Anthony's cat was lying on the cat climbing frame given by Professor McGonagall, lazily playing with the small toys hanging in front of it. The mouse-shaped pendant hit the main trunk of the cat climbing frame and made a squeaking sound. It looked up at the other owner of the room.
Anthony was sitting behind the desk, grading the students' tests yesterday... After all four classes passed twice in a row, he finally introduced short answer questions, so he needed to spend more time marking the exams.
After the Quidditch match, Mrs. Hooch announced that the two results were jointly effective, and the overall assessment was that Gryffindor and Slytherin were tied.
No one is satisfied with this result. Gryffindor felt that Slytherin was cheating, and Slytherin said that this was biased in favor of Gryffindor, because if the scores from the two games were added up, Slytherin scored more. But Professor McGonagall and Snape firmly agreed with Mrs. Hooch's ruling, and the most tortuous result of the season was settled.
Gryffindor took this dissatisfaction to the quizzes. No less than five people wrote more than ten inches of eloquently on a topic called "Try three Muggle sports", which greatly increased Anthony's workload. He asked why someone not only failed to hand in the paper in advance that day, but even asked for extra paper.
The cat's ears suddenly moved.
There's a knock on the door.
"Come in!" Anthony shouted, opening the office door with a wave of his wand.
To his surprise, the door was not one of his students, but Professor Burbage.
"I knew you were in the office." Professor Burbage said, "Filius has received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the British Advanced Charms Society, and we are going to go to Three Broomsticks to celebrate. Are you coming?"
"Of course." Anthony put the test into the lesson plan and put it aside. "No one can say no to butterbeer."
…
"Since March, I have been informed that I have entered the selection process...ah, Rosmerta——"
"Sherry juice soda with ice and conch." Ms. Rosmerta put the glass in front of Professor Flitwick, and then lightly served everyone's drinks.
"Yes, thank you." Professor Flitwick squealed happily and continued to tell them how to win the award. "But their selection only ended last month. The owl sent me an invitation yesterday, inviting me to the next year." Attend the award ceremony every month."
"This process is not short." Professor Sprout said, "I remember it took about three months for the Herbology Institute to produce results. How long does the Potions Institute take, Severus?"
Snape sat gloomily in the warm corner of the tavern. He was sent here by Dumbledore. Unfortunately, Snape happened to be talking to Dumbledore when Professor Flitwick invited him.
"About four months," he said stiffly. He didn't comment.
Professor McGonagall reminded Professor Flitwick: "Remember to find a good seat. At least when I attended the award ceremony, the wind was very strong, and I couldn't hear anything except the wind from my position. The award presenter shouted three times, and I Only then did I realize that I was being asked to come on stage to receive the award."
Anthony asked Professor Boubaji curiously: "Does the Muggle Studies Society also select Lifetime Achievement Awards?"
Professor Burbage nodded and said, "Yes. Do you want a medal? I can ask."
"ah?"
Professor Burbage shrugged: "Their selection process is long because there are so many competitors. Muggle Studies... After so many years, everyone can have several titles that sound scary."
Anthony looked at her speechlessly. Sitting in front of him was the President of the British Muggle Studies Association, the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award of the European Muggle Studies Association, the Chairman of the International Muggle Studies Committee, the former leader and examiner of the Muggle Studies Section of the Wizarding Examination Authority, and the current Professor of Muggle Studies at Hogwarts, Caredi Burbage.
…
When they returned to Hogwarts, it happened to be snowing. This is the first snow this winter, and the snowflakes are small and hard. The ground at Hogwarts was wet, and a thin layer of snow had accumulated on the roof of the castle. The laughter of students came through the clean and cold winter air, and everyone relaxed.
"It's snowing. I'm going to go to the greenhouse to have a look." Professor Sprout said.
Professor McGonagall nodded in understanding: "See you in the castle, Pomona."
"Henry, if you are willing, you can come with me." Professor Sprout invited, "I remember you haven't visited the greenhouse yet, right?"
Out of respect for a subject he knew nothing about, Anthony had indeed never set foot in a greenhouse... What if there were some sphinx plants that specifically attacked those who didn't know enough about herbal medicine? This is the magical world after all.
He thought for a while and realized that there was nothing particularly urgent on his schedule today: "That would be great."
Professor Sprout took Anthony to visit the lower-grade greenhouse. She was instructing him almost in the same way she would instruct a first grader: the shoe covers are over there, no, tie them from the back, otherwise, the dirt will fall in when walking... Wear your gloves... Goggles, you shouldn't need them today, But there is always nothing wrong with wearing it.
Despite the low lead clouds and cold wind outside the greenhouse, the Herb Greenhouse at Hogwarts is full of greenery. The snowflakes fell on the transparent glass dome at the top of the greenhouse, and were slowly melted into water droplets by the warmth in the greenhouse, and slid down the dome. Tall and low herbs grow in different corners of the greenhouse, swaying slightly with the cold breeze brought in when they open the door.
"What's over there?" Anthony asked, pointing to the corner of the greenhouse. Unlike other well-organized areas in the greenhouse, the land seemed to have become a hodgepodge of mixed plantings, with various types of herbs planted. What's even more strange is that all the other plants in the greenhouse are dense and prosperous, only the good ones and the bad ones are mixed in that crowded area, some are too vigorous, and some are withered and shriveled.
"Oh, that's for students to plant for fun." Professor Sprout walked over quickly and said briskly, "Let me see...this is a first-year student. This is Hufflepuff, Raven. Crow, Gryffindor, Slytherin..."
There is no corner of the Hufflepuff area that does not have a few flowers and leaves stuffed into it. On that small piece of land, students planted all kinds of herbs, allowing them to squeeze together vigorously, crawling along the iron frame to the greenhouse wall, occupying the positions originally reserved for other colleges from the air. .
"They all chose the plants that are easiest to survive." Professor Sprout said modestly when Anthony praised them. "If there is anything to be proud of, it is that the children in our college rarely have high ambitions and low abilities."
"Sometimes you don't even know how good you are." Anthony said with emotion, "Pomona, your third-year Diggory should have been able to get an O in the Muggle Studies O.W.L. He and I He said that he always felt that there were some things he didn't understand in class, so he went to find some reference books after class, and the result was that he was far ahead of the course progress."
Professor Sprout was very happy, but told Anthony not to tell Digory.
"Normally, we don't tell students how we predicted their grades before seeing the results," Professor Sprout said. "For example, look, this one was planted by Gryffindor Longbottom. I dare say his herbs this year are also O, but I won't tell him in advance."
Anthony smiled and said, "Okay, let's leave them a surprise."