I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 395 Your King is Back!

"Ha—one Sickle at a time," Owen said, glaring at Colin who was leaning closer.

Then strike a powerful and imposing pose.

"No problem," Colin said generously, then directed Ginny to take the picture quickly.

Ginny, on the other hand, seemed completely unmoved by the situation, perhaps because she had just met Irving a few days prior, and therefore did not appear particularly enthusiastic.

Holding the camera, she naturally knew how to operate the machine, being a good friend of Colin and Luna.

After adjusting the focus, I quickly pressed the shutter button.

After taking a quick photo of the two of them, Ginny stepped forward and returned the camera to Colin.

He didn't speak to Irving at all.

They didn't even say hello.

"Oh! That's amazing! I'm going to keep this photo forever. Yeah—I once stood shoulder to shoulder with a legendary wizard!" Colin exclaimed excitedly, holding his camera and examining the film inside.

"What's wrong with her?" Owen turned his head to look at Luna beside him.

Weasley's little girl seems to harbor some resentment towards him!

I haven't offended her, have I?

At least recently.

Hearing Owen's question, Luna blinked and said in a gentle and ethereal voice, "A while ago, Harry, Justin, Ron, and a bunch of other boys broke through the frozen Black Lake and accidentally fell into the water."

"???"

Irving was a little confused.

He could understand Justin falling into the Black Lake; maybe the guy wanted some fresh fish—Hufflepuffs always do that. But what's with Harry and Ron? They went winter fishing too?

--Wait a moment.

I don't care whether they fell into the Black Lake or not, what does that have to do with me?

"How come now even climate change in Scotland is being blamed on me? Have those guys drowned yet?"

"No, everyone's fine," Luna said, staring at Owen.

"Tch—that's a real shame!"

"It's because they broke open the Black Lake," Luna continued. "Harry said they did it because they were afraid the sirens living in the Black Lake wouldn't be able to breathe if the lake froze over."

"Huh?" Owen rubbed his silver hair, a black line appearing on his forehead. What kind of lecherous bastards are these, afraid the siren won't be able to breathe?

Aren't you afraid the fish will drown?

These guys

It must have been Harry Potter who started it all. That guy is definitely obsessed with looks, and with Ron stirring things up, ugh, those two are completely ruined. I suggest switching accounts and starting over.

"But I think that once you come back, they won't even think about going to Black Lake anymore," Luna suddenly said mysteriously.

"That's it—I'll fence off Black Lake tomorrow and charge a fee for anyone wanting to see the Siren!" Owen said arrogantly, tilting his head back.

Then he ran quickly to Hagrid's side.

"Hey Hagrid, long time no see. How are the sirens I've been keeping in the Black Lake doing?"

It was really not easy for him to squeeze through the crowd.

The young wizards around him were already in a panic because of his sudden appearance. They all gathered around him and carefully examined him.

Having spent so much time together at school, they hadn't noticed much change in Owen's appearance. After all, this was Hogwarts, and George and Fred sold all sorts of shape-shifting candies.

If you want seven-colored hair, it's a piece of cake.

But now, after half a year apart, everyone suddenly realized that Irving has changed so much.

It's like a completely different person.

Hagrid thought so too, until Owen approached and that familiar tone rang out again, he realized that the boy in front of him who could put his hair up was probably, perhaps, maybe the Owen from back then. "You've changed a lot," Hagrid said.

"If you hadn't spoken, I would have thought you were a relative of that Koyatl from last year."

"Stop—don't mention this!" Irving said, displeased.

He waved his hand.

The change in his appearance was entirely beyond human control; it had become irreversible after he began frequent contact with the Outer Gods.

And what does it mean to become a girl?

To be precise, his body is moving closer to the perfect form that the human species can achieve.

He has become androgynous.

Both appearance and voice.

Hmm—boys see him as a girl, and girls see him as a boy. It's a bit like appearance reflects reality; in everyone's eyes, you present the image that the other person most expects.

Perhaps—this is the deity!

"Where's my siren?" Owen asked again.

"You mean those sirens?" Hagrid's expression immediately turned displeased at the mention of this.

"How could they not be doing well?" Ever since you had Harry give me that suitcase and I let them settle in the Black Lake, Hogwarts has been in constant turmoil. The boys at the school are like they're under a spell, wanting to be by the lake every single moment.

Professor McGonagall was furious and ordered me to move them away from the Black Lake immediately. Dumbledore, however, found it amusing and allowed them to stay for a while, to observe and see what happened.

