The Return to Hogwarts

The other young wizards in Gryffindor had no idea what Ron was up to. Their attention was completely elsewhere; their eyes were fixed on the handsome, middle-aged wizard with a hint of melancholy in his eyes, who was talking to Professor McGonagall at the faculty dining table.

"At Christmas, my grandma was telling me that if I ever ran into Sirius Black, I should go up and fight him to the death, even if it meant dying, I couldn't let my parents down—"

Neville's round cheeks flushed red, and even though he lowered his voice, he couldn't hide his excitement.

"I really want to hear what she'll say when she finds out!"

"You cannot duel a professor, Neville!"

Harry's mouth had been agape ever since he heard the news; he was so happy it was as if all the young wizards in the school had cast a happiness charm on him at the same time!

This is simply unbelievable! Sirius Black, his godfather, has become a professor at the school! Harry really wants to crack open Dumbledore's head to see how he came up with this idea.

Harry had previously thought that Professor Blaine would step forward!

Now Snape can't do whatever he wants anymore, right?

Unless, he wants to see those Slytherin worms get the same treatment as Gryffindor juniors in Potions class as they do in Defense Against the Dark Arts!

Although he hadn't truly known Sirius before today, Harry was certain that Sirius would take care of the Gryffindor students.

Shock, disbelief, anger, hatred!

After attending the funeral of Sirius's younger brother, the young hero Regulus Black, Snape left in a hurry. He was unaware that Sirius had become a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Snape's expression when he saw Sirius walk into the Great Hall and sit at the faculty table showed just how much they disliked each other!

"You said-"

Seamus, suppressing his excitement, was just like Neville.

"He might tell us how he escaped from Azkaban, which would be so cool. If we could learn that trick, we'd never have to be afraid again. Of course, I'm not thinking about going into Azkaban."

The focus then shifted to how Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban, a topic that had been a hot one for nearly a year.

"Perhaps, Professor Black, like Professor Blaine, has a particularly powerful Patronus who used that magic to drive away all the Dementors!"

Lavender exclaimed in surprise.

"Then he needs to get himself a magic wand first—"

The empty dining table was instantly filled with fragrant food. Hermione finally closed the book Professor Blaine had given her, and, hearing her roommate's unrealistic speculation, she said irritably,

"Furthermore, I don't think there's any point in discussing this—"

The young wizards around Hermione, including Harry and Ron, stared at her in astonishment, as if she had said something unbelievable. Hermione, noticing she was the center of attention, took a deep breath, pursed her lips, rolled her eyes, shook her head, and said…

"Think about it. No matter how Sirius escaped from Azkaban, the Ministry of Magic won't release him until they figure it out. They'll definitely take preventative measures, won't they? That loophole can't still exist, unless the Ministry of Magic wants to see Azkaban unable to hold anyone in the future!"

Amidst the astonished gazes of the young wizards at the other three long tables, a sigh suddenly erupted from the center of the Gryffindor table.

"And I don't understand why you're so excited, Harry—"

Hermione glanced sideways at Harry, who, like everyone else, seemed to be planning to go to Azkaban for "further studies," and said helplessly.

"Are you crazy, Hermione? That's Sirius Black, Harry's godfather!"

Ron said in surprise,

“I bet he’ll treat Malfoy the same way that old bat Snape treated Harry. We’ve waited all these years for a ‘hero’ like this to appear. Even Professor Blaine wouldn’t help us like this!”

Harry nodded frantically.

"Don't forget—"

Hermione glanced at Sirius Black on the faculty and staff table.

"He's a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and as we all know, professors of that class are always particularly prone to getting into trouble for some reason!"

Harry's smile froze; now, he was the one who looked annoyed.

"Damn it, I forgot about that!"

Harry slapped his forehead and said,

"Sirius has been wrongly imprisoned by the Ministry of Magic for so many years, he definitely doesn't know the situation. Do you think I should go and remind him?"

"Don't be nervous, brother!"

Ron frowned and said.

“We all know that teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts is no easy task, but there are always unexpected situations, aren’t there?”

“You mean, Professor Blaine?” Harry’s eyes lit up immediately.

"Of course!"

Looking at Professor Blaine, who was elegantly slicing lamb chops with a smile on his face at the faculty and staff table, Ron said thoughtfully,

"If it weren't for Sirius, we might never have figured out Scabbers--"

Thinking of Peter, who had been lurking by his side all along, Ron's face turned pale, and he trembled violently a few times.

“We certainly can’t just stand by and watch Sirius follow in Professor Lupin’s footsteps, right, Harry? If I were you, I would go and ask Professor Blaine how he managed to prevent those misfortunes from happening!”

Amostella, who was enjoying dinner, suddenly felt several pairs of intense gazes on him. He looked up without making a sound and found that it was Harry and his friends staring at him intently. He raised an eyebrow, wondering what these particularly shrewd guys were up to this time, but then he shook his head, too lazy to guess.

At the faculty dinner, the vast majority of professors welcomed Sirius Black's sudden appearance in their team, though exceptions were, of course.

When Sirius was still attending this school, Professor McGonagall was already the Head of Gryffindor. No one knew better than Professor McGonagall how much trouble Sirius's little group had caused over the years. She was happy that Sirius had not betrayed the Potters, but the thought of Sirius becoming a professor to the young wizards made her feel choked up.

And Snape goes without saying.

The camaraderie forged in fighting against Greyback and his werewolves is insignificant compared to the grudges they once had.

Sirius did not betray Lily, but Snape had not forgotten that it was Sirius's foolish suggestion that led to Lily's death. The communicative Sirius also learned from their conversations about how Severus had treated James and Lily's son over the years.

