days at Hogwarts

The second day of school after the Easter holidays.

There is still a drizzle outside the window. It is neither hot nor cold. When you open the window, you can smell the moist and fresh air at any time. It is refreshing and pleasant.

The water level of the Black Lake seemed to have risen slightly. According to students in Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures, the lawns on the field and the ground outside the Forbidden Forest had become swollen and soaked with water. When one stepped on the ground, the mud stuck to the soles of the shoes and it took a lot of effort to pull them out.

After breakfast, Loren and Hermione came to the Charms classroom.

The course progress of the Charms Advanced Class was faster, and there were only a few thin pages left in the textbook. Based on the previous teaching speed, it was speculated that Professor Flitwick would finish teaching the new content within this week and enter the final review stage.

Students walked into the classroom one after another and filled their seats. They were still in their original positions, surrounded by familiar faces. Before the bell rang and Professor Flitwick arrived, the students exchanged the latest news, focusing on the gossip about the Ministry of Magic and the mysterious man.

Aside from the news that the Apparition test was to be held in a week, the rest was just rumors, but interesting nonetheless.

"My cousin works in the Law Enforcement Department. I heard that the Ministry of Magic suffered heavy losses this time, especially the civil service department. The recruitment scale will be expanded in the next two years!" A young Hufflepuff wizard said solemnly, and the people around him asked about the details.

“Which departments are expanding recruitment?”

"The Department of Law Enforcement, the Department of Magical Transportation, the Department of International Cooperation...Except for the Auror Office, all other departments have recruitment plans."

“Will the academic requirements be lowered?”

“It might be lower this year, but we don’t graduate until next year.”

"Are we really going to work in the Ministry of Magic?" a Slytherin student suddenly asked, "The You-Know-Who is only dormant temporarily and has not yet completely fallen. If there is another war, these new employees will also become part of the losses."

"..."

The students nearby fell silent and began to think about the somewhat cruel reality.

Loren withdrew his gaze without comment and did not participate in the discussion or persuasion.

During Voldemort's last raid and occupation of the Ministry of Magic, not all staff members were lucky enough to survive and participate in the subsequent prisoner exchange. Some staff members and officials were directly killed, resulting in vacancies.

This also means that the Ministry of Magic's previously stable bureaucratic system has been impacted, with a shortage of manpower and talent. The staff who joined in recent years may be able to be promoted quickly based on their own abilities, and the path that the old staff have taken more than ten years or even decades to build up their achievements and qualifications may be completed in just a few years.

Objectively speaking, risks and returns always coexist.

Ten minutes before the bell rang, Harry and the professor walked into the classroom one after the other. The bandage on his head had been removed, and there were no visible dents or bulges on the surface of his head. Apart from a dazed look in his eyes and an occasional silly smile on his face, he seemed to be fine.

Loren and the others cast curious glances at him as he sat down. Ron hesitated and asked cautiously, "Harry, how do you feel?"

"It's okay now." Harry shook his head, not sure if he was shaking his head or showing that his brain had healed.

Ron heaved a sigh of relief. Madam Pomfrey was an excellent doctor and could cure the brain damage in just one night.

At this time, Hermione asked, "Are you and Ginny still quarreling? I didn't see her this morning."

"No, we had breakfast together in the school infirmary."

"What about last night? Parvati said she was going back to the common room just before lights out."

"last night……"

Harry didn't know what he remembered, he raised his hand and touched his face, his eyes became dazed again, and he sat in his seat and grinned foolishly. "..."

I got up early in the morning to attend class and sat in the classroom quietly, but for no reason I was fed a handful of dog food.

Hermione and Loren silently looked away.

At the front of the classroom, Professor Flitwick put down his textbook and chatted with the students in the front row. Then he asked the prefects to collect the homework. After several stacks of papers were collected, the bell rang. The professor stood on the stool and began to lecture:

"I hope the Easter break hasn't made you forget what you learned, but I doubt it because I hear hollow echoes coming from some of your heads."

A burst of cheerful laughter broke out in the classroom.

This is a skill used by senior professors to stimulate the classroom atmosphere. It can quickly focus students' attention. Professor Flitwick waited for the laughter to pass and said with a smile:

"Let's see who has an empty head. Can anyone tell me what we covered in the last class before the holiday?"

The audience suddenly fell silent. The students stopped smiling and quietly avoided the professor's patrolling gaze.

Except for a certain Miss Know-It-All.

Loren, on the other hand, had a calm expression and was not in a hurry. He still remembered the content of the previous class, so it didn't matter if he was called upon.

His attention was on Harry next to him. This classmate had a dazed expression, his eyes were distracted, and he had a silly smile on his lips. He was obviously still immersed in beautiful memories. But this guy sat in a standard posture, looking straight ahead, with his back straight, and he looked like he was about to get into trouble.

Half a minute later, Harry heard his name in a daze. He came to his senses and saw that everyone in the classroom was looking at him, especially Professor Flitwick who was sitting at the front.

Ron, who sat at the same table, winked at him and pointed at the title on the brand new page.

"..."

Harry was silent for a while, he didn't even know what the question was.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I didn't get enough rest last night, so I can't concentrate. I was distracted just now."

Professor Flitwick knew that he was injured and hospitalized yesterday. He didn't say much, but waved his hand to signal him to sit down. "Next, we will continue to study the influence of ancient magic on current mainstream magic. So, let's first look at the classic fire spell. This is not only a spell of wizards, but also the starting point of human civilization. Throughout the long course of history, fire has been used to drive away wild beasts, resist severe cold, and roast food...

"We have reason to believe that fire magic may be the first magic to be mastered."

"Some alchemists understand the world through the four-element system of 'earth, fire, water and wind', which is also inspiring for us to understand ancient magic. I believe that the first wizards thousands or even tens of thousands of years ago must have drawn inspiration from nature to create corresponding magic. Wildfires caused by lightning or flames, floods caused by long rainy seasons, hurricanes sweeping across settlements, and earthquakes that tear the earth apart...

"In order to survive and reproduce in harsh environments, ancient magic is often more extreme and powerful than one can imagine, but the price is that it is difficult to practice, easy to get out of control, and highly dangerous... As our living environment gradually stabilizes, the dangerous and complex ancient magic gradually disappears in the history of magic. Only a few spells have been passed down to the present day because of their unique application needs.

"Take the Patronus Charm, dear students. Try to imagine that if Dementors suddenly disappeared overnight, who would be willing to learn such a complicated, difficult to practice, and long-term magic?"

"..."

The classroom was filled with the rustling sound of pens scratching across paper. Loren rested his chin on the book, following Professor Flitwick's slightly shrill but sonorous and passionate voice, and cast his thoughts into the magical world of countless years ago.

I don’t know when the drizzle outside the window stopped, and the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped.

The sky looked like it had been washed by water, a clear blue.