A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

“Hermione, you don’t look too good,” Ron said.

He was in a very good mood. In fact, Ron had been very popular lately because of the Special Contribution Award, especially after he solved Lockhart's problem. Professor McGonagall had also lifted most of his confinement.

"Is that so?" Hermione walked away with her head held high.

“Harry, I think it’s because of you. Your disarming spell is stronger than hers,” Ron said to Harry.

Harry scratched his head.

The next morning, a piece of news suddenly appeared at Hogwarts, overshadowing all other news.

"Gidero Lockhart: A False Adventurer! Facing Multiple Trials." A young wizard read aloud the headline from the front page of a newspaper delivered by an owl.

Chapter 111 Dumbledore's Afternoon Tea

The young wizards were whispering among themselves as they ate breakfast in the Great Hall.

Hermione borrowed a newspaper from the next seat and pointed to the text, saying, "Look here, 'Lockhart altered wizards' memories, obtaining their stories and then using Oblivion to make them forget everything. Only seven victims have been identified so far, and their memories have been permanently damaged.'"

Ron's chicken leg no longer tasted good. "So, I almost lost my memory forever?"

He still found it incredible that Lockhart, with his usual level of magic, could repeatedly succeed in launching sneak attacks.

Harry, still shaken, said, "You might not even know you've lost your memory. Who would have thought he was a true master of the Oblivion Charm?"

"It's awful that I've been in the same office as someone like that for a week." Ron gulped down a large mouthful of pumpkin juice.

"I wonder who captured Lockhart?"

"Isn't he an Auror from the Ministry of Magic? I heard it from Dean."

“Impossible. I asked the fat lady, and she said no outsiders came that day,” Hermione said casually.

“How did she know?” Ron asked, shocked. “It was just a portrait.”

“Ron, the portrait also retains its own personality. The fat lady is fond of opera and chatting, and she often visits other portraits when no one is around.” Hermione squinted. “If you praise her singing a few more times, she will be happy to share some gossip with you.”

"And to be fair, her songs aren't bad."

……

That afternoon, in the principal's office, Felix and Dumbledore sat facing each other, discussing the aftermath of Lockhart's arrest.

There were several small cakes and cookies on the table, along with two glasses of pumpkin juice.

“Unfortunately, the number of people injured may be greater than initially expected,” Dumbledore said softly.

"More adventures than he's ever had?"

"Yes, he can't guarantee that every story he encounters will be compelling enough."

Felix flipped through the newspapers on the table. "Why isn't there any news about Rita Skeeter?" This wasn't like her.

Was she afraid that her attack on Lockhart would be exposed? But memories are hard to use as evidence, especially when the perpetrator is a master of memory. Even if Lockhart identifies Rita Skeeter in court, it wouldn't be very meaningful.

“She’s run into some trouble.” Dumbledore picked up a piece of cake with a small fork. “It tastes quite good, Felix, I highly recommend it.”

Felix picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. "Would she put herself in trouble? She's a smart woman."

Dumbledore glanced at him. "Intelligent people make mistakes, and they are more likely to find loopholes in the rules than ordinary people, so they may make bigger mistakes."

So her trouble is—

"According to my information, she tried every means to find out the inside story of Lockhart's arrest, and then rushed to the Ministry of Magic to register as an Animagus that same day."

“Animagus.” Felix swallowed the cake and repeated. “Yes, Animagus, illegal Animagus…”

He finally understood why Rita Skeeter had targeted Lockhart.

“I suspect her transformation must be some kind of tiny creature,” Felix said with certainty.

“It’s a beetle,” Dumbledore said calmly. “If it’s true, then her good information over the years has a reason. Based on your previous assessment, Lockhart was under the Oblivion Curse, but he has broken free of its effects, which has put her in a very awkward position.”

Memories can be faked, but magic doesn't lie. If Lockhart really accuses Rita Skeeter of being an illegal Animagus, there will certainly be many in the Ministry of Magic interested in investigating.

In recent years, Rita Skeeter has acted recklessly, offending countless people.

“I don’t think she’ll get her way easily,” Felix said.

After a moment of silence, Felix spoke up: "Headmaster Dumbledore, there are still five months until the next school year. What about the Defense Against the Dark Arts class?"

Dumbledore also looked troubled, and he couldn't help but click his tongue and sigh, "This course really wears out quickly."

"So, the Dark Lord's curse is real?"

“I think so. Since I rejected Voldemort, no Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher has been able to teach for more than a year,” Dumbledore said. “I think he must have been very angry to have been rejected twice.”

"Twice?" Felix looked at him strangely. "You rejected him twice?"

He, who had been rejected three times, was still eating cake in the principal's office.

“No, Felix,” Dumbledore blinked and said casually, “Headmaster Dippet thought he was too young and rejected him. He then disappeared for ten years, and when he came back for a job, I hardly recognized him, and I explicitly rejected him.”

"Professor Snape has always been very fond of this course," Felix chimed in, encouraging his dean.

“Severus…” Dumbledore raised his eyebrows: “I will not teach this course to him.”

