The Return to Hogwarts

Not a single junior wizard chose to give up now, which was not unexpected for Amosta. However, it was hard to say how many people would remain here a month from now.

"So now--"

Amosta pointed to the lawn at his feet.

"The first thing we need to do, and that we need to do without interruption for a whole month, is to run twenty laps around the Quidditch pitch every morning—"

Looking at the group of astonished young wizards, Amosta smiled.

"What are you waiting for? Let's run, ladies and gentlemen!"

Chapter 374 Subsequent Impact

2023-07-10

After Sirius Black's duel with Snape, some changes occurred within Hogwarts that were foreseeable to those with foresight.

This change is primarily reflected in the young wizards of Gryffindor and Slytherin.

The two houses, which were already at odds, are now becoming increasingly tense. Whether in the Great Hall, the school corridors or courtyards, or in the classrooms, the young wizards from the two houses hardly communicate at all. They are hostile to each other and wary of one another.

This vigilance was not unfounded. Harry had encountered countless malicious attacks on his way to and from school recently. Although Malfoy had no evidence to prove it was him, Harry was certain that one afternoon, the person who hid behind the corner of the stairs, tripped him up, and threw a dung ball at his head was definitely him.

However, Malfoy's actions were clearly irrational, because he forgot that in terms of the number of dung balls, he was no match for the Weasley brothers of Gryffindor. In fact, the dung balls he acquired might have been sold by Fred and George.

One evening in mid-to-late March, after Slytherin finished Professor Sinista's astronomy class, as the young wizards of Slytherin walked down from the observatory, through the inner courtyard, and back to the main castle, and were about to return to Slytherin's underground common room through the underground passage on the side of the entrance hall, a fragrance wafting from the Great Hall stopped Crabbe and Goyle in their tracks.

What happened next is self-evident.

When Filch was drawn by the furious roars and desperate cries for help, the stench of excrement in the starlit auditorium made him vomit. The stench was so persistent that even after working all night, Filch couldn't make the air fresh again.

Needless to say, the heads of the four houses were furious. They ordered the prefects and student council presidents to increase nighttime patrols and personally questioned the portraits near the Great Hall about the young wizards who had been there that night, but they did not get any useful clues.

The perpetrator was highly skilled in counter-surveillance and left no trace.

"It's quite strange, Headmaster Dumbledore—"

When summarizing the information afterward, Snape told Dumbledore, his dark eyes undisguisedly fixed on Sirius Black.

Who in this school is skilled at evading detection and concealing their whereabouts?

“If you’re going to ask for my opinion, Severus—” Dumbledore put down his silver fork and said calmly, “As far as I know, Amostella is very good at this.”

“Speak from the heart, Headmaster Dumbledore.” Amosta rolled his eyes. “You are second to none in this regard.”

"Are you doubting me, Snape?"

Sirius Black met Snape's gaze without backing down, but he wouldn't tolerate Snape's sarcastic remarks.

"I'm not blaming anyone--"

Snape smiled slyly.

"I'm just reminding everyone here that last Halloween night, a beast sneaked into this school without being noticed by anyone."

"If you want to know the answer,"

Sirius said coldly,

“I can tell you that I hate that Malfoy boy. He’s just as cunning as his father, but I’ve never thrown a dung beetle at him.”

"Please, you two, have some decency!" Professor McGonagall glared angrily at Snape and Sirius. "Can't you stop arguing during the meal? Don't you see the young wizards are watching you?"

The impending argument was abruptly stopped before it reached its climax thanks to Professor McGonagall's forceful intervention. After dinner, before leaving the table, Dumbledore also issued a warning, hoping that the tense atmosphere that had been lingering in Hogwarts Castle for the past two weeks would come to an end.

"I certainly didn't lay a hand on that Malfoy kid—"

Sirius's office was the one Remus used before. As they walked up to the third floor together, Sirius's solemn expression vanished, replaced by a smug smile.

"I'm just giving the Weasley twins and Harry some pointers: to avoid getting caught playing pranks, you have to be wary of those who like to snitch."

Please don't cause me any more trouble--

Amosta was not at all surprised that Sirius had gotten involved in the matter. He said with a sullen face and annoyance,

"I'm the one who managed to get rid of Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle, as well as the stench of manure in the Great Hall!"

Dumbledore must have warned Snape privately, and Sirius, persuaded by Amosta, also reduced his aggressiveness. In short, to some extent, the confrontational atmosphere between Slytherin and Gryffindor eased somewhat.

However, the school faces more than one problem; Amos Tower's physical education classes also have a significant impact on the teaching of the professors at Hogwarts.

Although he chose to train the young wizards' physical abilities in the morning without interfering with their regular classes, the young wizards' experience was always limited. Arriving at the Quidditch pitch before six o'clock meant that they had to get up from their warm and comfortable four-poster beds while it was still dark, and plunge into the darkness before dawn without having breakfast.

Now, apart from Professor Binns's History of Magic class, even in Professor McGonagall and Snape's classes, some young wizards can't help but feel sleepy.

“Perhaps you could do what Aurora did and schedule your classes in the evenings, Amosta—”

Finally, Professor McGonagall, unable to bear it any longer, confronted Amosta in her office, shouting at her.

