Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle.

Chapter 347 The Irritable Old Headmaster

In the afternoon, on the green grass.

Aberforth sat by the roadside, a blade of grass between his teeth, squinting at the students on the shore of Black Lake, lost in thought.

“Ariana, you really should have come here to study.”

He muttered to himself, spitting out the unchewable fibers. Soon, an unknown insect approached, its antennae twitching. It tentatively touched the insect a few times, then quickly left, calling its friends to come and carry it away.

I studied here for two years. Over the past hundred years, Hogwarts has changed a lot. I didn't realize it when I was in the castle, but when I went out for a walk and spent some time alone, I found that everything in my field of vision was unfamiliar.

Gazing at the lush green meadow stretching out before him, the willows sprouting new buds and leaves swaying leisurely, and the hunchbacked trees bouncing and swaying among the treetops, he stared for a long time, his eyes flickering as he searched for memories of the past.

When he went to school, there wasn't that tree in the yard yet.

Sometimes he feels that he is getting old, perhaps the alcohol has damaged his brain, his thinking is not as flexible as when he was young, his memory is not as clear, and he can't remember many details.

Sometimes he wondered if the fight in the valley that day was caused by his own spell striking Ariana.

He swore he would hold a grudge against Albus for life, never to forgive him even in his grave, but for some reason, after spending several days in that office, he still couldn't find an opportunity to punch that guy hard in the nose.

Time will wash away memories, making people forget what was once hard to let go of.

Time flies.

Aberforth murmured to himself, a fool who had lived in a daze ever since Ariana's death, accumulating more and more regrets.

She resented Albus for being ambitious and uncaring towards his family, but she herself was no better.

He once had a girl he loved, but because of his cowardice, he could only watch her leave. Later, he found out that the girl had a child, but it was too late.

"So much time has passed in the blink of an eye."

Thinking of those people and events from long ago, Aberforth felt the hatred in his heart growing weaker, and the conviction to throw that unforgettable punch also weakened.

"Headmaster Dumbledore!"

The shouts brought Aberforth back to reality. He slowly stood up, not spitting out the tender grass roots, and turned to look back at the boy who was running out of the hallway and approaching him.

“It’s you… Weasley.”

Aberforth greeted him casually. He didn't actually remember the boy's name, but seeing the red hair, he knew he was a Weasley.

Percy, a seventh-year student, is the Gryffindor prefect, the student council president, and has excellent grades. He is always a great help to the teachers and has a good relationship with all the professors in the school. Even Snape, who deliberately makes things difficult for Gryffindor, will not make things too difficult for Percy.

With the final wizard exam approaching, Percy spent all his time in the library studying day and night, only consulting professors when he encountered difficult problems.

I saw the principal at the library window today and immediately ran out. He has a question that he can't figure out and needs advice from a wise old wizard.

The distance between the two quickly closed, and the old man and the young man stood face to face on the roadside.

Percy took a few deep breaths to calm his breathing, which was erratic from running, before voicing his question:
"Sir, Professor McGonagall and Professor Levent both spoke to me about the Patronus Charm a while ago. They told me it's related to my beliefs and career choices, but I still have some questions."

Answering students' questions is not within the scope of a tavern owner's business.

Aberforth was a little flustered, but he remained outwardly calm: "Go on."

"Professor Levent told me that there are different beliefs about what to protect, and that I couldn't distinguish between my own inner thoughts: protecting the peace of the entire wizarding world, protecting my family and friends, or protecting Hogwarts..."

Percy explained his doubts in detail.

Percy, an outstanding student capable of earning certificates in all subjects, harbored lofty ideals. He even fantasized that if he became the Director or Minister of the Ministry of Magic, he would certainly be better than Fudge.

But when he suddenly heard from Melvin that he needed to make choices and identify what he truly wanted to protect, he found himself unable to see his own heart clearly.

Family and loved ones are certainly important, but lofty ideals are also important.

Aberforth narrowed his eyes, trying to calm himself, and squeezed out his voice through clenched teeth: "You mean... you're hesitating about whether you should give up your family for a job at the Ministry of Magic?"

"Uh... sort of." Percy felt that the words sounded particularly offensive coming from the principal.