To be honest, because of these old and new grudges, the two of them might have already started fighting in a different setting. Even here, when their eyes meet unintentionally, they can feel the naked hostility in each other's eyes!

Ding Ding Ding!

Just as Sirius finished being lectured by Professor McGonagall, Dumbledore tapped his glass with a silver spoon. As the noise in the Great Hall gradually subsided, Dumbledore responded with a smile to the hundreds of shining eyes.

"Please allow me to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor—"

Dumbledore winked playfully and said cheerfully,

"But I think you're already quite familiar with him, aren't you?"

Chapter 365 New Course

2023-07-05

The three young wizards from Slytherin House who were injured in the previous series of events have recovered and been discharged from the hospital. The beloved Headmaster Dumbledore and the recently rising Professor Blaine have also returned to their respective posts. Most importantly, Sirius Black, who has been the focus of attention for nearly a year, has actually become the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts.

The young wizards hadn't been this excited in a long time, with so many significant changes happening in one night.

Even though their stomachs were already stuffed with all sorts of delicious food, the young wizards lingered in the Great Hall, unwilling to leave. They watched with longing as Professor Black, who was chatting with professors of other courses at the faculty table, his smile never fading all night, discussed the upcoming Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

There are many points to discuss on this topic.

For example, would Professor Black teach them the magical escape from Azkaban? For example, how does Professor Black's teaching level compare to that of Professor Lupin and Professor Blaine? For example, Professor Black is Harry's godfather, so he certainly wouldn't turn a blind eye to the unfair treatment Harry suffered in Potions class, right? So what would he do?

Drag Professor Snape out of the basement and give him a good beating?

Because of these things, the young wizards were arguing fiercely. Ron had a lot of confidence in Sirius. He swore that Sirius would definitely shove the old bat's head into the Black Lake to give Harry a good wash, even though he had personally witnessed how Snape had chopped those werewolves into pieces in the Forbidden Forest.

Harry spent the entire evening facing the faculty and staff dining table, his gaze constantly lingering on Dumbledore, Professor Blaine, and Sirius. An unprecedented sense of security filled his heart, making him incredibly happy. Even though he knew that Sirius was unlikely to be able to get Snape to wash his hair in the Black Lake, he was still amused by Ron's description.

New colleagues deserve more attention.

Sirius Black is charming everyone at the faculty and staff dinner table, while Amosta is discussing something important with Dumbledore.

"--First and second year wizards are still in the foundational stage, so I don't plan to involve them for now. Starting from the third year is a more suitable approach, perhaps the third and fourth year. Students above that level need to face the OWLS and NEWTS exams, which will take up a lot of their energy. Of course, once it becomes a regular practice, older, talented wizards will be admitted to my advanced classes based on their individual wishes."

Amostella explained her plans, but strangely, Dumbledore, who was listening attentively, looked very serious.

“Do you think this is necessary, Amosta? My opinion is that it should be organized in the form of a club, such as Minerva’s Transfiguration Club or Severus’ Potions Club—this approach has a long history at Hogwarts and is more readily accepted—”

Amosta fell silent, looking down at the jubilant Great Hall, at the smiling, youthful faces. After a long pause, he continued to patiently persuade Dumbledore.

“That’s necessary, Headmaster Dumbledore. Hogwarts needs to teach them some real skills, to truly teach them how to protect themselves. As times change, magic is becoming more geared towards serving daily life, that’s true, but some ancient arts are far from being abandoned.”

Snape left the Great Hall halfway through the dinner, and Amosta, after persuading Dumbledore to accept his new lessons, glanced at Sirius, who was enjoying himself, and also quietly left the table.

As soon as I stepped out of the auditorium, the noise faded away, and the whole world fell silent.

Amosta didn't rush back to his office. He walked up a few floors up the spiral staircase, and then wandered aimlessly down the quiet corridor, which was filled with an ancient and mysterious atmosphere.

The torches hanging on the stone walls of the corridor shone in the bright moonlight, and a comfortable evening breeze wafted among the rows of Hogwarts buildings. At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Hagrid, who had returned to his cabin earlier to take care of Tooth, had already lit the candles in the cabin, and Hogwarts returned to its usual peace and tranquility.

Perhaps because he was used to the peaceful atmosphere of Hogwarts, Amosta, who had been preoccupied with worldly affairs recently, thoroughly enjoyed this hard-won tranquility.

Amos had been pondering what he had discussed with Dumbledore in the Great Hall for some time, and it was Draco's request when he saw him in the hospital that made Amos decide to push his plan forward, even though he was still somewhat hesitant.

The magical world has been peaceful for a long time, and most wizards born and raised there, apart from being skilled in magic related to their work, have abandoned any offensive techniques.

Amosta had been in close contact with the Ministry of Magic during this period, and he saw very clearly that the Ministry of Magic, which nominally governs all wizards and has hundreds of employees, could only play a very limited role in the conflict, aside from having a righteous cause.

Think about it: within the Ministry of Magic, the only armed force that can truly be considered is the dozen or so Aurors in the Auror Office under Rufus Scrimgeour's leadership. And according to the ancient wizarding classification, these Aurors are only regular wizards, with only two or three of them even remotely qualifying as court wizards.

With such weak military force maintaining peace in the wizarding world, Amostall can only say that the fact that the British wizarding world hasn't experienced any major chaos so far is entirely due to Dumbledore, this old man who's practically half-buried.

However, luck will not always favor the wizards living on this land; they will eventually encounter problems they do not want to face but have no choice but to confront.

Not only was Dumbledore cautious about training the young wizards' skills, but even Amosta, who was pushing for it within the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts, was hesitant.

Indeed, on the surface, training young wizards in the military might seem to enhance their self-defense capabilities. However, giving them back the means of killing and warfare also means pushing them towards killing and war.