"What?" Michael asked, looking bewildered.
Hogwarts had a seven-year curriculum, but if a student failed to pass any Ordinary Wizarding Level (OWL) exams, they would have to leave the school after their fifth year. Michael didn't understand why Wade would ask such a commonly known question.
"Seven years," Wade said with a touch of melancholy. "A year has only fifty-two weeks. Excluding the summer and Christmas holidays, we only spend about thirty-eight weeks at school each year. That means seven years is only 266 weeks!"
"Uh…" Michael thought for a moment. "That's true—so?"
"So… even if I could master one book a week, that's only 266 books in seven years! But how many books are in the Hogwarts library? Thousands upon thousands! It's like a vault filled with treasure, wide open for you to take whatever you want, but you just walk in, glance around, and leave with only a small bag of Galleons. Don't you think that's a waste?"
Michael felt he made an excellent point, and a sudden sense of urgency, a feeling of "time waits for no one," welled up inside him.
"And think about it," Wade continued, "it's only during these seven years… no, these 266 weeks, that we can be in the safest place in the world, asking questions of the greatest wizards of our time. Professor McGonagall, one of only seven Animagi in the 20th century, teaches us Transfiguration. Professor Flitwick, a dueling champion, teaches us Charms. And Professor Snape, a Potions Master, teaches us Potions… Even though the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors have been a bit lacking, where else can you find such an excellent learning environment after leaving Hogwarts? When you encounter problems with advanced magic or potions after graduation, who will selflessly guide you and teach you step-by-step? When you want to learn powerful spells later but can't find a way, won't it be too late to miss the Hogwarts library then?"
It wasn't just Michael; the students around them, who had quieted down at some point, couldn't help but nod their heads.
"So, Michael—" Wade asked in a deep voice, "do you still think it's enough for us to learn only eight books in one-seventh of our time here?"
Completely convinced by Wade's theory, Michael shook his head vigorously. He wanted to say something but couldn't, yet the thought of the two weeks he had already "wasted" filled him with a sense of anxiety.
He immediately stopped chatting with the girls, pulled out his Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration from the corner where he'd tossed it, and began to study.
For a time, the Ravenclaw common room fell silent, with only the sounds of turning pages and quills scratching. Two fifth-year students who rushed back just before curfew thought Professor Snape had invaded the Ravenclaw common room. They didn't even dare breathe loudly, tiptoeing back to their dormitory.
***
Dinner time, in the Great Hall.
"Something's not right, Fred."
"You're right, something's really not right, George."
The red-haired twins exchanged a look. Simultaneously, they reached out and randomly grabbed a Ravenclaw student, pressing him onto their own house table before he could even let out a yell.
"What do you two want, Weasley?" the Ravenclaw boy, pinned down by them, asked irritably. "I don't have time for your pranks."
"Hmm? What?" Ron, gnawing on a chicken leg, looked up blankly.
"None of your business, little Ronnie!" Fred pushed his brother's head back down. The twins each slung an arm around the Ravenclaw boy's neck, asking, "Davis, what's been going on with you Ravenclaws lately?"
"Holding books while eating—"
"Holding books while walking—"
"Barely any Ravenclaws seen in the courtyard during lunch break—"
"Even Quidditch practice isn't as enthusiastic as before—"
"They don't even go on dates on weekends!"
"You used to not love reading this much, either!"
"Seriously, did Snape secretly dose you with something?"
"—like a Love Potion called 'Love of Learning' or something."
Connecting Professor Snape's face with something as pink-scented as a Love Potion, Roger Davis couldn't help but shiver. "Don't talk nonsense, Professor Snape wouldn't use a Love Potion… No, I mean, there's no such Love Potion… No, we just suddenly realized—life is short, and the time we have for learning is even shorter."
"Huh?" The two Weasleys looked at him bewildered.
Roger Davis took a deep breath and looked earnestly at the twins: "Fred, George, do you know how long we can stay at Hogwarts?"
Fred silently reached out to check his forehead for a fever.
"I haven't lost my mind!" Davis slapped his hand away and earnestly explained theories like "266 weeks," "tens of thousands of books," and "not studying hard is like entering a treasure mountain and returning empty-handed."
After he finished, Davis grabbed his book and went to the Ravenclaw table for dinner. The Weasley brothers looked at each other, and even Harry and Ron, who had been focused on their food, unconsciously stopped eating.
The atmosphere of diligent study quietly began to spread throughout Hogwarts.
Of course, most people's enthusiasm lasted only three minutes. For example, Ron only worked hard enough to finish his History of Magic essay before going back to tinkering with his moving Wizard's Chess pieces. As for the twins, they still spent most of their time on pranks and experimenting with magic tricks. But there were also some who were secretly motivated to work harder.
Michael was one of those who studied intermittently. He was clever but not particularly diligent. Sometimes he would be influenced by Wade to study for a while, but he would soon be drawn to something more interesting, like using magic to make little paper figures fight, or discussing music or fashion with pretty girls.
In the practice room, it was mostly Wade, Hermione, Theo, and Ryan.
Sometimes Professor Sprout from Herbology would also come by, probably worried they were doing some dangerous practice. After seeing the setup of the practice room and the results of their studies, she praised them profusely, awarded five points to each house, and offered to help students with questions whenever she didn't have class, saying she was happy to clear up their confusion.
Professor Sprout was truly a very gentle and kind witch; she almost never discriminated against students based on their house affiliation, only showing particular favoritism towards those with exceptional talent in Herbology. Soon after, Professor Sprout recommended a Gryffindor student to their study group—Neville Longbottom.
The round-faced boy was honest and simple. He was quite clumsy in his studies, learning spells slower than anyone else, but he was very diligent and never caused trouble, quickly integrating into their small group.
On a Saturday evening, a notice posted on the common room bulletin board stirred up all the first-year students—Flying Lessons would begin the following week!
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