Lockhart finished speaking and walked away, seemingly in the direction of Harry.
As soon as he left, Professor McGonagall immediately looked at Kael.
"Don't mess with that tree; if you want to live well, stay away from it, and also..."
She pursed her lips and continued, "You have a lot of courses to study this year, so I suggest you read some useful books, like... those related to Magic Text."
"Alright, Professor." Kael said.
In fact, he hadn't even glanced at "Wanderings with Werewolves"; he just mentioned it casually, and to his surprise, Lockhart not only didn't refute him but also gave him ten points.
This was truly an unexpected gain.
Professor McGonagall nodded.
"Now, let's talk about your issue."
Professor Sprout spoke up, "Unfortunately, Kael, your application for the Time Turner was unsuccessful, so you might have to redo your course selection."
"Unsuccessful?" Kael froze for a moment, "But Percy said before..."
"This time is different."
Professor Sprout shook her head and said, "All Time Turners are kept in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic, and it's currently under tight security; letters can't get in at all."
"Just yesterday, we even tried to get Professor Dumbledore to intervene..." Professor McGonagall said, "But he too returned empty-handed."
"Even Headmaster Dumbledore couldn't get in?" Kael exclaimed in surprise.
"No, he got to the Department of Mysteries." Professor McGonagall gave Kael a meaningful look, "But someone denied this application, stating that all Time Turners are in use, and there are none spare for young wizards to use at the moment."
"Uh... none spare?" Kael was a bit bewildered.
"Yes, so you'd better reselect your courses."
Professor Sprout handed a slightly soil-stained new course schedule to Kael, "Make good use of the time, don't delay attending classes."
Kael took the schedule, thought for a moment, then said, "Professor, I still want to choose them all."
"But the Time Turner..." Professor Sprout furrowed her brows.
"It's okay." Kael quickly said, "I want a spot to take the exams, so as long as you agree, I only need to attend one class when there's a schedule conflict."
"Huh?"
Professor Sprout, having been at Hogwarts for decades, was hearing such an outrageous request for the first time.
She instinctively looked to the side, finding Professor McGonagall also frowning.
The two quickly consulted with each other...
"Are you sure, Kael?"
Professor McGonagall said seriously, "You must understand, having all 'O's in ten courses isn't the same as having 'O's in twelve."
"I understand." Kael nodded.
"Okay then." Professor McGonagall said, "If you insist, I will inform the other professors, and you can choose the courses you want to attend at your discretion."
"But..." Professor McGonagall reminded, "This is limited to the six elective courses."
"Of course..." Kael smiled, "I won't miss any Transfiguration Class and Herbology Class."
Professor McGonagall rarely smiled.
Professor Sprout also forgot the unpleasantness brought by Lockhart earlier, laughing as she gave a branch of the Whomping Willow to Kael.
Though the branch of the Whomping Willow isn't as important as its root, it's still a rare potion material and quite expensive.
The piece given by Professor Sprout, if taken to a shop in Diagon Alley, could fetch at least twenty Galleons.
Moreover, openly, there's only this one Whomping Willow in the whole British Magical Realm, a fact that a mishap caused by Harry and Ron could lead to significant losses.
After discussing the course selection, the two professors each left.
This time, Kael didn't follow Professor McGonagall back to the castle but instead headed towards the nearby Forbidden Forest.
Even though he didn't get the Time Turner, the outcome wasn't bad.
Just like now… he could choose to attend Care of Magical Creatures class, or he could choose to study Arithmetic Divination… or neither.
The professors wouldn't find it a problem, and he could completely utilize this time to do other things.
Of course, convincing Professor McGonagall for such a request wasn't easy, perhaps even more difficult than applying for a Time Turner.
Apart from the Department of Mysteries coincidentally denying the application, Kael's perfect grades over the past two years also played a significant role.
Otherwise… skipping class? Don't even think about it!
Only the first class was a must to attend.
Kael walked across the field towards the Forbidden Forest, spotting Lockhart talking to Harry along the way.
As it was a bit distant, Kael couldn't hear what they were saying, but judging from Harry's expression, he probably wasn't too keen on chatting with Lockhart.
Professor Kettleburn's Care of Magical Creatures class was on the other side of the Forbidden Forest, closer to the Quidditch Pitch.
He had cleared out a large piece of land there, specifically for student classes.
Conna also chose this class, and Kael found her already waiting there when he arrived.
"What did Professor Sprout want?" she asked, "Need any help?"
"No, it's just that my schedule had a bit of an issue, but it's been resolved."
Kael didn't hide anything and told her about his failed application for the Time Turner and the subsequent solution.
Though Professor McGonagall had told him to keep it confidential, there's no such thing as a secret at Hogwarts… it's common sense.
"You're planning to take twelve subjects?" Conna was somewhat surprised, "You already have the Merlin Order Medal, do you need those certificates?"
"It's something to do, and it's not too hard, anyway. I'm taking them just for fun." Kael said matter-of-factly, "Mainly because I can skip classes openly, how cool is that."
"So, skipping classes is the point!" Conna stared at him.
Kael shrugged, noncommittally.
Exactly!
Conna rolled her eyes; she shouldn't have asked.
While the two were talking, Professor Kettleburn also came walking out of the Forbidden Forest.
He seemed injured again, looking disheveled, and his prosthetic leg was gone, replaced by an ordinary stick, probably a makeshift from the Forbidden Forest.
This also made him walk with a limp.
Many students seeing this professor for the first time were frightened.
Is Care of Magical Creatures that dangerous?
Some began to feel hesitant, wondering if it was too late to change classes.
Professor Kettleburn didn't mind the varied expressions of the young wizards.
This happened every year, and he was used to it.
Besides, ever since being nudged by a Unicorn, he had considered retiring, this year probably being his last at Hogwarts.
Professor Kettleburn found Kael in the crowd and nodded approvingly.
"For the first class, we will study Bowtruckles!"
Professor Kettleburn opened the pocket of his clothing, from which five or six creatures resembling plant sprouts emerged.
"Does anyone know what they are?"
Kael raised his hand:
"Bowtruckles are mild-mannered Fantastic Beasts, usually living in Rowan Tree or other tall trees. But if someone tries to harm those trees, they will attack the intruder.
Unless you have their favorite thing… Earth Turtle."
"Absolutely correct, Hufflepuff earns ten points!"
Professor Kettleburn said with a smile, "Earth Turtle is in the box next to you, everyone take a small bag, and come closer…"