The Return to Hogwarts

Professor McGonagall waved to them, and before the three could reply, she turned and led the way. The curious young wizards, under her serious expression, all fled in panic and squeezed into the Great Hall for dinner.

Have we gotten ourselves into trouble lately?

Harry had no choice but to follow Professor McGonagall, nervously asking Hermione, who was reluctant to talk to him, as they walked. Before Hermione could reply, Fleur, who had been left out, suddenly called out to him.

Hey, Harry!

Turning around, Harry saw Fleur still smiling at him, but for some reason, her smile wasn't as intimate as before; instead, it carried a hint of...gritting teeth.

"When you see Blaine, why don't you tell him that we're already dance partners, okay?"

Chapter 693 Professor McGonagall's Sense of Honor

2024-01-15

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance, and they could easily tell that Hermione had inexplicably lost her temper again.

Professors Dumbledore and Blaine had been away from the school for several days, and upon their return, they were suddenly summoned to the headmaster's office in twos and threes, with Professor McGonagall sending a message for them to come over. The reason for this was hard not to be curious.

As Harry climbed the stairs, he thought back carefully and realized that they had indeed been behaving quite well recently and hadn't broken any school rules.

Oh, of course, we have to exclude the duel with Malfoy. But Professor Blaine certainly wouldn't call them over for that. If he wanted to get himself kicked out of gym class, then Professor McGonagall should call Malfoy too. Besides, Professor Blaine could punish them as he saw fit; there was no need to involve Professor Dumbledore.

Unless, it's related to what happened in the kitchen that night.

At the end of that night, Professor Blaine instructed them not to reveal their amazing experience to anyone else, but he also emphasized one exception: if Dumbledore asked him directly.

Professor McGonagall was still leading the way, so they couldn't have a proper discussion. Harry quickly walked over to Hermione and winked at her, but Hermione ignored him and instead walked over to Professor McGonagall as well.

"Professor McGonagall, when did Professor Dumbledore and Professor Blaine return?"

“Just a few hours ago, Miss Granger—”

Professor McGonagall's strides were small, but her pace was so fast that the three little ones had to jog to keep up with her.

Seemingly realizing what her three troublemakers were worried about, Professor McGonagall glanced at Hermione.

"I don't know why Albus and Amostella came to you. I asked, but they both refused to say—"

Speaking of this, Professor McGonagall's expression darkened slightly, her self-talk tinged with displeasure.

“Oh, it’s always like this. You rarely see him. Even when he’s at school, he’s always in his office and doesn’t want to go out. You can send a note and not get a reply for a week. Amosta wasn’t like this when he first came to the school. Now he’s just like Albus, completely indifferent to the school and doesn’t care about the Christmas party. Speaking of the party, Miss Granger—”

Professor McGonagall paused in her tracks.

"I'm sure you haven't forgotten that, as a warrior, you and your dance partner were supposed to lead the dance for everyone at the start of the banquet, right?"

A blush crept onto Hermione's cheeks, while Ron, walking behind her and alongside Harry, shrank back guiltily.

“I remember, Professor McGonagall—” Hermione responded in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.

“Very good—” Professor McGonagall nodded in satisfaction. “Who is your dance partner? Is it a boy from Hogwarts?”

“Yes, Professor—” Hermione bit her lip, “I plan to go with Ron.”

"Oh!"

Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows in surprise. She glanced at Ron, who had shrank even further, and then smiled slightly at him.

“Two Gryffindor students, very good, Miss Granger. I look forward to seeing your excellent performance, but I must also remind you both to always be mindful of your image. If you make a fool of yourselves and bring shame to Gryffindor, I will be very angry.”

Compared to her usual classroom manner, Professor McGonagall wasn't speaking as harshly, but her warning still made Ron tremble several times.

"And you, Mr. Potter?"

Professor McGonagall turned her head and continued walking forward, casually asking,

"I hope the Gryffindor academy will present a friendly and courteous image to our guests. If you don't yet have a dance partner, perhaps you could try inviting the ladies from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to join you—"

Harry followed Ron's example and shrank back. Even now, he still felt that what had just happened in the foyer was a little unreal.

Harry sincerely hoped Hermione wouldn't tell Professor McGonagall, but Hermione gave him a look of 'disappointment'. He still couldn't figure out what he had done to anger Hermione. Was it simply because Hermione disliked Fleur and was therefore unhappy to see him accept Fleur's invitation?

In short, Hermione answered the question for him in her dry voice.

“Harry has already accepted the invitation, Professor McGonagall, it's Fleur Delacour—”

"Who?"

Professor McGonagall stumbled, and asked in surprise, then stopped again, glancing quickly at the two timid boys before adding in a surprised voice, "..."

"The warrior of Beauxbatons, did she invite you, Mr. Potter?"

Well---

Harry gave an awkward laugh.

"Yes, that's right, Professor. Just now in the foyer—"

Professor McGonagall paused, then realized what had caused the commotion in the foyer. Her gaze swept over Harry, Hermione, and Ron before finally returning to Harry, her smile becoming much more genuine.

“Very good, Mr. Potter. I think you have made the warriors of Durmstrang feel the warmth and hospitality of Hogwarts!”

