The performance of the third-year Hufflepuffs in their morning exam confirmed one thing for Douglas: the twins hadn't yet extended their wicked reach into Hufflepuff territory.
—
By lunchtime, a crowd had gathered around the Hogwarts notice board, everyone buzzing with excitement.
[Magical Youth, Wands Raised for the Future | Morning Run Registration Now Open!]
The day begins at dawn—early risers build discipline.
A morning run strengthens both body and magic, bathing young wizards in the sunrise.
Are you ready, young witches and wizards?
The 1993 Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Morning Run is here!
To boost students' physical fitness and encourage them to "put down their wands, step out of the dormitories, and circle the Black Lake," Professors Holmes and Lupin are teaming up to launch the "Magical Youth, Wands Raised for the Future" morning run. The event promotes a Hogwarts culture of "I run, I'm happy, I exercise, I improve."
Event Time: 1993–1994 Academic Year
Location: Black Lake shoreline, on school grounds
Event Details:
Focus on building physical strength and soaking up the sunrise to boost magical energy.
All four Houses may participate by voluntary sign-up. Led by Professor Lupin, the run takes place every morning from 6:30 to 7:30.
Rules:
Once registered, participants must attend every morning run except in cases of unavoidable circumstances.Each day, participants earn 0.5 points for their House; points are tallied monthly. Any unexcused absence during the month resets that month's point total to zero.Three or more unexcused absences in a month will cost your House 30 points.Quitting without approval will result in a deduction of 30–50 House points, depending on the situation.Attend every session for six consecutive months, and you can learn an advanced spell—outside the regular curriculum—from Professor Lupin.
(Professor Lupin is an outstanding Defence Against the Dark Arts master who fought on the front lines during the last wizarding war.)Perfect attendance for the entire academic year? You'll be eligible to learn two advanced spells from Professor Holmes himself.
[Magic Practice Study Room Tutor Application Notice]
To meet the needs of Hogwarts students, tutor testing will be held at 7:00 PM on September 2nd in the Gryffindor Magic Practice Study Room. Details as follows:
Eligibility:
Any current Hogwarts student (except fifth and seventh years) may apply to take the tutor proficiency test.
Reminder: Please check you meet the requirements—see last year's minimum spell proficiency list for tutors.
Registration:
Qualified students must sign up at Professor Lupin's office before noon on September 2nd.
...
No one minded the Magic Practice Study Room sign-up—it had become tradition since last year. But the morning run was something else entirely. Besides the chance to receive private advanced magic instruction from two professors, just sticking it out for a month would earn you 15 House points—a massive draw for ordinary students.
After all, most points were won by top students for class performance or in Quidditch matches. For the average student, simply not losing points was already a contribution.
But the morning run rules were strict: join, and you can't quit.
At that moment, the self-proclaimed "volunteers" from the morning began to get busy, sleeves rolled up and ready for action. They started working the crowd:
"I think this morning run sounds brilliant—just an hour a day..."
"And you get a shot at private lessons with Professors Holmes and Lupin!"
"My girlfriend and I actually met during last year's morning runs..."
"Yeah, and you can go on dates in broad daylight—no risk of getting caught sneaking out at night..."
...
Hearing the chatter, more students began to waver.
Soon, the "volunteers" whipped out parchment and started calling out:
"Don't just think about it—sign up now! Give me your name and I'll hand the list to Professor Lupin."
"Me too, you can register with me!"
At the back of the crowd, George and Fred exchanged a look.
"Fred..."
"This sounds awfully familiar..."
Harry and Ron were still discussing whether to join the morning run when Hermione, just out of class, suddenly grabbed them and pulled them aside.
"What are you two still dithering about? You should both be signing up!"
Ron pulled free, surprised. "Are you kidding? We're only third years!"
Hermione, looking absolutely famished, made a beeline for the Gryffindor table and started eating as she spoke:
"Didn't you notice? There's no mention of a year restriction anywhere in the rules."
Harry watched Hermione wolf down her food in astonishment. "Why are you so hungry?"
Hermione, not even looking up, replied, "Because I've split myself into three parts. Pass me that plate of meat..."
Ron immediately handed her the meat, asking with concern, "Are you sure eating like this is safe?"
Hermione ignored the question. "I've been thinking about Professor Holmes's assignment. We can't just slap up a notice and expect people to join a club—that won't attract many. Harry, you need to get involved in all kinds of activities, especially the ones open to every House. That's the only way to recruit enough people."
Harry passed her a bowl of flavor-enhanced soup. "I was planning to ask my great-uncle tonight—see if he'd be our club advisor."
Hermione shook her head, looking up seriously. "Not much hope there, but you can negotiate—maybe get him to give us some extra lessons now and then. Harry, you've got to learn to use your connections.
Ron, you should talk to Percy. He's Head Boy, top of his class—he could coach our members on exam skills..."
She took a quick sip of soup, then stood up to leave, reminding them, "Don't forget to sign me up too... We'll talk more tonight—I'm swamped."
Ron watched her hurry off, frowning. "Does she even have time for morning runs?"
Harry just shook his head and slid into Hermione's seat, finally ready to eat.
After some deliberation, George and Fred decided to sign up for the morning run as a favor to Douglas.
They then made their way along the Hufflepuff table, hawking their answer sheets.
Neither noticed the group of second-year Gryffindors glaring daggers at them. Those younger students weren't planning to expose the twins just yet—they'd wait until there were more victims before making their move.
Still, the twins' odd behavior didn't go unnoticed by others. Percy seemed to have figured it out already; he approached and said quietly, "Don't worry—they'll refund your money later."
Nearby, a few clueless students, unaware their answers were wrong, looked around in confusion.
Ginny snorted. Looks like she'd have to learn some of Hermione's tricks—no third-year had bought George and Fred's answers, but several second-years had already fallen for it. If they weren't her brothers, she'd have marched straight to Professor McGonagall or Professor Holmes.
After making their rounds, George and Fred finally returned to the Gryffindor table, giving their classmates a friendly warning:
"Keep your heads down in Potions this week..."
"Snape's in a mood again..."
"This morning, he actually chewed out both Gryffindors and Slytherins—now that's rare..."
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