A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts
Chapter 611: Bonfire Banquet - (2)

"That's not the case; they are quite friendly, even invited Romulus for dinner," Sirius said with a hint of bitterness. "But Tonks was there that day, and they noticed her unusual attitude. Under questioning, her romantic issues couldn't be concealed anymore, and they had a 'small' argument." His thumb and forefinger were almost tightly pressed together, leaving only a small gap.

Harry took a deep breath, avoiding Ginny's curious gaze, and gestured with his mouth.

"Werewolf?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sirius replied in a low voice. "Actually, judging by Tonks' state, she's confident in convincing her parents. The problem is Romulus. He's under a lot of pressure; you might not know, but the offspring of a werewolf has a chance of inheriting the condition. It's just a chance, but for Romulus... he can't bear that cost."

For the next while, Harry was completely distracted. He occasionally glanced at Romulus, who was smiling gently and helping set up a massive tent with others, conjuring tables and chairs using Transfiguration. Even though Voldemort had fallen, everyone still had their own worries.

Just like Harry himself, deliberately avoiding Ginny, unsure how to respond to this budding affection.

At eight in the evening, the formal dinner began.

Hundreds of wizards sat under the massive tent supported by wooden stakes. People continuously Apparated in with Disillusionment Charms. Finally, Harry saw Muriel, Ron's great-aunt, whom Ron had mentioned before. She had a hooked nose, red-rimmed eyes, and a pink feathered hat, looking rather ill-tempered.

As soon as she arrived, she began nitpicking the tables, chairs, and decorations. "Look at this tablecloth, hasn't been washed in years, stinky..." Ron whispered to Harry, who quickly moved away, determined not to take any food from that table.

Muriel noticed them. "Harry Potter? Yes, I've seen the scar. Lucky lad, does your scar light up?" Harry frowned, not pleased with that notion. But the old witch shifted her attention to Ron. "Not as lucky as him, though. Let me tell you, when I heard the name of the Weasley family's youngest from those old hags, I knew how much exaggeration there was... Voldemort can't defeat two little beans?"

She rambled on, and when she mysteriously inquired about the cost of the Merlin Medal from Ron, both of them couldn't contain their irritation. Hermione tried to divert the conversation, but Muriel commented on her "protruding teeth and messy hair."

"Let me see your ankle, little girl," Hermione walked away huffily, and at that moment, the cavalry arrived.

"Muriel Aunt? We've been looking for you everywhere!"

Fred and George descended from the sky, practically carrying her away.

"What a touching brotherly love," Ron remarked.

They found a seat (far away from Muriel and the table with the malodorous skunk cloth) and sat down. Plates of food descended from above, accompanied by beautiful music, and the feast began.

People evidently weren't focused on eating. The buzzing chatter and laughter echoed from all around. Harry looked around, and Fred and George were performing magic tricks for Fleur's French relatives at one table, all young people, so their jokes were well-received.

"Let me tell you, if Uncle Billius were still around, he'd chug down a whole bottle of Firewhisky, run to the dance floor, lift his robes, and produce bunches of flowers, right from his—uh, you know..."

Harry also spotted Muriel sitting at the distant table of Weasley relatives, loudly discussing the 'similarities between goblins and the Weasley family.' But no one was willing to indulge her; their faces seemed to freeze. From his vantage point, he could see Mafalda with one hand propping up her chin, head tilted, while the other hand was hidden under the table, flicking her wand to produce dazzling sparks.

Harry also saw a few classmates.

Neville was caught by a fierce old wizard on his way to them. He waved desperately towards Harry, then followed his great-uncle, leaving with a disappointed Ron muttering, "All the elders in the world are the same. Just watch; we might witness Neville spitting fire rings!"

Across their table, Tonks, Lupin, Hagrid, and Sirius sat together. It was clear that many were apprehensive about close contact with Hagrid, perhaps because his hands could pluck their heads off like grapes.

"A new professor at school?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, last name is Babbling," Hagrid answered, waving a pair of lobster claws.

Concerned, Harry asked, "How's he doing now, I mean, is he in good health?"

