A certain Hogwarts professor of runes

Chapter 297 Homework

Hermione was still feeling dizzy when she came out of the office.

Although the professor didn't say it explicitly, the implication was quite clear: Sirius Black was innocent, or at least harmless to Harry.

She didn't know whether to tell Harry or not, but she didn't know the truth, and telling him would only cause her more trouble, and she was already troubled enough. With the Easter holidays approaching, professors from all subjects had unanimously increased the amount of homework, and Hermione felt like she was spinning like a top.

She used the time converter to its fullest potential, but even so, she still inevitably missed some classes.

Hermione was somewhat relieved that the Duel Study Group had been temporarily canceled, because Harry's attention was entirely focused on his daily Quidditch practice, and he also had to discuss various tactics with Wood during his daily breaks, so he could only complete his homework in fragmented time.

This caused the quality of Harry's submitted papers to plummet, but fortunately he wasn't the only one being criticized.

Harry and Draco Malfoy were summoned to the Transfiguration professor's office. "Gentlemen, I know you're preparing for the Quidditch finals, but that's no excuse for making such a mess of your homework," Professor McGonagall said sternly.

Yes, the Quidditch final, Harry thought absently. Tomorrow was the first day of the Easter holiday, and the first Saturday after the holiday ended was the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match.

He snapped out of his reverie, staring at Draco Malfoy, whose pale face was marred by prominent dark circles under his eyes, and whose gaze held a defiant glint. This was merely a microcosm of the tense atmosphere between the two schools and their respective teams; recently, the conflict between the Lions and the Snakes had been almost out in the open.

A shadow crossed Draco's eyes. He was under a lot of pressure on the team and was used as a disruptor to slow down Porter's offensive pace, which made him resentful at one point. However, when he thought about the speed of Firebolt, he didn't have much of a temper.

He wrote home to inquire about the price of the Firebolt, but his father, unusually, refused. The thing was more expensive than all seven Nimbus 2001s on his entire team combined. He was incredulous. Who gave it to Porter?

Could he be a foolish worshipper of Potter?

"...Never before has this happened. Two students are still in the hospital, their ears are oozing chives, and seven people are in solitary confinement..." Professor McGonagall's voice seemed to be used as background noise in the two's tense staring contest, and it was clear that McGonagall had noticed this as well.

She said angrily, "Go ahead, I'm only saying this once, but if you don't behave..." Her face turned red, and she hesitated for a long time, but still insisted, "I'll put you in solitary confinement, that's right, before the final! I'll discuss it with Severus."

Harry quickly assured Professor McGonagall, and Draco's expression softened. He forced a smile at Harry, who resisted the urge to say anything sarcastic and shook his hand.

Emerging from the Transfiguration classroom, the two who had been huddled together parted ways, and Draco gave a disdainful snort before turning and leaving. Harry returned to the common room just in time to hear Seamus yelling, "This is what you call a holiday? Exams are still a long way off!"

I went over to take a look and found that they were counting the homework left by each subject.

Dean Thomas counted on his fingers, having already done so for quite some time: "...History of Magic, three two-foot essays; Potions class, three, one of which is three feet long. Snape must have lost his mind! The title is—let me see—An Appreciation of the Improved Formula of Wolfsbane Potion..."

Dean muttered a curse under his breath and complained, "It's not on the final exam, so why are we writing this stuff?" He muttered, "What do you mean by understanding the latest developments in the field of potions... He just wants to show off his research findings."

Harry couldn't agree more, and Dean continued, "...Transfiguration class, two papers, and a Transfiguration exercise to bring inanimate objects to life; Astronomy class, twelve star charts..."

He heard a retching sound beside him, turned around and saw Neville, who looked pale and said, "Sorry, I feel a little nauseous..."

The twins leaned over and asked, "Want some energy boost?"

Harry looked puzzled and said, "Isn't this for treating a cold?"

Invigorating remedies were Mrs. Pomfrey's specialty, with immediate effects on colds and flu. The only downside was that after drinking the remedy, smoke would continuously rise from her ears for the next few hours.

“We’ve improved it to live up to its name,” Fred said with a smile. “I’ll show you.” He pulled out a candy and popped it into his mouth. “We made it solid for easy portability, so we can take it in class. Hmm, it’s a bit awful, George. Write that down; we could make it fruit-flavored…”

"Got it, buddy," George grinned, taking over the explanation and telling the group of young wizards, "You'll be in a state of high energy for the next few hours, except for a few minor aftereffects..."

“Wuwu!”

Fred looked as if he'd been hit by something; white smoke billowed from his ears, and he let out a loud whistle. He said energetically, "See that? Instantly relieve fatigue, one worry-free pill, seven Sickles for a real benefit."

Dean was very interested, and Harry, looking at the stack of homework on the table, was also somewhat tempted. By this time, quite a few young wizards had gathered around, pushing him to the side. After waiting in line for five minutes, he noticed that every two minutes, Fred would time it perfectly and sound a whistle, as if he were imitating a train.

After much deliberation, he left and found Ron and Hermione in the corner. Hermione's eyes were a little red, and she was yawning softly. He felt that Hermione needed a stimulant, or rather, a stimulant candy.

She was scribbling on a piece of parchment, and Harry glanced down at it and saw that it was a final exam review plan.

After a while, Hermione finally finished her task. She chewed on her quill: "I should make the most of the Easter holiday. I've already finished my assignments for History of Magic and Astronomy—"

Ron asked in surprise, "Don't you always finish your ancient runes homework first?"

"The professor waived my assignment, saying it was a waste of time," Hermione said.

Ron let out a wail, "How could you do this... I was counting on referencing your paper!"

"In fact," Hermione said sternly, "the top ten on the parchment leaderboard were all exempted from homework."

Ron turned to Harry, his eyes filled with anticipation. Harry shrugged. "I'll be training for most of the holidays. We have the advantage, but we could also be overturned. This is the worst-case scenario—Wood has finally gone mad."

"Okay, I'll write it, and I'll lend it to you when I'm done," Ron sighed.

Hermione snorted, but she didn't say anything. She just stood up and walked out of the lounge. A little while later, she came back yawning, looking even more tired.

Harry continued the previous topic, "It's a bit strange, but Professor McGonagall no longer forbids me from going out..."

Hermione jolted awake, instantly snapping back to reality.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Harry looked at her curiously. "Do you know why?"

"No, it's something else, I'm not sure yet," Hermione said hesitantly. "I have something to tell you after the Quidditch match."

……

The next morning.

Felix dressed formally and went to the medal ceremony.

The third-grade storyline is nearing its end, and I'm writing a bit slowly. I don't know if I can finish the third update today. You can wait until tomorrow to see if there will be several chapters.

Also, muttering to myself: Requesting monthly votes~

(End of this chapter)