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Chapter 105: The Hogwarts Weekend Begins
Sundays at Hogwarts were always quiet and peaceful, and today was no exception.
But in an empty classroom in a corner of the castle, this tranquility was shattered by a group of incessantly quarreling students.
"Weasley Brothers, it's the weekend! It's the crack of dawn. Couldn't we have talked about this in the morning, or even at noon?"
The speaker was sporting a pair of spectacular dark circles, looking like he was ready to fight them if he didn't get an explanation.
On any other day, this minor conflict would have been quickly broken up by the others, but today, everyone tacitly remained silent, showing no intention of mediating. It was only five-thirty on a Sunday morning. If the Weasley Brothers didn't provide a very good explanation, they could expect to be hung upside down from a tower.
"Talk? Heh. You Hufflepuffs have it easy. Those two just had an early-rising upperclassman wake you all up. Do you know how those two bastards woke me? They sent me a Howler by owl this early in the morning and even instructed me to bring everyone else!"
'A Howler? That's just plain mean!'
This was almost everyone's first reaction, followed by poorly suppressed laughter.
"Laugh, what are you laughing at! The people in my dormitory said that if you two don't give a reasonable explanation, they're planning to ambush you and hang you from the doorway of Filch's Office!"
"Don't say such unlucky things so early in the morning!"
"Yeah, aren't you afraid of being targeted by that wretched cat!"
...
Perhaps the proposed punishment was too harsh, leading everyone to start cursing the unlucky fellow who had been woken by the Howler.
At the center of it all, the Weasley Brothers watched their roused friends with a sense of accomplishment. They were all frequent visitors to Filch's Office, envoys of Hogwarts' secret passages and shadows, companions of Peeves, and... the lifelong enemies of the Caretaker.
Waking people up so early was, of course, intentional on their part. After all, their Quidditch Captain, Wood, had already roused them for Quidditch training, and the explosive news they'd heard last night needed to be dealt with early. Should they be the only ones to put in the effort for the collective welfare?
Of course not. Everyone working together toward a single goal was the right choice!
As for the Howler and all that, it was a minor detail in the face of this terrible problem.
"What's all the noise about?" The two exchanged a glance, hopped off the table they were sitting on, and landed on the floor. "We have something urgent to tell you all. We obtained this information at great risk, possibly extending our detention. That new Professor William has created a ton of exam papers—not just for exams, but also homework assignments."
"For real?"
"Gods!"
...
"Of course it's real. We were in detention all last night and took a huge risk to find this out."
The two said in unison, vouching for the reliability of the news. But this did nothing to cheer up the chattering crowd.
"Homework? What kind of news is that? We already have it. I was up until one in the morning doing those exam papers, only to be woken up by you lot. If I'd known this was it, I would've slept in. If there's nothing else, I'm leaving. Oh, and I'll deal with you two after I've had enough sleep."
The student with the dark circles instantly lost interest. He still had an essay to write, and a lot of homework awaited him when he woke up.
"What do you mean, 'that's it'? This is information we worked our butts off to get! You've gone soft!"
"Just think of it as a few more essays. Anyway, after finishing that homework, I feel like I could get an 'Outstanding' on that first exam paper now. The professor was probably right; my foundation really was lacking."
"You finished it? That was four whole exam papers!"
The other fifth-year students exclaimed in amazement. They hadn't pushed themselves that hard; most had barely even started their essays.
"Let me copy your papers, will you?"
"Sure, come get them from me after I wake up. I'm too tired. If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."
"Alright, see you later."
As the classroom door closed, everyone turned their gazes back to the Weasley Brothers. The fifth-years don't care, so what are you fourth-years getting so worked up about?
"Everyone, if we don't head back now, Wood is going to kill us. Quidditch training is about to start. So, to make a long story short, the fifth-year students probably think that many exam papers is normal. But what if Professor Lockhart gets tired of his fan club game? What if something even more terrifying happens, and professors for other subjects start copying him and giving in-class tests?"
"No way. The professors have their own teaching styles. That new professor has been here for less than a year. Could he really make the other professors follow suit with in-class exams?"
"Why not? We heard yesterday that Professor Binns is very likely going to hold a History of Magic exam!"
"Why didn't you say so earlier!"
