A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Chapter 24: Dissertation

Professor of Ancient Runes' Office

Felix Harp wrapped up a day of teaching. Today, he had three classes in total, but half of the time was spent on exams, cleverly labeled as "assessing students' learning progress." In his previous life, there was a professional term for this, called "formative assessment."

The definition of formative assessment was: an evaluation of the students' existing level of development at the beginning of a semester or unit.

It fit quite well in this context.

The other half of the class time was used to review previously learned knowledge. This disappointed the young wizards who thought they might continue the magical puppet battle.

Fortunately, the professor told them that they would see the continuation in the next class, and those who performed well would receive extra rewards.

Felix was in his office watching a movie, fully engrossed in it.

Bang, bang, bang!

A series of urgent knocks interrupted his entertainment time. He opened the door and saw Hermione, out of breath.

"Professor... I'm sorry... I... huff... I fell asleep and missed... the time!"

Hermione's chest heaved, her face flushed, and a thin layer of sweat dampened her hair.

Seeing the anxious look on the young witch's face, Felix gestured for her to calm down and led her into the office.

"Please, have a seat."

Hermione obediently sat down, and only then did she realize, belatedly, that a movie was being projected on the wall in front of her.

She turned her head and quickly spotted a projector.

Hermione felt a bit confused. Did I not wake up yet? Isn't Hogwarts supposed to ban the use of Muggle products?

But she didn't dare to move recklessly and could only watch the content of the projection. After a few minutes, she realized, oh, it's actually quite engaging.

The movie was about a princess visiting Rome who unexpectedly meets a journalist. It was clear that the movie had some years on it, but the storytelling was compelling, drawing her in.

She happened to watch a scene where the princess used a violin to hit a thug's head.

Hermione couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Soon, she heard footsteps and immediately suppressed her smile, sitting up straight.

Felix held a beverage in his hand and handed it to her. "This is Butterbeer. I've added a touch of Cheering Charm and Dreamless Sleep Draught to it. They will be released gradually, ensuring you have a good night's sleep when you return."

"Thank you, Professor Harp." Hermione took a sip; the taste was a bit odd, but not unpleasant. She found her spirits lifting, dispelling the exhaustion of the past week.

She remembered the purpose of her visit, quickly opened her bag, pulled out seven pieces of parchment, and handed them to Felix. "Professor, these are my research papers."

Felix took the papers and glanced at them, simultaneously waving his wand without looking up. A few plates of snacks floated over to Hermione. "You can have a bite to eat and enjoy the movie. You probably haven't had much time for entertainment lately."

Hearing Felix's words, she realized she had once again missed dinner. Every cell in her body was complaining to her right now.

She blushed slightly, nibbling on the snacks slowly, occasionally stealing glances at the professor who was engrossed in reading her paper. Since he didn't seem to have any intention of looking up, she quietly picked up her pace.

Unbeknownst to her, she finished the Butterbeer, consumed three plates of snacks, and the movie was coming to an end.

The feeling of being well-fed brought back Hermione's cheerful mood.

She turned her head and saw that the professor had finished reading her paper, now absorbed in a book with evident delight.

"Professor, I'm sorry..."

Felix looked up, a smile in his eyes. "I thought you were enjoying the movie."

Hermione: "..."

"Alright, let's talk about your paper." Worried that the girl might be bashful, Felix quickly changed the subject. He picked up Hermione's paper and praised, "An excellent paper."

"It's logically structured, flows smoothly, and you've referenced material from eighteen books, each piece of evidence fitting perfectly..."

Hermione lowered her head, a bit embarrassed by the praise.

"Congratulations, you're officially my assistant." Felix stood up and walked over to her.

Sparkles lit up in Hermione's eyes. "Really? Oh! Professor, I'm... I'm so excited!"

"This is well-deserved," Felix Harp said gently, "You've put in tremendous effort for this, I dare say, far exceeding my expectations."

Hermione felt like crying. This past week had been so challenging for her.

"As my assistant, you'll undoubtedly have to invest extra time in the future..."

"Professor, I'll work hard!"

"No, no, you've misunderstood me," Felix smiled, "To give is to receive. Therefore—"

"Gryffindor gains fifty points, each term."

...

Hermione returned to the common room feeling a bit dizzy. Harry and Ron were playing Wizard's Chess, while the twins huddled in a corner, holding a piece of parchment and murmuring something.

Seeing Hermione come in, many young wizards looked up. Gossip traveled fast, and they had already heard that Hermione might become the new professor's assistant.

Meanwhile, Felix, fresh from his public lecture, was the talk of the castle.

Harry quickly jumped up, casually moving chess pieces aside. "Hermione, how did it go?"

"Hey! I'm about to checkmate." Ron muttered discontentedly, though his heart wasn't in the game either.

"I succeeded." Hermione declared the outcome outright.

"Hooray! Cheers for the Gryffindor's Know-It-All! She's now Hogwarts' youngest assistant!" The twins cheered, their hands behind them as they mimicked an airplane's posture, soaring around the common room.

A few fireworks popped with a "bang," and the common room was submerged in a sea of joy. The young wizards gathered around, offering congratulations to Hermione, regardless of her whispered explanations that it was "assistant" not "professor."

The twins disappeared for a moment and returned with a large assortment of snacks, adding fuel to the festive atmosphere.

Halfway through, Professor McGonagall was summoned. She pursed her lips, apparently contemplating how many points to deduct from Gryffindor.

"Professor McGonagall, we're celebrating Hermione becoming an assistant." The twins quickly explained.

Professor McGonagall cast a quick glance at Hermione, who nodded subtly, prompting a smile from her. "Well, I suppose... but... keep it down a bit, will you?" Professor McGonagall quickly conceded.

"Is this your paper?" Professor McGonagall asked, bypassing the cheering crowd and looking at the parchment in Hermione's hand.

"Yes, Professor McGonagall."

Professor McGonagall picked up the parchment and first counted the pages with surprise before quickly diving into reading.

It contained both Hermione's original text and the annotations added by Felix.

At first, Professor McGonagall flipped through the pages quickly, but soon her pace slowed. While Hermione's paper resembled more of a review, it was concise and clear, essentially reorganizing the entire development process of ancient runes.

Basically, anyone reading Hermione's paper would gain a comprehensive understanding of ancient runes.

"An incredibly well-written paper. I believe it's qualified for publication in a journal."

"I have a long way to go. Professor Harp helped me with a lot of corrections," Hermione whispered.

Professor McGonagall was also somewhat speechless. In her eyes, Hermione's paper was already outstanding, but the fact that Felix could provide even more corrections indicated this exceptional graduate's depth of knowledge in ancient runes.

However, Felix's annotations weren't about pointing out errors but were more like suggestions for further understanding, such as "consider reading 'A History of Ancient Runes' pages 172-174 for deeper insights." This indicated that Felix believed Hermione's thinking needed to delve even deeper.

"He's quite demanding." Even the stern Professor McGonagall found herself siding with Hermione.

"Professor Harp thinks I've passed. His annotations indicate the next steps I should take." Hermione explained.

Professor McGonagall nodded then, looking at the paper, she grew fonder of it the more she read.

"Well then, once you've incorporated Professor Harp's annotations and revised the paper, I'll pass it to a friend of mine. There's a chance it could be published."

The young wizards present looked on with expressions that seemed to say, "Wow, she's in the presence of greatness."

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