Draco still tried to see if he could salvage the situation, and he said to Professor McGonagall:
"No way, Professor, the Trophy Room is just too big. Every time we finish cleaning it, it's almost curfew. If we go to your office then, we probably won't even have time to get back to our dorms."
Professor McGonagall's gaze seemed to see through everything; she remained resolute and refused to budge.
"Since you knew the exhibition hall was large, you should have followed the rules from the start. If you can't even endure this little bit of hardship, what are you talking about exploring the magical ocean?"
Draco immediately looked miserable.
After thinking for a moment, Professor McGonagall rearranged things. "The tutoring session will be moved to one hour after class, which is enough for you to solidify your foundation and won't interfere with your evening cleaning duties."
"But remember, if you dare to miss even one session, the showroom cleaning time will be increased by another week."
The classroom was filled with barely suppressed murmurs of laughter and chatter. Hermione turned her head to look at Draco, her eyes full of mockery.
Ron pursed his lips, but a sly smile crept up his face as he thought to himself, "Finally, someone's going to teach this kid a lesson."
Draco frowned and pondered for a moment, then said helplessly:
"Then let's do it together tonight, Professor. I'm not very good at remembering things, so I'd rather finish my cleaning duties and go straight to your office to avoid forgetting."
Upon hearing this, Professor McGonagall looked at me with a half-smile, as if she saw through my little scheme to avoid punishment.
But she didn't expose it, and simply made the decision. "Okay, that's settled. After you finish sweeping, come directly to my office. If you're even 15 minutes late, you'll have to sweep for three more days."
"I understand, Professor. I certainly won't be late!" Draco felt only helplessness.
My time is completely filled.
But after listening to the conversation, everyone felt that this genius of the same level was more down-to-earth than they had imagined.
Only then did Hermione say, "Don't worry, Professor, I'll keep an eye on him."
Draco was taken aback by Hermione's words; he hadn't expected Hermione to say something like that.
Hermione actually had her own ulterior motives; she also wanted to see if she could get a chance to be tutored by Professor McGonagall.
Hermione's words caused a brief moment of silence in the classroom, followed by a burst of noise.
All eyes were darting between Draco and Hermione, their gazes filled with amusement and gossip.
Despite the reactions of the crowd, Hermione's ears turned slightly red, but she maintained a serious expression.
Professor McGonagall watched the noisy scene, a hint of suppressed amusement flashing in her eyes.
But she still maintained a stern expression and said, "Very good, with Miss Granger supervising, it saves me a lot of trouble."
" Draco, if Miss Granger were to complain about you, it wouldn't be as simple as just adding three more days to the cleanup."
After speaking, Professor McGonagall turned and walked back to the podium, straightened her cuffs, and announced:
"Alright everyone, class is almost over. Put your needles away. If anyone still wants to observe and learn, you can find Draco after class."
The last needle, which had been passed around throughout the entire class, was now in the hand of a Ravenclaw girl.
Clutching the needle, she strode to the front of the class, gently placing it next to Professor McGonagall's lesson plan, her admiring gaze occasionally glancing at Draco.
Professor McGonagall glanced at all the wands and practice tools that the class had collected, and then added a gentle reminder:
"Don't be discouraged, everyone. Although few people have Draco's talent, mastering Transfiguration and passing the O.W.L.s exams is not difficult."
"As long as you can all practice with the same focus as you did today in the future, that's enough. get out of class dismissed!"
The classroom instantly came alive as soon as the professor finished speaking.
The soft rustling of benches being moved mingled with the sounds of laughter.
Everyone wore relaxed smiles, their expressions no longer showing frustration from unsuccessful practice.
Some people gathered in small groups, mimicking the hand gestures they had just Transfiguration, discussing the key points of magic control that Professor McGonagall had mentioned.
Several Ravenclaw students walked straight up to Draco, politely and eagerly asking if they could borrow the needles to observe him for a moment.
Draco wasn't stingy and gave them a few more, for which they thanked him repeatedly.
Neville joined in, saying in a simple-minded way that if he needed help with the evening's cleaning duties, he could come and lend a hand.
Draco looked at him and reminded him, "I have to clean under Filch's supervision, aren't you afraid?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Neville froze, remembering Filch's gloomy face and the punishment manual he always clutched in his hand.
Neville's shoulders hunched instinctively, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.
No one at Hogwarts is unafraid of Filch, especially the students who have been punished; just thinking about that sinister gaze sends chills down their spines.
But he hesitated for only two seconds before straightening his back. "I'm a little scared... but it's just cleaning, Filch can't just punish people for nothing, can he? I'll just hand you a rag and wipe the shelves, I won't cause any trouble!"
Lavender and Parvati, who were packing their things nearby, came over when they heard this.
She chuckled and patted Neville's arm, her tone a mix of teasing and approval. "I didn't expect you to be such a loyal friend."
Parvati and a few other students gathered in the classroom chuckled softly, their gazes towards Neville now filled with more goodwill.
Neville blushed slightly at the praise, scratched the back of his head, and looked at Draco with a serious expression, whispering:
"I'm glad I can help Draco. You've been busy with tutoring and shoveling lately, you must be overwhelmed."
Draco, seeing Neville's fearful yet defiant expression, said, "I appreciate your kindness, but if Filch sees other people crowding around, he might have to extend my sweeping time."
Neville opened his mouth as if to say something more, but Olivia gently patted his arm and interrupted him with a smile:
"You're being insensible again, Neville. Draco doesn't need your help. He still has Hermione to help him..."
After she finished speaking, she deliberately glanced in Hermione's direction.
Olivia's words elicited knowing smiles from the classmates gathered around her.
Neville paused, then followed her gaze to Hermione.
Then, he exclaimed "Oh!" with a sudden realization, scratching the back of his head and grinning sheepishly, "Right, with Granger supervising, there definitely won't be any problems!"
Hermione was stuffing her textbooks into her bag when Olivia's words touched on her, and the tips of her ears instantly turned a light red.
She glared at Olivia and scolded, "Don't talk nonsense. I'm just keeping an eye on things as the professor instructed, so no one slacks off and misses tutoring."
Hermione spoke seriously, but it only made Parvati and Lavender laugh even harder.
Seeing that they were about to continue teasing her, Hermione immediately changed the subject, saying, "Hurry up and pack your things. Weren't you the ones who were just yelling about wanting to learn Transfiguration from Draco?"
Upon hearing this, the students who had been joking around immediately came to their senses.
Two Ravenclaw girls picked up their backpacks and hurried toward Draco, followed by several Gryffindor students.
Olivia chuckled softly, ceasing her teasing, winked at Hermione, and then, together with Parvati, packed their things and came over.
Lavender went even further, saying, " Draco, don't walk too fast later. You'd better tell us about your Transfiguration magic control techniques!"
Neville also nodded quickly, forgetting what he just said, and said naively:
"Yes! Draco, I also wanted to ask you again, how should I use my wrist when I was spinning the needle? I can't seem to control my magic properly."