The N.E.W.T.s courses were already so challenging for Evan, let alone for other students who had just entered their sixth year.
In short, as the new term began, life gradually settled into a new normal. Contrary to the initial expectations of a relaxing and carefree start, everyone had to push themselves to keep up with the vast amount of homework they were being set. Nearly every day felt as exhausting as last term’s preparation for the O.W.L.s, which was truly unbearable.
What was even more daunting than the increasing workload and invisible pressure was that many students couldn’t even understand their teachers’ lectures.
Take Transfiguration for example. One morning in the second week of the term, Ron complained that he didn’t understand what his new Transfiguration professor was saying in class. He hadn’t made it into Professor McGonagall’s advanced N.E.W.T.s class and instead was placed in another male professor’s class. In his words, this professor’s teaching level was terrible. He would only repeat the abstruse knowledge in the textbook without explaining it, and then assign them impossible tasks for homework.
“You know what?” he said, “I’m starting to miss Professor McGonagall’s Transfiguration. She might have been strict, but at least she explained the material clearly and didn’t give too much homework. I really should have studied harder for Transfiguration last term…”
“It’s not too late to work hard now!” Hermione’s voice came from behind a thick magic textbook.
“No, I’m going to give up Transfiguration completely,” said Ron immediately. “I’ve inquired and found that every year, the only students who pass the N.E.W.T.s in Transfiguration are from Professor McGonagall’s advanced class, and even then, it’s only about half of them. You two can keep trying if you like.”
“I’ll probably be part of the half that fails,” said Harry with a sigh. “I barely understand half of what Professor McGonagall is saying these days. I have no idea how to write the essay she assigned, and it’s due this Friday. Evan, have you finished yours?”
“Not yet. I’ve been working on something else,” said Evan, gesturing subtly towards Hermione, signaling for Harry to borrow hers.
Last night, Evan had seen Hermione’s completed Transfiguration essay. The N.E.W.T.s courses were indeed difficult — even Hermione often had to ask Professor McGonagall to repeat her explanations once or twice, then spend hours studying or discussing the material afterward.It might sound a bit unbelievable, but this term had just begun and the atmosphere was a bit like the review period of last term.
But that was the reality. Even though everyone had mentally prepared for the challenge, the actual difficulty of the N.E.W.T.s courses exceeded most people’s expectations. After the O.W.L.s, Hogwarts’ curriculum had moved past the basics. No longer was it about rote memorization or waving wands according to instructions. Many subjects now required independent research. As the material became more advanced and varied depending on individual aptitude, the help professors could offer grew increasingly limited.
When faced with learning difficulties, Hermione always rose to the occasion.
In matters like these, Hermione was just as “Hermione” as ever, unchanged in the slightest.
At Evan’s signal, Harry looked at Hermione who was buried behind her magic textbook. He hesitated for a long moment but didn’t say a word.
He felt that Hermione would not lend him her homework. There was no possibility at all. It would be unwise to bother Hermione at this time.
Thanks to the help of the Half-Blood Prince, Harry’s best subject had suddenly become Potions. He could complete potion-brewing tasks in class faster than Evan and Hermione, which caused Hermione’s increasing resentment and strained their relationship.
At least, that was what Harry thought. Hermione hadn’t given up on persuading him to turn in the Potions textbook.
But Harry had no intention of handing it over, which meant his tensions with Hermione would persist.
Therefore, it seemed that there was no chance that he would be able to borrow homework reference from Hermione successfully…
“Evan, Elaine and I are going to the library tonight. You can go too if you’re free,” Hermione suddenly said, seeming to sense what Harry was thinking. She didn’t take her eyes off the magic textbook. “I think there are a few books and some information that can help you two with Transfiguration. After reading them all, you’ll know how to complete the Transfiguration homework due on Friday!”
“Thank you, Hermione, that’s very kind of you!” Harry said, beaming. He knew that when Hermione spoke like this, it usually meant that if he obediently reviewed the materials she recommended, he’d eventually be able to glimpse her completed work.
“Without your and Evan’s help, Harry and I would have been finished long ago!” Ron followed up. “But I’m still planning to drop Transfiguration, so I’m skipping the library tonight. I promised Lavender I’d stay in the common room with her.”
“I’m not going either. I have an appointment with Ginny…” Elaine interrupted at the right time. Hermione had been supervising her studies these days, and Elaine wasn’t adjusting well to it. But she couldn’t say anything because her foundation was really poor. There was a big difference between vampire magic education and Hogwarts’s traditional curriculum.
“You have to go to the library!” Hermione took her eyes off the book for the first time and looked at Elaine. “There’s not much time left before the exam, and you haven’t even finished reading half of the materials. You asked Evan and me to watch your studies…”
“Yes, you have to go, no discussion!” Evan nodded. This girl was always looking for ways to slack off and roam the castle aimlessly.
“But Ginny…”
“I’ll talk to Ginny. I’m sure she hasn’t started her revision yet. She’ll come to the library with us every night from now on.”
“And Colin; that kid asked me to help him review two days ago. Bring him along too,” said Evan.
Under Evan and Hermione’s watchful eyes, Elaine reluctantly nodded. Then, when the two weren’t looking, she stuck out her tongue and made a funny face.
“Studying” was becoming the norm for Evan’s little group. Speaking of studying, one thing was worth mentioning: when it came to researching advanced magical knowledge, the Time-Turner and Rowena Ravenclaw’s Diadem were absolute game-changers. Paired with stamina potions, Evan felt like he could study endlessly.
Because of the special Time-Turner in his possession, Evan’s actual age didn’t truly increase throughout this process. Time existed in a continuous cycle of addition and subtraction, endlessly looping. The final result was something along these lines. As for the principles behind it — this involved extraordinarily intricate and arcane time magic that most people couldn’t even begin to grasp…
Evan didn’t understand it either, but he didn’t have to worry about his life being consumed in the process. Knowing this was enough!
It was important to note that while everyone began to study harder than before, an inexplicable sense of anxiety was spreading.
As they got older, every senior student seemed to have different troubles…
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