Professor McGonagall was far more excited; she strode over with great enthusiasm, muttering something that made Harry, the other two, both somewhat amused and exasperated.

"Alright, that means we'll have three Gryffindor students at the start of the ball."

Aside from Harry, Hermione and Ron were visiting Professor Dumbledore's office for the first time. Although Harry had described what Dumbledore's office looked like, as they got closer, nervousness returned to the three of them, and they couldn't help but wonder why Professor Dumbledore and Professor Blaine had summoned them.

Go then-

After Professor McGonagall gave the two frightening stone monsters a command, a wooden door appeared in the three people's sight. Professor McGonagall gave them an encouraging smile.

“Albus and Amostella wouldn’t be looking for you because of something bad, otherwise they would have told me—”

After saying that, she left on her own. As they watched Professor McGonagall's retreating figure, they could still hear him excitedly muttering, "I'm going to tell Philius and Pomona about this."

squeak-

With a crisp sound, Hermione, Harry, and Ron entered the mysterious headmaster's office one after another.

For a young wizard, the words 'Headmaster's Office' carried an inherent sense of authority and solemnity. Upon entering, Harry stood obediently behind the door, his curiosity tempered but his gaze not daring to wander.

"Ah, come here quickly--"

Harry and his two companions only dared to take a step when Professor Blaine's gentle voice came from the innermost part of the rotunda.

Harry, Meghan, and Harry walked very cautiously over the short distance of a few dozen feet. Although Professor McGonagall had offered words of comfort, not knowing the truth, the three of them tried their best to behave well.

Harry resisted the urge to greet Fawkes, who had once saved his life, and Hermione didn't even glance at the jingling silverware. Ron, however, was momentarily distracted by a framed picture on the wall of an old wizard with white hair and beard excitedly reciting, "Redhead, a descendant of the Weasley family!"

"Professor Dumbledore, Professor Blaine—"

Professor Dumbledore sat in his seat, giving them a gentle smile, and Professor Blaine wore a similar expression. This eased some of the tension in Harry and his friends' hearts, allowing them to focus on other things—

For example, both of the remarkable wizards looked travel-worn, as if they had come from a long journey. And then there was the wide, flat, hollow stone basin in the center of the slender-legged desk, its rim carved with mysterious Saxon runes. Inside was a wondrous substance—like liquid and gas, it resembled a bright piece of silver, yet it was constantly flowing, like ripples on water in a gentle breeze, or drifting away like clouds.

"I apologize for calling you here during this pleasant dinner time--"

Amosta said with a smile

"There are some things that Professor Dumbledore and I believe it's necessary to confirm with you personally—"

Chapter 694 Review

2024-01-15

“I think we don’t need to be so formal, do we? This isn’t the Wizengamot courtroom—”

Looking at the three little ones who were silent as cicadas in fear, Amosta chuckled softly.

"Unless, while the three of you were away from the school, you did something 'big' again?"

Harry's face turned pale instantly, and his body trembled slightly. He didn't dare to meet Professor Blaine's gaze at all. Even Ron and Hermione moved their shoulders uncomfortably.

Although the three of them tried their best to conceal their unusual behavior, their self-incriminating behavior was still too glaring in front of Dumbledore and Amosta. Dumbledore's beard swayed, and his expression was slightly helpless. Even Amosta sighed inwardly.

Never expect these three little guys to behave themselves.

"Let's sit down first."

As long as Harry and his friends didn't blow up the school, everything else could wait. Amostella pulled out his wand and waved it, and three thin-legged stools appeared from the twists behind Harry and his friends.

“As Professor Blaine said, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, we want to know something, and the truth is very likely hidden in something that happened in the past. Of all the people who experienced it, you are the only ones in the school who were there firsthand. So, Professor Blaine and I have to sacrifice your pleasant dinner time—”

Dumbledore spoke gently, and Harry, facing the smiling Dumbledore, seemed momentarily dazed.

Before or during the second semester of his second year, Headmaster Dumbledore was undoubtedly the wizard he admired most. However, the fact is that after Professor Blaine came to Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore's presence became much weaker, and he basically stopped communicating with him alone.

Of course, Professor Dumbledore remains one of Harry's most revered wizards. He will never forget that in their first year, if it weren't for Dumbledore's extraordinary wisdom and strategic planning, Nicolas Flamel's Philosopher's Stone might have fallen into Quirrell's hands, who was being controlled by Voldemort.

Neither Dumbledore nor Amosta expected Harry, Harry, and the others to be able to speak fluently when facing them at the same time, so Amosta simply asked,

"I think you all remember it vividly, it was that night of the Quidditch final this summer, but I'm not referring to the part where the riots happened, I'm referring to what happened after everything was over."

After everything is over?

Harry blinked, a little confused, but Hermione quickly grasped the idea and, out of instinct, timidly raised her hand.

"If you mean after you left Sirius's tent, we went to the Quidditch stadium to look for Harry's wand and encountered the Dark Mark!"

Hermione's expression immediately turned expectant.

"You, oh and Professor Dumbledore, are you planning to clear Gilgamesh's name?"