LRAB Chapter 605 The Unique Features of Hogwarts
Chapter 605 The Unique Features of Hogwarts
Chapter 605 The Unique Features of Hogwarts
Dumbledore did go to the Forbidden Forest, but whether he could find Umbridge there? Siron didn't know, and no one would specifically come to tell him.
The remaining days of the holiday were far from peaceful at Hogwarts, with Voldemort's resurgence weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.
Everyone wanted Dumbledore to say something, even just to show up and say a few words of encouragement, which would reassure most people.
But Dumbledore didn't do that. Ever since that day in the Forbidden Forest, he seemed to have vanished from the school and never appeared again. Every time they ate, Sirius would glance at the middle seat of the teachers' table in the Great Hall; it was always empty.
"Could Dumbledore have run into danger in the Forbidden Forest?" Hermione asked with some concern three days before the end of the term.
Xilun glanced at her.
First of all, Hermione's idea itself is dangerous.
He had considered countless possibilities for Dumbledore not to show up—such as needing to step in on behalf of the Ministry of Magic to stabilize the situation in Britain, or to win over more helpers, or even to hurry up and find Horcruxes.
But Siren never considered that Dumbledore would encounter danger in the Forbidden Forest. Frankly, this wasn't just a slip-up in the gutter; it was a complete capsizing on flat ground, followed by a complete recovery.
Hermione probably realized she had said something a bit silly, and she never mentioned it again.
That afternoon, Harry and Ron also came out of the school hospital. Ron was fully recovered, and Harry was actually fine; he just wanted to find a quiet place to be around.
After Ron left, life at the school hospital became dull rather than peaceful, so he didn't stay any longer.
Moreover, after this period of time, most people have regained their senses. Although they will still whisper something when they see Harry, or point at him from a distance, at least they will no longer rush up directly.
This situation is somewhat similar to when school first started, when the students at Hogwarts were also full of curiosity about Harry.
Fortunately, Harry had plenty of experience with this, so he pretended not to know anything and sat by the Black Lake with Cedric and Hermione, discussing the S.D.A. matter.
S·D·A, the student-led Defense Against the Dark Arts class, is as its name suggests. It was founded to counter Umbridge's inaction and to make up for the deficiencies in classroom teaching, so that everyone could learn truly useful defense against the dark arts.
But now Umbridge is gone, and as her deeds at Hogwarts are exposed and made public, her reputation has become worse than that of the inactive Fudge.
Even the inactive Fudge shifted all the blame onto her, claiming that he had never denied the news of Voldemort's return. Whether it was the news blackout at Hogwarts or the various educational decrees to silence the students, it was all Umbridge's own doing, and he himself was completely unaware of it.
Incidentally, "Inactive Fudge" is the new nickname people have given to the Minister of Magic, and it has now replaced his full name, appearing on the front page of various newspapers.
So regardless of whether Dumbledore eventually found Umbridge or not, this person could never return to Hogwarts.
So, is it still necessary for S.D.A. to continue to exist?
"My advice is to keep it," Cedric said. "After all, at Hogwarts, you never know whether the next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor will be a fraud, a dark wizard, or something else entirely. Having a backup plan is never a bad thing."
That statement was truly irrefutable. Listening from the side, Sirius couldn't help but marvel that Cedric had finally discovered one of Hogwarts' unique characteristics—the undefinable Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
Cedric took out a piece of parchment and handed it to Hermione; it was the magical contract that contained the list of all the members.
He's graduating this year, so there's no point in him keeping this.
Hermione took it.
Although she believed that Dumbledore would definitely choose a qualified Defense Against the Dark Arts professor next school year, after all, Voldemort had truly appeared before everyone.
In this situation, students need to know how to protect themselves more than ever before, and as the headmaster of Hogwarts, Dumbledore certainly wouldn't choose a liar as a professor again.
Of course, this is just her own idea, and it's hard to say whether Dumbledore can really find a suitable professor. Having an extra option is good too.
Hermione accepted the list of members and reminded Harry to read more books about Defense Against the Dark Arts during the holidays.
After Cedric graduated, Harry became S.D.A.'s only teacher. If the new professor is as unreliable as this year, he will be under a lot of pressure.
In fact, Harry is already starting to feel the pressure.
Thanks to the combined efforts of Cedric and Hermione, more than seventy students have chosen to attend classes at S.D.A., almost twice the number of students attending regular classes, and they range from third to seventh grade.
This also led to various frictions during class. When Cedric was in charge, he was able to resolve these issues quickly thanks to his position as president of the boys' student council and his experience.
But now that Cedric has graduated, and he's just a prefect, can he still solve the problem?
"Don't worry, it'll be fine." Siron seemed to sense Harry's worry and patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't forget you're the boy who survived a great calamity, the savior who defeated Voldemort as a baby. In a sense, this identity of yours is even more useful than that of the student council president."
"Yeah, yeah." Fred and George, who had somehow appeared, nodded vigorously.
"If we had to choose—"
"We are certainly willing to obey the Savior's commands—"
The two men placed their hands on their chests, looking like two knights ready to go into battle at any moment, but their playful and carefree manner ruined the atmosphere.
It was so funny that even Harry couldn't help but laugh.
"By the way, how's the preparation of the Weasleys Magical Arts Studio's products going?" Siren asked.
He knew the Weasley brothers had been stockpiling goods and making all sorts of popular gadgets so they could be displayed on their shelves as soon as their shop opened. Because they had so much stuff, a few days ago they even went to Deweys-Bans and spent a fortune on a box that had been enchanted with a Seamless Stretch Charm.
"It's completely overflowing," Fred said.
"Honestly, this is the first time we've felt the wait for the holiday has been a little too long."
"We were even trying to sneak back through the fireplace a few days ago."
"Unfortunately, Professor McGonagall discovered it." George sighed and said regretfully, "She simply shut down the Floo Network in her office."