《HP: Too Late, System!》Chapter 23: Special Tutoring for Class Representatives

At Hogwarts, students' lessons—except for Astronomy at night—ran from 8:30 in the morning until 5:00 in the afternoon. But with so few professors on staff, students didn't have a full day's worth of classes. Hogwarts hadn't always been so hands-off; in the early days, there were plenty of empty classrooms and a much busier schedule. But as the number of teachers dwindled, class hours had to be cut back.

Douglas Holmes had noticed this issue early on. That's why he'd selected Class Representatives from every House and year in his lessons. It wasn't just to make his own teaching easier. In a school where teachers were stretched thin, it was a way to organize more structured group study sessions—far better than leaving students to muddle through on their own in the common rooms.

Once students grew used to memorizing their textbooks, he thought, why not introduce morning recitations? Eight-thirty felt a bit late for the start of classes, in his opinion. If, in the future, students could fit in three or four extra sessions a day, even if other professors caught on and claimed some of the early slots, he'd still come out ahead. More classes meant more points from the Scholar Development System—and with enough points, who knew what new features he could unlock?

Of course, none of this could be rushed. It was only the first day of term, and the true advantages of his methods over traditional Hogwarts teaching hadn't yet become clear. He'd have to move forward step by step.

He handed his proposal to Professor McGonagall, neatly wrapping up their previous conversation.

McGonagall glanced at the title and nodded. "No problem. There are plenty of unused classrooms—you're free to choose one as your practical training space."

Douglas simply gestured for her to keep reading. As McGonagall's expression grew more serious, Douglas scratched his nose, a little awkwardly.

"Douglas, your idea is quite promising, and as a core subject professor, you do have the authority for this. In fact, Hogwarts used to run lessons like this long ago, but the risk was much higher. Too many students got hurt. Eventually, the Ministry of Magic stepped in, and the curriculum was made much safer. So tell me—how do you plan to keep your students safe?"

Her sharp gaze lingered on Douglas, a mix of admiration and concern in her eyes.

Douglas nodded in full agreement. He leaned in, lowering his voice conspiratorially…

But McGonagall frowned, tapping him on the head with her folder. "There's no one else here—what are you being so secretive about?"

Douglas coughed, a little embarrassed. "Just trying to keep things quiet. Wouldn't want the students to get wind of it and come prepared."

Their discussion finished, Douglas returned to his office and had just settled in with a cup of tea when—knock, knock, knock!

"Come in!" he called.

Six students filed in—today's chosen Class Representatives.

"Good evening, Professor!" they chorused.

Douglas poured six cups of tea and gestured for them to take a seat. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Have some tea first, then we'll get to your assignments."

Sherry, the Ravenclaw fifth-year rep, the Weasley twins, and Hermione confidently pulled up chairs. Valentine Webb, Hufflepuff's third-year rep, hesitated, but then took a seat, tugging the shy first-year, Maltz Xiu, along with him.

Douglas gave them all what he hoped was a reassuring smile. From his desk, he took two stacks of parchment and handed them out.

"Miss Sherry, Mr. Weasleys—your task is to grade today's test papers for your respective years. Afterward, pick a time to walk everyone through each question. The answer key is right here. Can you handle that?"

Sherry took the Ravenclaw pile and, seeing the first paper already marked with all the correct answers, nodded seriously. "No problem, Professor!"

Truth be told, some of the Ravenclaws had already copied down the questions and started searching for the answers on their own.

The Weasley twins, however, looked stricken.

"Professor, this is going to eat up our free time!" Fred protested.

"Yeah, is this even allowed?" George chimed in.

Douglas ignored their grumbling, handing over the stack. "Time's like the water in the Black Lake—there's always enough if you look for it. I believe in you. Next lesson, I'll ask questions at random. If even one of you gets it wrong… heh."

The twins slumped, exchanging resigned glances, then took the papers and started muttering under their breath.

Spotting Douglas's gaze, Hermione produced a neatly rolled parchment. "Professor, here's my finished assignment—could you take a look? So far, three of us have memorized the passage. The others are still working in the common room. I've already told the three to start their essays…"

Douglas raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn't expected Hermione to get even the most rambunctious Gryffindors to buckle down and study.

Valentine Webb glanced at Hermione, recognizing the legendary Hogwarts know-it-all in action. He couldn't help but sigh, thinking of his own classmates—most of whom were probably lounging in the Hufflepuff common room, snacking on fruit, convinced they had plenty of time before next lesson.

First-year Xiu looked even more embarrassed, bowing his head. He hadn't memorized the passage yet—neither had the rest of his class. He never imagined Hogwarts would be this competitive. Some students had already mastered the text on the very first day!

Douglas took the third-year textbook from Webb and handed it to Hermione. "Miss Granger, would you please listen to Mr. Webb and Mr. Xiu recite their passage? I'll review your essay in the meantime."

Blushing, Xiu raised his hand. "Professor Holmes, I haven't memorized the first passage yet… I…"

Douglas wasn't surprised. He let Hermione and Webb move to the desk to practice, then turned to Xiu.

"That's all right. Stay here and work on it—when you've got it down, you can go back. This isn't a punishment. If you want to be a good Class Representative, you'll need to put in more effort than the others. I believe in you."

Xiu nodded earnestly. "Professor, I won't let you down. I'm almost there—just give me a little while longer and I'll have it."

Douglas patted the boy's head. "Keep at it!"

For a moment, Douglas was reminded of himself, back when his Chinese teacher used to summon him to the office to recite texts. Of course, back then, it was because he'd been a struggling student.

He sipped his tea as he read Hermione's essay. It was proper and well-argued—he could see she'd put her heart into it. She'd even quoted regulations from the Ministry of Magic.

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