A new week dawned at Hogwarts, and for all students below fifth year, it was judgment day.
Douglas pulled up the theoretical exam results, comparing scores from houses that had taken identical tests. He let the Ravenclaw students see just how many of them had been outperformed by Hufflepuffs—and, of course, how many had done better. But no one took pride in that comparison.
Those Ravenclaws who hadn't done well bowed their heads in silence.
A similar scene played out among the Hufflepuffs, only in reverse. They focused on the handful who had bested most Ravenclaws, conveniently ignoring that the majority of them had scored even lower than the worst Ravenclaw.
It took all of Douglas's carrot-and-stick persuasion—and half a lesson's worth of patient coaxing—to finally spark a bit of ambition in most of them.
The situation with Gryffindor and Slytherin was a little different. Aside from Hermione—who was, as always, a complete outlier—the rest of the students' grades were practically identical.
Of course, a few had been tripped up and scored a zero, but Douglas simply made them memorize and recite the entire exam as punishment.
In the end, Douglas went so far as to pin up each house's monthly grade sheets, year by year, on the blackboard at the back of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Next to it, in huge letters, he wrote: [O.W.L.s Exam Countdown: 210 Days!]
Each day, the number ticked down—an ever-present reminder. Every student who entered the classroom felt the pressure mounting.
But it wasn't the fifth-years who suffered most. It was the sixth-years, who had only just survived their O.W.L.s a few months prior. The mere sight of those words seemed to transport them straight back to the agony of exam season. Some even felt their hair stand on end at the mention of "O.W.L.s."
Soon, Saturday rolled around—the day of the much-anticipated Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Quidditch match.
During the morning run, Douglas noticed the tension crackling between the two houses. By eleven, he joined the throng heading for the Quidditch pitch.
The weather was stifling and humid, thunder rumbling faintly overhead.
As Douglas arrived, he immediately spotted Hagrid nestled among a crowd of Gryffindor students, a pair of binoculars hanging from his neck. Nearby stood Hermione and Ron.
Douglas clapped Hagrid on the shoulder and greeted him and the students around him. Good thing Hagrid was sitting—otherwise, the gesture would've looked downright comical.
Hagrid's booming voice rang out, "Oi, Douglas! Great to see you at a Gryffindor match… I'm tellin' you, Harry's got as much talent for Quidditch as Charlie—maybe even more!"
Douglas chuckled. "So I've heard from George and Fred—that's why I came to see for myself."
Ron piped up, eager to promote his best mate. "Professor, Harry's definitely better than Charlie! Last year, he pulled off a dive for the Snitch that was just brilliant. Even Professor McGonagall said Charlie couldn't have managed it!"
The other students chimed in, all nodding in agreement—though, truthfully, none of them had ever seen Charlie play.
Douglas just shrugged, not taking the bait. He'd spotted a group of Hufflepuff students in the stands, waving him over.
"Aha, well, I'll be sure to watch Harry's performance later. But for now, I'd better go check in with the Hufflepuffs. See you all soon!"
With that, Douglas made his way toward the Hufflepuff section.
As soon as he left, Hermione turned to Ron. "You do realize the Professor's a Hufflepuff alumnus, right? And he sponsored the team with a whole set of the latest broomsticks…"
Ron bristled. "Quidditch is about skill, not gear. I heard Professor Holmes never even played Quidditch—so what does he know? If he did, he wouldn't have wasted all that money on Hufflepuff."
Hagrid let out a laugh. "Now, Ron, you've got it wrong. Douglas might not've been a Quidditch player, but he gave Charlie loads of advice on tactics and running a team, and he showed up for nearly every match. Charlie told me himself: if the Hufflepuff captain back in those days hadn't turned down Douglas's tactical tips just because he wasn't a player, Gryffindor might not've taken home all those trophies. After Charlie left, Wood picked up a few tricks, but it's not the same as having Douglas teach you direct—no wonder Slytherin's always got the edge.
But—keep this between us! They used to chat about all this while grilling meat over at my hut. I could tell Douglas didn't care much—just offered his advice and left it at that…"
Suddenly, Hagrid felt a tug at his sleeve. Looking down, he realized Hermione had gathered a small crowd of Gryffindor eavesdroppers.
Hermione cleared her throat and addressed the group, "Let's keep all this within Gryffindor, shall we? If Professor Holmes finds out, you know what'll happen—ten-foot essays or copying out an entire textbook…"
The Gryffindors shuddered in unison.
Hagrid hurriedly added, "Right, right, you lot don't know half of Douglas's tricks for dealing with troublemakers. Back in the day, he nearly… well—just don't tell him I said any of this, all right?"
He glanced nervously toward the Hufflepuff stands, where Douglas was now settling in, hoping he hadn't been overheard.
Over in the Hufflepuff section, Douglas was surrounded by the team's Quidditch players, all of whom showed him genuine respect. The Hufflepuff captain even gave him a rundown of their tactics, almost like a formal report. He introduced Cedric Diggory as next year's captain, insisting Cedric would outshine them all.
Douglas was, of course, well acquainted with Cedric—in both his past and present lives, he'd personally chosen Cedric as his fourth-year class representative for Hufflepuff. He truly admired the boy, feeling Cedric was practically a younger, better version of himself (at least, in his own humble opinion).
He chatted warmly with the team, occasionally offering suggestions for their strategies. Whether they actually took his advice was another matter entirely.
Douglas had never been the type to force his ideas on anyone. Even in Defence Against the Dark Arts, he preferred to persuade with logic, never coercion.
Cedric, for his part, still seemed a little shy in front of the Professor. During a lull in the conversation, he ventured, "Professor, my dad says he knows you—Amos Diggory, from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry. He said you helped him out once, and you even had dinner together."
Douglas smiled in recognition—a red-faced Hufflepuff with a short brown beard. About a year ago, just after returning to Britain, he'd caught a wild Tebo—a rare, invisible warthog—near Ilkley in West Yorkshire. After a considerable struggle, he'd finally captured the beast, only for Amos Diggory and his Ministry colleagues to show up and take it away.
When Amos learned Douglas was a fellow Hufflepuff, he'd kindly explained that the Tebo was a creature their department had been tracking for some time. In gratitude for his help, Amos treated Douglas to dinner, and even promised that if he ever needed anything, he could come to the Ministry for assistance.
Douglas had been a bit disappointed to lose out on the rare meat, but seeing as Amos was a fellow Hufflepuff and had bought him dinner, he let it go.
When Douglas didn't immediately respond, Cedric started to look embarrassed, thinking perhaps he'd overstepped or his father had misremembered.
But then Douglas grinned. "Of course I remember! I had no idea you were Amos's son. We even shared a drink together in Ilkley, didn't we? Honestly, handing over that Tebo to your dad—I still regret it sometimes. I've never tasted Tebo meat! Ha!"
He ruffled Cedric's hair, and the boy beamed with relief. The Professor really did remember—thank goodness he hadn't made a fool of himself.
Before long, the conversation drifted from Quidditch to the taste of Tebo meat.
PS: The Tebo is a pale grey warthog found in Congo and Zaire. It has the ability to become invisible, making it extremely difficult to evade or capture, and thus very dangerous. Tebo hide is highly prized by wizards, as it can be used to make shields and protective clothing.
Ministry of Magic Classification: XXXX
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