A Job Offer Before Graduation

In April, the grass in the courtyard had already grown lush.

The stretch of overcast, rainy weather finally came to an end. The rain-washed sky was clear and bright, and the temperature was neither cold nor hot. Sunlight poured straight down at just the right angle, as though the whole world had been given a filter. The leaves were emerald green, the lake glittered like crystal, and the girls walking in the sunlight seemed to glow with their fair skin.

Two weeks had passed since the holiday ended, and Hogwarts had returned to normal lessons. Some subjects had already moved into the final unit of the school year. Since last weekend, Hermione had begun leading several boys in their final revision, drawing up review plans for Transfiguration, Charms, and Potions Master.

She had also dragged Loren into organizing notes for their electives, namely Arithmancy and Ancient Rune. The other subjects were temporarily set aside because there was something more important to deal with.

Sunday at noon.

As usual, after spending the entire morning studying diligently in the Library, Loren and the others prepared to head to the Great Hall for lunch. Before they had even reached the first floor, they heard a noisy commotion coming from the bend in the staircase.

A group of students had gathered in front of the Notice Board, most of them sixth- and seventh-years. Seamus and Dean stood in the middle of the crowd, loudly reading out the announcement.

Loren and the others had arrived a little late and had not heard the entire announcement, but from the discussions around them, they pieced together the useful information.

The announcement stated that classes for sixth- and seventh-years would be temporarily suspended tomorrow morning. From nine to eleven, Ministry of Magic officials would conduct a unified Apparition