Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 155: Reported
This year's Christmas holiday is much more lively than in previous years.

The students of Shihua woke up one after another. Instead of going home, they chose to stay in school for the holiday.

They chased each other in the castle all day long, and went ice skating on the court when the weather was fine. In view of their heroic performance in defeating the basilisk in unity, the professors were very tolerant of their chasing and playing behaviors, but these little wizards began to become lawless and even tried to run into the Forbidden Forest.

After being caught by Hagrid, he was scolded by Professor McGonagall and then started exploring the secret rooms and passages inside the castle.

During the holidays, a group of students were running around in the castle, touching here and looking there, trying to find out if there were any hidden mechanisms. Poor Professor Flitwick, his decorated ribbons and holly were messed up by them, and he always had to redo the work.

The hall wasn't finished decorating until Christmas Eve, so Professor Flitwick had to call in other people to help, including the three head of houses, Melvin and other professors, the caretaker Filch, and Mrs. Norris.

Melvin held a bright red ribbon and hung a crescent-shaped patch on the Christmas tree. He turned and asked, "Professor Kettleburn, why did you choose to stay on campus this Christmas instead of going to Romania to see the dragons?"

"I've seen enough during the summer vacation. I don't want to watch any more for now. I'll stay in school and see more of Hogwarts."

"That's a bit sad."

"I'm only six months away from retirement, which does make me a little sad."

Kettleburn, with only one arm, struggled to hang the ribbons on the fir tree. He held a five-pointed star-shaped ornament on his pinky finger, using his foot and a cane as he placed it. His hardship was tempered with a touch of inspiration. He said with emotion, "It's been sixty or seventy years."

"Yes, I remember when I first became a teaching assistant, we decorated the auditorium like this." Professor McGonagall whispered in agreement.

"..."

Melvin was too young to join in the conversation about the passing of time. He walked over to Hagrid and asked him to move the fir tree a little to the right. "Hagrid, when you hatched Aragog, did you keep him in the cupboard?"

"Yes, it's very obedient."

Hagrid exhaled, lowered his shoulders, and with a strong lift, the thick fir tree was embraced and moved to the right.

"obedient?"

Melvin raised an eyebrow. "How old was it when it could understand you? And how did you teach it to speak?"

"Less than a month, I can't remember exactly." Hagrid scratched his head. "After feeding him bread crumbs a few times, Aragog could understand what I meant. He didn't need to be taught. When he was a month old, he could talk and chat with me. He's really smart."

"..."

Are spiders smarter than snakes?

Melvin couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

The coat pocket was pushed open by a short horn, and the baby snake stuck its head out, its eyes rolling around, looking around curiously, its tongue moving constantly.

……

London, Diagon Alley, South Side, Daily Prophet Head Office.

"Rita, you're back just in time..."

Barnabas Guffey walked through the office corridor with a steady voice and a kind smile, greeting several passing editors.

In view of the extremely special situation of the news happening in Hogwarts, the editor-in-chief of the newspaper activated the Galleon magic, forcibly ended the holiday, recalled several core editors and reporters, carefully prepared the headlines, and planned to set off the entire Christmas.

There is no labor union in the Ministry of Magic, and with generous pay, these editors and reporters are all happy to work overtime.

The newspaper office was located on the edge of Diagon Alley, just opposite Shewitz Harder's Book Office. Both were involved in publishing, one deserted and run-down, the other bustling with activity. At this moment, the Daily Prophet was filled with a hectic atmosphere.

After Rita escaped from imprisonment and took some rest, her image was not as flamboyant and refined as before, but much more simple. She walked beside the editor-in-chief Gu Fei, looking at the busy newspaper office, and occasionally showed a trance expression.

Barnabas pushed open the office door and was about to introduce the news without thinking too much. He glanced at Rita again to confirm that she didn't bring the fabricated feather pen with her, and showed a satisfied look.

Rita Skeeter, who only knew how to attract attention and create gimmicks, has finally changed a bit. Although her previous method promoted sales, it ruined her reputation and was only a tactic used by third-rate writers and journalists.

A true gold medal reporter needs to have a longer-term vision and use more secretive methods.

"Besides the professors and parents of the students, we are the only ones who know about this whole thing. It's definitely exclusive news. As long as the article is eye-catching enough, our subscriptions can triple now."

