Chapter 623 Key Person

Ten minutes passed quickly.

The bell rang, and the students turned their heads silently and looked at the three professors behind them. It was the first time for them to encounter such an occasion. The professors who taught the class disappeared, but the number of professors of other subjects was far more than the standard.

Professor McGonagall stood up from the back of the classroom. "You can leave, students. As for the homework--" She tightened her lips, and her eyes under the square-framed glasses were slightly hesitant. It was obvious that she was unwilling to interfere, especially when she was not satisfied with this class.

"You can ask the professor yourself," Felix interrupted, "but if you want to keep this secret until the next class, it's also a good idea."

Professor McGonagall's protest was instantly drowned out by cheers and the noise of messy packing. Almost in the blink of an eye, one-third of the classroom was empty, and several members of the front-line lookout were agile and extraordinary, and rushed out first.

"Oh, uh--" Hermione stood at the door and looked around, as if expecting to see the new professor come back at the last minute, but her roommates Lavender and Parvati carried her away on the left and right.

There was a cheer from the corridor.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was in a mess - chairs were crooked and papers were flying. Professor McGonagall glared at Felix sternly, but it was obvious that she had more important things to deal with. She tapped her wand on a piece of parchment covered with handwriting, and the parchment folded up automatically and was put into her pocket.

Felix glanced at the parchment, which was full of Grindelwald's outrageous remarks in class. . The professor of Transfiguration seemed to be the most prepared person. He estimated that Professor McGonagall would soon show up in the headmaster's office with this evidence.

Grindelwald was indeed unruly.

Felix couldn't help thinking. What he said only needed to change a few words to become a good declaration of wizards' preparation for war against Muggles, and the sudden turn from festive joy to cold hostility was a stroke of genius, grasping people's hearts and emotions quite accurately.

But he also annoyed Dumbledore because of this. Although his attitude was obviously withdrawn at the end, none of the four professors who came to listen to the class today were fools and could understand the implicit meaning.

When Professor McGonagall's plaid robe disappeared, Snape's upper lip curled up and looked at Felix with ill intentions.

"You have met a rival."

Felix rolled his eyes. "You also said that it was just a rival. He has more troubles than just me. Maybe he is being scolded in the cold wind now." He guessed with the same malice. Today, Grindelwald misinterpreted the original meaning of his book, which undoubtedly made Felix remember it in his heart.

In summary, the relationship between the two is sometimes good and sometimes bad. When it is good, they can open their hearts and talk about everything without scruples, and exchange their views on the current situation in depth; when it is bad, they naturally expose each other's shortcomings without hesitation.

One said that the other was naive and irresponsible; the other secretly asked the other how he got rid of 100,000 believers.

On the top of the astronomy tower.

This is the highest place in Hogwarts Castle with a wide view. It is usually open only in the evening when students take astronomy classes, and few people come during the day.

Therefore, this is also a good place to talk.

Dumbledore stood by the wall of the tower, overlooking most of Hogwarts Castle and the Forbidden Forest from a high place. It had just rained yesterday, so the sky was clear and the sun was shining, without a trace of fog blocking the view.

Grindelwald stared at his back, as if he was thinking about how to push Dumbledore down from the height.

But he just walked over slowly, with memories flashing in his eyes.

When the two first met, they were both at a low point - of course not referring to Godric's Hollow - at that time Dumbledore's mother had just died, and Grindelwald was expelled from school for engaging in dangerous dark magic research. Of course, this might be a good thing for him, because Grindelwald didn't think he could learn anything from school. He was just a little depressed, and then he rushed to his aunt's secluded place.

It is said that there are clues about the Deathly Hallows there.

No matter what, he plans to try. Not to mention, his aunt Bathilda Bagshot, who wrote "History of Magic", can provide him with great help in intelligence.

But what Grindelwald never expected was that his great-aunt would introduce him to an equally talented boy, Dumbledore, who had just graduated and was full of sorrow. They hit it off at first sight, like fire and pot. The two young men, who were only one year apart, came together because of the dream of establishing a new wizarding order and their unparalleled talents. Their relationship became closer day by day, and finally, they made a blood oath in a barn and vowed to "never hurt each other."

But this relationship came to an abrupt end at the peak.

