Harry returns from Hogwarts Legacy

Chapter 376 Employment Guidance
Harry ignored Dumbledore's criticism of his father.

He certainly knew what kind of person James was back in school; it could only be said that Dumbledore had even... well, idealized James.

Therefore, the best course of action is to remain silent, lest Dumbledore bring Snape over to confront him.

Soon after, Dumbledore sent an invitation to Professor Lupin, who gladly accepted Hogwarts' offer to return to the institution. On the first day of April, he returned to Hogwarts.

The first lesson was Defense Against the Dark Arts, a third-year course.

When the students saw Professor Lu Ping standing on the podium again after two years, they all thought it was an April Fool's joke.

Upon learning that Lupin had formally accepted Dumbledore's invitation to return to the podium, the students erupted in enthusiastic applause, welcoming Professor Lupin back to his loyal Defence Against the Dark Arts class.

The third-year students loved Professor Lupin the most. Two years ago, they were freshmen who had just enrolled in the first year of university. It was Professor Lupin who made them fall in love with the course—even though Professor Lupin was unwell for a few days every month and Professor Snape substituted for him, this only made them like Professor Lupin more.

Yes, without comparison there is no harm. If Snape didn't persecute them, how could they appreciate Professor Lupin's goodness?

On the third day of April, all fifth-grade students are required to go to their respective deans for career counseling.

Career counseling is an interview at Hogwarts that helps students plan their careers after graduation. Professors combine students' grades with their own aspirations to help them determine their future direction.

For most students, career counseling is conducted twice: once before the start of the fifth-grade OWLs exams and once before the start of the seventh-grade NEWTs exams.

“Relax,” the Weasley twins shouted in the Gryffindor common room. “First it’s your turn, then it’s our turn as seventh-years—don’t worry, Professor McGonagall won’t make things difficult for you. Last time during our career counseling, we said we wanted to make some weird little inventions after graduation, and Professor McGonagall didn’t scold us. Instead, she told us to go back and study the Transfiguration Charm.”

“Really?” Ron said with some concern. “I haven’t decided what I want to do after graduation. Should I become an Auror? Or a Quidditch goalkeeper?”

The Weasley twins exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

“It’s good to have dreams,” Fred said breathlessly.

George quickly added, "Unfortunately, that's not realistic."

Even after adding the last bit, George was still wiping away tears—tears of laughter, not for any other reason.

The career guidance session arrived as scheduled. Harry, Hermione, and Ron lined up at the front of the Gryffindor queue. As prefects, Ron was naturally at the very front with Hermione to receive career advice from Professor McGonagall.

Ron entered Professor McGonagall's office first. Professor McGonagall was already waiting for him at the back of the office. When she saw him come in, Professor McGonagall adjusted her glasses and said briefly, "Sit down, Weasley."

“Well, Weasley, this conversation will be in detail about any thoughts you may have about your future career, to help you decide what subjects you will study in your sixth and seventh years,” Professor McGonagall said. “Have you thought about what you want to do after you leave Hogwarts?”

Ron opened his mouth, but he really hadn't decided what to do.

“Don’t be nervous, Weasley,” Professor McGonagall said gently. “Just tell me what you want to do, and as your professor, I’ll give you some reasonable advice.”

Ron took a breath and said in a low voice, "Uh, Professor, I want to be an Auror."

“Aurors?” Professor McGonagall nodded, pulling a small black brochure from under a pile of things on the table and showing it to Ron. “For this, you’ll need top grades. As far as I know, they require at least five NEWTs, all with grades no lower than ‘Good.’ Then you have to go through a series of rigorous character and intelligence tests in the Auror office—it’s a tough career path, Weasley. They only hire the best wizards. In fact, I don’t recall anyone being hired in the last three years.”

“I guess you want to know which subjects you should study?” she continued, raising her voice slightly.

“Yes,” Ron said in a low voice, “I think there’s Defense Against the Dark Arts?”

“Of course,” Professor McGonagall said bluntly. “I also recommend that you learn Transfiguration, because Aurors often need to change or maintain their appearance in their work. And I should tell you now, Weasley, I will not allow students into my NEWTs class unless they achieve a ‘good’ or higher grade in their regular wizarding exams—and I must say, apart from Defense Against the Dark Arts, your current average grade is ‘pass’, so you need to study very hard before the exams to have a chance to continue your studies.”

Professor McGonagall paused briefly before continuing to Ron, “You should also study Charms, it’s always very useful, and Potions… yes, Weasley, Potions,” she added, a slight smile playing on her lips, “Potions and antidotes are essential for Aurors, and I must tell you, Professor Snape will absolutely not accept a student who has scored below ‘Excellent’ in any of their Owls exams, so…”

Professor McGonagall continued with a smile, "I know you may not like Potions class very much, but I still suggest you study hard, lest Professor Snape refuse to accept you into his advanced class."

“I understand, Professor,” Ron replied in a low voice. Then, remembering what Professor McGonagall had just said, he looked up and asked, “By the way, Professor, you mentioned performance testing earlier?”

“Not performance, Weasley.” Professor McGonagall’s expression clearly showed a momentary urge to suppress a laugh, but she managed to control herself. “It’s a test of character and intelligence. You need to demonstrate good responsiveness under pressure, which is a basic requirement for an Auror. In addition, you need to have unwavering perseverance and dedication, because Aurors undergo up to three years of training, not to mention the extremely skilled technique required to actually use defensive spells. This means that even after leaving school, you will still have to learn a lot.”

Ron was a little worried, wondering just how difficult these Auror demands would be.

Years later, however, when Ron faced the Auror's special training, he finally remembered just what kind of training Harry had arranged for him—

Who would make first-graders practice like that?!

As Ron left, Hermione gave him an inquiring look, patted him on the shoulder, and then went into the office.