Unable to win the argument, Professor McGonagall went to the leaders of the sirens and sternly warned them not to try to seduce the young wizards.

However, the effect wasn't very noticeable.

"So what's bothering you?" Owen asked again.

"Hmph—ever since the Siren moved into the Black Lake, not a single day has passed without the little wizards in my class clamoring to learn the Siren's lessons. They have absolutely no interest in the lessons I prepare."

Upon hearing this, Owen glanced around and noticed that the young wizards were avoiding his eyes, seemingly a little embarrassed.

It seems that what Hagrid said was true.

However—he saw in front of Hagrid's cabin, in a wooden yard, many black and white Jack Russell hounds, each about a foot tall.

No—that's a swallowtail dog.

A magical creature bred by a wizard of xxx level.

It looks very similar to the Jack Russell Terrier, the only difference being that the Swallowtail's tail is forked.

These kinds of dogs—well—how should I put it—most of the species bred by wizards, rather than naturally occurring, are extremely irritable.

They can launch attacks for more than 48 hours without stopping, their energy is terrifying.

The advantage is that these creatures are extremely loyal to wizards, but the disadvantage is that they are very difficult to tame.

Each of the young wizards present carried a thick dragon-skin handbag. Owen had previously thought they were keeping warm, but now he realized they were to protect themselves from the mad swallow-tailed dogs.

Then, Irving looked up at Hagrid.

What I really want to say is that the little wizards don't like your classes, but it doesn't really have much to do with the siren.

However, Owen didn't say it out loud. Well, there were so many little wizards around, let's give Hagrid some face.

"Then tell me about sirens," he continued.

"I'll talk?" Hagrid's eyes widened. "What will I talk about? The sirens?"

He quickly shut his mouth, then looked at Owen with a strange expression. "Alright, you should hurry back to the castle. Professor Sprout has been talking about you for months, and I'm sick of hearing it."

Hagrid waved his large hand, urging Owen to leave as soon as possible.

Irving had a strange smile on his face.

There's really not much to say about Hagrid.

Since the siren is most famous for being inappropriate for children, he couldn't very well talk about that in class.

Although that would definitely be a hit.

To Owen's surprise, Dumbledore actually kept the sirens. He thought the headmaster would definitely drive them away, after all—keeping sirens is harmful, especially since they were a bunch of children.

I really don't know what Old Deng is thinking.

Irving's strange smile deepened.

Hagrid chased him away more frequently.

We absolutely cannot let this kid stay here any longer.

Otherwise—he might actually have had to recount the habits of the sirens today.

Seeing this, Owen didn't linger. He waved goodbye to Luna and left Hagrid's cabin.

I jogged along a narrow path exposed by the snow, a path made by the young wizards going to class.

After walking past the Hogwarts grounds, go uphill for a while, and then to a ridge.

Then we arrived at the covered bridge.

The crooked covered bridge rises and falls unevenly.

These three stone tablets are located on the mountaintop outside the covered bridge. This is the site of a famous scene from Harry Potter. However, it is a pity that because Malfoy in this world is too incompetent and Miss Granger is too domineering, the classic scene did not happen.

After crossing the covered bridge, to Owen's right was Black Lake. In the distance, he could only see a vast expanse of white, devoid of any life.

However, the thought of how lively the place would become next spring made him happy.

After crossing the covered bridge, you will arrive at a courtyard.

There is a magic fountain in the courtyard. It is enchanted so that it can keep the water flowing even in the cold winter and not freeze.

There are also statues of the four founders on the side.

This was made by Kyrie Irving.

There used to be a money box in front of the statue, but unfortunately Professor McGonagall removed it.

As Owen walked through the courtyard and looked up, he saw a familiar wizard standing beneath the enormous pendulum clock.

It's Dumbledore.

He was standing under the pendulum, gazing at him.

It seems they were waiting specifically for me.

"Professor?" When Owen saw Dumbledore again, he felt that he had aged a lot and his face was somewhat gloomy.

He had met Dumbledore in Paris before.

But they didn't have a detailed conversation. Both of them were very busy, and he had just finished treating a patient and was extremely sleepy.

Hermione told Dumbledore everything that had happened those days.

But there were some details she wasn't so clear about.

"You should write a letter before you come back," Dumbledore said calmly.

"Who writes a letter home before going home?" Irving replied with a laugh.

"That's true." The old principal chuckled softly.

"Let's chat," he said, then waved for Irving to join him.

