Although the classroom on the third floor was already the largest at Hogwarts School, far too many people had crowded inside. Even the windowsills were packed with students, leaving the air stagnant. The teachers and students all found it terribly stuffy, and the air was getting more and more foul.
Even though Headmaster Dumbledore had just cast several spells to cool the room and freshen the air, they had barely helped. There were simply too many people in here, and humans constantly gave off heat and breathed in the air! It wasn't as if they could make the headmaster act as a human air conditioner, casting spells on the students nonstop. He was the headmaster, not a caretaker!
That was why the old rascal Dumbledore had given up after casting a few spells. He also thought his own approach was rather foolish. Perhaps next time he held an open class, he would use the Extension Charm beforehand to make the classroom several times larger!
Some impatient students checked the time. There were only a minute or two left before seven that evening! Usually, Hogwarts professors arrived at least ten minutes before class to prepare.
But now, class was about to start, and the students still couldn't understand why the new Professor Annie hadn't even shown up. Did she share Professor McGonagall's hobby of turning into animals or hiding under an Invisibility Charm to spy on students having fun?
With no professor in sight, the students beneath the lectern began whispering among themselves. Those standing in the aisles were especially disgruntled. Some had even started loudly complaining. They'd been packed together for nearly ten minutes, and the professor teaching the class hadn't even shown her face!
Had Professor Annie run into something at the last minute? Was she not coming? Or