Advanced Class

As if in complete contrast to the atmosphere at the opening feast, the weather at Hogwarts the next morning was especially fine. The sky was high and lightly clouded, and the clear, faintly cool air felt wonderfully pleasant.

After enjoying breakfast, the wizards in the Great Hall remained in their seats, waiting for their Heads of House to come down from the staff table. Unexpectedly, however, almost no one was discussing what had happened the night before—at least, no one was doing it in so public a place.

Today, the Heads of all four Houses still had to collect applications for advanced classes from students in Year Six and above, and offer them guidance.

For wizards in Allen's year, however, things were more complicated than in previous years. Sixth year was the sixth year of magical education for young witches and wizards at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Sixth-years were usually between sixteen and seventeen years old, though of course some were older, because they had had to repeat a year.

Sixth year was the first year N.E.W.T. courses began. If a student's O.W.Ls result in a subject met the minimum requirement set by that subject's teacher at the time, they could continue on to that subject's N.E.W.T. course. If their marks failed to meet the requirement, they could not enter the N.E.W.T. course directly and could only continue studying the O.W.Ls course until they passed the exam.

If a student qualified for a certain N.E.W.T. course but felt they did not need to earn that subject's N.E.W.T. certificate, they could also choose not to continue taking it, because in N.E.W.T. courses, the material taught by the teachers was very difficult, and the homework afterward was heavier as well.

At the Ravenclaw long table, Hermione, who had finished breakfast