13 Hogwarts Subjects : An Introduction

The first professor they got to talk about was Albus Dumbledore. He was the headmaster and McGonagall thought that talking about him was the wisest thing to do.

As Minerva told her, Albus was never proud or vain; he could find something to value in anyone, however apparently insignificant or wretched, and I believe that his early losses endowed him with great humanity and sympathy. I shall miss his friendship more than I can say, but my loss is as nothing compared to the Wizarding world's. That he was the most inspiring and the best-loved of all Hogwarts headmasters cannot be in question. He would die as he lived: working always for the greater good and, to his last hour, as willing to stretch out a hand to a small boy with dragon pox as he was on the day that Minerva met him.

He was an English half-blood wizard. He was the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, later the Transfiguration Professor, and later the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He also served as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. A Muggle-supporting wizard, he was considered to have been the greatest wizard of modern times, perhaps of all time.

He was the son of Percival and Kendra Dumbledore, and the elder brother of Aberforth and Ariana. His father died in Azkaban when Albus was young, while his mother and sister were later accidentally killed. His early losses greatly affected him early on, but, in turn, made him a better person.

While initially unable to directly act against Gellert Grindelwald due to their past Blood pact, the Ministry's surveillance of him, his love for Grindelwald, and his lingering guilt over his sister's death, Dumbledore sent Newt Scamander to New York to release the Thunderbird Frank, and later sent Newt to Paris to rescue Credence Barebone. After the tragic death of Leta Lestrange in Paris, Dumbledore became determined to contribute helpful advice to the resistance against Grindelwald, notably Newt, Theseus, Tina, Jacob, Yusuf, and Nagini in the Global wizarding war. Initially unbeknownst to Dumbledore, however, Grindelwald intended to use the former's alleged Obscurial relative, Aurelius Dumbledore, as a weapon against him.

Following the Global wizarding war and the end of the For the Greater Good revolution, regardless of Aurelius's fate, Dumbledore became most famous for defeating Grindelwald in arguably the most epic duel of all time. He also gained much more recognition with his involvement in the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood and his work on alchemy with Nicolas Flamel.

It was through Dumbledore that resistance to the rise of Lord Voldemort was formed. He founded and led the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War.

Because he had a keen mind and legendary figure, Dumbledore became the only wizard that Voldemort ever feared. He was the wielder and the master of the Elder Wand from 1945 and considered by many as the greatest Hogwarts Headmaster.

"Before going any further, may I ask who the heck is this Newt Scamander; I saw him on my list of books to be I've heard somewhere ... and since I heard his name again now, I was hoping to tell me more about him."

Minerva did not respond immediately. She thought a little more about Fiona's question, as she had to tell her about the other teachers and her lessons and she was afraid that she would not have much time left for all this. In the final, however, she succumbed and quickly gave her some information about Newt as well.

As she learned in the next few minutes, Newt Scamander was an English wizard, famed Magizoologist, and the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Early in life, Scamander developed an interest in magical creatures, influenced by his mother's breeding of hippogriffs. He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he was sorted into Hufflepuff House. While at Hogwarts, he was sentenced to expulsion though Albus Dumbledore, who had been his Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor, recognized his innocence, and objected strongly.

Scamander joined the Ministry of Magic, spending two years in the Office for House-Elf Relocation before joining the Beast Division. In 1918 he was commissioned by Augustus Worme of Obscurus Books to write Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The book became a best-seller, making Scamander a respected expert in the field of Magizoology. He became heavily involved in the Global wizarding war, where he bonded with Porpentina Goldstein and defied Gellert Grindelwald on three different occasions. He married Goldstein and they had at least one child. By the beginning of the 1990s, he was retired and living in Dorset.

"And since I have already mentioned Gellert Grindewald several times and knowing that you like to learn and listen to stories, in the end, I will say a few words about him," McGonagall said with a sneer before Fiona had time to say anything.

She, in turn, smiled contentedly and sat a little more comfortably in her seat. Their conversation would also last a long time and she wanted to make sure she was sitting in a position somewhat comfortable for her.

In the meantime, the store waiter had realized that their visit would last a long time, so in consultation with the chef, he made sure to supply them with butterbeer and delicacies throughout their discussion.

"A treat from the store," he explained with a polite smile as soon as they both looked at him in wonder.

"Thank you very much. Someday the time will come when I will reciprocate your sweet move," McGonagall promised, then returned to Fiona and spoke to her about Albus' rival.

Gellert Grindelwald was a wizard who was considered to be among the most powerful and dangerous Dark Wizards of all time, second only to Lord Voldemort. He was amongst the greatest wizards to have ever lived, often considered to be the third most powerful wizard in history, his only superiors being Tom Riddle and Albus Dumbledore. A student at Durmstrang Institute, Grindelwald was expelled for twisted, dark experiments and near-fatal attacks on students.

After leaving Durmstrang, he fostered a romantic relationship with a young Albus Dumbledore, making plans to find the Deathly Hallows and lead a Wizarding revolution to end the International Statute of Secrecy, creating a benevolent global hierarchical order led by wise and powerful witches and wizards that dominated Muggles. At seventeen, their partnership fell apart after the two were involved in a three-way duel with Dumbledore's brother Aberforth that resulted in the death of Dumbledore's sister Ariana. Grindelwald left Britain and later stole the Elder Wand from Mykew Gregorovitch, proceeding alone with the revolution he and Dumbledore had planned.

Grindelwald was a complex figure, highly idealistic and talented, dedicated to achieving his ends at any cost. A revolutionary operating outside the law, he and his followers committed numerous crimes, including several murders. With violent acts in both the United States and Europe, Grindelwald ultimately established a power base at Nurmengard Castle in Austria. In 1945, at the height of Grindelwald's power, Dumbledore confronted and defeated him in a legendary duel. He was subsequently imprisoned in his own fortress for decades and was slain there by Lord Voldemort in 1998 when he refused to give up the location of the Elder Wand.

