Chapter 51: The Principal Who Occupies Two Seats with One Butt

On a Wednesday evening during the first week of school, Harry and Ron had just finished their respective dinners. They were currently standing at the exit of the Great Hall, joining a bustling crowd of students from various year groups to peer at a temporary notice that had suddenly appeared on the wall by the hall doors.

It was undoubtedly the handiwork of their new guest professor for magic open classes, Professor Annie. On the wall, two lines of messages were written in large, crooked, fluorescent magical letters: *To all faculty and students: Tonight at 19:00, the first magic open class will be held in the largest classroom on the third floor of the Hogwarts main castle. The lecture will cover some tips for wandless spellcasting. Anyone interested is welcome to attend! — Your Professor Annie Haste.*

"What do you think, Harry? Have you decided? Are you going? Anyway, I think I might want to go see."

Ron turned to ask Harry beside him. He was quite interested in this first open class; just based on what Professor Annie had written—that she would be teaching wandless spellcasting techniques—it was simply too important for him!

Because, even now in his second year, Ron was still using that old, battered wand. He didn't even know how many hands it had passed through, but it couldn't be helped; there were just too many Weasley children—enough to form a family Quidditch team.

Furthermore, his family's finances weren't exactly comfortable, with the income resting almost entirely on Mr. Weasley, who worked at the Ministry of Magic. As the youngest boy in the Weasley family, almost everything Ron used, including this wand, was hand-me-downs from his older, older, older brothers. In short, anything used by many people in his family would eventually trickle down to him. If one looked closely at the wand, cracks could be seen in certain places; when Ron applied too much force, the glowing core inside could even be clearly seen.

The only reason it hadn't snapped on its own was that Ron had wrapped the cracked areas in several layers of tape. During the last school year, when Ron had tried to cast a spell, the wand had actually backfired on him, which was exactly why his old rival, Malfoy, had mocked him for so long.

And now, a massive opportunity lay before Ron: their new open-class teacher was actually going to teach wandless spellcasting. Merlin's beard! The moment he saw this message, he was likely the happiest person among all the students, because for him, this was like being handed a pillow just as he was falling asleep! Having been plagued by wand issues for so long, there could be no better news.

If—if Ron could learn wandless spellcasting, could he finally throw away that damn, broken piece of junk in his pocket? Ron had long since had enough of it. It wasn't just that the spells often failed; the most annoying part was that you never knew when it would suddenly backfire on its owner! If anyone took it onto a battlefield to face an enemy, the one who died first would definitely not be the foe!

Ron had been wondering if his consistently poor grades were because of it. Was it because of this damn broken wand? Otherwise, how could his grades be even worse than Harry's? Ron had grown up in the wizarding world; it was impossible for him to be worse than Harry, who grew up in the Muggle world! It had to be this; it was all the wand's fault—it was the culprit!

"Going isn't impossible, but Ron, you know we still have a lot of homework to do. At least twenty pages combined!" Harry said hesitantly, unable to decide whether he should attend the lecture tonight.

During Potions class this afternoon, he had been severely scolded by Snape again. He was used to it by now; it had almost become a routine. However, this time was a bit more troublesome: he had been punished with ten whole pages of copying potion recipes. Ten pages! How long would that take?

If he went to the magic open class tonight, what would happen to the homework due tomorrow morning? Snape would surely find a way to torment him! If Harry dared not hand in his homework, it wouldn't just be a matter of being scolded with rumors; the consequences that would follow were terrifying just to think about.

"Homework? True, but it should be fine. We can finish it in the common room after class. At worst, we just sleep a bit later tonight and we'll definitely get it done. Come on, Harry! Let's head back and get ready so we aren't late again!" Before Harry could refuse, Ron grabbed him and started running toward the Gryffindor common room. The class was at 19:00, and there wasn't much time left; they needed to go back to the common room to gather their things.

"Hmph!" In the crowd, Malfoy watched Harry and Ron run off and let out a disdainful snort.

"Crabbe, Goyle, are you two going to the open class tonight?" Regardless, Malfoy was definitely going to attend the first class tonight; it was an instruction from his father.

Two nights ago, after the opening party, he had written to his father, Lucius Malfoy, truthfully reporting the news announced by Dumbledore. The next morning at breakfast, his father's overnight reply had arrived. In the letter, old Malfoy repeatedly instructed him that he must attend the mysterious young girl's class and absolutely must not be absent!

As one of the few remaining old aristocratic families in the wizarding world, Lucius Malfoy naturally knew the importance of power to the nobility. Only power could preserve their rights, wealth, and status, and the pursuit of greater power was the guiding principle of these old aristocrats.

Otherwise, why do they think so many of them supported that madman Voldemort? Was it for fun to play along with a lunatic? It was merely an expression of their pursuit of power and authority, because at that time, Voldemort held the very things they craved.

