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"Miss Selma, it rescues a great number of people from the water every year. If you still have ideas about it, that would be terribly unfair."
William decided to give her one last chance—if it was just talk, she could still be taught. Punishing her without teaching her first would be too harsh.
"I know, otherwise I would have made my move long ago. I probably wouldn't go through with it in the end, but one must have aspirations. Who knows, maybe one day I can persuade it to offer up a leg on its own."
*When you say 'persuade,' do you mean with your wand? Why on earth would it give you one of its legs!*
As William was contemplating whether to issue a points deduction or detention, Selma had already divided the perch and handed him a portion.
——
Eighth day at Hogwarts
Sunny
[The Flying Broomstick is truly amazing! Although there were some minor incidents during the test flight, it didn't detract from the charm of this flying sport in the slightest. When I returned the broom to Madam Hooch, she happily told me I could borrow a school broom anytime—'They may be older models, but I guarantee they work just as well as new ones.'
She is a truly generous person.
I should put buying my own Flying Broomstick on the agenda. This thing is even more useful than I imagined; in certain situations, it's more convenient than Apparition. It seems I'll have to pick up my old craftsmanship skills from my previous life.
Oh, right, I also let a boastful Hufflepuff student go today. The fourth-year's ambitions might be a bit misguided, but she's still commendable—mainly because she disappeared rather quickly.
Hmm, the perch was delicious. I made a point to ask Bart, but he said the house-elves in the kitchens don't know how to prepare this dish, though they are willing to try.]
——
"A new week, a new beginning. It's been a while, children."
On Tuesday morning, William stood at the lectern, giving all the students a sincere smile.
While it couldn't be voted the most charming smile like Lockhart's, this one was filled with confidence and a love for life, capable of pulling anyone attempting to wallow in decadence from the brink of self-abandonment.
Unfortunately, none of the students present were paying attention to his smile. Their faces were filled with a certain amount of dread and unease—and the source of all these negative emotions was the thick paper bag on the lectern, as heavy as a small mountain.
*Gulp*
The sound of someone swallowing saliva was distinctly audible in the classroom, making Nancy wish she could lower her head and hide immediately.
Fortunately, everyone's attention was fixed on the thick bag on the lectern, so no one noticed her predicament.
'More exam questions? Are they going to be that difficult again?'
Although fifth-year students like her had been cramming desperately for the entire week, the fear instilled by the previous week's exam questions was not so easily dispelled.
"Alright, I imagine you've guessed what we're about to do—that's right, an exam. But this time, the content is very simple. I can guarantee that everyone here will pass with ease. After all, these are first-year exam questions."
As William's words fell, a collective sigh of relief swept through the classroom.
The exam papers were quickly distributed to the students. Nancy didn't rush to start, instead unfolding her paper and rapidly scanning the questions.
Hmm, they really were first-year questions, and not even covering the entire year's content. For a fifth-year student, these questions were indeed ridiculously simple—and this was just the theory. If it were a practical exam, it would be considered no difficulty at all, right?
'Does the Professor think last time's questions were too difficult, so he's giving us this to boost our confidence?'
"Quickly, quickly, students. These are first-year exam questions. Surely you don't expect me to generously give you half an hour or even longer to complete them? If that's what you're thinking, I suggest you go and study with the first-years. While there's no precedent for it at this school, I imagine Professor McGonagall would agree if I filed a report."
The Professor's smiling voice urged them on from the lectern, but Nancy didn't find anything wrong with it—should a fifth-year really be given the same amount of time as a first-year?
As for studying with the first-years, what a joke! They would laugh you to death, wouldn't they?
Pushing the thought aside, Nancy took her quill and began writing swiftly. From the lectern, the Professor's voice continued.
"Twenty minutes. Do as much as you can. If you take too long on first-year questions, how do you think the first-year students would rate this exam?"
'Professor, please shut up!'