"You ungrateful, ambitious bastard!" Aberforth raised his hand and smacked him on the head, shouting gruffly, "Didn't they abandon you because of their work? Didn't they think you were a waste of time and a hindrance, and throw you into the sheepfold and lock you up? Didn't your parents work tirelessly, taking time out of their busy schedules to raise you little by little?"

"Hiss..." Percy gasped for breath, clutching his head.

Previous principals were also eccentric, but today's principal is too outrageous; he actually hit someone, which is almost neurotic.

What advice do you want from me?

Aberforth, as if suddenly remembering something, roared in a fit of rage, "I advise you to move out of the house and live in the Ministry of Magic's office for ten or even twenty years! You neglect your younger siblings, do you think they've dragged you down? Have they ruined your future? You wretched fellow..."

Every time he asked a question, he would tap the redhead on the head, leaving Percy in so much pain that he couldn't defend himself.
"No...that's not what I meant...Professor!"

Finally, Percy covered his head and practically fled.

……

The last day of the Easter holiday.

In the cemetery behind the church in the town of Godric Valley.

A green-eyed boy wearing glasses sat cross-legged on the ground, staring intently at the tombstone in front of him. Not far away, a black-robed wizard stood quietly by his side.

Sunlight shines on the church behind, and the stained glass reflects light in varying shades. Red, gold, and green patterns are projected into the dark forest of tombstones, and the granite is covered with moss and inscriptions of varying depths.

Some of the tombstones are old and weathered, and the inscriptions are difficult to decipher. They can only be identified as belonging to Ignatius by the remaining letters and symbols of the Deathly Hallows.

"It's said that your Potter family's ancestor, the smartest of the three Peverell brothers, asked for the Invisibility Cloak and escaped Death's pursuit," Sirius Black explained.

Some of the tombstones were erected in recent decades and are regularly maintained; the painted engravings are still clearly visible. For example, two rows ahead are the graves of the Dumbledore family, including those of Candela and her daughter Ariana, along with a motto:

"Where the treasure is, there the heart will also be."

Every now and then, a few surnames like Aina would appear in the tombstones. Sometimes, several generations of the same wizarding family would be listed on the tombstones, indicating that some families had died out, or if there were still descendants, they had left Godric's Hollow forever. Sirius didn't explain much, but instead walked past them to find James and Lily's graves.

The Potters were buried together, their tombstones only two rows away from the Dumbledore family's. Compared to the other graves, this one was much newer, carved from white marble that seemed to gleam in the dark, and the inscriptions were easy to read; you didn't even have to get very close to see them.

Their names, different birth years, but the same date of death, are engraved on it.

"Lily didn't like our group when she was in school."

Sirius said to his godson, "Back then, I don't know why, we both loved to show off. In Potions class, when the professor asked us questions, James and I didn't want to answer. Instead, we would cause a ruckus and disrupt the class, which always resulted in the professor deducting points. In the end, Lily had to answer several questions to make up for the points that were deducted."

"Fortunately, our teachers back then didn't favor Slytherin. They would occasionally give Gryffindor a chance, and they would always pick on Lily for quizzes, so we were able to get a few years of House Cup credits."

“Lily is recognized as a good student by all the professors, especially Professor Slughorn of Potions, who is generous with his points for Lily. However, Severus is also very talented in Potions. Every time he answers a question, he steals Lily's chance. We try to catch him after class to avoid Lily, otherwise we are afraid she will be unhappy.”

Harry pursed his lips, glanced at the tombstone, and seemed unable to believe that his father was such a wicked person.

Sirius Black said with some regret, "We were all too young back then, we didn't think things through, we just acted on our likes and dislikes. Severus was also unwilling to accept it and wanted to get revenge, but there were more of us, and he was ostracized in Slytherin because he was half-blood..."

Harry narrowed his eyes slightly; he still thought Snape was a pureblood.

He shook his head, neither confirming nor denying: "Before going back to Hogwarts, let's go back to that manor and take another look."

"That's the Potter family's old house, doesn't it really need repairs?"

"Let's talk about it after I graduate."

"I still remember when you were just a few months old, lying in your swaddling clothes, you would occasionally take off your socks and put them in your mouth..."

Sirius!

