Douglas's gaze lingered on the Weasley twins for a moment.
Undisguised approval flashed in his eyes.
"A very, very good idea."
He spoke with an encouraging warmth in his voice.
"If this were a classroom at Hogwarts, I would certainly award twenty points to each of your houses."
Fred and George puffed out their chests, identical smug expressions on their faces.
Douglas changed tack, the curve of his lips becoming enigmatic.
"Since you're so interested in this subject, I wouldn't mind offering you a small suggestion."
"Submit an essay to me on 'The interaction between electricity and magical energy and its applications.'"
"As for the length... one foot should suffice."
He added this casually.
"Of course, this doesn't fall under the category of homework. It is entirely voluntary."
The word "voluntary" was like an icy spell, instantly freezing the air in the classroom.
The twins, who had just been sitting up straight, wilted as though their bones had been removed.
The other students lowered their heads, turning the pages of their notebooks to hide the bitterness on their faces.
They knew this professor all too well.
"Voluntary" coming from Professor Holmes meant almost exactly the same thing as "We're taking this very seriously" coming from the Minister for Magic.
Not write it?
Just try it.
"All right, aside from electricity and magical energy,"
Douglas's gaze slowly swept over the young faces.
"Has anyone noticed anything else?"
A hand rose among the crowd.
It belonged to Justin Finch-Fletchley of Hufflepuff.
"Professor," he stood up, adjusting his glasses a little nervously, "that... that surveillance equipment hanging from the ceiling."
"The way it records images reminded me of the Memory Charm Professor Flitwick mentioned."
"But the Memory Charm has a flaw. It can only reproduce everything the caster has seen with their own