The Return to Hogwarts

"That's the feeling!" Ron clenched his fist and clenched it hard. "I've been looking forward to this day ever since I entered Hogwarts!"

"For the first time, I'm hoping Malfoy will show some backbone!"

Harry also said with schadenfreude.

Hermione glared at him fiercely. In her opinion, a qualified professor needs to maintain a certain degree of impartiality and cannot openly favor students from a particular college. Most professors do this very well, and Professor McGonagall is a prime example. However, Hermione pursed her lips, a slight smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.

I have to say, it feels pretty good to be favored.

In previous Potions classes, whenever Harry was used as an example by Snape, Malfoy would always mock Harry's incompetence and weakness. But when it came to his own turn, Malfoy realized that going head-to-head with a strong-willed professor was not so easy.

Sirius gave a disdainful snort, then turned and went back to Hermione's side.

“That was a wonderful return, Hermione—”

Sirius said with a smile

"So, could you tell us where you saw these?"

"Newt Scamander's second revised edition of *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them* includes a story about his trip to Africa. It mentions a creature called the Witch-Woof Bird—"

Hermione immediately said,

"When Professor Binns told us about the history of medieval magic, he also mentioned some stories about the eccentric Yurik and the villain Morric!"

"Wow, that's amazing!"

Sirius clapped his hands in admiration.

“Professor Binns’ history of magic? I never expected that—I bet Hermione, you’re probably one of the few young wizards in this classroom who can stay awake in Professor Binns’ class!”

“In fact—” Ron muttered again, “it’s the only one!”

Sirius glanced at Ron with amusement and said loudly,

“Gryffindor gets a perfect score of ten without any controversy. Oh, Hermione, I really think you should be the one to teach this subject. You must know how to deal with such pretty little creatures!”

Sirius Black's Defense Against the Dark Arts class was a paradise for Gryffindor wizards. Even Neville, who was often used as a failure by professors in other classes, mustered up the courage to answer a few questions.

Malfoy was eventually carried out of Sirius's class after he tried to secretly remove Harry's earmuffs with a spell while Harry was dealing with the Wicked Bird. Sirius angrily cast a Petrify Charm on him, making him stand for most of the class.

"Just carry him out like this!"

When the school bell rang, Sirius glared fiercely at Crabbe and Goyle, who were cowering and trying to wake Draco, and said sternly,

"Bring this to Snape! How dare he cause trouble in my class! I'd like to see what Snape has to say!"

He then raised an eyebrow at Harry and the others, and strode out of the classroom.

"Sirius was far too impulsive; this is only his first week of taking the course. Snape's classroom certainly won't let this go so easily—"

Hermione frowned and said uneasily,

“Harry, we need to find a way to curse him so that he clashes with Snape.”

"Are you crazy, Hermione?"

Ron said in surprise,

“哈利巴不得看见斯内普被小天狼星胖揍一顿是不是？”

"Compared to Snape's attitude towards the Gryffindor wizards in Potions class, Sirius was already quite mild!"

Harry nodded in agreement and said without any politeness.

"That's not the same thing, Harry!"

Gryffindors also have Transfiguration class with Hufflepuff in the morning, and they wouldn't dare miss Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class just to watch Malfoy's antics.

Hermione said worriedly as she jogged along.

"You haven't forgotten how much trouble that hippogriff caused Hagrid, have you? If Malfoy's father knew that Sirius treated Malfoy like this, he certainly wouldn't let it go."

"But Lucius Malfoy can't find anything wrong with Sirius—"

Ron immediately refuted this,

"The Ministry of Magic has already declared Sirius Black innocent to the entire wizarding world. Those high-ranking officials won't make themselves a laughingstock over a few Galleons!"

Hermione's observation did indeed worry Harry a little, especially since he didn't see Malfoy at the Slytherin table at lunchtime, nor were Sirius Black or Snape at the faculty table, and Professor Blaine wasn't in his usual seat either.

Just then, a strange noise came from the foyer. The young wizards, attracted by the commotion, rushed over and found that Filch had tumbled down the stairs. Many of the young wizards did not realize the seriousness of the situation and were amused by the comical Filch. But Harry suddenly had a premonition that something had happened.

Filch's face was as pale as it had been that night more than a year ago when he discovered Mrs. Lorris had been petrified by the basilisk, looking horribly ugly.

"They started fighting!"

Filch scrambled to his feet, not bothering to tidy himself up, and shouted at Dumbledore, who was already watching the commotion from the front of the Great Hall.

"Professor Black and Professor Snape!"

Chapter 369 Confrontation

2023-07-06

When Filch roared those words in a slightly desperate tone, the noisy auditorium fell silent in a very short time.

Filch had probably never received such attention in his life. Hundreds of young wizards in the entire hall were staring at him, and even the professors at the faculty dining table were staring at him in disbelief.