Since then, the love-hate entanglement between them has spanned nearly a century. They have influenced each other at important nodes in each other's lives, like a pair of inseparable gears, wasting each other's lives while leaving a deep and eternal mark.

Now, they are both old.

"You brought me here just to see the scenery?" Grindelwald asked slowly.

"You should know that people have just come out of the shadow of war, and peace is hard-won." Dumbledore said calmly.

Grindelwald raised a sarcastic arc on his lips, standing side by side with Dumbledore, watching with him the students who were only the size of matchboxes walking through the grounds, stone bridges, and the figures flashing by the windows as they passed through the corridors of the castle.

"False peace. You and I know it well, Dumbledore, otherwise you wouldn't let me stay - to be honest, it's easier to convince you than I thought. I just showed you the image, and you agreed almost immediately."

Grindelwald tilted his head slightly to look at Dumbledore.

In the astronomy tower, Dumbledore sighed, closed his eyes, and then opened them again, his eyes became clear.

"Isn't this what you want?" He said, "You even reminded me in class - or threatened - with the massive anti-wizard march you saw in your field of vision. Maybe because the people of the International Confederation of Wizards made you feel threatened, you are asking me for more rights."

"They humiliated me, and you just watched!"

"This is the only way to make them agree to let you stay in school." Dumbledore said solemnly.

This happened on the day Felix left for Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during the summer vacation. The International Confederation of Wizards secretly sent a team to conduct a rigorous examination and assessment of Grindelwald's physical condition.

There was a moment of silence.

"Just one year?" Grindelwald suddenly asked.

"Just one year." Dumbledore said.

"Oh, I see," Grindelwald grinned, revealing his neat teeth that didn't match his face, "You must be dissatisfied with the Muggle professors in the school."

"Professor Bubbage has done a great job." Dumbledore said gently.

"Really? You mean those flowers and plants she's obsessed with?" Grindelwald sneered. "Maybe it wasn't a big deal before, but at this moment, she's completely unqualified. Look at the outdated textbooks she uses. There's nothing new about them. Her understanding of Muggle society seems to be stuck in the last century."

"Charidi needs time."

"But you don't plan to give her time, so I'm standing here, Dumbledore, what are you so anxious about?"

Dumbledore closed his eyes and seemed to fall asleep. When he heard footsteps going away from him, he said slightly coldly, "Remember, Gellert, I can take you back at any time." His footsteps paused slightly.

"How heartless."

Dumbledore was the only one left on the Astronomy Tower. After a while, he slowly opened his eyes and recalled the prophecy that Grindelwald showed during the interview in his mind again.

"Rita Skeeter," he muttered, "Why are you in the parade, and why are you so young, almost the same as now? Does this indicate that the exposure of the wizarding world is inevitable, and in a few years?"

He took out a black gem ring from his loose robes and put it on his hand, stroking the lines on the surface of the gem with his other hand.

A whirlwind swept into the Astronomy Tower.

"Ariana," he said softly.

...

"Can anyone tell me," Ron said, sitting in a soft chair in the common room with a swagger, "We obviously have the same class, but Hermione is so busy?"

Harry looked up from a piece of parchment and saw that Hermione seemed to bury herself in a pile of thick books-she disappeared for a while after the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and she became like this when she came back.

Harry shrugged. He felt that this was more like Hermione.

So he lowered his head and continued to think about the Quidditch selection. There were only three old players left in the team - he, the captain and seeker, Ron the goalkeeper, and Katie Bell the chaser. He had to recruit at least four more people.

Maybe he could consider letting Ginny in.

Harry thought calmly and soon became fascinated by this idea. Ginny had the opportunity to join the team last year. She flew quite well, and Harry was confident that she would pass the selection.

But Ginny is in the fifth grade this year and has to prepare for the OWLs exam. I wonder if she can spare the time?

Harry wrote and drew on the parchment and decided to find a chance to ask. It seemed that he hadn't been alone with Ginny for a long time... "Bang!" The book in front of Harry fell to the ground, revealing Hermione's annoyed face. Ron retracted his hand embarrassedly, and he seemed to be about to take one of the books from the bottom of the pile.

"Hermione, you didn't get the time converter behind our backs again?" Ron asked first.