“Look at the situation now! This morning, at least a quarter of the fourth-grade students in Ravenclaw were dozing off in my class!”

“Only a quarter, Professor McGonagall.”

Amosta smiled shyly, "That ratio isn't too high, is it?"

"That's because only a quarter of the young Ravenclaw wizards who are still attending your gym class after four years are left!"

Professor McGonagall said, her face ashen.

Indeed, about a third of the young wizards dropped out of physical education in Amostall within the first week, and Ravenclaw, being mostly girls, had no interest in this utterly boring Muggle sport and was the house with the most dropouts.

Amosta was unconcerned about this, as he had anticipated it, just as he had said before.

The remaining young wizards also felt tired and bored, but they persisted for various reasons. It is estimated that after a month, there may be less than fifty young wizards left.

Neville is probably the only little wizard who enjoys it.

"This course is very simple--"

A somber atmosphere hung over the common room Friday night, because the young wizards who had stayed up until now would have to get up early again the next morning, completely robbing them of the meaning of a holiday.

"I mean, it doesn't require much brainpower, you know, that's what I'm afraid of!"

The others were at a loss for words when faced with the optimistic Neville.

"and--"

Neville stood up and patted his stomach.

"When I go home for summer vacation, I guarantee my grandma will be very surprised. She has tried so many ways to help me lose weight."

Neville didn't try to amuse anyone, Ginny said worriedly.

"I ran into Percy at the library today. He told me that Penelope has decided to drop Professor Blaine's class because she fell asleep during Professor Snape's Potions class and failed to clean up the splashed potions in the cauldron in time, resulting in a big scab on her nose. Percy is heartbroken about it."

“Oh—” Hermione frowned. “What is Percy going to do? Is he going to give up?”

“I think he’ll stick with it,” Ginny said, tossing her beautiful red hair. “Of course, he shares the same view as us. We’re not Muggle athletes, so why should we spend so much energy on physical training? But as you all know, he plans to get Professor Blaine to write him a letter of recommendation. If he drops out of the course, he’ll be too embarrassed to ask Professor Blaine for it. Anyway, he’ll graduate in a few months.”

Chapter 375 Sad Things

2023-07-11

Generally speaking, Friday nights are the most relaxing time for young wizards, and tomorrow is another day when Hogsmeade is open to young wizards from Hogwarts. However, in the common rooms of the various houses, there is always an area permeated with a heavy atmosphere.

Ginny had just finished criticizing her brother Percy, but no one else offered any further comment.

"Anyway——"

After a long silence, Seamus shrugged and finally said what everyone was thinking.

"I've decided to give up, folks. I don't see any point in this course—I mean, if I want to improve myself, I have many other options besides going to the Quidditch pitch before dawn every day, hungry, and just standing there like an idiot circling the clubs."

The truth is, in the magical world, Quidditch is the sport loved by everyone. If Professor Blaine had wanted to teach everyone some flying skills, things certainly wouldn't be like this now.

"I agree—"

Dean also raised his hand.

"Professor Blaine may indeed have a knack for teaching everyone how to deal with dark magic creatures, but I can't let this course ruin my life at school."

Of the people chatting now, Hermione is undoubtedly the most affected. She has taken the most courses and spends a lot of time every night preparing for lessons and reading. Professor Blaine's courses have greatly disrupted her rhythm.

Of course, Harry, Fred, and George were also troubled by this.

All three of them were members of the Gryffindor team, and Wood wouldn't let them off the hook just because they had an extra physical training session. They also had to participate in the regular Quidditch training twice a week in the evening.

To be honest, the Weasley children have persevered this long mainly out of gratitude for Professor Blaine's kindness. Otherwise, neither Fred and George nor Ron would have continued. It is Ginny who still has high hopes for the future development of this course.

"Malfoy's two lackeys gave up the next day. I thought Professor Blaine would be furious—"

Ron muttered.

This was indeed a strange thing. No professor would stand by and watch young wizards drop out of their classes so easily, but Professor Blaine seemed genuinely unconcerned. He turned a blind eye to the decreasing number of students each day, simply requiring those present to complete their daily tasks.

"What did Sirius say, Harry? Did you consult him?"

Hermione looked at Harry and said cautiously.

“No--” Harry shook his head. “I can ask around when I go to Hogsmeade with Sirius tomorrow.”

There wasn't much to say about that night. Ever since Professor Blaine asked everyone to get up early to run, the chatty activities that had lasted for nearly three years in the dormitory had disappeared. They had to hurry up and finish their assignments for each course, and then go to bed before ten o'clock, so that they wouldn't fall down those moving stairs because of exhaustion when they got up early to go downstairs.

The alarm clock rang precisely on time as the dawn broke. Harry expertly slapped it down, and with his eyes still closed and yawning, he took off his pajamas and put on a Dudley T-shirt—most of his Muggle clothes came from Dudley. Back at the Dursleys' house, his aunt and uncle certainly wouldn't have bothered to prepare suitable clothes for him. In fact, they thought that feeding Harry every day and keeping him from starving was already a huge favor.