Hogwarts' Golden Glory

As Kane descended the last step, he heard a very faint sound behind him, as if the air in the corner of the wall was being pushed, but he did not turn around.

By the next morning, the news had spread throughout the castle.

The first part that spread was relatively simple: someone saw Kane Malfoy, Dumbledore, and the rarely seen Professor Alder walking out of the direction of the headmaster's office late at night. All three were dressed casually, without any books, as if they had just finished an informal meeting.

Then the details started to become more specific: some people said that when they saw them come out, Kane had the kind of expression you only see after finishing training, as if he had accomplished something that required concentration.

Then, someone added a new detail: Lady Grey told a Ravenclaw student at breakfast that she had seen Kane and Dumbledore walking together the previous night, both with steady steps. The Ravenclaw student then told the person next to him about this while eating breakfast.

Someone at the Hufflepuff table nearby overheard his words, which then traveled further afield: "When he came out of the principal's office last night, his steps were indeed very steady, unlike the typical student who would rush to leave after being caught red-handed."

"He was given special treatment."

"Special tutoring? Dumbledore personally giving him lessons?"

"It might be tutoring, or it might be more than just tutoring. Professor Alder hasn't been to Hogwarts for a long time; did he come back just for this?"

"That was a course specifically designed for him."

"Do you think his previous achievements might have involved some private guidance from Dumbledore?"

Someone was poking at the potato pancakes on a plate with a fork, stating as if it were a confirmed fact: "Judging from his grades, he definitely needs extra time to preview content beyond the regular modules."

"Furthermore, he has already completed a large amount of material beyond the standard modules at Hogwarts, so it is reasonable for him to need higher-level guidance."

"So what exactly did he learn last night?"

"I don't know. But someone who can be personally trained by Dumbledore shouldn't have only learned some basics."

At the Gryffindor table, Harry was spreading jam on a slice of bread. Ron sat opposite him, holding a glass of pumpkin juice, his gaze fixed on the Slytherin table. "You said Kane was called in for extra lessons by Dumbledore last night? Was it one-on-one tutoring in the headmaster's office?"

"It seems so," Harry said. "And Professor Alder was there too; I don't recall him being around much."

"So Dumbledore and Professor Alder tutored him together? Two professors teaching one student at the same time?"

"It might involve teaching some courses that go beyond the conventional scope."

"Two professors teaching one person together?"

"That should be it."

Neville was also looking in that direction, but after a while he looked away, then lowered his head and poked at the tomatoes on his plate with his fork: "Kane does get called away alone quite often, and I wasn't sure what he was doing before. But it looks like he's definitely in class."

Ron put down the pumpkin juice, the bottom of the glass hitting the table with a slightly louder sound than usual. "If it's just extra lessons, why in the middle of the night?" Harry placed a slice of bread on the plate, as if confirming the meaning of the sentence in his own way. "Maybe some lessons can't be held during the day."

At the Ravenclaw table, people were discussing Professor Alder's previous attendance record: "Professor Alder had been missing many classes in a row, and then suddenly showed up just to give Kane this one-on-one tutoring? He's never tutored any student individually before, so why this time?"

"Perhaps Kane has made progress in some area and needs special guidance," someone nearby said. "Otherwise, Dumbledore wouldn't have been here at the same time."

"His course progress is already ahead of schedule, so he needs extra time to catch up on more in-depth content."

"In other words, tutoring did indeed take place, and it was conducted privately at night."

"That certainly qualifies as special treatment. And with the principal and Professor Older both present, the level of treatment is definitely beyond the norm."

At the Hufflepuff table, people were discussing whether this extra tutoring session was part of the regular curriculum. "He does often appear near the teachers' offices. Quite a few people have said he frequently goes in and out of professors' offices with books, so this time, his late-night departure from the headmaster's office, while seemingly for extra tutoring, is consistent with his usual activity pattern."

"But Professor Old was also there. That professor rarely participates in any extra teaching arrangements, nor does he have a tradition of meeting with students individually. His presence alone indicates that this meeting was of a high caliber."

"That's a type of tutoring, and it's indeed a rather uncommon form of tutoring."

"Whatever it was, he did often linger in the professors' offices after class."

At the Slytherin table, Pansy turned to Draco and said, "Your brother was kept behind for extra lessons by Dumbledore and Professor Ald last night? He didn't tell you beforehand?"

"He didn't say that," Draco said, "but I didn't ask either."

"Do you know what he supplemented?"

"I don't know, but a course that can be taught by both Dumbledore and Professor Alder must be beyond the ordinary. It might be in-depth training in a certain direction."

"His course progress is indeed faster than others."

"Yes, it is indeed faster than others."

At the teachers' table, Professor McGonagall was cutting a piece of bacon when she heard someone mention it. She put down her knife and fork and said, "If Professor Alder and Headmaster Dumbledore are both present, it certainly isn't a regular tutoring session, nor is it ordinary extracurricular instruction."

The person next to her didn't respond, but was clearly reserving space for this message in their own way.

In the second-floor corridor of the castle, a ghost polishing armor said to another ghost, "It seems Kane is going to be the headmaster's successor. After all, this is the first time I've seen the headmaster giving extra lessons so late at night!"

Before the other ghost could answer, a passing student overheard it and passed it on to the next location.

At lunchtime, someone at the long table in Beauxbatons was saying, "Kane Malfoy is going to be the headmaster of Hogwarts."

Hibiscus put down her fork without looking up: "How did you know?"

Everyone's talking about it.

The person next to her said, "They said that when they came out of the principal's office, they were seen by several ghosts. They could see them walking together even through the walls. The three of them were evenly spaced, as if they had been walking side by side for a while."

Fleur's gaze fell on Kane's back at the Slytherin table not far away, then she looked away: "I wouldn't be surprised if he became Minister of Magic."