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Chapter 54: The First Lesson for the Sixth Years
"Professor William, please wait a moment."
Just as William was about to leave the Great Hall to continue preparing for his first lesson, Professor McGonagall, who was surrounded by a crowd of students, spotted him.
"Is there something I can help you with, Professor?"
Professor McGonagall pushed through the crowd and hurried over.
"My apologies, Professor William. Would it be possible to make some changes to your enrollment restrictions for the Advanced Class?" the Professor lowered her voice and asked in a persuasive tone.
"A change? Isn't Exceeds Expectations (E) the traditional requirement for previous professors?"
"Well, you see, in the past, the school has had a shortage of professors for the Wizarding Self-Defense Magic course, so…"
William immediately understood what Professor McGonagall meant.
The Sixth Year at Hogwarts was quite different from the other years.
During the students' Fifth Year, the Ministry of Magic would send examiners to conduct an exam called the O.W.L.s. The results of these exams were then sent to the Ministry of Magic, the School Authority, and the professors themselves to be kept on file.
Before Sixth Year, all courses were either elective or core, with no prerequisites. But in Sixth Year, professors had the right to refuse students based on their O.W.L. exam results, and students could also choose their courses based on their grades. Theoretically, if you didn't care about your subsequent grades, you could technically skip all classes in your sixth and seventh year and still receive a graduation certificate.
In reality, however, aside from a few specific professions, the employers who came to the school to recruit fresh graduates had more or less strict requirements for students' grades. An O.W.L.s certificate alone was not enough; a higher-level N.E.W.T.s certificate with corresponding grades was also required.
But if William was unwilling to accept students with weaker grades, then those students would have no way of obtaining the corresponding advanced certificate.
"Then let's just set the grade to the minimum. Acceptable (A) will be fine."
William magnanimously lowered the entry prerequisite to the Ministry of Magic's minimum requirement. After all, teaching one was the same as teaching a flock.
"Oh, thank you so much, Professor William. The main issue is that the school's foundation in this subject is just too weak, yet many professions require the corresponding certificate. In my House alone, there are seven or eight students stuck on this course."
A rare, embarrassed expression appeared on Professor McGonagall's face. Her own Advanced Class prerequisite was an E. If it weren't for the students' exceptionally poor foundation in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and the fact that so many were stuck this time, she would never have asked another professor to lower their enrollment standards.
---
When William arrived in the classroom, he realized just how wise his concession had been.
Across all of Hogwarts, even counting the students he let in by lowering the bar, there were fewer than twenty sixth-years able to take his course.
'Not even enough for a football match.'
He grumbled internally as he composed himself.
Such a small number of students posed no pressure at all. The self-introduction he had prepared could be saved for another time.
"There are fewer people than I expected."
William smiled as he walked to the lectern and placed the textbook he'd brought on the desk.
"To be honest, this isn't quite the scene I had envisioned. I originally planned to wait in the classroom for you to come in and get to know you one by one, but the corridors of Hogwarts are a bit more difficult to navigate than I imagined."
"Professor, you've never been to Hogwarts before?"
A voice of astonishment rose from among the students below. William made a mental note of the speaker's appearance—a very active mind. If they got too noisy, he could use them to make an example of.
However, William had no intention of hiding this fact. He looked far too young, and the upperclassmen could easily find out they had never seen this professor at Hogwarts before just by asking around.
"No, I haven't. Before Hogwarts was established, wizards were taught through master-apprentice systems or by their families, a tradition that has never died out. That is the kind of education I received."
The students below immediately began to whisper among themselves. William ignored the commotion and asked:
"Oh? Have you all studied the History of Magic seriously? A simple question—does anyone know how many other schools of magic there are besides Hogwarts?"
"I know, I know," the boy who had spoken up first raised his hand.
"You, please."
"Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, Ilvermorny, Castelobruxo... umm..."
After a long 'ummm,' the large student trailed off, stuck.
"Mahoutokoro, Uagadou, Koldovstoretz... Including Hogwarts, there are a total of eleven Schools of Magic."
