Hermione, who hadn't spoken much, immediately became excited and said, "Me too, I want to take all the courses!"
"But the class times will definitely conflict!" Harry flipped through the list and asked in confusion, "How can you manage all that?"
"Since Percy can take twelve courses, the school must have a way, maybe through private tutoring or something like that."
Hermione tossed her hair, saying nonchalantly, "Anyway, I want to learn all the subjects."
"Hermione, I'm not surprised." Michael looked at Vid and said, "But Vid, why did you also choose all the courses? I remember you weren't interested in Divination."
Look at the table; apart from being easy to score, everything else about the Divination class is a downside.
"Meaningless" was the most frequently mentioned word, followed by "waste of time," and third, "made up nonsense." Everyone they knew seemed to have a bad impression of the Divination class professor.
"I want to understand various magic systems." Vid gave a reason, "It will also help my Alchemy studies."
Neville and others nodded, somewhat understanding.
They looked at the table and gradually had a clear idea of what to study in the future.
"Thank you, Vid." Theo suddenly said, "Since you're going to take all the courses, there's really no need for you to analyze the pros and cons of each subject, right? I know you spent time doing this to help us."
Some slow people—like Harry—only then reacted and hurriedly thanked, blushing a bit for some reason.
Vid shook his head and said, "Since it's a choice that concerns our future, of course, I want you to choose the most suitable ones. And I didn't do much, just thought of a summarizing comparison method."
...
Not many days after the holiday started, everyone at Umbrella House had already made their decisions and filled out the course selection forms.
The table Vid made also spread out, and students secretly exchanged ideas. Some blindly chosen, Muggle-born students also adjusted their options accordingly.
During the holiday, two student presidents took the lead and pulled Prefects from each of the four houses to organize a student maze challenge.
They acted like a genuine competition team, using just a few days to prepare everything, and formally arranged referees and medical personnel.
The students naturally were enthusiastic, and some usually outstanding performers were invited by many.
"Vid, let's form a team!" Michael said enthusiastically, "If we join forces, we're sure to win the championship!"
"Sorry." Vid shrugged and said, "Our West Prefect told me, for the sake of fairness in the competition, I'm banned from participating."
——If Vid were to participate, West proposed many restrictions, such as not using the Disillusionment Charm, not deploying the Insect Legion, and preferably avoiding using the Confundus Charm.
"What?" Michael instantly became furious, "This is rigged! I'm going to protest with the judges! They're obstructing the team most likely to win the championship!"
"Forget it, I have other things to do this holiday!" Vid patted Michael's shoulder and said, "You guys will have to rely on yourselves—good luck!"
"Other things?" Michael asked.
"Yes." Vid smiled, with anticipation, "Remus has been keeping an eye on the Muggle weather channel. He said there might be stormy weather in the next few days."
Michael's eyes lit up instantly, "So... your Animagus is about to succeed?"
"Yes." Vid placed his hand over his heart, seemingly able to feel a faint second heartbeat, "If everything goes smoothly..."
...
The Easter holiday was two weeks long, and on the third day, Vid applied to go out, and Lupin picked him up outside the school gates.
"Oh, Remus." Hagrid, who escorted Vid out, raised his hand to greet him and explained, "Harry didn't come, he's busy participating in the competition!"
This holiday, almost all students stayed at school for the maze challenge.
"I know, he told me in the Friendship Book." Lupin laughed, "It's a pity this competition can't be open to the public, or else the audience would be packed."
"I think so too." Hagrid scratched his bushy head and said happily, "I'm acting as a referee tomorrow! The youngsters think I'm fair, so they invited me to be a referee for them."
In fact, it's because Hagrid, being tall and strong, can quickly spot problems in the maze and easily subdue those Magical Creatures, and since many professors returned home during the holiday, Hagrid became the students' first choice.
Of course, it's undeniable that this Gamekeeper, who most students used to avoid, now clearly has better rapport.
Sometimes when watering the vegetable patches, students specifically pass by to greet him, and some bring leftover chicken legs for Fang (Hagrid's dog).
Although Vid had always suspected this vibe was stirred up by the Weasley Twins—they had long wanted to "bribe" Hagrid and Fang so they could roam the Forbidden Forest freely.
After chatting for a bit, the two parted ways, and Vid and Lupin headed down the path to Hogsmeade.
The spring chill was biting, both wrapped in thick black cloaks, with no one around, and all that could be seen were blades of grass struggling to push through the stones and soil.
Beneath their feet were sparse blades of grass, while the distance stretched with a fluffy carpet of green.
"You asked me about your new professor Serra Abigail." Lupin said, "I actually know her, she was a member of a joint investigation team, hired by the American Ilvermorny School."
"Hired?"
"Yes, although she graduated from that school, she is not currently an employee of Ilvermorny. You could say she's a freelance mercenary with a great reputation in this field."
"Since she didn't accept employment from her alma mater..." Vid slowly said, "Why did she come to teach at Hogwarts?"
"Maybe precisely because it's her alma mater, she didn't accept it?"
Lupin speculated:
"She's very adventurous, has traveled to many countries, legendary danger zones, and visited several other Magic Schools. Ilvermorny is too familiar to her, thus losing its appeal."
Vid remembered what Professor Abigail had previously said and asked, "She even visited Uagadou?"
"Allegedly worked as a teaching assistant there for half a year and learned the African language for it." Lupin said with admiration.
"Now... she's come to Hogwarts." Vid said.
"Hogwarts is the best Magic School, having the opportunity to teach here for a few months should be very appealing to Abigail."
Lupin said, "Moreover, she's American, the curse might not concern her much."
Vid looked at him and suddenly asked, "Remus, do you like her?"