Chapter 754: The Shop and the Professor
As almost everyone knows, Hogwarts’ real holidays are only Christmas and the end of the school year. The so-called Easter holidays are just two weeks crammed with work that would normally take two months.
This year was no exception. Not only was the workload heavier than usual, but the assignments were also more difficult.
On the first day of the holidays, the library was packed, and the few truly important books were checked out within an hour. Those who arrived later had to rely on friends or classmates who knew the Doubling Charm to get by. If they didn’t know the charm—or if no one from their house had managed to snag the books early enough—they had to wait.
"This is crazy..." Ron muttered, fumbling to get his robes on in the Gryffindor common room. "I’m getting up this early just to go to the library. Normally, I don’t even wake up until after nine on weekends, and it’s not even seven-thirty yet!"
"Will you stop talking?" Harry, who was also getting dressed, shot back. "Hermione made it very clear on the enchanted coin that the library is filling up fast. If we don’t go now, she won’t be able to keep saving seats for us." He gave Ron a pointed look. "Do you want to do your homework alone in the common room?"
Hearing that, Ron subconsciously quickened his pace.
The assignments were so difficult that if he had to tackle them alone, he wouldn’t finish them in two weeks—probably not even in two months. And neither would Harry. That was why they had to get to the library. With Hermione’s help, they at least stood a chance of completing their work before term started again.
"Mad. Everyone’s mad—professors and students alike," Ron grumbled under his breath as he and Harry bolted out of the common room.
The corridors were empty. The two of them raced down the stairs.
"Harry, have you thought about how you’re going to handle Slughorn?" Ron asked between breaths. "Has he invited you to dinner or anything?"
"No," Harry said. "He hasn’t invited me in a while, but I hear McLaggen goes almost three times a week, and Hermione goes twice a week."