Following the Gringotts wizarding bank incident last month, a consensus had quickly been reached among these old aristocrats. They were now fully convinced that the little girl named Annie would be far more powerful, more terrifying, and more suited to their requirements than the Voldemort they had once favored! After all, a young girl's potential for growth was incredibly high, far beyond what a madman like Voldemort could match.

In that case, establishing a good relationship with this mysterious young girl early on was essential. They had actually wanted to do this for a long time; they had always known that the mysterious girl had previously lived with a Muggle student named Hermione. The only reason they hadn't acted was that they lacked a suitable, proper excuse to approach her.

But how could they have imagined that that old fox Dumbledore would beat them to it, tricking this powerful little girl into teaching at Hogwarts? And they, in turn, couldn't even find an opportunity for initial contact.

Since things had come to this, they could only accept the situation and quickly instruct their children currently studying at Hogwarts to ensure they did not miss a single one of Professor Annie's classes. Furthermore, regardless of whether they understood the material, they were to take complete notes to send back.

"Go to a lecture? Better not. We're already too tired today!" Upon hearing about the lecture, Crabbe and Goyle immediately expressed their reluctance.

In their minds, when there were no classes in the evening, it should be time to rest. How wonderful would it be to sit comfortably in the common room drinking milk tea, or even eating a few more puddings to put on some weight? Why go through the hardship of attending a lecture? Besides, open classes didn't count toward grades, so what was the point? Why bother making things unpleasant for themselves?

"I am warning you! Go to the third-floor classroom right now and secure seats for me. Go now! Otherwise..." Malfoy glared fiercely at the two idiots, gritting his teeth in a menacing manner. He pulled out his wand, pointing the tip vaguely at them. Did they really think he was negotiating? This was an order!

Only after seeing his two lackeys run off in a panic to secure seats did Malfoy spit inwardly. These gluttons were truly good-for-nothing! How could they not be prepared to attend such an important class? He was doing this for their own good.

Hermione was also standing outside the crowd, watching the notice on the wall with several of her acquaintances. In fact, she had known about Annie's open class since yesterday; after all, it was Hermione who had helped Annie select the classroom.

However, what made her both laugh and cry was that little Annie hadn't written down the classroom number. There were two or three large classrooms on the third floor; what was the use of writing it like that? Many people probably wouldn't know which one was the largest. She hoped those who wanted to attend wouldn't go to the wrong place, as Hermione began to imagine the amusing scenes of students searching the wrong classrooms.

Hermione had originally planned to feed her little phoenix before going to secure a seat, but seeing how interested so many students were in the open class, she decided it would be better to go early to claim a spot. She could just leave a book to hold the seat and then go find her phoenix, Ginny, later. Besides, the phoenix was likely in Professor Dumbledore's office looking for Fawkes anyway; it probably wouldn't go hungry for a while.

"Hey! Hermione, what do you think of this class? I bet you're going to attend in a bit, right?" A girl's voice sounded behind Hermione.

"Oh! It's Parvati. Of course! I would never miss a single class." Hermione turned around, paused for a moment when she recognized the student, and then smiled after seeing her robes.

This Parvati had a twin sister in Ravenclaw, whose name was Padma, if she remembered correctly. The two twins looked so much alike that sometimes even Hermione couldn't tell them apart. Fortunately, the robes of the four houses were different, so Hermione could still distinguish them by their house colors and crests. But if both girls were wearing Muggle clothes, she would be at a complete loss; when they first met, they had often intentionally dressed identically just to tease her.

"Dear Hermione, is what's written on the wall true? Can anyone really perform wandless spellcasting? You must know some inside information, right? Come on, tell me!" As one of Hermione's close friends, Parvati approached without hesitation, whispering in Hermione's ear.

In Hogwarts, everyone knew that Hermione had a close relationship with the new Professor Annie. Furthermore, Padma knew that it was Hermione who had helped Professor Annie choose the classroom yesterday. If one wanted inside information regarding Professor Annie's classes, Hermione was definitely the person to ask!

"Oh, Padma! Honestly... alright, watch closely. I'll only demonstrate this once." Hermione shook her head, looking helplessly at her friend. Unable to resist the girl's pestering, she finally extended a finger toward a large, heavy book that was already resting on the table.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" As Hermione softly uttered the incantation, the book actually began to float slowly under Parvati's astonished gaze.

Currently, this was the only wandless spell Hermione knew, as constructing spell models or inducing magical resonance was far too difficult for her. She was nowhere near that level yet! Moreover, this wandless execution was only possible with Annie's step-by-step guidance and the use of certain little tricks; neither the incantation nor the gesture could be omitted! She could only temporarily dispense with the wand, but even so, it was a massive step forward.

"Merlin's beard! Hermione, you... you can actually do wandless spellcasting!?" Parvati stared at the floating textbook, looking at Hermione in shock. "Then why are you still going to the lecture? Haven't you already learned it?"