"Alright alright……"

Sirius couldn't help but laugh, dusted off the tombstone, turned around and shook his black robe: "Let's go back to the old house and see if your crib can still be put back together. Actually, there's another bedroom there. When I used to stay at the Potters' house, your grandparents were closer to me than to James."

Harry got up and followed.

It's called the Potter family's old house, but actually more than half of it is in ruins. The hedges and weeds are overgrown and the rubble is buried in the bushes. The main wall is still standing, but the right side of the top floor room has been destroyed and the iron gate is badly rusted.

It was enchanted inside; sensing Harry's approach, a wooden plaque rose up from the front, sprouting tangled nettles and weeds like some kind of rapidly growing flower, with shimmering gold lettering on it:

"Lily and James sacrificed their lives here on October 31, 1981."

Their son, Harry, is the only wizard to survive the Killing Curse.
The ruins are a memorial to the Potters and a warning against the violence that tore their family apart.

Beside these neat handwritings are various inscriptions, all written by wizards who came to pay their respects and remember them. There are the names of wizards from all over the magical world, some leaving the initials of their surnames, and some encouraging messages. Thirteen years later, they still shine brightly.

……

Hogwarts, Saturday.

On the penultimate day of the Easter holiday, students who had enjoyed a leisurely holiday became anxious. This anxious atmosphere was evident in the crowded library, as well as on the empty and quiet shores and grounds of Black Lake. Students of all grades were making the most of their time to finish their homework, not daring to waste a single second.

As night fell and dinner ended, with some time still remaining before curfew, some students lingered in the library and auditorium, making the most of their time to study and reference materials.

This is a must-do activity at the end of the holiday.

Melvin walked back to his office down the corridor and encountered several Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students along the way. Regardless of whether they had classes for that grade, he reminded them that their homework had to be submitted by Monday, and that anything overdue would be considered a failure.

Both colleges were notorious for failing to complete assignments, and cries of lamentation filled the air along the way.

The journey to the office took some time, but when I returned, my two tutoring students had already arrived. Yulm opened the door for them and brought out a teapot and snacks, acting like a host entertaining guests.

"What?"

Seeing Melvin return, Melvin, curled up on the table, greeted him and lazily wagged his tail.

The baby snake had already shed its skin and kept the molted skin in its nest. Melvin was certain that the molted skin had a strange magic, but the baby snake was being strictly guarded and no one was allowed to touch it, so he had to temporarily abandon his idea of ​​conducting experiments.

"Professor Levent".

Harry and Hermione also stood up to greet them.

Perhaps because of her practice of Legilimency, the little witch's eyes had become much deeper and she had gained a more mysterious aura after a few days apart.

Legilimency, strictly speaking, is not within the realm of black magic, but since it is a spell that allows one to see into the mind, it can still affect wizards.

Perhaps we should remind the little witch.

Melvin quickly thought of a few things and looked at Harry, who had been away from school since the first day of the holiday: "Back from mourning your parents?"

Harry's demeanor has also changed noticeably; he seems more composed now, and his magic emits subtle fluctuations as it flows. Compared to his past impulsiveness, he now appears much calmer.

“Yes, I just got back from Godric's Hollow this afternoon,” Harry replied calmly.

"Tsk tsk... You have a lot of homework to catch up on."

Melvin said to Hermione beside him, "Don't give him a chance to copy your homework. Find a way to hide it. If I find that your Muggle research papers are too similar, you'll be punished too."

Hermione pursed her lips, glanced at Harry, and remained silent.

Harry could no longer hold back; his calm turned into embarrassment.

Then came the students' dueling practice. Since the summer vacation, Harry had experienced several intense emotional fluctuations, while also drawing magic from his own soul and Voldemort's remnant soul. The accumulated magic power had grown considerably, and the disarming spell he released also had the effect of a powerful knockback spell.

Even the little witch who practices the Ironclad Spell dares not force it.

Hermione's performance was also remarkable. Her practice of Legilimency had given her the fighting habit of judging the opponent's attack intentions. Even if she couldn't fight head-on, she could anticipate Harry's movements and react in advance, dodging several wands in succession and throwing back a few minor curses when she had a chance.

The onlookers, including Yulm, were filled with admiration.

(End of this chapter)