The Return to Hogwarts

Hermione glanced instinctively under her pillow, while Harry, observing her expression, followed her concealed gaze and noticed the corner of a magazine sticking out from under the pillow.

This scene seemed familiar. Ron, with lightning speed, pulled out the book, using one hand to block the furious Hermione, and the other to toss the magazine into the air.

"Wizard Weekly, my mom likes to read this—"

Ron muttered something, and then, when Harry and Ron simultaneously noticed the handsome, gently smiling wizard's photograph on the cover, both Harry and Ron's lips twitched.

So you see—

Ron wanted to laugh but dared not, because Hermione was glaring at him furiously, her expression suggesting she wanted to devour him and Harry whole.

"Professor Blaine inherited Lockhart's reputation as a fraud, and you transferred your adoration for Lockhart to Professor Blaine?"

"This is none of your business, Ron!"

Hermione yelled angrily, jumped up and snatched the magazine back from Ron's hand, and then, for some reason, instinctively explained,

"Professor Blaine's knowledge is truly genuine!"

Ron shrugged.

"Why sneak around? Last night when Harry and I sneaked out, several Ravenclaw girls were talking loudly in the hallway about whether Professor Blaine had a girlfriend. To be honest, it was incredibly stupid. Professor Blaine would never be interested in a little witch with pimples all over her face."

boom--

Harry had no idea what kind of hornet's nest Ron had stirred up, but Hermione was clearly even angrier. Her amber eyes gleamed with a frightening light. Realizing something was wrong, Ron and Harry backed away, but they tripped over each other and tumbled to the ground.

"Potter, Weasley, what are you up to!"

The ward door was suddenly pushed open, and Professor McGonagall's lips were pressed into a thin layer, her eyes stern.

Chapter 341 Uproar

2023-06-21

"Mrs. Pomfrey told me that in order to prevent any misfortune from befalling any of you three, she arranged for you to be in different wards and forbade you from visiting each other when you were out of her sight, but clearly you did not take her words to heart."

Professor McGonagall stared sternly at Harry and Ron, who were scrambling to their feet, and said sharply.

Aside from accepting their bad luck, Harry and Ron had nothing to say.

“Oh—Professor McGonagall—”

Hermione stammered,

“They’ve both come to ask me about the course—” She held up a parchment on the bedside table, two-thirds of which was covered in writing, her hand trembling slightly.

“You know, we haven’t had class for a week, and we’re all worried about falling behind, so when we don’t need to have a physical exam, we get together to discuss—I mean, preview the new lessons—”

It turns out that academically excellent people are always more credible when they lie than those who are academically poor, and Harry is certain that if he or Ron had said that, Professor McGonagall's expression would not have softened.

"All right--"

Professor McGonagall's shoulders relaxed slightly. She stared at Harry and Ron, mistaking the fear on the two young wizards' faces—the fear of being caught lying to Hermione—for worry about falling behind in their studies.

“During breakfast, Bobby left early so as not to delay your three examinations, so she didn’t hear the principal’s instructions. Albus believes—”

Seeing the three little wizards' eyes light up with excitement, her stern expression completely melted away, and she smiled as she spoke.

He believes that a week of quarantine should be enough to show everyone that the three of you are safe and it's time for you to return to Gryffindor.

Harry knew he should be more reserved. As Hermione thought, their only achievement that night was capturing Peter Pettigrew, but that was something that couldn't be discussed openly. In the professors' eyes, they had undoubtedly gotten into trouble again for violating school rules.

But Harry couldn't help but grin.

He had spent the night in the school hospital before, but never for so long or so unbearably. He missed his four-poster bed in the dormitory, his roommates, Firebolt and Quidditch. He had even sworn that he would take eight of Professor Snape's Potions classes a week if it would allow him to leave the school hospital and return to Gryffindor.

Or, Professor Trelawney's Divination class would be fine, preferably Divination, because now Harry finally understands the origin of the big dog he saw on Magnolia Crescent Street, and he no longer has to fear that the neurotic Divination professor might cast some 'malicious' 'curse' on him again.

"Of course, I personally think it would be more appropriate for you to leave tomorrow morning—"

Professor McGonagall's next words immediately halved the joy of the three young wizards.

"There's one more thing, Miss Granger—"

Professor McGonagall glanced at the latest issue of *Wizarding Weekly* lying on the bed, not bothering to ask how they, in quarantine, had managed to get their hands on the magazine.

"This morning, I received a letter from Amosta. In it, he told me that your time converter has broken down—"

Mentioning this made Professor McGonagall furious again. She had initially intended to scold Hermione for not reporting the time-tamper malfunction to her immediately, but seeing Hermione's tense, clenched fists and the worry in Potter and Weasley's eyes, she couldn't bring herself to be harsh. After a soft sigh, she solemnly said,

“Amosta told me he did some work in the Ministry, and the Ministry of Magic decided not to pursue the matter of the Time-Turner being damaged, but they need you to write an explanation of how the Time-Turner was damaged by Greyback. This explanation needs to be signed by both Amosta and me, and then he will submit it to the Ministry.”

"It's that simple?"