“I—I thought you would foresee this scene, Principal—”

Filch's cheeks flushed red as he stammered.

Such a scene was rarely seen in the Great Hall. Filch's voice when he spoke again was like a spell to restore his voice. In an instant, the huge Great Hall was filled with noise ten times louder than before. One after another, the young wizards on the four long tables of the academy stood up, and the sound of tables and chairs being overturned was like someone was trying to demolish a house!

"I told you, Harry!"

Hermione's excited voice was barely audible amidst the commotion as she shouted at Harry.

"This is just great!"

"He actually did it—"

Ron's bewildered and shocked expression was quite amusing even among the astonished young wizards. He opened his mouth and said in a daze.

Ron's words reminded Harry, who jumped up on the spot, ignoring Hermione's anger, and turned to run upstairs, but—

boom!

Like a bomb exploding, a tremendous roar suddenly erupted in the auditorium, leaving everyone frozen in place.

"I hope you can continue enjoying your lunch quietly in the auditorium. Of course, I also do not object to students who have already filled their stomachs returning to the lounge for a good rest before the start of the pleasant afternoon classes. As for the trouble upstairs, I hope you can fully trust me to handle it."

Dumbledore stood up from his chair. Although his words were not harsh, his tone was commanding. The young wizards rarely saw their usually kind and gentle headmaster speak to them in such a tone.

Thank you for your support!

Having confirmed that the situation was under control, Dumbledore nodded to the young wizards, then turned to Professor McGonagall, who looked somewhat panicked, with a calm expression, as if the two people fighting upstairs were two portraits in a painting.

"Could you please keep order here, Minerva? I'm afraid I need to go upstairs and check—"

"Oh—upstairs, yes, Albus!"

Professor McGonagall grabbed Dumbledore, who was about to head towards the foyer, a worried glint in her eyes.

"You're sure you can control the situation, Albus?"

“Ah, of course—” Dumbledore said with a smile.

"I'll be back to enjoy my pudding later, and it would be such a disservice to those little elf friends who work so hard to fill our stomachs if I wasted food."

Dumbledore's sleeve slipped from Professor McGonagall's hand, which had loosened in exhaustion. Everyone's gaze fell on Dumbledore's aged face, which remained expressionless. As Dumbledore reached the foyer, he turned and glanced at Harry, his gaze like a bucket of cold water poured over Harry's head, instantly calming the blood rushing to his head.

Harry was certain that Dumbledore's look was a warning, a warning not to complicate matters further.

Under the repeated calls from Professor McGonagall, Flitwick, and Professor Sprout, the young wizards reluctantly returned to their dining positions, but the atmosphere in the Great Hall became as heavy as lead and mercury.

Since its founding, Hogwarts has never seen two professors fight each other on campus.

"Why won't he let me go up!"

Harry had never been so angry with Dumbledore. Sirius needed support the most at this moment, but Dumbledore wouldn't let him go upstairs.

“We all know that Sirius Black and Professor Snape don’t get along, and their feud has a long history,” Hermione said calmly. “Dumbledore knows very well that you going up there will only exacerbate their conflict.”

Harry wasn't unaware of what Hermione was saying. He knew that Sirius's fight with Snape wouldn't be unrelated to him, but precisely because of this, he couldn't turn a blind eye. His classmates obviously knew this too; many eyes were on him, and they were whispering among themselves.

This was especially unbearable for Harry, as if everyone was accusing him of being a coward.

"They're on the fourth floor, at the entrance of the school clinic, Mr. Principal!"

When Dumbledore jumped over a suddenly collapsed staircase to reach the second floor, the famous Adolphe Wolflin, author of *The Principia Magica*, was excitedly pointing the way to Dumbledore in his own frame. Wolflin was often furious at being woken up by Gryffindor wizards who roamed around at night.

"Thank you, Mr. Wolfling, I think I'll find them—"

At this moment, Dumbledore's expression turned stern as he hurried past a group of portraits who were eagerly reporting to him.

Boom!

As Dumbledore reached the fourth floor, a deafening explosion, accompanied by thick smoke, surged towards him from the other end of the corridor like an avalanche. However, before the dust had even crossed half the corridor, it was blocked by a magical barrier, leaving the people behind it unharmed.

Amosta leaned against the stone wall. Earlier that morning, because he needed to continue compiling his teaching syllabus and an upcoming announcement, he hadn't come to the auditorium for lunch. Instead, he had the kitchen sprites bring his food to his office. Now, he held a plate in his left hand and a sandwich in his right, watching the duel with great interest while enjoying his meal.

Beside Amostrath were a frightened Malfoy and an angry Madam Pomfrey with her hair flying everywhere, as well as several young wizards who were staying in the school hospital for various ailments.

Upon seeing Amostella, Dumbledore's imposing presence immediately receded, and he strode over until he was behind them.