The Return to Hogwarts

“But so what—” Harry still didn’t understand. “He’s still alive, that’s something a lot of people know.”

Knowing something doesn't mean you're willing to face it—

Amosta said calmly.

"Everyone believes that although Voldemort is not dead, he has been completely defeated by you and is hiding in some dark corner abroad, never daring to return to this country. If they knew that Voldemort is not as weak as they thought, and that one day he might regain his magic and resume his activities in this country, the people would panic. The Ministry of Magic is also made up of ordinary wizards, and they would not be able to accept it either—I think you know how afraid the wizards are of that person, except for a limited number of people, right?"

Harry fell silent; how could he not know?

He still remembers the night of his birthday during the summer vacation when he was eleven years old, when Hagrid found him and told him that he was actually a wizard, and how terrified he was when Hagrid was forced to say the words 'Voldemort' to him that night.

One person's panic may not cause much, but the panic of the vast majority of people is definitely a big problem.

“You may think that lying to the public is a shameful act, but the consequences of telling the truth and causing panic that leads to the collapse of social order are far more serious.”

Young wizards at this age are often idealistic and have a kind of fastidiousness.

"Lies are not always shameful—"

Amosta spoke patiently, but Hermione and Harry didn't understand the next sentence.

"Before we have to accept all of this --"

Although he has known Hermione for more than three years, Harry still sometimes gets annoyed by her stubbornness.

After leaving Professor Blaine's office, he was eager to return to his dormitory to discuss the answers to the questions from tonight with Ron, but Hermione stubbornly dragged him to the Quidditch pitch, turning it into today's morning exercise. When they returned to the castle, the Great Hall was empty.

"If I were you, I wouldn't be wandering around the playground in the dark—"

In the foyer, Harry and Hermione ran into Professor Moody, who had clearly seen them running on the playground. Professor Moody didn't seem angry or ashamed at losing to Professor Blaine in front of so many young wizards; his emotions were much more stable than before, though his asymmetrical eyes still darted around in their sockets.

"Someone may be lurking in the darkness, watching you, ready to steal your livers!"

Harry looked a little embarrassed; he wasn't sure if Professor Moody was joking with them.

“This is something we must complete every day, Professor Moody—”

Hermione said timidly, the image of Mad-Eye Moody a bit too much for her, "We were planning to eat early, but Professor Blaine just called us."

Hermione immediately shut up. She suddenly realized that it might not be appropriate to mention Professor Blaine in front of Professor Moody.

"Ah, Blaine!" Professor Moody stared at Harry with his Magic Eye and asked with great interest, "What did he talk to you about?"

Even without Hermione's secret reminder, Harry wouldn't reveal his conversation with Professor Blaine. He thought Professor Moody would be unhappy, but to his surprise, he nodded in satisfaction.

"That's right, Potter, secrets should be kept to yourself!"

Professor Moody turned to leave, but before stepping onto the stairs, he suddenly shouted.

"Stay vigilant at all times!"

"It's not surprising that he's called—Mad-Eye Moody, is it?"

Once Professor Moody had disappeared from their sight, Harry, still shaken by the last roar, remarked, "He did seem a bit crazy."

"Professor Moody just visited the Forbidden Forest—"

Hermione didn't agree with Harry. Looking up at the stairs thoughtfully, she said, "But what's he doing there? Hagrid is always in charge of patrolling the Forbidden Forest—"

"How did you know?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Didn't you see, Harry, his feet have leaves stuck to them—"

Hermione said in a tone that made it obvious.

"Those leaves only grow in the Forbidden Forest!"

Chapter 511 Practical Tips

2023-10-02

As is a long-standing Hogwarts tradition, after the Sorting Ceremony, each of the four houses welcomes new students in its own way. Slytherin freshmen will engage in duels to determine who has the most authority in their class.

Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff each have their own unique ways of welcoming new students, while Gryffindor's simplest and most direct method is to hold a banquet.

Perhaps because Percy, the meticulous student council president, was absent, Harry and Hermione found that when they returned to the common room, Fred and George had brought out another pile of food from the kitchen, and the ribbons hanging from the chandeliers on the ceiling had not been taken down, indicating that the feast that had taken place there the previous night was still going on.

Harry spotted Ron in the noisy crowd. Ron hadn't joined the party; instead, he and his two brothers were sitting on a round coffee table, talking seriously about something.

"Shall we go over there, Harry?" Hermione had obviously seen Ron too, and she asked softly.

"I'm going back to my dorm to write a letter to Sirius."

Harry hesitated for a moment, shook his head, and then walked towards the spiral staircase leading to the boys' dormitory.

After watching Harry's figure disappear around the corner of the stairs, Hermione looked away, pursed her lips, and sighed softly. She could tell that Harry's mood wasn't very high. This wasn't because Sirius had joined the Ministry of Magic without telling him, but more because Professor Blaine had once again revealed some 'truths about the world' to them that night.

This had a certain emotional impact on Harry.