A petite girl with a confident expression supplied the remaining schools from her seat, then looked around at her classmates like a proud little hen.
"A perfect addition. Ravenclaw?"
William asked, applauding.
"Yes, Charlotte, a sixth-year Ravenclaw."
"Ten points to Ravenclaw," William said with certainty, then turned his gaze to the large student who had spoken first.
"Gryffindor?"
"No, Professor, Hufflepuff."
"Oh, my apologies. Five points to Hufflepuff. And your name is?"
"Bell Turner, Professor."
"Very good, thank you for your answer, Mr. Turner—" William picked up a piece of chalk and turned to write the names of the eleven schools on the blackboard.
"As you can see, eleven whole schools. The wizarding world is surprisingly large. However, I don't intend to introduce you to those schools here—to be honest, my knowledge of them is about the same as most of yours; I've only read information about them in books."
"Of course, that information alone would be enough for me to bluff my way through half a term—but that doesn't seem to have much to do with our course. Although I've never met the Professor for History of Magic, it's clear I can't steal his job, can I?"
The students below let out a low chuckle.
"Alright, this is our first lesson. Let's use today's class to discuss what we're going to learn."
"Discuss?"
As the one who had been praised, Bell instinctively played his part.
"Yes, discuss," William nodded in approval, erasing the school names from the blackboard.
"I suggested the School Authority change the course name, but the content remains largely the same. The Study of Wizarding Self-Defense Magic—honestly, even I find the name a bit of a mouthful."
"Now, let's discuss so-called self-defense."
As he spoke, William turned to face the blackboard.
"Protection of physical safety, and protection of property. If we were to break it down further, it would fall into these four categories."
"Preventing harm from surprise attacks by other wizards, preventing harm from magical creatures or plants, protecting oneself during sudden incidents, and preventing loss of one's property."
When the fourth phrase was written, the students below laughed.
William shrugged. "You probably think the fourth one doesn't quite fit, that it feels a bit forced. But its importance is undeniable, and it might even be the most important of the four topics."
(end of chapter)
"Professor William, please wait a moment."
Just as William was about to leave the Great Hall to continue preparing for his first lesson, Professor McGonagall, who was surrounded by a crowd of students, spotted him.
"Is there something I can help you with, Professor?"
Professor McGonagall pushed through the crowd and hurried over.
"My apologies, Professor William. Would it be possible to make some changes to your enrollment restrictions for the Advanced Class?" the Professor lowered her voice and asked in a persuasive tone.
"A change? Isn't Exceeds Expectations (E) the traditional requirement for previous professors?"
"Well, you see, in the past, the school has had a shortage of professors for the Wizarding Self-Defense Magic course, so…"
William immediately understood what Professor McGonagall meant.
The Sixth Year at Hogwarts was quite different from the other years.
During the students' Fifth Year, the Ministry of Magic would send examiners to conduct an exam called the O.W.L.s. The results of these exams were then sent to the Ministry of Magic, the School Authority, and the professors themselves to be kept on file.
Before Sixth Year, all courses were either elective or core, with no prerequisites. But in Sixth Year, professors had the right to refuse students based on their O.W.L. exam results, and students could also choose their courses based on their grades. Theoretically, if you didn't care about your subsequent grades, you could technically skip all classes in your sixth and seventh year and still receive a graduation certificate.
In reality, however, aside from a few specific professions, the employers who came to the school to recruit fresh graduates had more or less strict requirements for students' grades. An O.W.L.s certificate alone was not enough; a higher-level N.E.W.T.s certificate with corresponding grades was also required.
But if William was unwilling to accept students with weaker grades, then those students would have no way of obtaining the corresponding advanced certificate.
"Then let's just set the grade to the minimum. Acceptable (A) will be fine."
William magnanimously lowered the entry prerequisite to the Ministry of Magic's minimum requirement. After all, teaching one was the same as teaching a flock.
"Oh, thank you so much, Professor William. The main issue is that the school's foundation in this subject is just too weak, yet many professions require the corresponding certificate. In my House alone, there are seven or eight students stuck on this course."
