"Yu, pick me! Pick me!"
Within five minutes of Professor Flitwick announcing the start of free team formation, Jane Yu found herself buried in the middle of a crowd.
Ron had already prepared himself when Professor Flitwick began the countdown from three. He crouched slightly and launched forward, successfully reaching Jane Yu's desk.
"No way—he's out! I've aced every Charms class for the past three years. Partner with me instead!"
Fueled by an unstoppable force, Hermione charged forward like a battle goddess, wielding a hefty tome to carve a path through the crowd, and slammed the book down to fend off Ron.
Hermione's entrance silenced all competition. The Gryffindor students, nursing their faces that had been smacked by the book, reluctantly retreated.
The two girls, feeling an immediate connection, clasped hands and gazed at each other tearfully, almost speechless.
However, the enthusiasm of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws remained undeterred.
Fortunately, Hermione swiftly resolved a series of issues. Like a seasoned HR manager, she sifted through resumes and recommended candidates to boss Jane Yu:
"Anthony Goldstein from Ravenclaw! His Charms grades are also Outstanding!"
"And Susan Bones, Hannah, or Ernie from Hufflepuff... Their grades are O or E..."
Jane Yu made her decision: Anthony Goldstein and Susan Bones.
The two looked like they were ready to fly onto the podium and replace Professor Flitwick to give a speech about their selection.
Everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly, with everyone joining their respective groups, until it was time to practice the spells.
"No—stop—Mr. Crabbe—you can't send Mr. Thomas into the sky—Slytherin loses 10 points!"
"Mr. Macmillan—you can't use the Leg-Locker Curse on Mr. Malfoy—Hufflepuff loses 10 points!"
"Although I really don't want to do this! But—points deducted! Gryffindor! And Ravenclaw... 10 points! 10 points!"
"Stop! Stop! Finite Incantatem!"
The room was in chaos, with arguments and spell chanting blending into a cacophony.
Exhausted from dealing with the antics, Professor Flitwick's small frame seemed to have aged ten years.
Only the peaceful oasis—Jane Yu's group—restored some of his faith.
What a harmonious quartet!
Their speed in learning spells was far ahead of everyone else! They even started writing their homework!
Professor Flitwick looked at them with a grateful expression and awarded each of them 10 points.
Similar scenes unfolded in Professor McGonagall's and Professor Sprout's classrooms, where the heads of houses appeared pale and haggard.
They convened in the headmaster's office to share their woes.
"The pus from the Bubotuber..." Professor Sprout sighed, "They were just throwing it around. Those poor children—"
"Poppy is furious," Professor McGonagall said, her forehead furrowed deeper. "Never before have so many students ended up in the hospital wing... Spell injuries... Unstable human transfigurations..."
The contrast was stark, and the unharmed classroom of Professor Snape brightened his mood considerably.
"Miss Yu suggested assigning daily group performance points to prevent cauldrons from exploding and potions from being spilled."
This statement immediately sparked widespread interest among the three heads of houses.
"This is feasible!" Professor Sprout's eyes lit up. "I'll incorporate daily performance into the term-end grades!"
"Perhaps setting awards based on group performance rankings is also reasonable," Professor McGonagall pondered. "How to instill a sense of team honor..."
Professor Flitwick decided to take an unconventional approach, experimenting with some peculiar methods for group daily points:
"I've placed a high-priced order with Miss Yu for custom gaming consoles—they're voice-activated, support multiplayer, and allow spell duels between users—"
"They can channel the restless souls of these teenagers—train their reaction speed with spells and foster greater cohesion!"
Their measures succeeded. With group collective points integrated into term-end grades, all undercurrents of conflict were quelled within groups and after classes.
Professor Flitwick's class became the most popular course in the school, and he himself was hailed as the most beloved teacher.
He couldn't help but lavish praise on Jane Yu once again.
...
Although the disruptive classroom behavior had ended, new problems arose.
A ghost—a ghost of group assignments—was haunting Hogwarts.
"Kill me now." Daphne collapsed onto the sofa in the common room, lamenting, "When will group assignments leave Hogwarts? Yu, can you beg Snape to let me switch out my three group members?"
She wasn't the first to ask this, and Jane Yu had to once again express her inability to help.