The crowd, a mix of students from second to seventh year, began to gasp in shock. Professor Binns was universally acknowledged by generations of students as the most consistent professor in his class!
"Alright, we have to go to training. We hope you can come up with a good counter-strategy. The futures of people like us are in your hands."
The Twins finished speaking and hurriedly left the classroom, leaving behind a crowd too shocked to feel any sleepiness.
...
"Whose idea was that fourth-year discussion last time? We weren't there, but didn't it work out pretty well?"
The crowd, unable to decide, thought the last idea seemed pretty good.
"It was the Weasley Brothers. But Professor Lockhart's club did get really popular."
"So we do the same thing?"
The person who said this noticed the looks from everyone around him change—he felt he was being despised.
"Professor Lockhart has a fan base built up over many years, so it's understandable that he'd gain a bunch of new fans at Hogwarts. But Professor William has been here for less than a month, and suddenly a group of fans just appears out of nowhere at the school? For what reason? Because he gives out too many exam papers? Because he assigns too much homework? Because he's knowledgeable and his course is witty and humorous?"
"Ahem, speaking for the sixth-year course, Professor William teaches quite well."
A sixth-year student couldn't help but interject.
"Same for seventh-year. I think he's great."
"This isn't class, and we're not in Filch's Office. Is this what we're supposed to be discussing?"
The speaker glanced at the two who had spoken up to interrupt, feeling that there were traitors in their midst.
"Let's find something for the new professor to do. Who here has good handwriting? Imitate a bold girl and send him a love letter. Don't be too direct, just say something about considering the repercussions, a secret crush sort of thing. Slip it to him secretly and let the professor try to find out who it is!"
"Isn't that too wicked?"
"It's fine. Near the end of the year, just say you've realized your mistake, offer some nice blessings, and say you'll always cherish the memory. As long as we're not exposed, the professor will just treat it as a fond memory."
The speaker boldly added the details, but contrary to his expectations, no applause or cheers followed.
"Mrs. Norris!"
Someone in the group shouted, and then everyone immediately rushed for the door.
Amidst a pandemonium of students scrambling and yelling at each other to run, the Hogwarts weekend began.
(end of chapter)
Sundays at Hogwarts were always quiet and peaceful, and today was no exception.
But in an empty classroom in a corner of the castle, this tranquility was shattered by a group of incessantly quarreling students.
"Weasley Brothers, it's the weekend! It's the crack of dawn. Couldn't we have talked about this in the morning, or even at noon?"
The speaker was sporting a pair of spectacular dark circles, looking like he was ready to fight them if he didn't get an explanation.
On any other day, this minor conflict would have been quickly broken up by the others, but today, everyone tacitly remained silent, showing no intention of mediating. It was only five-thirty on a Sunday morning. If the Weasley Brothers didn't provide a very good explanation, they could expect to be hung upside down from a tower.
"Talk? Heh. You Hufflepuffs have it easy. Those two just had an early-rising upperclassman wake you all up. Do you know how those two bastards woke me? They sent me a Howler by owl this early in the morning and even instructed me to bring everyone else!"
'A Howler? That's just plain mean!'
This was almost everyone's first reaction, followed by poorly suppressed laughter.
"Laugh, what are you laughing at! The people in my dormitory said that if you two don't give a reasonable explanation, they're planning to ambush you and hang you from the doorway of Filch's Office!"
"Don't say such unlucky things so early in the morning!"
"Yeah, aren't you afraid of being targeted by that wretched cat!"
...
Perhaps the proposed punishment was too harsh, leading everyone to start cursing the unlucky fellow who had been woken by the Howler.
At the center of it all, the Weasley Brothers watched their roused friends with a sense of accomplishment. They were all frequent visitors to Filch's Office, envoys of Hogwarts' secret passages and shadows, companions of Peeves, and... the lifelong enemies of the Caretaker.
Waking people up so early was, of course, intentional on their part. After all, their Quidditch Captain, Wood, had already roused them for Quidditch training, and the explosive news they'd heard last night needed to be dealt with early. Should they be the only ones to put in the effort for the collective welfare?
Of course not. Everyone working together toward a single goal was the right choice!
As for the Howler and all that, it was a minor detail in the face of this terrible problem.
