Chapter 388 Rice's gift and the arrival of graduation season

Les and Neville walked into Helga's office side by side.

Sitting behind the desk, Helga, who was making doll accessories, looked up and couldn't help showing a look of surprise when she saw the two people coming.

It's not strange for Salazar to appear here, but it's very strange for Neville Longbottom to come here.

Later, Neville explained, and Helga finally understood that the child came here to return the wooden box that he used to test students' talents.

Helga didn't care about this wooden box as much as when it was first invented, because she developed this wooden box to find an apprentice for herself. Now that she has found an apprentice, the wooden box is not so useful.

If Salazar or Rowena need it, she can lend the wooden box to the two.

"Thank you." After thanking Neville, Helga prepared to put the box away.

Looking at Neville who honestly put the wooden box on Helga's desk and was about to turn around and leave, Les sighed in his heart: This child is too honest.

Forget it, since you are willing to help me, how can I, Salazar, be indifferent to this?

"Professor White, what is that box for?" Les asked in an innocent tone, as if he was really an ordinary student who knew nothing about the use of the wooden box.

Helga:?

No, Salazar, be normal! This guy's performance really disgusted her.

Helga, with a tingling scalp, explained the use of the wooden box to Les.

Neville, who was standing next to Les, showed a confused look on his face: he should have explained the use of this box to Les at the door of the office just now? Why did he ask Professor White again?

"I see!" Les showed an expression of "sudden enlightenment", and then asked sincerely: "Professor White, can I try it?"

"Of course." Helga's expression was very complicated. She still didn't understand what Salazar was up to, so she simply handed the wooden box over.

Rice held the box, and then with two bangs, the beads in the box suddenly started to run around.

Obviously, his "first" attempt failed.

Helga: ? ? ?

Salazar Slytherin couldn't pass her talent test? What a joke? This is just as ridiculous as a long-distance running champion failing a physical test.

Why did he play me?

Helga's eyes swept over Neville, who was standing beside her, and she immediately had some guesses in her mind.

Neville was even more surprised than Helga: Didn't Rice just put the ball back in place? How come he didn't understand or know anything as soon as he entered the office? He once wondered if he had lost a part of his memory.

"Huh?" Rice's face showed a very realistic look of surprise, and he turned around and stuffed the wooden box into Neville's hand, asking him to try it too.

Neville didn't react, subconsciously took the wooden box and then smoothly sent the four beads into the corresponding holes.

Helga: ! ! !

This surprise came so suddenly that she felt a little unreal: two top-level talented students appeared in her own college? Is it true?

"Child, were you too nervous that day and didn't perform well?" Helga said happily.

She remembered that the child was indeed a little shy that day, so it was normal for him to perform poorly.

Now Helga was secretly happy: Could it be that my Hufflepuff has also turned around, and there are many talented students in this generation?

This is not impossible. After all, Hufflepuff College has suffered for hundreds of years, and it’s time for it to turn around, right?

But Neville’s next words gave her a solid blow.

"No, I have been practicing since I got the box, and then I gradually became familiar with it." Neville honestly told the truth of the matter, and even made himself look even worse.

Les on the side couldn't help but hold his forehead: This child is too honest. If he had said it more obscurely, Helga might have really accepted him as a disciple - even if you don't want to lie, you can tell the truth. What's the situation with this feeling of being the first to fly?

Neville really missed a very precious opportunity.

After learning that Neville successfully returned the beads after unremitting practice, Helga couldn't help but feel a little disappointed due to the gap.

However, this disappointment was soon replaced by a deep admiration for the round-faced boy in front of her.

She, Helga Hufflepuff, would not judge people only by talent.

She also liked Neville, a student who made up for his lack of talent with diligence. Maybe such a student will never touch the threshold of the field in his entire life, but what's wrong with that?

The magic world is built by thousands of such wizards. Genius is valuable, but such a foundation is also indispensable.

Yes, Rice's guess was correct. Helga was indeed unable to accept Neville as her disciple and personally guide her because of her lack of energy, but she would not say nothing.

"Diligence is the fine tradition of Hufflepuff, Neville Longbottom. You have won ten points for adhering to the virtues of the house."

Rice, who was standing by, wanted to complain: Extra points for adhering to the virtues of the house? This reason is really sloppy...

Then should the students of Gryffindor House win some extra points for daring to leave the house during curfew?

Helga's main purpose is definitely not to give extra points to Hufflepuff House. Her highlight is later.

She took the wooden box, fiddled with it for a while, and then handed it to Neville.

Neville looked down and found that there were no longer only four small holes and four small balls in the wooden box, but many wooden partitions that could move by themselves, and a few small holes appeared on the path from time to time.

"This is for you. Consider it my Christmas gift to you. I modified it a little bit. You try to play with it. This time it is much more difficult!" Helga's tone was like making another educational toy for students, but this was actually using the wooden box to invisibly train Neville's ability to control magic.

"Thank you, professor." Neville didn't realize the deep meaning of Professor White, and just thanked him politely.

"By the way, there is this." Helga took out a notebook from the drawer of the desk and handed it to Neville.

"These are some of my thoughts and essays written when I was reading modern magic books. Although they are not very systematic, they are divided by subjects after all, and may be helpful to you." Helga did not take the initiative to teach Neville the knowledge of magic flow, because in her opinion, Neville might not be someone who can understand the flow of magic with just one or two pointers.

She chose to give him a notebook. How much nutrition can be drawn from it depends on Neville's own efforts. This notebook is really like a piece of fertile soil, and every bit of cultivation will yield a bit of harvest.