In fact, not only Harry, but her own worldview was also impacted by Professor Blaine's statement that 'stability is more important than truth'.

Hermione didn't entirely agree with Professor Blaine's remarks, but putting aside right and wrong, Professor Blaine was the only professor, besides teaching magical skills, who was willing to talk to his students about real life and the magical world. At least for this, Hermione found it particularly valuable.

"Oh, you're back?" Ginny saw Hermione walking towards her, her eyes darting around Hermione from all sides, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"Harry went back to his dormitory to write a letter to Sirius."

Hermione tossed her tousled curls and answered the question Ginny hadn't asked. Then, she noticed Neville, who was with Ginny, was also looking at her curiously, his expression turning slightly serious.

"Professor Blaine thinks our training progress is a bit slow, Neville."

That one sentence terrified Neville, and he said with a mournful face,

"Professor Blaine said that, what... what is he going to do? Will we be expelled, Hermione? Does he mean he won't let us attend classes anymore?"

No, not at all.

Hermione crossed her arms and said in a serious tone, "But he thinks we can't waste all our time on this training. He told me that we'll be teaching something new in this course."

"What could it be?" Ginny asked with great interest.

"Oh," Neville said with a disappointed look, "I always thought this training was quite interesting."

The next two days passed uneventfully, with no incidents, except for Neville melting his cauldron during Potions class. This was the sixth cauldron he had melted in the past few years. Snape unceremoniously put Neville in solitary confinement on Wednesday evening. In order not to miss Professor Blaine's evening lecture, Neville did not leave the basement after Potions class that afternoon and did not even eat dinner.

By the time Neville returned, all the students who had participated in the experimental course had arrived.

"What's going on, Navee?"

Seeing Neville looking distraught and on the verge of collapse, Harry asked in surprise,

"What did that old bat Snape ask you to do?"

"A huge bucket of horned toads—"

Neville shakily stretched out his hand, which was already white from being soaked in water, and his fingernails were filled with a lot of brownish, fishy-smelling stuff. Even though the smell of the dung balls wouldn't harm the young wizards participating in the class, the people around him still covered their noses and unconsciously moved away from Neville.

"He made me sort the toad's internal organs and forbade me from using magic!"

Neville's eyes were brimming with tears, and as he spoke, he trembled involuntarily and occasionally felt the urge to vomit.

"Didn't you tell him that Professor Blaine had a class tonight?" Ginny asked angrily.

I didn't dare say it—

Neville gave Hermione a grateful look, as she was using a cleansing charm to help him get rid of the stubborn entrails under his fingernails.

"I'm afraid if I say that, he'll make me cut myself open and then won't allow me to use magic!"

From the moment Neville entered, Malfoy had been watching them with a mocking gaze. Hearing Neville's words, he chuckled. Harry immediately glared at him. Just then, the classroom door clicked open, and Professor Blaine, dressed in a wizard's robe, strode in.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen—

Professor Blaine walked to the front of the four rapidly forming teams, his gaze sweeping over everyone's faces. A summer had passed, and many of them had lost much of their childishness, becoming more composed, and exuding a stronger aura of youth. Seeing these students looking at him with reverence, Amosta felt as if a surge of vitality had been injected into his aging heart.

"I'm glad to see that you all still have the courage to come to this classroom—" Amosta said in a light voice. "Before the formal class begins, I'd like to announce two things. Considering that the training time in previous physical education classes has taken up too much of your homework and rest time, from now on, the time for physical education classes will be reduced to twice a week. The first time will still be on Wednesday evening, and the second time will be scheduled for the fourth period on Friday morning."

"Friday morning?"

Harry exclaimed in surprise.

"But the third and fourth periods on Friday mornings are Potions class?!"

“That’s right—” Professor Blaine said cheerfully, “but after much persuasion, Professor Snape agreed to give me the time for the fourth class. Don’t be too happy yet, Mr. Potter. If you can’t keep up with the Potions class with the reduced class time, then you’ll have to receive one-on-one tutoring from Professor Snape during your break!”

"I'm doomed."

Neville's desperate look made many people laugh.

"Let me tell you the second thing--"

After everyone quieted down, Professor Blaine continued, looking at them.

"Last semester, due to some circumstances, I didn't participate in the later training sessions for this course, but I've gained a general understanding of each of your levels from Miss Granger, and to be honest, I'm not particularly satisfied—"

Professor Blaine remained as gentle and mild-mannered as ever, but everyone unconsciously tensed up.

"--We have already completed some basic training. I think everyone here has already begun to understand the significance of this training, right?"

As soon as Professor Blaine finished speaking, Harry and Hermione nodded vigorously. However, there were even more voices agreeing than expected. Hopkins of Hufflepuff exclaimed excitedly,

"During summer vacation, I played a dueling game with my dad. I've played it before, but I can't last more than a few minutes. Last time, my dad was exhausted but he didn't hit me with a single spell!"

"That's precisely the point of this training: to hone your bodies and reaction speed—"

Professor Blaine gave Hopkins an approving look and said to everyone,