"What's all the noise about?" The two exchanged a glance, hopped off the table they were sitting on, and landed on the floor. "We have something urgent to tell you all. We obtained this information at great risk, possibly extending our detention. That new Professor William has created a ton of exam papers—not just for exams, but also homework assignments."
"For real?"
"Gods!"
...
"Of course it's real. We were in detention all last night and took a huge risk to find this out."
The two said in unison, vouching for the reliability of the news. But this did nothing to cheer up the chattering crowd.
"Homework? What kind of news is that? We already have it. I was up until one in the morning doing those exam papers, only to be woken up by you lot. If I'd known this was it, I would've slept in. If there's nothing else, I'm leaving. Oh, and I'll deal with you two after I've had enough sleep."
The student with the dark circles instantly lost interest. He still had an essay to write, and a lot of homework awaited him when he woke up.
"What do you mean, 'that's it'? This is information we worked our butts off to get! You've gone soft!"
"Just think of it as a few more essays. Anyway, after finishing that homework, I feel like I could get an 'Outstanding' on that first exam paper now. The professor was probably right; my foundation really was lacking."
"You finished it? That was four whole exam papers!"
The other fifth-year students exclaimed in amazement. They hadn't pushed themselves that hard; most had barely even started their essays.
"Let me copy your papers, will you?"
"Sure, come get them from me after I wake up. I'm too tired. If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."
"Alright, see you later."
As the classroom door closed, everyone turned their gazes back to the Weasley Brothers. The fifth-years don't care, so what are you fourth-years getting so worked up about?
"Everyone, if we don't head back now, Wood is going to kill us. Quidditch training is about to start. So, to make a long story short, the fifth-year students probably think that many exam papers is normal. But what if Professor Lockhart gets tired of his fan club game? What if something even more terrifying happens, and professors for other subjects start copying him and giving in-class tests?"
"No way. The professors have their own teaching styles. That new professor has been here for less than a year. Could he really make the other professors follow suit with in-class exams?"
"Why not? We heard yesterday that Professor Binns is very likely going to hold a History of Magic exam!"
"Why didn't you say so earlier!"
The crowd, a mix of students from second to seventh year, began to gasp in shock. Professor Binns was universally acknowledged by generations of students as the most consistent professor in his class!
"Alright, we have to go to training. We hope you can come up with a good counter-strategy. The futures of people like us are in your hands."
The Twins finished speaking and hurriedly left the classroom, leaving behind a crowd too shocked to feel any sleepiness.
...
"Whose idea was that fourth-year discussion last time? We weren't there, but didn't it work out pretty well?"
The crowd, unable to decide, thought the last idea seemed pretty good.
"It was the Weasley Brothers. But Professor Lockhart's club did get really popular."
"So we do the same thing?"
The person who said this noticed the looks from everyone around him change—he felt he was being despised.
"Professor Lockhart has a fan base built up over many years, so it's understandable that he'd gain a bunch of new fans at Hogwarts. But Professor William has been here for less than a month, and suddenly a group of fans just appears out of nowhere at the school? For what reason? Because he gives out too many exam papers? Because he assigns too much homework? Because he's knowledgeable and his course is witty and humorous?"
"Ahem, speaking for the sixth-year course, Professor William teaches quite well."
A sixth-year student couldn't help but interject.
"Same for seventh-year. I think he's great."
"This isn't class, and we're not in Filch's Office. Is this what we're supposed to be discussing?"
The speaker glanced at the two who had spoken up to interrupt, feeling that there were traitors in their midst.
"Let's find something for the new professor to do. Who here has good handwriting? Imitate a bold girl and send him a love letter. Don't be too direct, just say something about considering the repercussions, a secret crush sort of thing. Slip it to him secretly and let the professor try to find out who it is!"
"Isn't that too wicked?"
"It's fine. Near the end of the year, just say you've realized your mistake, offer some nice blessings, and say you'll always cherish the memory. As long as we're not exposed, the professor will just treat it as a fond memory."
The speaker boldly added the details, but contrary to his expectations, no applause or cheers followed.
"Mrs. Norris!"
Someone in the group shouted, and then everyone immediately rushed for the door.
Amidst a pandemonium of students scrambling and yelling at each other to run, the Hogwarts weekend began.
(end of chapter)