Irving didn't hesitate and quickened his pace to catch up.

The castle was much quieter than last year.

It's not just about the number of people; some details, such as the roots of vines spreading over the railings on both sides of the corridor, indicate that no one has been here for a long time. If people walked around often, the roots wouldn't have spread like this.

Pushing open an oak door, the two people, one big and one small, arrived at the South Wing of Hogwarts. Ahead of them was the tower where the Great Hall was located.

Throughout the journey, Owen did all the talking, and Dumbledore listened.

He began to recount in detail everything that had happened since he left Hogwarts in June until recently.

Dumbledore likely knew most of it; he could piece together a complete picture from what others said, but it was far less detailed and fluent than Owen's overall account.

From the Isle of Giants to Ionia, the Keystone, the Great Vault of the Underground, the core of the World Tree, the Great Vortex of Calibdis, the Tower of Gods, Gods, War, and Muggle Weapons of Mass Destruction.

After waking up from a coma, he met Merlin.

After uncovering High Priest Lavieu's conspiracy, he then opened the Rozier Magic Disability Hospital.

Irving recounted everything in great detail, taking more than an hour to finish.

At this moment, the two had arrived at the principal's office on the eighth floor.

"Your summer has been more spectacular than many people's entire lives," Dumbledore remarked.

Even he couldn't help but show a surprised expression. Only Owen could have escaped unscathed from such a perilous situation; no other wizard could have survived such a calamity.

"Merlin, has he left?"

"Well—the night of the Granger Award ceremony," Irving replied.

"That's astonishing." He had already learned from Hermione that the legendary great wizard Merlin was still alive, but even after more than three months, he was still shocked when he heard it from Owen again.

That was the most powerful wizard in history, according to legend.

"Merlin Ambrose," Owen cleared his throat and continued, "He is the mastermind behind everything—no—that's not quite right either. As the most powerful prophet I've ever seen, he saw almost everything, so calling him the mastermind isn't quite accurate. He himself did not defy the will of Heaven."

He glanced sideways at Dumbledore. "Just like how you secretly plotted against Harry."

"Yes!" Dumbledore sighed softly, his blue eyes, which could see right through people, looked weary behind his crescent-shaped spectacles.

Irving held a cup of milk tea, took a sip, and then put the cup back on the table.

He stretched out of his chair and suddenly said, "Professor."

"If, and I mean if, you were given a chance to go back in time, what would you do? Would you do the same thing as now?"

Upon hearing this, Dumbledore suddenly turned his gaze to Owen, gave him a long look, and then breathed a sigh of relief before getting up from his chair and going to Owen's side.

Patting the boy on the shoulder, Dumbledore said in a distressed and pained voice, "My child, I must confess to you that even I would regret things and try to run away. If I could go back in time, I would probably do everything in my power to save my sister, and as for everything else—maybe—it wouldn't be any different."

"But how could it be different? If your sister hadn't passed away, you and my grandfather wouldn't have parted ways. After years of adventure, you would definitely have joined him in waging war for a greater good."

"Perhaps if you had won the Wizarding War, the world would be completely different now."

Irving spoke, then nodded slightly, "In any case, the familiar world has been turned upside down, so let's just make a mess of it."

"As for what will happen tomorrow, humph—who cares if there's a raging flood."

Irving poured out his heart, while the old headmaster observed his expression closely. He watched as the boy before him gradually hardened his resolve.

His tense brows finally relaxed a little. After experiencing so much, he was afraid that the child in front of him would become depressed.

If Harry were told the whole truth now, would he still have the courage to face the trials and tribulations of the future, or even death?

Dumbledore patted Owen on the shoulder and said sincerely and affectionately, "It seems you've grown up to the point where you don't need my care anymore."

After saying this, the old headmaster looked even older. "Now that Merlin has prepared his plan, you can focus on dealing with the enemies outside the world. As for Voldemort..."

"Leave Voldemort's matter to me as well." Owen suddenly stood up.

A smile finally appeared on her face. "Regarding Senior Tom, I have something I'd like to ask for your opinion on."

He then carefully revealed to Dumbledore a plan he had been harboring in his heart.

"This might introduce some variables, or it might bring new opportunities; it's a mixed bag. It mainly depends on whether your training over the past few years has been effective."

"Um--"

Dumbledore frowned again and paced around the room.

While thinking about this plan.

Irving's plan—well—is bold, extremely bold—but, as he said, its implementation might bring new opportunities and unexpected benefits.