Nancy complained internally as she rapidly marked the exam paper with her quill. Twenty minutes didn't seem so short after all. The paper wasn't filled with long essays, but rather half a page of multiple-choice, a small section of fill-in-the-blanks, and only a few short-answer questions.
——
'If I had made them complete first-year exam questions from the start, they certainly wouldn't have been this obedient. But now, they're happy just to be doing first-year questions. Even though they can cast spells, students are still students. Besides, it's just casting spells. I can do it too.'
William smiled as he opened a textbook. He had to teach the first-year material, but he couldn't abandon the fifth-year curriculum either.
The more he could cram in, the better. These children had finally started to become less averse to knowledge. They would study twice as hard on their own after the exam anyway, so there was no need to worry about their ability to absorb the information.
After all, the exam paper was only easy at the beginning. There were plenty of tricks he could play in the later sections.
However, he had controlled the difficulty of the exam questions this time. Unless someone had been slacking off since first year and barely passing, they should be able to scrape by with an Acceptable grade. But as for getting a high score—if anyone managed it, William would genuinely grant them the right to skip self-study in the classroom.
Twenty minutes passed quickly, and William collected the exam papers.
"Read twenty pages from your textbooks. Later, I'll go over the exam paper and review the first-year material, and then we'll continue with the new lesson."
William tapped the thick stack of exam papers in his hand, issuing the task to the quiet students.
The classroom was dead silent, the only sound being the rustling of pages. There wasn't a whisper of conversation. Some students were still in a state of shock, wondering why the questions on the same exam paper were a complete giveaway at the beginning, but the ones at the end felt like something they had never learned before.
Grading this exam paper wasn't difficult. William finished the task with ease in less than half an hour.
"I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear?"
William placed the exam papers on the desk, tapping them lightly with his knuckles.
"No one's talking? Fine, I'll decide."
"Everyone passed; no one failed, which is good news compared to the last exam. But there were only three 'E's for Exceeds Expectations, and the rest were all 'A's for Acceptable. And these were first-year questions!"
(end of chapter)
William decided to give her one last chance—if it was just talk, she could still be taught. Punishing her without teaching her first would be too harsh.
"I know, otherwise I would have made my move long ago. I probably wouldn't go through with it in the end, but one must have aspirations. Who knows, maybe one day I can persuade it to offer up a leg on its own."
*When you say 'persuade,' do you mean with your wand? Why on earth would it give you one of its legs!*
As William was contemplating whether to issue a points deduction or detention, Selma had already divided the perch and handed him a portion.
——
Eighth day at Hogwarts
Sunny
[The Flying Broomstick is truly amazing! Although there were some minor incidents during the test flight, it didn't detract from the charm of this flying sport in the slightest. When I returned the broom to Madam Hooch, she happily told me I could borrow a school broom anytime—'They may be older models, but I guarantee they work just as well as new ones.'
She is a truly generous person.
I should put buying my own Flying Broomstick on the agenda. This thing is even more useful than I imagined; in certain situations, it's more convenient than Apparition. It seems I'll have to pick up my old craftsmanship skills from my previous life.
Oh, right, I also let a boastful Hufflepuff student go today. The fourth-year's ambitions might be a bit misguided, but she's still commendable—mainly because she disappeared rather quickly.
Hmm, the perch was delicious. I made a point to ask Bart, but he said the house-elves in the kitchens don't know how to prepare this dish, though they are willing to try.]
——
"A new week, a new beginning. It's been a while, children."
On Tuesday morning, William stood at the lectern, giving all the students a sincere smile.
While it couldn't be voted the most charming smile like Lockhart's, this one was filled with confidence and a love for life, capable of pulling anyone attempting to wallow in decadence from the brink of self-abandonment.
Unfortunately, none of the students present were paying attention to his smile. Their faces were filled with a certain amount of dread and unease—and the source of all these negative emotions was the thick paper bag on the lectern, as heavy as a small mountain.
