The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 287 Owl Salamander and Hippogriff
Today is the first day of formal classes. The atmosphere on campus is still a bit casual and the students are all lazy.

But when everyone walked into the Transfiguration classroom, this casualness disappeared immediately, because Professor McGonagall's expression was very serious, so serious that people wondered if Gryffindor had lost another 150 points in one go.

Ada was also frightened by Professor McGonagall's expression. She and George sat in the back of the classroom. She huddled behind Angelina and carefully searched her memory. After a while, Ada dared to sit up straight. She was sure that she had not done anything out of line recently, and Professor McGonagall's expression was definitely not directed at her.

The confused students looked at each other in bewilderment. Although Professor McGonagall was always strict, it was just the beginning of the school year, so it shouldn't be that serious! The students turned to look at Ada in the back of the classroom. They were surprised to find that she was not only sitting straight, but also showed no fear on her face. Now everyone was even more confused.

What's wrong with Professor McGonagall today? Whether it's life or death, give me a straight answer, don't drag it out!
Just when the students were daydreaming, the bell for class rang, and everyone was finally relieved. The time for the verdict had finally come.

Professor McGonagall glanced at the students in the classroom. She said in a heavy tone: "You all looked lazy before entering the classroom. It seems that you have no idea what kind of year this is. Who can tell me what will be waiting for you this year?"

"OWLs, we are going to take the OWLs exam this year." Ada took the initiative to answer the question. Professor McGonagall asked the question, and Ada had to help out!
The students in the classroom still did not realize the seriousness of the problem. It was true that they had to take the exam, but they still had a school year before the exam!
Fred and George even had time to joke around, with Fred imitating the sound of an owl and George making a squeaking sound as if an owl was hunting mice at night.

But there were not many people as bold as the twins, so the classroom did not burst into laughter as usual.

Professor McGonagall simply glanced at the twins, and Fred and George immediately fell silent.

"Five points deducted from Gryffindor," Professor McGonagall continued. "OWLs, or Ordinary Wizarding Levels, are one of the most important exams in your life. Your results will affect your sixth and seventh year courses, and thus your career prospects after graduation."

Judging from the dismal employment rate of Hogwarts, the role of the wizarding level exam is not very significant, after all, many excellent graduates do not have ideal jobs. There are only so many positions in the wizarding world, and wizards generally live longer, which leads to more people and less jobs, and the number of vacant positions each year cannot meet the number of Hogwarts graduates.

But on the other hand, this exam is very important. After all, many ideal jobs in the magic world require specific OWLs and NEWT certificates as stepping stones.

For example, if you want to become a healer at St. Mungo's, you need to get at least an "E" grade in Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts.

The same is true if you want to work in the Ministry of Magic. In addition, you may need to take other exams or take training courses.

Just like Nymphadora Tonks, after graduating from school, she used her exam certificate as a stepping stone to sign up for the Auror training class. Only after completing the training class could she become an Auror under the Law Enforcement Department.

The two wizard level exams, nicknamed "Owl" and "Salamander", are like the boat tickets in life. Only after getting the tickets can you be qualified to board the ship, but where you can take the ship depends on your own ability.

Of course, if you have a father like Lucius Malfoy, or a grandmother like Vida Rosier, you can live comfortably even without a ticket. Nothing could be easier than living on your ancestors' wealth.

Professor McGonagall walked in the aisle between the desks, constantly emphasizing the importance of OWLs. She hoped that everyone would start to get nervous from now on and be fully prepared for the exam in June next year.

"I think you have fully understood the importance of this exam. The more certificates you obtain, the more choices you will have in your future work." Professor McGonagall returned to the podium. "In addition, I must say that my advanced Transfiguration course only allows students with exam scores of 'E' or above." The atmosphere in the classroom became a little heavy. These fifteen or sixteen-year-old students felt unprecedented pressure. The burden of life seemed to be pressed on their tender shoulders all of a sudden.

Putting pressure on students is just to make them nervous, not to overwhelm them, so Professor McGonagall didn't say anything more and started the first class of the new semester.

However, the effect of this class was not good. The students who were unprepared suddenly heard the "bad news" and were unable to recover for a while. They were in a daze throughout the whole class.

We finally made it to the end of get out of class, and the delicious lunch healed our wounded hearts a little, but the afternoon class gave us another blow.

Even darker than the underground classroom was Snape's sallow face. He stood in the shadow of the podium and said something more frightening than Professor McGonagall. Moreover, Snape's advanced potion class only accepted students with "O" grades. This meant that next year's potion class would probably be taught by four colleges together.

Ada feels that by this time next year, it will be a question whether the number of people in the classroom will even reach double digits.

Potions doesn't require you to wave a wand or remember what happened hundreds of years ago, but the difficulty of this course is not low at all. Potions not only requires you to learn the course itself, but also requires you to master the content of herbology.

The most critical point is Snape. He is an outstanding potion master, but he is not a qualified teacher. Snape's attitude towards students is really problematic, especially when students are young. Students with weak minds are prone to resistance, such as Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter.

In addition, Snape fully implemented the educational philosophy of "the master leads the way, and the practice is up to the individual", but this method is not suitable for every student in the classroom. Not everyone has a talent for potions, and not everyone can force themselves to learn and understand this slightly boring course.

After the first day of classes, the fifth-year students from the four colleges were all lifeless. The sudden increase in pressure made them feel a little breathless, and the strict registration requirements for the advanced classes also hit them hard.

Everyone regards the fifth grade study life as purgatory, but they don’t realize that only when they reach the seventh grade, they will realize how easy the fifth grade was.

In the hall, compared to the fifth and seventh year students, the attitude of the students in the remaining grades was much better. They were all discussing the same thing - there was a teaching accident in Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class, and a hippogriff injured a student.

This is Hagrid's first class, and Harry is also attending this first class. Hagrid hopes to make a good impression on everyone. It is because of this mentality that Hagrid did not choose the Flobberworm or the Niffler, which are relatively gentle magical creatures, but chose the very exciting Hippogriff.

The first half of the class was a success. With Harry's help, Hagrid and his class aroused great interest among everyone. Unfortunately, Draco Malfoy also chose this class. How could Master Malfoy watch Scarhead being in the limelight while he remained indifferent?
As for the result, the whole school knew that Master Malfoy was scratched by the hippogriff Buckbeak. Although many people thought that Malfoy asked for it and deserved it, everyone knew that this matter would probably not end well, at least Buckbeak would not have a good ending.

The choice is between powerful wizards and magical creatures. It doesn't matter whether you are right or wrong, innocent or not, the outcome is already determined.

(End of this chapter)