"Why? During the years I was in school, no one died, only one or two suffered minor injuries. It seems the curse didn't have much of an effect."

“That’s because no one has taught this course for more than a year,” Dumbledore sighed softly. “It was the only solution I could come up with, but after more than thirty years, the course’s reputation has suffered, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find qualified teachers.”

This is indeed true.

Felix was averse to Defense Against the Dark Arts for two reasons. First, the course's contract was always for one year, without exception, which did not suit his purposes. Second, the position was truly cursed; every professor there seemed to encounter some kind of mishap at the end of the semester.

But in his view, the risk this time wasn't significant. Snape could easily cover the classes for six months, and if necessary, he could hand them over to a new professor the following year.

Felix offered his advice.

“But Severus will still be teaching at Hogwarts next year, won’t he?” Dumbledore looked at him meaningfully.

“You mean, as long as this person is still in school, the curse won’t stop?” Felix asked sharply.

“From what I’ve observed, that’s how it is. I’ve also invited several former Defense Against the Dark Arts professors to take on other roles, and as a result, serious accidents occurred…” Dumbledore began to recall, “However, it’s not a big deal to temporarily teach a class or two.”

The information he revealed was astonishing; it was practically saying that once tainted by the curse, one must flee Hogwarts within a year at most, or even if you resigned from your position as Defense Against the Dark Arts, you would not escape it.

Dumbledore would never ask Snape for help.

Felix completely abandoned the idea of ​​helping him get a teaching position in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and the two began to discuss the curse itself.

“How did he do that?” Felix asked.

This seemed unbelievable to him, because the connection between Voldemort's curse and the school was far too strong.

However, Hogwarts itself has a very good defensive system and is difficult to be affected by external factors.

"The following are all my guesses, just some casual chat over afternoon tea."

"of course."

“I think Voldemort cleverly used his status as the heir to Slytherin, coupled with his own expertise in curses… In short, the combination of these two factors produced an astonishing effect,” Dumbledore said.

"Voldemort can affect the operation of Hogwarts?" Felix asked, horrified. This was too shocking...

“No, Felix. The order of Hogwarts has existed for a thousand years. Even if Salazar Slytherin were to return, he would not be able to regain control of the school.”

"That--"

"Voldemort paid a heavy price. All indications suggest that he has forever relinquished Hogwarts' protection of him—a right that belongs exclusively to the descendants of the four founders—and has cast this curse upon him with his hatred."

After a long silence—

"Then how can the curse be lifted?"

"The death of Voldemort." Dumbledore lowered his gaze.

"So you knew he wasn't dead a long time ago?"

“Yes, I’ve always known,” Dumbledore murmured. “The existence of the curse says it all.”

The two then discussed the curse at length, and Felix learned a great deal about Hogwarts.

As Felix took his leave, Dumbledore sat quietly in his chair. On the long-legged table sat a set of strange silverware, which spun and emitted wisps of smoke.

On the wall are portraits of the former male and female principals, whispering and discussing the topic the two had just discussed.

On the shelf opposite the table sat a tattered, wrinkled wizard's hat. At that moment, a crack near the brim of the Sorting Hat opened like a mouth: "Dumbledore, this isn't like you."

Dumbledore put his long fingers together. "What insights do you have, Sorting Hat? I'm all ears."

"You said a lot today. I thought... you would keep all of this to yourself."

"Perhaps I was just intrigued, and Felix was a very good listener."

“Perhaps… but you are gradually revealing the school’s secrets, which are the exclusive authority of the headmaster. Dumbledore…”

The portraits on the wall all stared at the Sorting Hat.

"...I guess you want to groom that boy?"

Dumbledore smiled, his beard trembling slightly: "The Sorting Hat, what is your opinion of him, from your own perspective?"

"He wants to study me, I can tell, even though he hides it very well. What an excellent wizard, he reminds me of Lady Ravenclaw, and I am very much looking forward to his development."

Dumbledore looked surprised. He had been with the Sorting Hat for nearly half a century and knew that although the Sorting Hat respected the four founders, it had the most special feelings for two of them: Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.

This is a very high compliment for the Sorting Hat.

The old man regained his composure and said, "Voldemort's presence is growing stronger, and I have a feeling that his return is not far off. I also need to make some preparations, even if I may not need them."

Chapter 112 Special Tutoring

Later that day, Felix and Snape mentioned their conversation with Dumbledore, and the professor silently left.

Perhaps he didn't hold out any hope... Felix thought silently as he watched his retreating figure.

Saturday arrived, and Felix finally had a long stretch of free time.

He took out the memory charm data he had copied from Lockhart's office and began to study it carefully. It was clear that Lockhart valued this data highly; it was filled with seemingly plausible personal annotations, and some of the ink was still very fresh, no more than two weeks old.

'Lockhart hasn't been completely idle for the past six months.'

Felix guessed that Lockhart might never have taken teaching seriously, just wanting to coast through the year. He figured he'd sell a lot of books, improve his memory magic, and most importantly, write a book similar to "The Cursed Professor" or "My Year at Hogwarts."