Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 793 Ah, the gaze of the world

Hermione woke up early in the morning and was flipping through her notes on the sofa in the common room. She was focused, her lips moving as she silently recited the contents of her notes.

After reviewing her second-grade spellbook notes, she continued flipping through them, her gaze suddenly lingering on the pendant around her neck, her expression softening.

These are notes about the Guardian Charm.

The quill pen ink has turned into a glossy ballpoint pen, the handwriting is neat and methodical, and now it looks a bit immature. I don't know when it started, but she has also gotten used to writing in cursive. Although the handwriting is still clear and neat, it has changed a lot compared to a few years ago.

The section recording the spellcasting posture also includes several abstract stick figures.

Thinking back to that summer, Hermione remembered that when they first started practicing the Patronus Charm, Loren was slacking off on the sidelines. Now, five years have passed, and they have long since mastered the Patronus Charm.

It's just that I haven't summoned it in a long time.

An orca and a dolphin—it's said that the Guardian Charm is closely related to the soul and emotions. Have their living Guardian Aspects been influenced by each other?

Who influenced whom?

Hermione pondered quietly.

Footsteps came from the solid wood staircase next to us.

Hermione looked up.

It was still early, and most Gryffindor students weren't in the habit of waking up early. The common room was quiet and empty at the moment. The stairs were made of solid wood and covered with soft carpets. They had been treated with special magic during construction, so normally there wouldn't be any noticeable footsteps. But Loren was deliberately stomping his feet, making a tinkling sound. Crookshanks followed his heels, and his fat, chubby body immediately lost its balance when his toes were gently tugged at, flowing down like slimy liquid.

"..."

Hermione fell silent.

Television and newspapers have featured the habits of many animals, including orcas.

Her memory has always been excellent, so she easily recalled information about orcas.

I've heard that orcas will deliberately leap out of the water when they encounter ferries, splashing water and even gently bumping the hull to attract the attention of people around them. They also often tease small animals like sea turtles and seals, for no other reason than simply for fun.

So the question about the guardian deity has an answer.

……

After having breakfast with Hermione, they lingered for about ten minutes before leisurely making their way down to the basement.

The first period this morning was Professor Snape's Potions class.

The classroom door was unlocked, half-open, and some students had already arrived. Pushing the door open, a strong smell of scabies potion wafted into my nostrils. It seemed that yesterday's last period was Potions class for the lower grades. There weren't many students in the Gryffindor area, only three or four people including the two prefects. There were more students in the Slytherin seating area who had arrived early, and most of them sat quietly in their seats, reviewing their lessons.

Draco sat in the corner of the front row, his eyes glazed over, his face blank, staring blankly at the letter in his hand.

He looks a bit silly; he probably hasn't recovered from the blow of the Earth Finals.

"..."

Loren shook his head and followed Hermione to sit down on the other side of the front row of the classroom.

Before he could even put down his backpack, he heard Neville's voice from the back row: "Loren, I have a question for you. Do you think I'm suitable to be an Auror?"

"What, is your grandma thinking of making you an Auror again?"

"Don't ask these questions yet, just tell me directly."

"Okay, not suitable." Loren didn't turn around and opened his backpack on his own.

"..."

Neville looked distressed as he pulled out a potions textbook: "Why? I meet all the Auror requirements, and I'm even better than the job requirements."

"Really? If you were asked to arrest a criminal, would you unhesitatingly cast an Unforgivable Curse on a dark wizard?"

"I can control criminals without using the Unforgivable Curse. Professor Flitwick even praised my performance in dueling training."

"Professor Flitwick even praised Hannah for her calm and collected spellcasting. Do you think she's suitable to be an Auror?" Loren turned around and said with a smile, "If you ask me, everyone's personality is different. Some people are decisive and tough, while others are gentle, slow to warm up, and approachable. Face reality, Neville, no matter how good your grades are, your personality isn't suitable to be an Auror."

"I can also be decisive and efficient."

"At the party on the night of the Quebec finals, they were making a ruckus until 2 a.m. You tried to gently remind them several times, but it was completely ineffective. In the end, it was Parvati who yelled at them to break up. There have been at least dozens of similar incidents over the past few years. If you want to hear about them, you can ask Parvati. She has a lot of complaints about it."

Neville actually knew the answer in his heart, but hearing Loren say that was still hard to accept. He sighed dejectedly, "I just want to find a cool job."

"Go to Romania to feed dragons."

"..."

Neville looked somewhat frustrated: "It would be best if it were within Britain."

"Does it also need to be close to home, preferably with a 9-to-5 job, weekends off, and long enough holidays for summer vacation and Christmas? Given your family's financial situation, the salary doesn't have to be that high."

"Is there?"

"Training owls in Diagon Alley."

"This is not cool at all."

"That's strange. The Neville I remember isn't the type to pursue these things. Are you being controlled by your grandmother's Imperius Curse?"

"I just...sigh..."

Neville wiped his face. "I originally planned to stay at Hogwarts as a teaching assistant or help my parents with their business, but Hannah told me the other day that she'll be taking over the Leaky Cauldron after she graduates and becoming its owner. It's a really cool job, and I just want to be like her."

"You can work as a waiter at the Leaky Cauldron."

"It would be better to raise owls."

"Please, being a girlfriend's subordinate and living off her is just so cool."

"..."

Neville momentarily doubted himself and subconsciously turned to look at Hermione to his side.

The girl looked down at her notes, seemingly oblivious to what she had heard, though her ears were slightly red.

Neville opened his mouth, then shook his head and said, "Never mind, I'll ask the professor for career advice sometime."

Loren clicked his tongue in disapproval of the world's short-sightedness, turned around, took out his textbook and notes, and opened the notes from the previous lesson.

Most of the tips were about solving difficult exam questions. For example, if there wasn't enough time to complete a specific stirring during the potion brewing process and the proctor wasn't around, you could use a freezing spell to stop the potion's reaction and then undo the spell after stirring. The previously criticized method of using dung stones as a universal antidote also became a last-minute way to score points.

The Quidditch finals concluded last weekend, and the countdown to final exams has begun.

Seventh-grade students no longer have final exams; instead, they face the Ultimate Wizarding Level Exam, or NEWT for short.

This is the highest level exam that students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry can take during their studies. It is a voluntary exam taken at the end of the seventh year to test students' learning outcomes in their final two years. Many specialized professions require high scores in specific subjects in the Ultimate Wizarding Level (OWL) exams. Not all wizards need to take the NEWT exam; some students can secure good jobs simply with an OWL.

(End of this chapter)