Hogwarts Study Panel

Chapter 84, Section 83: Knights and Courage
Minerva McGonagall did not answer; her gaze passed over the dazzling array of silverware, over Fox perched quietly on a branch, and over the various portraits of past principals.
They eventually landed behind the ancient stone wall, where a young wizard was exchanging passwords.

The principal's office was located on the eighth floor of the castle, and it took Sheen a lot of effort just to climb up there.

He looked at the gargoyle stone beast at the entrance, waiting for it to prompt him to give the command.

But just as Sheen caught his breath, the dripping stone beast jumped to the side.

Sheen looked bewildered, and then he saw the wall behind him crack in two, revealing a spiral staircase that was slowly moving upwards.

What's the password?
Lemon Snowball, Honey Bee Candy, or even a swarm of cockroaches?

So the reason why Headmaster Dumbledore didn't tell him the password was because he didn't have one?
All right--

Sheen accepted it quickly; he swiftly ascended the automatic spiral staircase.
The stairs made a soft rumbling sound, and a feeling of anticipation and trepidation spread through Sheen's heart.

Suddenly, Sheen wondered if such a spiral staircase could also be called an elevator in the wizarding world.

As he waited for the stairs to move up, Sheen's thoughts drifted.

In reality, the era in which wizards lived seems to be quite far removed from the present day. When the telephone was invented, it was hard to imagine that the Ministry of Magic was still using paper airplanes for communication.

The reason for this is not the limitations of magic, but the limitations of wizarding thinking—wizards despise and look down on Muggles, and naturally they don't bother to understand so-called Muggle science.

Lost in thought, Sheen saw a gleaming oak door appear, with a brass doorknob shaped like a griffin.

Before he could even knock, the door opened automatically.

Minerva McGonagall naturally put away her wand, not noticing that her deep blue eyes behind the half-moon lens had become even more benevolent.

The principal's office was round and surprisingly spacious, yet it didn't feel cold or desolate at all. There were moving objects everywhere.

“Mr. Sheehan Green”.

A portrait of a beautiful woman with long, silver, curly hair greeted her gently.

"Principal Devonte."

Sheen silently stopped and gently returned the greeting.

Long, silver, curly hair, a kind and gentle smile… He recognized her as Principal Delis Deventer.

She worked as a healer at St. Mungo's Hospital and was a wizard with dual experience as both a healer and a headmaster. Her portrait is preserved in the group of portraits of Hogwarts' past headmasters, and she continued to participate in communication on school affairs. She is widely recognized as one of the most famous headmasters in Hogwarts' history.

His portrait also assisted Dumbledore in studying the transformative properties of the Blood Curse, pointing out that the spell was fundamentally different from Animagus transformations.

As expected, powerful wizards are all skilled in shapeshifting.

Sheen thought.

After Voldemort was defeated, the portrait of Headmistress Delis de Winter showed her crying with joy.

Overall, he is a truly great principal.

"Ha—disturbing my rest—all for some nobody Ravenclaw—"

Just then, Sheen heard a sneer. He looked up and saw that it was Principal Black, who had unified the four academies.

It's worth noting that even Voldemort couldn't achieve this. The fact that Slytherins and Gryffindors could get along so well during Headmaster Black's era is truly a remarkable achievement.

Just as this "unity" principal began to speak, the portraits in the principal's room awoke from their slumber and joined this unusual discussion.

They whispered among themselves, some gently, some sternly, and none of them offered any rebuttal after Principal Blake finished speaking.

Only Principal Delis De Winter frowned.

Outside the headmaster's room, things were equally tense. "Madam, you know how much young Green has sacrificed for this, oh—those portraits, especially those of that selfish fool Black. If he were to utter any nonsensical nonsense that affects the evaluation of young Green—Madam! The knight will not stand idly by!"

Sir Cadogan had somehow mounted the pony; his armor gleamed, and his overly long sword was tucked into his belt. Despite the grassy welts on his knees from his falls, his heroic spirit remained undiminished.

"do not!"

"The knight shouted, and plunged headlong into a painting depicting several sinister monks not far from the headmaster's office."

"Farewell, my comrades! If you need noble hearts and strong bodies, then summon Sir Cadogan!"

"Oh, my sir—"

Madame Violet's eyes were slightly moist, and the plump lady beside her shouted with a mixture of sorrow and excitement:

"Sir, remember to kick him hard in the head with your leather boots!"

Principal's room.

Faced with this selfish and arrogant principal, Sheen simply gave a soft "hmm".

"—You rude fellow, I propose—"

Just as the headmaster was about to say something, something unexpected happened—a roaring knight, like an enraged bull, rammed into Headmaster Black and knocked him to the ground.

The normally disobedient pony suddenly unleashed astonishing power, managing to ram Principal Blake all the way to the picture frame at the very edge of the principal's office.

"Keep an eye on Green! This is the Cavaliers' way of courage!"

Sheen was stunned.

The air seemed to freeze, and silence fell over the principal's office. The whispering portraits all stopped their discussion and watched the dramatic turn of events.

In fact, the principal's office is not a place that portrait artists can come and go as they please. Where did this... Bull Knight come from?
Only Headmaster Dumbledore never stopped smiling.

"What nonsense is this!"

Professor McGonagall stood up abruptly, her face contorted with anger. With a wave of her wand, she carried the painting of Sir Cadogan and the pony unilaterally beating the bewildered Headmaster Lake out of the Headmaster's office.

"Ten centuries of wisdom cannot be contained even by the principal's office, and this is a fist honed over ten centuries! Take this punch!"

Before leaving, the jazz continued to beat and yell.
"Big cat, even if you send me into the troll painting! I'll fight this idiot in hell!"

"What a brave knight."

Sheehan heard Principal Delis de Winter's praise and, without hesitation, was about to follow Professor McGonagall out when he heard a low whisper:

"Stay put and relax."

So he obediently waited where he was.

He thought the professor would handle it... at least, he couldn't let the jazz's efforts go to waste.

This little incident began abruptly and ended just as abruptly. Sheehan saw Headmaster Dumbledore blink.

He then understood and walked over to the pile of beautifully crafted, floating letters.

"The review meeting regarding Mr. Sheen Green's special scholarship is now officially open!"

After Professor McGonagall returned, a portrait of a stern-faced headmaster spoke loudly.

(End of this chapter)