"Thank you, professor!" This time Neville's voice was more sincere. He was so excited that he was at a loss, and finally bowed to Professor White.

"You're welcome." Helga's expression was complicated.

In her opinion, it was a bit unfair for Neville to choose to let him go like this, but she had no choice. The current measure was the most suitable for Neville.

Is it really good for this shy round-faced boy to bring him around and give him a one-on-one small class every day? Helga didn't think so.

"If you have any questions, ask more. It's not good to stay alone in a corner and think hard." Helga did not forget to encourage him before he left, and told him that he could come to her again after he finished playing the wooden box. She would design more complicated levels.

It was not until he walked out of Professor White's office that Neville realized why Rice had suddenly behaved strangely.

"Thank you, Rice." He thanked Rice very seriously.

"It's nothing. You helped me first." Rice waved his hand casually, and it seemed that he didn't take such a small matter to heart at all.

However, he made up his mind that if Neville really helped him save the compass grass, he would give him another absolutely precious gift.

Neville's story was just a small episode in a peaceful life, and life went on.

In the following days, Rice's daily life was to make parts for Helga and be a teacher to Daphne and Astoria. When he was free, he would read the Encyclopedia Britannica given to him by Hermione.

The peaceful life passed quickly, and Christmas was a distant past in the blink of an eye. As spring came and flowers bloomed, a group of people in Hogwarts began to calm down - not couples, but graduates who were about to graduate.

Of course, people who have girlfriends and are graduates may be more restless.

In the secluded classroom, Percy put the feather pen back into the ink bottle, then carefully folded a piece of letter paper neatly and stuffed it into an envelope.

A beautiful girl with long curly hair sat on the table opposite him, kicking her feet boredly.

"Have you finished your job application letter?" Seeing Percy put down his pen, she showed a look of surprise, jumped off the desk like a light bird, ran behind Percy, and pressed her upper body directly on him.

Feeling the fragrance and soft touch from the girl, Percy swallowed "not yet finished".

Job application letters and the like, can be written at another time!

"Be careful with the ink bottle, Penelope... I'm almost done." Percy replied vaguely.

"Are you going to the Ministry of Magic after graduation?" Penelope hugged Percy and asked in his ear.

"Of course." Percy said without hesitation: "I have communicated with several big figures in the Ministry of Magic. They are quite interested in me, but I still need to get more N.E.W.T. exams first-"

Percy suddenly shut up because his tongue was doing other things.

After a long time, the classroom was re-sounding.

"Then I wish you a smooth interview." Penelope said with a smile.

Percy tidied up his somewhat messy collar and hair, indicating that everything was stable.

Hogwarts graduates will start submitting resumes in the second half of the seventh academic year and contact their favorite companies or organizations in advance. If they can chat, they will also arrange a time to find a place in Hogsmeade for the first interview.

During this period, if everything goes well, the two parties will reach an agreement to directly enter the job with the certificate after the N.E.W.T. exam, saving the time of looking for a job-if the exam fails, it will be discussed separately.

Percy is currently in contact with the Ministry of Magic.

He has been interested in politics since he was a child, so Percy has never considered submitting his resume to organizations including Gringotts. He has only one goal: to get a job as an employee of the Ministry of Magic, preferably a powerful department like the Department of Law Enforcement.

Because of his last name, he actually received a lot of replies.

Although the Weasley family is poor, it is also a real pure-blood family. His father, Arthur Weasley, has a good reputation in the Ministry of Magic, so basically all the job applications will be responded to and will not fall into the sea.

In other words, for the sake of the surname Weasley, the big guys who received the job application letter must at least send back a rejection letter.

After saying this, Percy stared at Penelope with burning eyes and told her that he would wait for her in the Ministry of Magic.

The eyes of the two were almost sticky to the substance.

"Maybe, I will become your secretary in the future-Mr. Weasley, this is today's schedule~" Penelope said in a serious tone.

Percy's ears turned red.

"Hey, I got a new potion, do you want it..."

"It won't be the same as last time, the kind of potion that glows?" Penelope giggled as if she remembered something funny.

Now Percy's whole face turned red.

"Of course, of course not!"

"Well... well, we won't be disturbed here, right?"

"Don't worry, I'm prepared."

"Um-"

"..."

...

Before the next Hogsmeade Open Day, the triumphant Percy received a reply letter that made him very excited.

The owner of the letter is Henry Greengrass, the current Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. It is rumored that he was the mastermind behind the downfall of former Minister Cornelius Fudge and former Director of the Department of Magical Cooperation Barty Crouch, and the veritable second-in-command of the Ministry of Magic.

The Department of International Magical Cooperation he heads is the largest department outside the Department of Law Enforcement. Recently, it has made many big moves and has the momentum to surpass the Department of Law Enforcement to become the first department of the Ministry of Magic.

In the letter, he showed a strong interest in Percy and wanted to meet him.

The Department of International Magical Cooperation is definitely an excellent starting point for a career, and Henry Greengrass is a boss worth following. How can Percy not be excited?

On the day of Hogsmeade Open Day, Percy left the school early and arrived at the agreed location half an hour in advance. Then he waited for Henry Greengrass in excitement and anxiety.

"Hello." Seeing Mr. Henry, Percy stood up and greeted him respectfully.

"Have a seat." Henry asked Percy to sit down and asked the waiter to serve them a cup of tea.

"I received your job application letter. I do have a position that suits you very well." Henry didn't say much and told Percy about the position he could offer.

"I need you to join the Muggle government."

Henry's words exploded in Percy's ears like thunder, making him stunned in his seat.

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Hmm, update is here!