Blaise Zabini, who was grouped with Ron, appeared dazed, deeply affected by the group assignments and successfully dispelling some of his house bias:
"I don't understand if I'm doing a group assignment or charity work. I feel like I'm being drained by three leeches."
"Fine, I didn't have high hopes for Weasley to begin with—but why is Ravenclaw slacking off too?"
He was immediately attacked by Draco Malfoy, proving that misery has no bottom:
"Give me a break! At least your Ravenclaw group member bothers to reference others' work—"
"What about our group? The busy ones work themselves to death, while the idle ones do nothing—Potter doesn't care at all—he can't even chop beans properly. Why doesn't he just crush them?"
Theo Nott, flipping through his books and already three feet into his Potions essay, succinctly commented:
"A remarkable group assignment method where 1+1+1+1<1."
His thoughts had already surpassed his peers by several versions, quickly realizing that these group assignments were merely burdens placed solely on his shoulders.
Fortunately, he calmly accepted this reality and decided to submit the work under only his and another Ravenclaw's names.
After venting—
The Slytherins collectively turned their gaze to Jane Yu:
"So Yu, does your group have this kind of situation?"
Jane Yu pondered for two seconds.
She thought of her highly efficient group members—
And decided that chewing quietly when others are hungry is a form of courtesy.
"I suppose we do—"
The Slytherins relaxed.
Even Jane Yu faced such situations—it definitely wasn't their fault!
Similar scenes played out in Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff common rooms.
"Greengrass is too impatient. There's still so much time before submission, yet she insists on starting this week—"
"And she accuses us of ghosting her to slack off—ridiculous, clearly her problem!"
Complained an anonymous Gryffindor.
"I've witnessed the diversity of species. Zabini is like a leech with a tiny brain—and Weasley, he doesn't even have a brain!"
"Though I don't know much, I know Zabini's approach is wrong—I referenced others' work, but he wouldn't accept it!"
Roared an anonymous Ravenclaw.
"Nott isn't willing to communicate with us. I don't quite understand what he says—it seems he wants to complete it alone—"
Sighed an anonymous Hufflepuff.
"Malfoy is a pile of dung. I don't want to say more."
Declared Mr. Harry Potter, who was willing to reveal his name.
The good news was that despite the complaints, Hogwarts students learned a few things from their first group assignment.
For example, 50% learned how annoying slackers are, 40% developed the ability to complete tasks alone, 8% gained useful knowledge, and 2% learned how to collaborate.
Everyone agreed it was a thrilling group assignment.
"Why can't I be blessed with three group members like Yu Jane?"
This was probably the question on every fourth-year student's mind at Hogwarts.
But in truth, Jane Yu faced problems of her own—different from theirs.
She was being forced into a competitive spiral, as her group had reached new heights of intensity.
Hermione, Anthony, and Susan began taking action on the first day after class.
They dragged her into the library, each organizing their own materials and arguing vehemently over the final version.
"Although Flitwick believes this—Summoning Charms should only transport non-living objects—"
"But how do you explain it summoning caterpillars and salmon? Perhaps it's just insufficient magical power preventing it from working on humans—"
Jane Yu felt exhausted.
In the first week of school, the four had already completed an entire essay and were reviewing it for the second time!
"Why don't we submit an additional appendix?" Hermione asked fervently. "Yu, what do you think?"
Jane Yu didn't want to think. She just wanted to faint.
What happened to her peaceful, laid-back life?
Why was she being dragged into this competitive madness?
Competitive spirits should leave Hogwarts!
Humans shouldn't—or at least, shouldn't—spend the rest of the semester in the library, right?
"Close your eyes, Hermione," she said weakly. "What do you see?"
"I see darkness," Hermione replied earnestly. "Yu, what's wrong?"
Yes, darkness—that's my life.
Jane Yu was speechless.
But Hermione suddenly jumped up, excitedly shouting:
"I get it—darkness! A brand-new argument! Yu, you're a genius!"
"Using Summoning Charms in darkness versus visible conditions might yield different effects!"
"We can write another appendix for the essay—"
Jane Yu was so shocked her quill fell.
What had this girl figured out now?
Was the competitive spirit driving her insane?
Should Jane Yu remain silent to prevent every word of hers from being overanalyzed?
She really didn't want to write another essay!
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