*Gulp*
The sound of someone swallowing saliva was distinctly audible in the classroom, making Nancy wish she could lower her head and hide immediately.
Fortunately, everyone's attention was fixed on the thick bag on the lectern, so no one noticed her predicament.
'More exam questions? Are they going to be that difficult again?'
Although fifth-year students like her had been cramming desperately for the entire week, the fear instilled by the previous week's exam questions was not so easily dispelled.
"Alright, I imagine you've guessed what we're about to do—that's right, an exam. But this time, the content is very simple. I can guarantee that everyone here will pass with ease. After all, these are first-year exam questions."
As William's words fell, a collective sigh of relief swept through the classroom.
The exam papers were quickly distributed to the students. Nancy didn't rush to start, instead unfolding her paper and rapidly scanning the questions.
Hmm, they really were first-year questions, and not even covering the entire year's content. For a fifth-year student, these questions were indeed ridiculously simple—and this was just the theory. If it were a practical exam, it would be considered no difficulty at all, right?
'Does the Professor think last time's questions were too difficult, so he's giving us this to boost our confidence?'
"Quickly, quickly, students. These are first-year exam questions. Surely you don't expect me to generously give you half an hour or even longer to complete them? If that's what you're thinking, I suggest you go and study with the first-years. While there's no precedent for it at this school, I imagine Professor McGonagall would agree if I filed a report."
The Professor's smiling voice urged them on from the lectern, but Nancy didn't find anything wrong with it—should a fifth-year really be given the same amount of time as a first-year?
As for studying with the first-years, what a joke! They would laugh you to death, wouldn't they?
Pushing the thought aside, Nancy took her quill and began writing swiftly. From the lectern, the Professor's voice continued.
"Twenty minutes. Do as much as you can. If you take too long on first-year questions, how do you think the first-year students would rate this exam?"
'Professor, please shut up!'
Nancy complained internally as she rapidly marked the exam paper with her quill. Twenty minutes didn't seem so short after all. The paper wasn't filled with long essays, but rather half a page of multiple-choice, a small section of fill-in-the-blanks, and only a few short-answer questions.
——
'If I had made them complete first-year exam questions from the start, they certainly wouldn't have been this obedient. But now, they're happy just to be doing first-year questions. Even though they can cast spells, students are still students. Besides, it's just casting spells. I can do it too.'
William smiled as he opened a textbook. He had to teach the first-year material, but he couldn't abandon the fifth-year curriculum either.
The more he could cram in, the better. These children had finally started to become less averse to knowledge. They would study twice as hard on their own after the exam anyway, so there was no need to worry about their ability to absorb the information.
After all, the exam paper was only easy at the beginning. There were plenty of tricks he could play in the later sections.
However, he had controlled the difficulty of the exam questions this time. Unless someone had been slacking off since first year and barely passing, they should be able to scrape by with an Acceptable grade. But as for getting a high score—if anyone managed it, William would genuinely grant them the right to skip self-study in the classroom.
Twenty minutes passed quickly, and William collected the exam papers.
"Read twenty pages from your textbooks. Later, I'll go over the exam paper and review the first-year material, and then we'll continue with the new lesson."
William tapped the thick stack of exam papers in his hand, issuing the task to the quiet students.
The classroom was dead silent, the only sound being the rustling of pages. There wasn't a whisper of conversation. Some students were still in a state of shock, wondering why the questions on the same exam paper were a complete giveaway at the beginning, but the ones at the end felt like something they had never learned before.
Grading this exam paper wasn't difficult. William finished the task with ease in less than half an hour.
"I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear?"
William placed the exam papers on the desk, tapping them lightly with his knuckles.
"No one's talking? Fine, I'll decide."
"Everyone passed; no one failed, which is good news compared to the last exam. But there were only three 'E's for Exceeds Expectations, and the rest were all 'A's for Acceptable. And these were first-year questions!"
(end of chapter)