"Not sure," Hagrid furrowed his brow. "Seems alright, just doesn't come out much. Seen him in the Great Hall a few times—occasionally on the second-floor balcony catching some sun."

Harry felt a bit relieved; Professor Snape's information was somewhat vague, as if he was intentionally teasing him, though Harry didn't know where the amusement lay.

"Found the new professor yet?" Ron asked with disappointment. "I thought they wouldn't find anyone, and Sirius could go back!"

His voice was loud, and Sirius turned to them, smiling. "Teaching your year nearly wore me out. I haven't had enough rest yet."

"Sirius?" Hermione couldn't resist asking, "What's the Animagus transformation like?"

"Oh, eager to know?" Sirius said slowly, glancing at them. "You're barely qualified, but don't rush. For detailed knowledge, ask Felix. I won't meddle, but I can give you some pointers..."

To Harry, it seemed more like Sirius was showing off rather than imparting experience.

"From the full moon, you have to stuff a piece of Mandrake leaf into your mouth until the next full moon, and you can't spit it out in between. Imagine, if you talk in your sleep during that time, you've failed; and that's just the first step. But James and I found a way, using the Sleeping Draught, combined with the Petrification Curse... but that only works for the night. For a while, James loved telling jokes..."

Hermione listened attentively, reaching for her bead bag several times as if to take notes but held back.

"Sounds troublesome," Ron said, frowning, obviously considering giving up.

Harry also thought it wasn't worth it. After all, Animagus transformation could only turn them into ordinary animals. Suddenly he thought of Professor Snape; the professor could transform into a swift, but he had denied knowing the Animagus transformation...

He pondered; turning into a bird would be convenient, but Animagus transformation was uncontrollable, and he might end up turning into a toad despite his efforts, which Harry would absolutely detest.

Then his mood dropped. With the horcrux mountain hanging over him, he seemed to have no need to spend time learning new skills.

At that moment, Sirius leaned in, lowered his voice, and said, "Believe me, it's absolutely worth it. Once you master Animagus transformation, the doors to Transfiguration open wide for you... Half of the Advanced

Transfiguration content is related to human transfiguration. If you master Animagus, you'll feel right at home."

He winked, straightened up, and said, "I got my N.E.W.T.s that way. Actually, I didn't put much effort into it."

...

"Quite a lot of people have come," Hermione observed, scanning the surroundings.

Harry nodded slightly, whispering, "The Daily Prophet is about to disband."

"Disband?" Hermione was initially surprised, just learning this news. Then she slowly absorbed it, saying, "Indeed... Voldemort has been overthrown, but where will they go?" Hermione looked at the bustling crowd, mentioning names like Dedalus Diggle, Amelia Bones, and Hestia Jones.

"There are plenty of places to go. From what I know, Limes is returning to the Sword Castle, Tonks and Kingsley are going back to the Ministry of Magic. I heard Ms. Bones invited Neville's parents to work for the Aurors, but they declined and plan to open a small shop... Alastor Moody, retired, is now a professor at the Auror Academy, but no longer goes on missions. In short, everyone has their own way of living."

"True," Luna agreed. "Voldemort's downfall will only make our lives better."

Midway through the feast, Madam Bones hurriedly appeared, displaying a polite smile to everyone she met. However, at the first opportunity, she pulled Hermione away.

By the time Harry and Ron saw Hermione again, they were almost done with their meal.

"You two chatted for quite a long time. Is the Ministry so eager to recruit you?" Ron teased, still mocking Hermione's awkwardness when discussing her grades.

"Hmph," Hermione retorted. "It has nothing to do with my grades. But she does want me to join the Ministry after graduation."

"Which department?" Harry asked with interest.

"I guess it might be Assistant to the Minister, which is considered one of the better positions," Ron said, looking at Hermione uncertainly.

Hermione shook her head. "It's the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."

"That's one of the worst choices, Hermione," Ron said, surprised. "People in there are either those who were sent there as punishment or those who genuinely like magical creatures..." He glanced at Hagrid not far away. "Maybe Hagrid would genuinely like some positions, but I bet within three days, he'd be breaking his colleagues' ribs—those executioners..."

