Chapter 388 Rice's Gift and the Arrival of Graduation Season

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

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

It's not surprising that Salazar is here, but it is very rare for Neville Longbottom to come here.

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

Helga was not as concerned about the wooden box as she was when she first invented it, because she developed it to find an apprentice for herself. Now that she has found an apprentice, the wooden box is not that useful anymore.

If Salazar or Rowena needed it, she could lend the box to them.

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

Looking at Neville who obediently placed the wooden box on Helga's desk and was about to turn around and leave, Rice sighed inwardly: This kid is too honest.

Well, since you are willing to help me, how can I, Salazar, remain indifferent?

"Professor White, what is that box used 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 behavior really annoyed her.

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

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

"I see!" Rice 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 small beads in the box suddenly jumped around.

Apparently, his "first" attempt failed.

Helga:? ? ?

Salazar Slytherin couldn't pass her talent test? What a joke! It was like a champion long-distance runner failing a physical test.

Why did he play me?

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

Neville was even more surprised than Helga: Wasn't Les able to put the ball back in place just now? How come he didn't know anything as soon as he entered the office? He wondered if he had lost a part of his memory.

"Huh?" A very realistic look of surprise appeared on Les's face. He immediately stuffed the wooden box into Neville's hand and asked him to try it too.

Neville didn't react. He subconsciously took the wooden box and smoothly put the four beads into the corresponding holes.

Helga:! ! !

This surprise came so suddenly that she felt it was a little unreal: Two top-notch talented students appeared in her college? Was it true?

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

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

Helga was secretly delighted: Could it be that my Hufflepuff luck has turned around and this generation of students is full of talented people?

This is not impossible. After all, Hufflepuff house has suffered for hundreds of years. It’s time for their luck to turn around, right?

But what Nawei said next hit her hard.

"No, I kept practicing after I got the box, and gradually I became proficient at it." Neville told the whole truth honestly, and even made himself sound even worse.

Les on the side couldn't help but hold his forehead: This kid is too honest. If he had spoken more vaguely, Helga might have really accepted him as a disciple - even if you don't want to lie, you might as well tell the truth. What's going on with this feeling of being the early bird?

Neville really missed a very precious opportunity.

After learning that Neville had successfully put the beads back in place after unremitting practice, Helga couldn't help feeling a little disappointed due to the gap.

However, this trace of disappointment was quickly replaced by deep admiration for the round-faced boy in front of him.

She, Helga Hufflepuff, would not judge people based solely on their talents.

She also likes students like Neville who make up for their lack of talent with hard work. Maybe such students will never reach the threshold of the field in their entire life, but what's wrong with that?

The magical world is built up by thousands of wizards like this. Genius is valuable, but such a foundation is also indispensable.

Yes, Rice's estimation was correct. Helga was indeed unable to accept Wei as her disciple and teach him personally due to lack of energy, but she would not remain silent.

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

Rice, who was listening at the side, wanted to complain: Extra points for abiding by the virtues of the academy? This reason is so sloppy...

Should Gryffindor students win extra points for daring to leave the house during curfew?

Helga's main purpose is definitely not to add points to Hufflepuff House, her highlight is yet to come.

She took the box and fiddled with it for a while before handing it back 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 there were many wooden partitions that could move on their own, and a few small holes appeared on the path from time to time.

"This is for you. Consider it your Christmas present. I modified it a little bit. You can try it. It's a lot more difficult this time!" Helga's tone was as if she had made 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 Professor White's deeper meaning and just thanked him out of courtesy.

"Oh, and this." Helga took out a notebook from the drawer of her desk and handed it to Neville.

"These are some essays of my insights that I wrote when I was reading modern magic books. Although they are not very systematic, they are divided by subjects after all. Perhaps they will 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 could understand the flow of magic with just a few pointers.

She chose to give him a notebook. How much nutrition he could draw from it would depend on Neville's own efforts. This notebook was like a fertile soil, and every effort he made would yield a harvest.

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

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

In her opinion, it was a bit unfair to Neville that she chose to let him do whatever he wanted, but she had no choice. The current move was the most appropriate for Neville.

Would it really be good for this shy, round-faced boy to keep him around and give him a one-on-one lesson every day? Helga didn't think so.

"If you have any questions, ask more. It's not good to stay in a corner and ponder by yourself." 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 game of Wooden Box, and she would design more complex levels.

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

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

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

However, he had 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 is just a small episode in a peaceful life, and life goes on.

In the following days, Les' daily routine was to make parts for Helga and teach Daphne and Astoria. Whenever he had free time, he would read the Encyclopedia Britannica that Hermione gave him.

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

Of course, people who have girlfriends and are graduates may be a little more agitated.

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

A pretty girl with long curly hair sat at the table opposite him, tapping her feet in boredom.

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

Feeling the fragrance and soft touch coming from the girl's body, Percy swallowed "Not finished yet" into his stomach.

Can you write a cover letter 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 asked Percy in his ear while holding him.

"Of course." Percy said without hesitation: "I have already communicated with several important figures in the Ministry of Magic. They are quite interested in me, but I still need to get a few more NEWTs first-"

Percy suddenly shut up because his tongue was doing something else.

After a long time, voices were heard again in the classroom.

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

Percy straightened his messy collar and hair, indicating that everything was stable.

Hogwarts graduates will start submitting resumes in the second half of their seventh year and contacting their favorite companies or organizations in advance. If they get along well, they will schedule a time for an initial interview in Hogsmeade.

During this period, if everything goes well, both parties will reach an agreement to start work directly with the certificate after the NEWT exam, saving the time of job hunting - if the exam fails, that will have to be discussed separately.

Percy is currently in contact with the Ministry of Magic.

He had aspired to be in politics since he was a child, so Percy never considered submitting his resume to any organization including Gringotts. He had 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 quite a few replies.

Although the Weasley family is poor, they are a real pure-blood family. His father, Arthur Weasley, has a good reputation in the Ministry of Magic, so basically all the job applications he submits will get a response and will not fall into oblivion.

In other words, for the sake of the Weasley surname, the big guy who received the job application letter had to 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 at the Ministry of Magic.

The looks in their eyes were almost sticky enough to be real.

"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, is it a glowing potion?" Penelope giggled as if she remembered something funny.

Percy's entire face turned red now.

"Of course, of course not!"

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

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

"Well--"

"..."

……

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

The owner of the letter is Henry Greengrass, the current Director of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. He is rumored to be the mastermind behind the downfall of former Minister Cornelius Fudge and former Director of the Department of Magical Cooperation Barty Crouch, and the de facto number two in the Ministry of Magic.

The Department of International Magical Cooperation, which he heads, is the largest department after the Department of Legal Enforcement. It has made many big moves recently and is showing signs of surpassing the Department of Legal Enforcement to become the number one department in the Ministry of Magic.

In the letter, he expressed his 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 could 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.

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

"I have received your job application letter, and I do have a position that is very suitable for you." Henry didn't say anything more and went straight to the point telling Percy about the position he could offer.

"I need you to join the Muggle government."

Henry's words exploded like thunder in Percy's ears, causing him to freeze in his seat.

----

Hmmm, here’s the update!