The Legend of the Chamber of Secrets

Luo Bin had no idea how the students had felt back then, but whenever he saw Professor Binns enter the classroom by passing through the blackboard, he wondered whether History of Magic was so dull that the ghostly professor had chosen an unconventional entrance to liven things up.

Of course, he couldn't rule out the possibility that Professor Binns was simply being lazy!

Once the classroom quieted down, Professor Binns opened his notes and began recounting a tedious stretch of the Wizarding World's history.

His voice sounded exactly like a battered vacuum cleaner on the verge of giving out, low and dry—the undisputed king of white noise.

Only ten minutes into his lecture, half the students in the classroom were already growing drowsy.

Another fifteen minutes passed, and the combination of white noise and dull facts had knocked out nine-tenths of the class. A few bold students, Draco among them, simply put their heads on their desks and slept.

The timid ones, like Neville, sat perfectly upright with their backs straight, but their eyelids seemed glued together, and their heads kept bobbing like little click beetles!

Of course, some were still listening: Luo Bin, who loved learning; Salatea, who had extraordinary self-control; and Hermione, who had something on her mind.

Professor Binns turned a page, paused for three seconds, then resumed in his low, dry voice. "In 1289, the International Confederation of Wizards, at..."

"Professor Binns!"

A clear, silvery voice interrupted the rhythm of his lecture.

He raised his head and looked at the young witch with bushy, curly hair, mild surprise in his eyes. "You are...?"

"I'm Hermione Granger, Professor. I've listened carefully to every point you've covered, and I've taken a whole stack of notes."

A thick notebook really did lie open on the little desk in front