"It's not as you think," Hermione shook her head. "She talked to me about S.P.E.W.—"

"What?" Harry and Ron exclaimed simultaneously.

"—Don't interrupt. And also the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. You know, I've written a few papers on it... She hinted that the Ministry will form a new department around this in the future."

"Oh, Merlin," Ron muttered under his breath.

"But why?" Harry asked, puzzled.

"It's said to be related to a report submitted by Professor Snape," Hermione said in a low voice. "I sensed urgency and caution in her tone."

"Yes, she's even seeking help from students," Ron added. "You still have two years until graduation."

"Madam Bones said they would wait until the trials and honors ceremonies are over to prepare for this matter. It might take several months," Hermione said confidently. "She suggested that I take some time to think about this and keep in touch with her... Oh, I guess no matter what Professor Snape's report is about, it must be of great significance."

Bonfires were lit in clusters, forming a circle around the tent. The sky was clear, adorned with sparkling stars.

Some people danced around the bonfires, and Harry joined in, swaying his body until he overheard Muriel calling him "a bear who stole corn," making him grudgingly move to the other side of the tent to watch Neville perform the Bright Fire Charm.

The bright, luminous white flames received enthusiastic cheers. Harry applauded along with the onlookers.

Luna and her father danced happily in the distance, dressed in pale yellow, like two fluttering butterflies, especially conspicuous near the bonfires. Cedric and his parents sat together, smiling as they watched.

Ron was chatting with Collins, who had come over with Madam Bones.

"I'm about to become a full-fledged Auror," she raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, congratulations," Ron said dryly.

Harry keenly noticed that a few people were missing. He shared this thought with Hermione.

"The Malfoy family, Professor Snape, Professor Hagrid, Professor Dumbledore... they're all absent. The first two I can understand, but why aren't Professors Snape and Dumbledore here? It's not right..."

Hermione couldn't provide a reason either.

"Maybe they have something going on?" she suggested softly. "I haven't seen the professors during my time at the Sword Castle, but I think the opportunity will come soon."

"What's going on?" Harry asked, puzzled.

"There's a major event in the Ancient Runes Society and at the 'Future World' company recently. The professors will definitely attend," Hermione explained decisively.

Harry thought of Voldemort; perhaps he had their attention occupied most of the time?

A scene flashed in his mind: two people were now chatting in a cave, or perhaps in some gloomy and dreadful prison, talking to the bound Voldemort... Thinking about it, the resentment buried in his heart didn't seem as strong.

His fate was never really tied to these people. If he had to harbor hatred, it could only be directed towards Voldemort alone.

But the truth and his thoughts seemed to deviate slightly.

Felix was casually sitting at the school table, exchanging banter with Grindelwald. This kind of day had lasted for quite a while, especially after he conveyed Harry's greetings to the old man, Grindelwald looked displeased everywhere he went.

Professor McGonagall, familiar with the new colleague's rebellious nature, had already become accustomed to it. For example, today, they discussed the school system at Hogwarts.

"It's too outdated and too closed," Grindelwald, half-closed eyes, remarked. "Half a century ago, someone spent nearly ten years perfecting a 'Wizard Code,' detailing the rights and obligations of wizards. The foundation of it all, the absolute foundation, is school education..."

"Professor Babbling," Professor McGonagall intervened, displeased. When it came to the honor of Hogwarts, she couldn't keep silent and had to express her strong attitude. "Perhaps I'm ignorant, but I've never heard of this law."

"Because it has never circulated in the UK and has suffered destructive blows abroad." Grindelwald slightly raised his tone, leisurely stating, "Another reason is that the Code also has another name, a forbidden name, a name erased from history—the 'Grindelwald Code.'"

"Gasp!" Professor McGonagall gasped, inhaling sharply. Her fork dropped onto her plate, and she stared wide-eyed. "Professor Bashat, we never mention that name!"

"Never mention." Grindelwald repeated in a low voice, slowly lifting his goblet. "Can you see the whole world with your eyes closed, madam?"

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