Barnabas briefly explained the situation, recounting the general story behind the news. He then introduced the newspaper's special feature proposal: "The incident itself is unique enough that we barely need to stir up emotions. We just need to arouse readers' curiosity and let them understand part of the truth..."

Rita nodded, thinking.

"Whether it's Hogwarts School or the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, try not to create disputes. The Prophet may have accumulated some reputation, but compared to them, it's just an insignificant organization. Instead of focusing on them, it's better to focus on the students."

Barnabas took out the organized materials and handed them over. "This is a partially written manuscript. Use your expertise to polish it a little to reduce the presence of the school and the Ministry of Magic."

"..."

Rita was a little stunned.

The style of the newspaper's special report this time seems to be completely different from previous ones.

……

The Oak Barrel Pub, West Overton.

Old Will dragged his lame leg back to the counter and was about to wipe the wine glass to kill time when he heard the sound of an owl flapping its wings coming from the patio behind. It seemed that some package had arrived.

He limped into the gift and found it was the owl delivering newspapers.

"Today's evening paper..."

The customers of the Oak Barrel Bar are mainly Aurors and Ministry of Magic staff. They pay close attention to the news and have the habit of reading newspapers. Many people even come to the bar mainly to discuss the news with others.

Until the advent of mirrors, when football games and images became popular, fewer people read newspapers and discussed the news.

Daily newspapers are available next to the counter as a free additional service.

I subscribed to all the mainstream newspapers, and I subscribed to 29 copies of the Daily Prophet. It was not expensive, with a daily deposit of 1 knut, which was exactly one silver Sickle, and a bottle of Firewhisky could cover half a month's subscription.

Old Will unpacked a stack of Daily Prophet and placed it on the shelf next to the counter. Just as he was about to turn around and go back to wipe his wine glass, he saw the headline on the front page and took a copy for himself.

"The Chamber of Secrets of Slytherin, the founder of Hogwarts, is opened, and 37 students work together to defeat the Basilisk!"

Soon other guests gathered around, saw the title and took it away, and soon all the copies of the Daily Prophet were taken. The other guests could only gather behind them and read the contents.

Within ten minutes, the whole bar was in an uproar.

Many wizards read the above content repeatedly and discussed it enthusiastically.

"Hasn't Salazar Slytherin been dead for nine hundred years?"

"Isn't the Chamber of Secrets a legend?"

"Wasn't the Gaunt family line supposed to have ended?" "How come they've suddenly reappeared?"

"..."

The secret room opens again, the basilisk awakens, and dozens of students risk being petrified to fight against the basilisk. Why does it sound so magical?

Old Will flipped through the newspaper and poured himself a glass of firewhisky.

……

Wiltshire, Malfoy Manor.

The candlelight floated out of the hallway and drifted in the garden, illuminating the bright red ribbons and the stars and moon. It was gorgeous and beautiful.

The entire estate was illuminated at night.

Most of the house-elves at Malfoy Manor were busy in the kitchen, preparing food for the upcoming Christmas dinner. Even if no guests were invited, the Malfoy family's Christmas dinner would be the grandest.

In the candlelit study on the second floor, the firewood in the fireplace was burning brightly, and two figures were sitting on the sofa.

The adult wizard sitting in the main seat was wearing a long robe, had long platinum hair, and a somewhat gloomy but handsome face. A wand with an exquisite base was tucked into his waist. Opposite him was a little wizard with a similar face but more childish, about twelve or thirteen years old, with a somewhat dangerous hairline.

"Potter, Diggory, Edgecombe, the Weasleys, and Marcus the Flints are all up there."

Lucius frowned slightly, a little displeased: "Draco, why not you?"

Draco was distracted. He wanted to go to the garden and see the peacocks. "They're all in the drama club. They have to interview to join. I didn't fill out the application form."

"Who is the director of the drama club?"

"Professor Lewinter."

"Then why don't you join?"

"Why should I participate? To perform on stage?" Draco was very unconvinced. "Didn't you say that? The Malfoys should stay behind the scenes, not show up in public. Seeking attention is something only fools do."

"..."

Lucius couldn't help but remain silent. He had indeed said this; it was the ancestral teaching of the Malfoy family.

