#extra classes

Hadrian hums, twirling a quill between his fingers.  “I’ll find Cedric later.  He really should quit worrying so much; there’s still a month before exams begin.”

“A month isn’t actually that much time, Hadrian,” Hermione mutters, but she also sounds resigned as she takes the empty seat next to his and unslings her bag from her shoulder.

Hadrian gives her a pointed look.  “Well you’re ready for your Runes OWL, aren’t you?”

Hermione rolls her eyes in response but a grudging smile tugs at her lips.  “That’s only because you’re teaching my class and you’ve had us doing review and mock exams since April.”

Hadrian grins.  “But it helps, and all of you will thank me for it when you all score O’s in your actual exams.  Cedric’s the same.  I may not be teaching his class but I’ve been tutoring him for almost two years now.  He needs to relax.”

Hermione throws up her hands in exasperation.  “Easy for you to say, runes prodigy, but fine.  If you’re not worrying about exams, then what are you doing?”

Hadrian looks slightly pensive for a moment before sighing and showing her the roll of parchment he’s been poring over for days now.  Hermione’s tried not to be too nosy about it – she knows it annoys people, even if Hadrian is remarkably patient with everyone – but there’s evidently no harm in asking this time since Hadrian is willing to show her.

“Trying to decide what classes I want to take next year,” He tells her, pointing at what looks like a very long list of-

Hermione freezes, eyes widening as she just stares. “What?”  Her brain kicks back online, and she seizes the parchment from Hadrian, reading frantically even as she shrills out, “What- What are these?  Where did you get this?  You can choose new classes for sixth year?  How come nobody told me?!”

“Hermione,” Hadrian cuts off her growing rant, waiting until she tears her eyes away from the list and glances back at him before continuing his explanation.  “They’re not classes taken in the school, they’re owl-distance classes, available for sixth- and seventh-years if they can handle the workload. They’re basically beginner courses for witches or wizards who want to go on to university and continue their studies in whatever area they chose.  Just a bit of a head-start, you could say, because you can still take them in university. It’s not something widely known among students because most sixth-years just want to concentrate on their graduation requirements, and seventh-years have enough on their plates preparing for the NEWTs.  The professors usually only bring it up with a student if they think they can handle it-”

“I can handle it!”  Hermione bursts out, unable to stay silent any longer.  Do the professors think she isn’t working hard enough?  Has she been showing signs of slacking off?  Surely at least Professor McGonagall would know that she would never-

“Hermione,” Hadrian interrupts again, his voice a little gentler this time as he points out, “You’re already taking Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Care, and Ancient Studies, and among those, only Care could be considered an easy subject.  You can choose to drop one or two, including your core subjects if you don’t need them once you reach sixth-year, but it doesn’t look like you’ll be dropping anything anytime soon.  There’s nothing wrong with your study habits, and I’m sure the professors know that. But no teacher in their right mind would ask you if you want to take more classes than what you’re already enrolled in.  Even if you wanted to, and I know you do, and they probably do too, there is such a thing as too much.”

Hermione has to wince a little at that, reminded of the disaster her third year was when she tried to take all six electives with the aid of a Time Turner and pretty much had a mental breakdown before finals.  But she looks back down at the list again, and she can’t help mustering in a tiny but rebellious voice, “They still could’ve asked me.  These all look so interesting!  I’d drop Care in a heartbeat to sign up for one of them.”

She pauses, going over what she just said before grimacing.  Okay, that sounded mean, but if she’s honest, she’s only taking Care of Magical Creatures so she won’t hurt Hagrid’s feelings.  She can’t imagine needing Care for any career she might have in the future.

She casts a pleading look at Hadrian, who watches her thoughtfully before suggesting, “Maybe you can talk to McGonagall about it.  If you really want to sign up for a distance course or two, tell her you’re willing to drop at least one in-person elective, maybe even two, and listen to her advice.  I know I said Cedric can relax a bit, but that’s because I’ve more or less taken over teaching him Ancient Runes, and I know he’ll do fine.  NEWT courses are still significantly more difficult than what you’ve had to study so far though, and it isn’t smart to take on too big a workload.  Understand?”

Hermione nods.  If Hadrian – who’s good at pretty much everything that it makes her jealous sometimes – is saying that about the NEWT-level courses, then it’s something to keep in mind.  But she wants to take at least one distance course, that’s for certain. She has no idea how she’s going to pick though.

She looks back down and scans the list once more:

Upon reaching their sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and with a minimum of three professors’ consent, students are permitted to enroll in an approved number of any of the subjects below (please indicate in checkboxes):

*for more information, refer to next pages

˜        Alchemy

˜        Animancy

˜        Chronomancy

˜        Creature Studies

˜        Ecomancy

˜        Elemental Studies

˜        Healing Studies (must have the approval of current mediwitch or mediwizard)

˜        Lingustic Arts

˜        Magi-Metallurgy

˜        Mythoi and Historical Studies

˜        Theocratic Studies

˜        Sonancy and Musicology

˜        Occult Studies

˜        Phonomancy

˜        Technomancy

˜        Vitomancy

˜        Weathermancy

Hermione stares in dismay. There’s no way she’ll ever be able to pick just one.  She remembers Hadrian still sitting beside her, and when she looks up, she finds him watching her with an indulgent sort of amusement that makes her flush, especially when she realizes that she’s taken his enrollment forms.  Reluctantly, she makes to pass them back to him, but he waves them away.

“Keep them.  For now.  You probably want to read up on what each course has to offer before you go to McGonagall?  So just remember to give them back to me before the school year ends.  Last day to turn that in is July first so there’s no rush.”

Hermione nods her thanks, already wondering if it’s worth skipping dinner in favour of heading back to her dorm room early.  “Wait. Which ones do you think you’re taking?”

Hadrian only smiles and begins packing up.  “I think I’m not going to tell you until after you choose your own.  After all, someone might get this crazy idea in their head to make sure they won’t enroll in a course I’ll be in, and then – come September – they just might attempt to con me into tutoring them on the subjects I did choose.  A shock, I know, but funnily enough, I can definitely see it happening.”