A rare, embarrassed expression appeared on Professor McGonagall's face. Her own Advanced Class prerequisite was an E. If it weren't for the students' exceptionally poor foundation in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and the fact that so many were stuck this time, she would never have asked another professor to lower their enrollment standards.
---
When William arrived in the classroom, he realized just how wise his concession had been.
Across all of Hogwarts, even counting the students he let in by lowering the bar, there were fewer than twenty sixth-years able to take his course.
'Not even enough for a football match.'
He grumbled internally as he composed himself.
Such a small number of students posed no pressure at all. The self-introduction he had prepared could be saved for another time.
"There are fewer people than I expected."
William smiled as he walked to the lectern and placed the textbook he'd brought on the desk.
"To be honest, this isn't quite the scene I had envisioned. I originally planned to wait in the classroom for you to come in and get to know you one by one, but the corridors of Hogwarts are a bit more difficult to navigate than I imagined."
"Professor, you've never been to Hogwarts before?"
A voice of astonishment rose from among the students below. William made a mental note of the speaker's appearance—a very active mind. If they got too noisy, he could use them to make an example of.
However, William had no intention of hiding this fact. He looked far too young, and the upperclassmen could easily find out they had never seen this professor at Hogwarts before just by asking around.
"No, I haven't. Before Hogwarts was established, wizards were taught through master-apprentice systems or by their families, a tradition that has never died out. That is the kind of education I received."
The students below immediately began to whisper among themselves. William ignored the commotion and asked:
"Oh? Have you all studied the History of Magic seriously? A simple question—does anyone know how many other schools of magic there are besides Hogwarts?"
"I know, I know," the boy who had spoken up first raised his hand.
"You, please."
"Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, Ilvermorny, Castelobruxo... umm..."
After a long 'ummm,' the large student trailed off, stuck.
"Mahoutokoro, Uagadou, Koldovstoretz... Including Hogwarts, there are a total of eleven Schools of Magic."
A petite girl with a confident expression supplied the remaining schools from her seat, then looked around at her classmates like a proud little hen.
"A perfect addition. Ravenclaw?"
William asked, applauding.
"Yes, Charlotte, a sixth-year Ravenclaw."
"Ten points to Ravenclaw," William said with certainty, then turned his gaze to the large student who had spoken first.
"Gryffindor?"
"No, Professor, Hufflepuff."
"Oh, my apologies. Five points to Hufflepuff. And your name is?"
"Bell Turner, Professor."
"Very good, thank you for your answer, Mr. Turner—" William picked up a piece of chalk and turned to write the names of the eleven schools on the blackboard.
"As you can see, eleven whole schools. The wizarding world is surprisingly large. However, I don't intend to introduce you to those schools here—to be honest, my knowledge of them is about the same as most of yours; I've only read information about them in books."
"Of course, that information alone would be enough for me to bluff my way through half a term—but that doesn't seem to have much to do with our course. Although I've never met the Professor for History of Magic, it's clear I can't steal his job, can I?"
The students below let out a low chuckle.
"Alright, this is our first lesson. Let's use today's class to discuss what we're going to learn."
"Discuss?"
As the one who had been praised, Bell instinctively played his part.
"Yes, discuss," William nodded in approval, erasing the school names from the blackboard.
"I suggested the School Authority change the course name, but the content remains largely the same. The Study of Wizarding Self-Defense Magic—honestly, even I find the name a bit of a mouthful."
"Now, let's discuss so-called self-defense."
As he spoke, William turned to face the blackboard.
"Protection of physical safety, and protection of property. If we were to break it down further, it would fall into these four categories."
"Preventing harm from surprise attacks by other wizards, preventing harm from magical creatures or plants, protecting oneself during sudden incidents, and preventing loss of one's property."
When the fourth phrase was written, the students below laughed.
William shrugged. "You probably think the fourth one doesn't quite fit, that it feels a bit forced. But its importance is undeniable, and it might even be the most important of the four topics."
(end of chapter)