He waved his hand, signaling Draco to go and play by himself, while Draco stayed in the study and read the entire report in its entirety.

"Slytherin... Basilisk..."

Lucius couldn't help but frown. Although Lewinter was not mentioned in the news, he always felt that all this was inseparable from the professor, and even related to the diary.

When it came to the Dark Lord's secrets, it was probably a good thing that Draco didn't get involved.

……

Outside the village of Ottery St Catchpole, Devon.

"That's amazing! Thad! It's in the papers!"

The ruddy-faced middle-aged wizard sat on a chair, his short brown beard shaking with laughter. He was not afraid of tearing the newspaper, and happily unfolded it to show his wife and son opposite him.

The wife also had a bright smile on her face, and was proud of their son, but also had some complaints and worries.

As a mother, she always doesn't want her son to get involved in such dangerous activities.

Cedric's smile was somewhat helpless. Everything about his parents was good, but this kind of praise was unbearable, not only at home, but also in front of outsiders.

He had a feeling that he would become the topic of conversation in his father's conversations in all social occasions during the Christmas holidays.

Cedric sighed and explained, "It wasn't just me. It was all the students in the drama club, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the others. Everyone contributed."

"Our Sede is always so humble and always behaves like a gentleman."

Amos Diggory grew even more proud upon hearing this. "The newspapers say you were the main force. You maintained confidence at the critical moment and directed and organized the attack. That was a sign of wisdom. You showed no fear in the face of the basilisk. That was a sign of bravery. And with so many people charging forward, only you escaped petrification and returned home for the holidays. The others might still be lying in their hospital beds. I think everyone knows who the greatest hero of this battle is!"

"Harry and the others were the ones who found out the truth, and..." Cedric's eyes were filled with helplessness. "Dad, I told you I made a mistake facing the basilisk. Turning to stone when faced with its gaze was the right thing to do. Having all the bones broken is a terrible feeling."

"Yeah, but you were discharged first, right?"

Amos Diggory shook his head and flipped through the paper, disappointed that there was no picture on the front page.

……

"...Here, I pay my highest respects to the young warriors who defeated the basilisk."

The old witch sat beside the hospital bed, with a wizard hat inlaid with a vulture specimen placed on the bedside, revealing her meticulously combed gray hair. Her old voice trembled slightly as she read.

This is the fifth floor of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, inside a closed ward. The rooms are filled with patients who are unable to take care of themselves, including her son and daughter-in-law, a former Auror couple.

Frank Longbottom stared blankly at the quilt on the bed, his face pale and his body swollen.

Alice Longbottom was fiddling with her hair. Although she was less than forty years old, her hair was already gray. Her face was thin and haggard, and her eyes were bulging.

Augusta Longbottom closed her eyes, and the fine wrinkles on her face gathered together.

Ten years ago, Voldemort disappeared mysteriously. The world celebrated the hard-earned peace, but this couple was captured by the frenzied Death Eaters. Bellatrix Lestrange tried to force Voldemort's whereabouts out of them, torturing them with the Cruciatus Curse until they lost their minds.

Neither of them could understand what she was reciting. Slytherin, Hogwarts, and Basilisk, to them, were no different from the babbling of the patients, all meaningless syllables.

Only when she heard Neville's name did Alice's eyes light up slightly. She looked up and looked around, but didn't see the fat figure, so she lowered her head in disappointment.

Augusta Longbottom saw that she was clutching a candy wrapper.

……

Newspapers flew on owl wings into the homes of wizards across Britain and into the Ministry of Magic.

As the only wizarding government in the UK, the Ministry of Magic cannot have a collective holiday. In order to prevent emergencies, staff from all departments remain on duty. During the boring holiday, reading newspapers is one of the few fun ways to pass the time.

The same thing happened at the Floo Network Administration office.

"As the head of the drama club, Marietta Edgecombe persevered to the end. She didn't back down in the face of Lockhart's threats, and joined forces with two other students to successfully defeat Lockhart..."

Mrs. Aikman read the content as she went along. Although it was only a short paragraph, she seemed unable to get enough of it.

The desk lamp was bright, illuminating the unfinished proposal, revealing words like "Floo Network", "Mirror", and "Renovation".

(End of this chapter)