"Of course not!" Hermione said, snatching the book back from Ron, "But since there are so many tasks to complete..."

"Tasks? Why don't I see them?"

Hermione said: "Ancient Runes Essay -" "No need to write, I can meet the professor's requirements." Ron said proudly, "Oh, not now, but have you noticed that those who have succeeded have one thing in common? They all mastered illumination, and I happen to know it too. In fact, I already have a feeling, as long as I practice a little..." "

And Defense Against the Dark Arts -"

"I don't believe anyone will ask Professor Bagshot for homework, that's just asking for trouble." Ron said without thinking, and then looked at Hermione with a suspicious face, "You won't do that?"

Hermione was angry, and she had a strong urge to say yes.

"Besides, you don't know what homework you have assigned now." Ron added.

Harry nodded in agreement. He was going to hold the Quidditch selection at the weekend, so the less homework in the first week, the better.

"We can prepare early," said Hermione. "The advanced class of ancient magic is mainly practical. Just look at Professor Happ and you can roughly guess what we will learn this year. As for Defense Against the Dark Arts, don't you think the new professor's speech is very meaningful?"

"You said this," Harry interrupted, and he said with empathy: "Many people were discussing that class at lunch." He looked around and lowered his voice and said: "I feel that Professor Bagshot is hostile to Muggles."

Ron suddenly realized, "So, it is indeed a bit... I originally thought it was just his bad taste."

"It may be related to his identity and he was excluded." Harry guessed, thinking of Filch's experience.

Then he suddenly had an inspiration, "Maybe Professor Bagshot was attracted by the exclusive wand, and the time is almost right! And he may have suffered a lot in his own country, so after hearing the news, he immediately came to Britain without hesitation-"

"He is a foreigner?" Ron asked in surprise.

"Didn't I tell you?" Harry said hesitantly, "He said he was from Austria."

"Austria? So he may have graduated from Durmstrang?" Hermione said with interest.

"It's also possible that he never went to school at all," Ron muttered quietly, "Don't forget, he's -" he hummed, "a Squib."

"Impossible," Hermione rejected flatly, "You saw today, he showed a high level of human transformation in class, and he used a silent spell! If he was a Squib, it would be impossible for him to reach this level in a short period of time -" She looked thoughtfully at the scattered pile of books in front of her, "It's possible that he was injured, and some magic experiments had serious sequelae... or he was restricted in casting spells."

Soon, lunch break was almost over, and they were ready to go to Potions class.

"Oh no, I don't have the Potions textbook." Ron slapped his forehead, "I thought Snape was still teaching this course this year."

"I have a spare one." Harry said.

"Half-Blood Prince?" Ron's eyes lit up, but he immediately frowned, "The handwriting on it is too sloppy, only Professor Happ's notes are readable."

None of them mentioned that the book once belonged to Snape, but assumed that the owner of the book was Professor Happ. Harry returned to the dormitory and dug out the tattered Advanced Potion Making from the bottom of the box. The three of them went to the Potions class.

"I wonder what the new professor is like?" Ron muttered.

"He should be pretty good," Harry said, "Headmaster Dumbledore admires him."

In fact, they were not unfamiliar with Professor Slughorn.

Harry had dealt with him during the summer vacation of his fourth grade. Ron and Hermione were also invited to attend Slughorn's small party on the Hogwarts Express this year, but in the end, apart from stuffing their stomachs with candied fruit, they just listened to the professor talk about the outstanding students he had taught and their current achievements.

Therefore, the three of them still knew nothing about the new professor's teaching level.

...

In the evening, Felix completed today's teaching tasks.

He returned to the office, "Remember to look after the house." He said to Valen, then pushed open the bedroom door and walked into Classroom 7 along the magic connection. Voldemort was still floating lifelessly in the air, and the Ouroboros was slowly turning. Because Harry injected a new Patronus last night, the Ouroboros looked energetic.

Felix sat cross-legged on the empty floor.

When he opened his eyes again, he had appeared very abruptly at the door of an empty, undecorated hut. A boy was sitting on an iron bed covered with a blanket, reading a book in his hand.

This was the Wu Orphanage, and the boy was Voldemort who had not yet enrolled.

"Hello, Tom," Felix walked to the bed, hesitated, and said, "I am Professor Dumbledore."