บท 27: Hogwarts, Please Graduate Soon, Ch 27
For the first class, both the Badgers and the Lions had a lot of enthusiasm and anticipation. They dreamed of waving their wands, reciting spells, mastering powerful magic, and earning points from the professor. Unfortunately, when they saw the timetable showing that the first class was History of Magic, their excitement waned a little. The fact that their professor turned out to be a ghost was even more of a blow.
Things got worse from there; Professor Binns spoke in a breathy tone that possessed a kind of magical monotony, and within five minutes, the little wizards began to feel their eyelids getting heavy. Just as Wayne was about to close his eyes, Hermione pinched him and whispered, "No zoning out!"
Wayne felt helpless. "Sister, I'm not zoning out; I'm about to lose my mind!"
"He's just reading from the textbook. I could memorize it all in one go; listening in class seems pointless."
"Hearing him out is basic respect for the professor," Hermione said seriously, and in this regard, she wasn't going to let Wayne off the hook.
At this point, Wayne began to regret sitting next to Hermione; even trying to sneak in a nap was out of the question. Meanwhile, he was internally grumbling about how the headmasters of Hogwarts were all such skinflints. Professor Binns had been dead for hundreds of years; surely, he was retained as the History of Magic professor to avoid paying a salary.
As the first History of Magic teacher invited by the four founders since Hogwarts opened, Professor Binns had already been quite old then. One day, he came to class but left his physical body behind in the staff lounge chair. Ever since, Hogwarts had never replaced the History of Magic professor; a salary-free professor who wouldn't take leave and always maintained perfect attendance was, without a doubt, the dream laborer for countless headmasters.
But this arrangement had tormented generations of young wizards who had to endure torture in every lesson. For hundreds of years, no one had ever chosen to take the NETWs course in History of Magic, which was quite a feat in itself.
"Hey, Wayne," came Ron's suddenly hushed voice from the other side of the table.
Wayne had been busy cursing the headmaster in his mind when he perked up at Ron's greeting. Harry Potter was sitting next to Ron, nodding off and on the cusp of dreamland.
Ron's unexpected approach to him instantly lifted Wayne's spirits. "What's up, Ron?" He noticed Hermione didn't seem to mind his conversation, so he felt relieved to reply.
"Oh, it's nothing much," Ron shook his head, "I just wanted to say thank you; you were really something! This is the first time I've seen George and Fred get taken down a peg."
"Actually, it's twice!" Ron, a bit excited, raised his voice noticeably, waking several little wizards from their pleasant dreams. Harry looked at Ron with a complex expression, having just known him for a day. People who knew might think the twins were his real brothers; those who didn't might easily mistake them for his enemies.
"You can think of Fred and the others as your cousins," Ron explained to Harry. Instantly, Harry's eyes lit up; he understood completely.
"No need to thank me," Wayne said, both amused and bewildered that Ron would express gratitude for this. The twins typically bullied him mercilessly.
Honestly, back when Wayne first experienced the original books and movies, he wasn't a fan of Ron's character. Jealousy was strong, he often created his own drama, his talents were unimpressive, and somehow he ended up marrying Hermione, the Minister of Magic. There was definitely something shady about that.
However, the older he got, the more he realized how tough Ron had it. He had five older brothers, three of whom were perennial top students, having climbed up to student council president. The twins, while not academically exceptional, had an unparalleled talent for pranks that made them highly popular, even eclipsing Percy, the academic overachiever. Then, there was his little sister Ginny, who had inherited formidable magical talent.
Only Ron seemed to be a lackluster presence among them. Growing up in such a high-pressure environment, Ron turned out a bit quirky in personality, but he was sound in matters of right and wrong. It was clear that he had a strong foundation.
Of course, that didn't mean Wayne was going to become best friends with Ron. He just wouldn't look at everyone through the lens of old stereotypes anymore. This was the real world, and everything had to be based on his own experiences. So far, he had a decent impression of Ron, someone with whom he could casually chat whenever they met.
While Professor Binns continued his lecture, the two of them chatted until Harry joined in.
"Wayne, you come from a Muggle family too? That's great! I mean, we really have a connection," Harry declared. "We don't live too far away from each other; I'm on Privet Drive."
In just a few exchanges, Harry revealed a lot about himself. Generally, good-looking people tend to garner positive feelings from others. Wayne was a perfect example; Harry had already considered him his first friend from a different house.
Fifty minutes flew by quickly. Before class ended, Professor Binns assigned a six-inch paper on the early origins of wizards in England. The next class was Transfiguration, which would be attended jointly by Hufflepuff and Slytherin.
Before they parted, Hermione angrily pulled Wayne to a corner. "You can't do this!"
"You bought a lot of books before school started. I know you love learning! You need to pay attention in class, even if the teacher is a ghost!"
Seeing Hermione genuinely angry like a lioness, Wayne obediently nodded.
"Don't worry. I'll definitely be mindful from now on."
Hermione wasn't sure whether Wayne took her seriously, but time was short, so she glared at him and hurried away, feeling a bit disappointed inside. She genuinely considered Wayne a friend, which was why she hoped he would take his studies seriously.
Wayne understood her intentions and wasn't upset at all. After some time, once Hermione saw his grades, he was sure she wouldn't feel the same way as today.
The Transfiguration classroom was on the second floor, and Wayne and a group of Badgers walked in. At first glance, he spotted the tabby cat at the front desk, giving a slight nod in acknowledgment before randomly taking a seat.
To be honest, he was quite tempted to pet Professor McGonagall and experience the sensation of an Animagus first-hand. However, after having witnessed her transformation during summer break, he knew better than to approach her now.
Still, Wayne was aware that many other young wizards didn't know that. Particularly the members of Hufflepuff, most of whom loved animals and plants; upon seeing the cat, some even pulled snacks out of their pockets in preparation to feed her.
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