A moment later, she walked out with her head held high and her chest puffed out.

"What did Professor McGonagall ask you?" Lavender asked in a low voice.

“They’re just normal questions, but I think the questions will vary depending on the person’s career path,” Hermione said softly, trying to reassure them. “Don’t worry, Lavender, it’s nothing.”

As Harry walked in, he saw Professor McGonagall putting away the Ministry of Magic recruitment brochure.

When Harry walked in, Professor McGonagall looked up and smiled gently at him.

After he was seated, Professor McGonagall asked a question.

"Tell me about your employment plans, Potter."

“I want to be an Auror, Professor,” Harry replied.

He thought Professor McGonagall would say a lot, but instead, Professor McGonagall nodded seriously.

“Indeed, with your abilities, Potter, it would be a real shame if you didn’t become an Auror. You were truly born for this profession… Well, our career counseling session is over, Potter.” After saying this, Professor McGonagall cleared the things off the table and set them aside.

Harry:?
No, is that all?

Once the cleanup was finished, Professor McGonagall noticed Harry was still sitting in the same spot, so she asked, "Why aren't you leaving, Potter?"

"Don't you have anything else to say, Professor?" Harry asked uncertainly.

“What are you talking about?” Professor McGonagall pushed up her glasses. “Like you were talking to Weasley, about the requirements for an Auror? Oh, Potter, you meet all the requirements of the Ministry of Magic for an Auror, and even exceed them. If the Ministry of Magic doesn’t accept you after knowing you want to be an Auror, then I’ll have something to say—now you can let the next person in, Potter.”

Her expression was one of complete impatience, as if Harry was wasting her time by staying there.

But in fact—that is indeed the case.

Harry took a breath.

What you said makes so much sense, I'm speechless.

He could only turn and leave, letting the next person go in for employment counseling.

"How did you get here so fast?" Ron asked curiously when he saw him come out.

“Professor McGonagall just asked me about my career aspirations,” Harry said, spreading his hands. “I said I wanted to be an Auror, and Professor McGonagall said I met the Ministry of Magic’s requirements for Aurors, so she let me out.”

Ron was somewhat taken aback.

“This is different from me,” he said hesitantly.

"Yes, if you could beat Harry, Professor McGonagall probably wouldn't have said much to you," Hermione said sarcastically from the side.

“True.” Ron accepted Hermione’s sarcastic remark.

A few days later, Hogwarts' career guidance finally came to an end.

Most of the fifth-grade students have found their career paths, with only a few lost souls unsure of what to do or what they should do.

“Actually, I think you shouldn’t look for a job in the wizarding world if you’re not going to work for the Ministry of Magic,” Hermione said in a low voice. “Think about it, you only earn a few dozen Galleons a month. According to the exchange rate of five pounds to one Galleon, you’re only making a few hundred pounds a month. Why are you risking your life? You could earn more than five hundred pounds a month sweeping floors in Muggles.”

“That makes sense,” Ron said, shoveling cream of mushroom soup into a baguette, “but exchanging pounds for Galleons is a hassle, Hermione.”

“It’s a bit more troublesome, but it pays more, Ron.” Hermione smiled and said, “Let’s not argue about that. Let’s talk about your problem. You need to get at least five grades of good or above in your courses to get into the advanced class. Otherwise, you won’t be selected by the Aurors.”

“The other courses aren’t a problem, it’s just Potions.” Ron chewed like a hamster. “I really can’t muster any interest in Potions, but Professor McGonagall warned me that it’s a course I have to take if I want to become an Auror.”

Harry suddenly said, "Ron, is it possible that you don't dislike Potions class, but just dislike Professor Snape?"

“That’s possible too,” Ron nodded as if he understood. “Think about it, if our Potions class was taught by a pretty young lady, I would definitely like Potions class; but if our Potions class was taught by Professor Snape, then I…”

He suddenly stopped talking at this point.

"And you?" a greasy voice asked from behind.

“Then I’ll definitely enjoy Potions class, Professor,” Ron said with a forced smile as he turned around.

He was only halfway through his sentence when he suddenly remembered his ability to use supernatural words.

(Battlecry: When speaking ill of Professor Snape, randomly summon Professor Snape to your side.)

Professor Snape was like a ghost behind him, always appearing at the right moment to punish him severely when he spoke ill of someone.

"Is that so?" Professor Snape smiled mysteriously. "Since you enjoy Potions class so much, then... come to the Headmaster's office in Slytherin every Wednesday and Friday evening, and I will give you individual instruction in Potions there, how about that?"

Ron swallowed.

Snape strolled away, and only after he was out of sight did Ron ask with a mournful face, "Good heavens, Merlin's beard! Why did Professor Snape suddenly decide to have me go to his office for private instruction? Doesn't he always hate Gryffindor?"

“I don’t know either.” Hermione frowned. “Perhaps someone mentioned it to Professor Snape? That’s why he approached Ron and asked him to take on some mentorship… Who could that person be? Could it be Professor McGonagall?”

"Probably not?" Ron thought for a moment and said, "Harry, do you have any clues?"

When he looked at Harry, he found Harry with his hands behind his head, staring intently at the window and whistling.

“Harry?” Ron asked again.

"Oh?" Harry turned around and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Is there something you need?"

“I’m asking…” Ron repeated his earlier guess.

“I don’t think so, Ron,” Harry said. “Given Professor Snape’s character, he would only give private instruction to Slytherin students if advised by others. I think the only reason he was summoned is because you were talking badly about him behind his back. What do you think? This should be a punishment, not a reward.”

“Probably,” Ron said with a shrug.

Hermione glanced at Ron, then looked at Harry suspiciously.

She always felt that things weren't that simple.

That's strange!
(End of this chapter)