"Miss Alfrina Greengrass, Mr. Gary Shafiq, Mr. Howard White, Miss Kona Evans... each earn fifty points for Ravenclaw!"
The atmosphere at the Ravenclaw table was lively; Ravenclaw had already won at the starting line from the beginning of the school year.
"Miss Lily Evans, Mr. Remus Lupin, each earn fifty points for Gryffindor!" Gryffindor students applauded, and James and Sirius, sitting next to Lupin, excitedly shook his shoulders.
"Mr. Severus Snape earned fifty points for Slytherin!"
The students at the Slytherin table were stunned for a moment, then began to whisper. There was no applause or cheers, and Snape, sitting next to Regulus Black, looked gloomy.
Dumbledore glanced inadvertently at the Slytherin table, then smiled and announced that the feast had officially begun.
Upon entering third year, the heavy academic pressure fell upon Gary and the others. The class hours for other compulsory courses did not decrease; instead, three elective courses were added, leaving few blank spaces on the timetable.
Today's morning class was Alchemy. Gary walked into the classroom on the fifth floor at 7:50. As he expected, the classroom was full of Ravenclaws.
Class was about to start, but the Professor had not yet arrived. The Ravenclaw students were rummaging through books for other subjects at their seats.
There were fewer than twenty people in this class in total. According to older students, it was a new course introduced this year. Gary clearly detected disappointment on Nance's face.
Surprisingly, the booklist sent during the summer vacation did not show a textbook for Alchemy.
Alfrina sat to his left, opened her Charms book, then boredly lay on the desk, drawing stick figures on parchment with her quill.
The bell rang, and the classroom door opened. An unexpected person entered: white hair, a white beard, a crooked nose, and spectacles perched on it.
It was Dumbledore.
The students were puzzled. Dumbledore strode to the podium, holding a thin booklet in his hand. With a wave of his wand, the booklet appeared on everyone's desk.
Gary, like the others, began to flip through it. The booklet was made of exquisite, smooth young tree bark, with "The Book of Abraham the Jew" written on the cover, tightly bound in brass, and engraved with strange symbols.
Including the cover, the booklet had twenty-one pages. The first six pages were blank, but the seventh page depicted a wand being swallowed by a giant snake.
"Starting this semester, Hogwarts has added this Alchemy course as an elective," Dumbledore put away his wand. "I am the Professor. Due to the special nature of the course, it will continue until seventh year, and no new students will be added during this period. Of course, you also cannot withdraw. If you wish to leave, you can drop the course now, and I can take charge of changing your timetable."
Dumbledore scanned the students below. No one withdrew. Are you kidding? This was a course taught by Dumbledore. How many people would break their heads trying to attend his classes? He hadn't taught students since he became Principal.
"Of course, if you insist on withdrawing," Dumbledore paused, "I can ensure you don't receive your diploma."
The students below were amused, and then applause broke out.
"Alright, let's get back to the main topic. We will have one class a month, and assessment at the end of the term will be in the form of assignments, with no exams." Dumbledore put away his smile. He pointed to the booklet in his hand. "What I just distributed to you is our textbook for this class."
"Of course, this textbook is too profound for you at present. We can discuss some introductory Alchemy knowledge."
"Does anyone have any concept or understanding of Alchemy?" Dumbledore's teaching method was similar to Professor Slughorn's in Potions, skilled at inspiring students.
"Transmuting lead into gold!" A Gryffindor girl excitedly raised her hand and stood up to answer.
"That is indeed a very common public perception of Alchemy, Miss Macdonald." Dumbledore smiled.
"You don't need to raise your hand and stand up in my class; just answer from your seat." Dumbledore leaned against the podium, in a very relaxed posture.
"...Breaking down and reconstructing matter?" Alfrina said uncertainly, recalling what she had read in Muggle books.
"That is the theory of many Muggle alchemists, and it has some truth to it," Dumbledore replied. "I must clarify that Wizarding Alchemy and Muggle Alchemy are not entirely identical."
Many students below fell into thought.
"When you understand this question well enough, you will have entered the field." Dumbledore smiled.
"First, I will discuss a key application of Alchemy in the Wizarding world," Dumbledore tapped his finger on the blackboard, and a line of white text appeared: "Alchemical Objects."
"These objects, modified by Alchemy, possess different functions. Some can store items, some can withstand curses, and some even have offensive capabilities."
...
After the class, Dumbledore left the classroom. Many students immediately slumped onto their desks. Dumbledore had poured a vast amount of knowledge into them within two hours, leaving even the usually studious Ravenclaw students feeling a bit dizzy.
"Why do you think Principal Dumbledore suddenly started this course?" Alfrina lay on the desk, playing with Kona's ponytail in the front seat.
"Only our year has the Alchemy class right now," Howard, sitting next to Kona, whispered. "Do you think it might be related to the current situation?"
Many supporters of Pure-blood ideology had already begun to express extreme views in public, claiming to drive Muggle-borns out of the Wizarding world. There were occasional protests and demonstrations in Diagon Alley, and the situation was grim, with tensions between Muggle-borns and Pure-bloods as volatile as fire.
"Possibly. I heard Principal Dumbledore supports Muggle-born Wizards!" Alfrina said excitedly, losing control and tugging Kona's braid, causing her pain. Kona piteously snatched her braid back from Alfrina's hand, refusing to let her touch it again.
Gary had sensed that something was wrong during the summer vacation. The Shafeek Couple had once been invited to a Pure-blood gathering at the Lestrange home. The Shafeek Couple returned from the gathering with grim faces, and the light in their bedroom stayed on all night.
Lord Voldemort's rise was too sudden and swift. He had already gathered dozens of families who supported Pure-blood ideology under his banner. The situation in the Wizarding world was becoming increasingly tense, with a major war on the verge of breaking out.
However, these matters had little to do with Hogwarts. Everyone continued to live carefree lives in the Castle, undisturbed by the outside world.
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