After being bombarded by Hermione with a long list of cases of wizards punished for losing their Time-Turners, Ron instinctively asked,

"There's no need to be fined a huge amount of Galleons and then spend several months in Azkaban."

"The normal procedure would be like this--"

Professor McGonagall's face darkened as she glared at Ron and said...

“But it’s clear that Amosta got through, cough cough, I mean, Graybury broke the time-changer when he tried to kidnap you in the Forbidden Forest, right? That’s a good enough reason, and the ministry will consider unforeseen circumstances.”

The time-tamper didn't break down in Graybuck's hands; it malfunctioned inexplicably after a time travel incident, a fact Professor Blaine was also aware of.

Ron pursed his lips and said nothing more.

The Weasleys' financial situation was indeed not good, but Ron was also a genuine "second-generation official". Having been exposed to the ways of the department since childhood, he was somewhat aware of the shady dealings within the ministry. Harry, on the other hand, looked a little unnatural.

Since Professor Blaine took him on a trip to the underground world deep in Knockturn Alley last summer, he has come to realize that the wizarding world is not as wonderful as he imagined. Like the Muggle world, it is full of darkness and injustice. Just like Hagrid and Buckbeak, so many young wizards saw it, and Malfoy brought it on himself. However, under Malfoy's influence, the Ministry of Magic ignored the facts and prosecuted Buckbeak.

However, this matter has now been resolved as well.

A few days ago, when Hagrid returned to the school, he asked Mrs. Pomfrey to pass on a message to the three of them: the Committee on the Handling of Dangerous Animals had decided to drop the charges, and according to Hagrid, all of this was thanks to Professor Blaine.

Powerful wizards have privileges.

Professor Blaine was like this, Headmaster Dumbledore was like this, and even the Malfoy family, which had considerable influence, was like this.

That night in the Forbidden Forest, while watching Professor Lupin and his friends fight against Greyback up close, Harry had been frustrated that he couldn't help at all. But now, seeing Professor Blaine effortlessly handle one difficult problem after another that had been causing them so much worry, a small thought began to take root in his mind.

With the Time-Turner issue resolved, Harry and his friends were finally free of the lingering effects of the werewolf rampage.

To avoid being imprisoned in Azkaban, Hermione kicked Harry and Ron out of her room after Professor McGonagall left. She spent the entire day working on Professor Blaine's case report. They didn't return to Hermione's room until Madam Pomfrey needed to conduct a final check on them before bedtime. The room, which had been clean and tidy in the morning, was now covered with parchment covered in writing, scattered all over the floor and bed.

Hermione's hair was disheveled, and she looked like she was about to break down.

Harry and Ron each picked up a discarded piece of parchment and began to read it.

"Your storytelling skills are far inferior to your homework papers, Hermione."

Ron couldn't help but laugh, but he was met with a furious glare from Hermione.

"Ahem, do you need our help, Hermione—"

Harry suppressed a laugh and said,

"You know, it takes a bit of skill to complete the homework in Professor Trelawney's divination class to her satisfaction."

Even though they had only spent a week in the school hospital, when Harry, Harry, and his friends stepped out of the hospital, they all felt a sudden sense of disorientation, as if they had been transported to another world. Their anticipation burned like a raging fire as they ran down the corridor, eager to see their classmates from the house.

At 7:40 a.m. on Monday, most of the young wizards gathered in the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry, Harry, and their two friends, with a clear purpose, ran down the spiral staircase to the first floor, stepped out of the foyer, and rushed into the Great Hall.

Upon entering, they immediately realized that something was amiss.

At the faculty and staff dining table, apart from Snape, every professor, including Dumbledore, held a copy of the Daily Prophet, engrossed in the text and reading with great concentration.

The young wizards sitting at the four long tables below were in a similar situation; they gathered around the students who had subscribed to the newspaper, pointing and commenting on the text.

"what happened?"

Harry, Ginny, and Ron stared at each other in astonishment as they slowly approached their usual seats. As they passed Ginny, Ron asked in surprise,

"I thought we'd receive a warm welcome!"

Ron's voice brought Ginny, who was huddled with Colin, back to her senses. When she saw Harry next to Ron, Ginny's face immediately lit up with joy, but as she stood up, her lips turned pale.

"The murderer who killed your parents, Harry."

Ginny took the newspaper from Colin's hand, her lips trembling as she spoke to Harry.

Sirius Black has been captured by the Ministry of Magic!

Chapter 342 The Muggle Who Isn't Simple

2023-06-22

After Ginny uttered those words in a slightly trembling voice, the Great Hall fell silent. Harry could sense that at least two-thirds of the young wizards were looking at him.

"Give me some response, Harry, this is too suspicious."

Hermione nudged Harry on the back and whispered something.

Harry had never encountered such an embarrassing situation. Sirius was innocent; he had not surrendered to Voldemort, which they already knew. But in the eyes of his classmates, Sirius was still that heinous prisoner. Moreover, according to rumors, he escaped Azkaban to seek revenge, because he was the 'Boy Who Lived' who thwarted Voldemort's plot!

So... well, he should act happier?

"Oh, really?"

Harry's eyes widened, trying to convey his surprise and excitement at the news.

"When did this happen? Cough, well done—I mean, the Ministry of Magic!"