"Learning is endless, dear Parvati! Perhaps I might gain some new insights by listening today. Come on, let's go! In a little while, there won't be any good seats left." Hermione reached out to grab the floating book, then took Parvati's arm and began dragging her toward the door.

Parvati was left dazed, allowing Hermione to pull her toward the large third-floor classroom. As someone who barely scraped by academically, she found Hermione's "straight-A student" world completely incomprehensible! Since she had already learned wandless spellcasting, shouldn't she be using the extra time to play? Why did Hermione have to work so hard to learn more?

As expected! Rome wasn't built in a day, and one doesn't become a top student by accident. Parvati finally understood a little why Hermione could easily leave them in the dust academically.

Time passed quickly, and it was almost 19:00. When Harry and Ron confidently walked through the doors of the magic open class five minutes early, they were instantly startled by the sea of people before them.

Based on their previous experience, arriving five minutes early for any class should have been more than enough. That way, they wouldn't have to worry about being late and getting scolded, and they would certainly have good seats. How could they have imagined the result would be like this?

What on earth was going on? Not only were there no seats, but the crowd was so packed that people were even standing in the aisles! Some were even sitting on the window ledges. At a glance, there had to be at least several hundred people!

Harry and Ron could hardly believe what they were seeing. Could it be that the entire faculty and student body of Hogwarts had come? Was it really that exaggerated? It was just an open class, for Merlin's sake! They even saw Dumbledore! Not just him, but a group of professors were with him, occupying the best seats in the very front row.

Seeing the situation, Harry and Ron stood at the door, stunned and unsure of what to do. A large crowd in the classroom was staring silently at them, their eyes seemingly saying that these two were the kind of underachievers who specialized in being late and annoying teachers.

It was incredibly embarrassing! Under the gaze of everyone, Ron and Harry felt caught between wanting to enter and wanting to retreat. If they had known it would be like this, they probably wouldn't have dared to come.

"Oh! It's Harry! What a coincidence! Come, come, over here. It seems I happen to have one extra seat left. Come here, child," Dumbledore said, finally breathing a sigh of relief upon seeing Harry. He made room in the seat beside him and waved to Harry with a smile.

Sitting on his other side were Snape and Hermione's group. Dumbledore had been worried that Harry—the student he hoped for and intended to mentor—might not show up, so the good seat he had specially prepared had not been in vain.

Of course, he had only reserved one seat. As for Ron Weasley? Please, go find somewhere else to hang out. Did he expect the old man to give up his own seat for him? What an oblivious boy; why is he still standing there? Has he no sense of shame?

"Professor Dumbledore? Er, and Professor Snape... why are you both here for the lecture?" Harry sat down blankly as Dumbledore pulled him into the seat.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Ron could only stand awkwardly in the crowd in the aisle. He felt incredibly aggrieved, especially after seeing the two twin brothers in the third row; his resentment grew even stronger! If they could sit in the third row, they must have arrived very early. Why hadn't they thought to secure a seat for him? Was he even their brother anymore?

"Harry, you must know that the magical world holds too many unknowns. Sometimes, the more we know, the more questions arise. No matter when, new and novel ideas will always bring us new inspiration. It never hurts to listen and observe more! No one is born omniscient; we can only arm our minds through continuous learning and exploration. So, in the future, make sure you do not miss Professor Annie's classes, and certainly do not be late!" Dumbledore replied to Harry with a smile.

Snape, sitting nearby, glanced at the Headmaster and thought disdainfully: *Old man! If you want to learn, just say so. Why all this nonsense about grand principles? Why act so sanctimonious?*

Initially, Snape had been very confused by Dumbledore occupying two front-row seats. He only had one backside; wasn't it shameful to sit in two seats? So many students were forced to stand, but they only refrained from speaking out due to his position as Headmaster. Now he saw that the old man had actually been saving the seat for Potter, the Boy Who Lived.

In Snape's view, Dumbledore was a hypocrite. He was your student, but weren't others students too? Why spoil him so much? A fledgling's wings are hardened through battling the wind and waves; you cannot grow resilient flowers in a greenhouse. If you spoil him like this, there will come a day when you regret it!

In truth, Snape's feelings toward Harry Potter, Lily's only son, were very complex—a mixture of love and hate! The love was deep, and the hate was sharp! He loved him because he was Lily's son; he hated him because he was the son of his rival! However, love usually outweighed hatred.

Because of this, Snape was usually so harsh toward Harry, hoping he would focus more on learning useful knowledge and strive to become stronger, so as not to repeat his mother's mistakes!

One must remember that Voldemort was not dead yet! Who knew when he might come back to life? When that happened, would Voldemort let the Boy Who Lived go? Harry would no longer have another great mother to protect him with her life!

The reason Snape treated Potter with cold words was to use that method to spur him on, to help him go further and faster. It was an unconventional way of expressing his feelings—perhaps also the reason why he had failed so utterly and miserably in his pursuit of Lily back then! Because Snape simply did not know how to express his emotions in a normal way.