Currently, although there is Snape as a double agent, he has obtained too little information. What Tom is doing and what conspiracies are brewing in the new year are all unknown.

If this plan can be implemented.

"We can give it a try," Dumbledore said after a long silence.

"But you need to make sure you have the initiative in your own hands."

"That's no problem." Owen smiled slightly. "I'll go find Victor and give him some tough stuff. Without ancient magic, even if he discovers it, he won't be able to undo it."

"Okay." The old headmaster nodded, and then Owen immediately got up, walked quickly to Dumbledore's desk, and took something from his desk.

"Take a break, Professor."

As Irving walked toward the oak door, he suddenly turned around and said, "Exemplary professor, exemplary!"

Don't follow Miss Granger's example.

Hearing this, Dumbledore chuckled, leaned against the edge of the table, and nodded.

Then, Irving pushed open the oak door and left the principal's office.

On the other side—

Inside the Great Hall of Hogwarts.

Thousands of candles were casting a faint light.

More light streamed in from the windows behind the main seating area.

The winter sun was a pale, harsh white. Many young wizards looked up at the main seats, but when they saw a witch in pink, they all looked away with disgust.

The auditorium was quiet at this moment, with only very faint sounds around it; an outsider might mistake it for a library.

The four colleges' score funnel outside the auditorium's main gate showed an unusual phenomenon: three colleges had negative scores, while one college had a high score.

Look at the gloomy faces of the young wizards.

It seems they haven't had a very comfortable time in the last three months.

"Harry, please stop provoking her, okay?" Granger was earnestly advising Harry at the Gryffindor table. "It's only been a few days into December, and she's already deducted thirty points from our score."

"I don't care," Harry said smugly. "Nobody cares."

"That's right, Hermione, stop worrying about your House GPA. Justin is already planning to corner that old toad and beat him up. He's acting like a Gryffindor now, and we're the Hufflepuffs," Ron said.

"That's all Owen's fault," Hermione said impatiently. "Hufflepuff's score is fifty points lower than ours now."

"This is a symbol of courage!" Seamus leaned in. "Speaking of which, Hermione, you could easily beat that old toad to a pulp with one hand, why did you have to swallow your pride?"

"She's a professor," Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "She's not a dark wizard. Why would I lay a hand on her?"

Furthermore, the relationship between Barty Crouch and Dumbledore is deteriorating, and the headmaster now needs to focus his energy on the Federation's affairs, so let's not cause him any trouble at this time.

Hermione's words were true.

This year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is a wizard appointed by the Ministry of Magic named Dolores Umbridge.

Sirius Black, Professor Lupin, Professor Moody, and others were all sent to Europe by Dumbledore.

It can be said that the Society of the Phoenix's power in Britain is currently at an all-time low.

Allowing Dolores Umbridge to enter Hogwarts was a compromise on his part. Of course, the old headmaster was also confident that the young wizards of today were not like those of the past, and with the war hero Granger around, it wouldn't be easy for Umbridge to train the young wizards.

After that, he devoted most of his energy to the federation, and even spent less and less time at school.

The International Coalition of Wizards' operations in Africa have faced significant resistance.

After all, identifying the imposter from among a group of powerful figures would inevitably provoke opposition from local elites and instigation from the imposters themselves.

The task force was constantly under attack from the dark wizard, but the results were minimal. Despite having a list of names, capturing them proved extremely difficult, and it felt like the whole world was against them.

It's been three months!

Three months later, they still hadn't finished capturing the four monsters mentioned in Hermione's confession.

Dumbledore is now really angry!

He personally led teams to raid the mansions of the powerful and wealthy on several occasions to arrest people.

As time went on, he constantly thought of asking Gellert to return from North America and put him in charge of the action group.

But—the old headmaster knew very well that if Grindelwald were put in charge of this matter, it would definitely stir up a bloody storm and drag innocent people into it.

He had to do everything himself.

Moody's is currently in charge of this matter, and it seems they are finally seeing some results.

This is also why Dumbledore tolerated Umbridge.

He faced growing opposition from the outside world and needed the support of the British Ministry of Magic, or at least not to become a hindrance.

Barty Crouch was well aware of Dumbledore's current predicament and understood that this year might be the year when Dumbledore's actual influence over British magical society was at its weakest, aside from his reputation. That's why she kept instructing Umbridge to stir up trouble, hoping she could completely oust Dumbledore from Hogwarts, from Britain, and into the Confederation.

Only in this way can he truly secure his position as Minister of Magic.

(End of this chapter)