"I promise at some point I will talk to you extensively about Lord Voldemort. He is an equally important figure in the lives of all of us. So sooner or later I will have to talk to you about him. But I'm afraid this is something that "It will take a while. Besides, now I have to talk to you about other things."

And so, without wasting any more valuable time, she told them about the lessons she will attend in her first year starting tomorrow, as well as about the teachers who taught them. Fiona kept a lot of notes - either on the draft paper in front of her or in her mind - since all she wanted at that moment was her smooth integration into the new life she was just beginning.

There were a variety of subjects taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. These included both the core curriculum and the electives, available from third-year forward. In the fifth year, students took the Ordinary Wizarding Level (O.W.L.) exams to determine whether they could achieve a score high enough to continue to N.E.W.T.-level (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test) for the class in the remaining two years. Some classes, including the core classes, might be dropped in the sixth year. Specialized classes such as Alchemy became available in the sixth year provided there was sufficient demand.

Even though students couldn't apply for Time-Turners to take more classes than were able to fit in the timetables, a student's head of house might suggest a Time-Turner to an individual on very rare occasions. All students did, however, have a choice to drop a course if they became a burden (aside from the essential classes).

All first-years at Hogwarts must take seven core subjects: Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, History of Magic, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, and Herbology. Flying lessons (on broomsticks) were also compulsory. Flying was the only one of these that could be dropped upon entry into the second year.

Transfiguration was a core class and subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Uagadou School of Magic. It taught the art of changing the form and appearance of an object or a person. This type of magic was commonly referred to as "Transfiguration" and was considered both complex and dangerous.

There were limits to Transfiguration, which were governed by Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. There were also many branches of Transfiguration, including Trans-Species Transformation and Human Transfiguration. This type of magic was regarded as "very hard work" and was "more scientific" than charms-work, as one had to get it exactly right for the transfiguration to be successful.

The professor of this subject for many years was Albus Dumbledore and later Minerva McGonagall. It is unknown who the teacher was before Professor Dumbledore and who took over when Professor McGonagall became headmistress of Hogwarts.

Students at Uagadou School of Magic were exceptionally skilled in transfiguration, specifically, Human Transfiguration, meaning the teaching of this subject was likely excellent at the school.

Charms was a core class and subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Unsurprisingly, it specialized in the teaching of charms. Even though mastering the science of charm work was clearly essential to performing the greater part of magic, charm work was seen as a "softer option" by some such as Augusta Longbottom who, incidentally, failed her Charms O.W.L.

Professor Filius Flitwick taught Charms for many years. It was rumored that his expertise with charm work made him a dueling champion.

Potions was a core class and subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In this class, students learned the correct way to brew potions. They followed specific recipes and used various magical ingredients to create potions, starting with simple ones and moving to more advanced ones as they progressed in knowledge. A standard potions kit included plant ingredients such as Belladonna, and supplies such as glass vials and weighing scales, along with a standard cauldron that all students were expected to bring with them to lessons.

The Professor of this subject was referred to as a Potions Master. The Potions Master at Hogwarts for many years was Horace Slughorn and later Severus Snape.

History of Magic was a core class and subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This class was a study of magical history. This was one of the subjects where the use of magic practically was not necessary. History of Magic was taught from the first year to the fifth and was completed with an O.W.L. exam with only a written section.

The professor of this subject, Cuthbert Binns, taught at Hogwarts for many years before his death, and even after his death, he continued teaching at Hogwarts as a ghost.

Defense Against the Dark Arts (abbreviated as DADA) was a subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In this class, students studied and learned how to defend themselves against all aspects of the Dark Arts, including dark creatures, curses, hexes, and jinxes (dark charms), and dueling.

The class was a core subject at Hogwarts. The position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at the school was once rumored to be jinxed, as no teacher could hold the post for more than a year without suffering an unpleasant fate. Tom Riddle jinxed the position because Albus Dumbledore did not give him the job when he applied for it. The fact that no teacher has lasted longer than a year meant that the subject had numerous Professors over the years.

Astronomy was the branch of magic and science that studied stars and the movement of planets. It was a subject where the use of practical magic and spells during lessons was not necessary. Uagadou students were known to be skilled in Astronomy, implying the teaching that was provided at Uagadou was excellent.

Astronomy lessons were spent learning the names of stars and the movements of planets. It was a required class from year one until year five and became an optional subject for the final two years.

In the fifth year, the Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations were taken. During the exam, students had to fill in a blank star chart. If a student achieved a passing O.W.L. score, they were allowed to advance to N.E.W.T. level.

Astronomy was one of the only fields of study at Hogwarts which had a direct equivalent in the Muggle world. Known student activities included learning the names of stars, constellations, and planets, as well as their location and movements, and describing the environments of planets and moons.

Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment in Diagon Alley sold telescopes and other equipment needed for Astronomy. Aurora Sinistra was the Astronomy professor.

And last but not least, there was Herbology. Herbology was the study of magical and mundane plants and fungi, making it the wizarding equivalent of botany. Herbology was a core class and subject taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Castelobruxo, in which students learned to care for and utilize plants, learn about their magical properties, and what they are used for. Many plants provided ingredients for potions and medicine, while others had magical effects of their own right.

Herbert Beery was the professor of this subject at Hogwarts for many years prior to 1955. After he retired, Pomona Sprout took over the post prior to 1991.

Tired after so many hours of explanations, the two witches decided that they should finally return to the castle. Besides, it was already night and the shop where they were sitting was ready to close.

So, saying goodnight to the remaining customers and staff, they grabbed each other by the arm and headed back to Hogwarts.