Third-Year Course Selection

Hagrid's Hut

Lucien, Harry, Ron, Hermione sat around the rough wooden table, with a spread of afternoon tea carefully prepared by Hagrid in front of them.

Of course, the pastries made by Hagrid were still too expensive for most people.

Fortunately, Hagrid always prepares some of the little wizards' favorite desserts and snacks.

Today, there's a large bowl of Sherbet Lemon and a plate of Chocolate Frog on the table; Hagrid specially went to Hogsmeade to buy them.

"Eat more, eat more, you're all growing!" Hagrid chuckled as he poured them tea, the enormous teapot looking like a small toy in his hands.

Lucien picked up his teacup and took a sip, his mind still unconsciously racing with various thoughts and ideas—the next steps in potion improvement, the precision of Patronus Charm, new approaches to curse deciphering...

Coming to Hagrid's place for a small get-together every week is one of the few times Lucien manages to steal a moment of leisure from his busy schedule.

Hermione put down her teacup, dusted off the cookie crumbs on her hands,

"Next semester, when we're in our third year, we'll have elective courses. What are you planning to choose?"

As she asked this question, her gaze swept across the faces of the group.

Upon hearing Hermione's suggestion, Ron resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

He opened his mouth, wanting to complain, "We haven't even had our final exams this semester, why are you worrying about next semester?" but he swallowed the words back.

He was used to Hermione's passion for learning and knowledge, and he knew her temperament—if he didn't let her talk, she would nag even more.

So Ron didn't tactlessly speak up.

Countless times, Ron thought Hermione should have been sorted into Ravenclaw, as it would have been a better fit for her.

Just as Ron was lost in thought, Harry raised a new question:

"Um... what courses can we take next semester?"

After saying that, Harry awkwardly adjusted his glasses.

He's usually busy with Quidditch training, so he doesn't really have much time to worry about his studies.

Gryffindor of training time, Wood, that training maniac, often adds extra practice sessions. But this semester has been so "peaceful" that nothing can interfere with Quidditch.

Lucien didn't rush to answer Harry's question. He picked up his teacup, took another sip, and looked at Hermione —because explaining things was usually the job of a little witch.

Sure enough, Hermione had already begun to explain in detail.

"There are five elective courses in total," Hermione counted on her fingers. "Arithmancy, which uses complex numerical tables and logical operations for Divination, is considered the most rigorous method of Divination. Ancient Runes, which studies Ancient Runes magical texts and their translations, involving a large amount of vocabulary and grammar memorization. Care of Magical Creatures, which teaches how to raise and protect various Magical Creatures. Divination, which uses mediums such as tea leaves, crystal balls, or palmistry to predict the future. Muggle Studies, which studies the lifestyles, technology, history, and social structures of Muggle, helping wizards understand the non-magical world."

She finished speaking in one breath, her speech incredibly fast, as if she had already memorized all this information perfectly.

After listening to Hermione's explanation, Harry felt a little dizzy. He began to struggle, unsure which subjects to choose—each one sounded important, yet none seemed quite right for him.

Divination sounds mystical and mystical, Arithmancy gives me a headache, Ancient Runes class involves memorizing vocabulary, but protecting Magical Creatures is quite interesting...

He planned to listen to other people's opinions first, especially what Lucien would choose.

If you don't quite understand the courses you've chosen, you can just ask Lucien for help.

Harry naturally assumed that Lucien would be able to master that knowledge.

Ron glanced at Harry, who remained silent, and coughed lightly.

"George and Fred told me," Ron said, peeling the wrapper off Sherbet Lemon, "that Divination is the easiest, as long as you can stand the professor's nagging. Arithmancy is a real headache, unless you like those weird numbers and formulas. Muggle classes are alright, the difficulty level is moderate, but fewer people choose them, so you're more likely to get called on by the teacher. Ancient Runes classes are very difficult, extremely difficult. As for Protecting Magical Creatures —it used to be pretty good, the professor was easy to talk to, but that's not necessarily true anymore..."

Ron specifically wrote to his second brother Charlie to confirm these details.

Because he was afraid Gemini would betray him!

This kind of thing is perfectly normal.

As for why not ask Bill and Percy —because those two brothers are such excellent students, the cream of the crop, they would definitely say, "Those classes aren't difficult, you just need to study hard."

Charlie, however, is better at Quidditch than at studying.

Moreover, since they are usually busy with training, they chose easier and more manageable classes.

Harry asked Ron, "What happened to the Care of Magical Creatures?"

"I heard that professor is retiring," Ron mumbled, taking a bite of his Sherbet Lemon. "Who knows what the new professor's temperament will be like? What if he's like Snape, always sulking and Snape, or likes to assign tons of homework? Then this class will go from heaven to hell."

Ron suddenly turned his gaze to Lucien.

What do you think, Lucien?