile on his face, and although there were some bloodshot eyes, he still looked very energetic.

Snape wore his usual black wizard robes, with a moderately long hem, and his face was expressionless. The air around him seemed to grow colder.

At this moment, someone should have stepped forward to introduce the Dueling Club to the young wizards, explaining some minor details and imparting dueling experience.

Just like the previous two applications of Transfiguration duels, Spell duels, and Plant duels.

But Snape clearly had no intention of commentating; he stood there coldly. Sirius Black knew he couldn't afford to be outdone; if he spoke first, he would lose.

And so the scene before us unfolded: the two instructors of the Dueling Club stood on the stage, saying nothing.