A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts-Chapter 646: Fulfilling Holidays - (1)
Chapter 646: Fulfilling Holidays
Dozens of students lined up in the courtyard, the outside temperature freezing, but with little wind. As they exhaled, their breath turned into white mist, heads tilted up to the brilliantly lit moon.
"Full moon," Ron muttered.
Needless to say, Harry knew he was thinking of Lupin. He couldn't help but miss him too. At this time, Lupin should have already taken his Wolfsbane Potion and hidden himself away in a secluded spot.
Harry knew he didn't want anyone to see him transform.
"From the beginning of the full moon until the next full moon, if there's a failure midway, you must start over. I don't want any of you to joke about your health," Professor McGonagall announced sternly, pausing for emphasis. "Everyone, come forward to collect your Mandrake leaflets."
The students approached one by one, then stepped aside excitedly, chatting with each other. When it was Harry's turn, he stepped forward. McGonagall nodded at him, handing over a green leaf. Harry took it, watching as it emitted a faint glow under the moonlight.
As Harry was about to leave, he suddenly felt a poke. Looking up, he saw Professor Snape holding Valen. In Valen's arms was a stack of parchment. "Instructions and recipes," Felix reminded him.
Harry took the parchment from Valen and moved to the side, using his wand's light to read the text.
Most of it he already knew, but there were a few points marked in red ink. He read the third one: for the next month, their dining spot would be moved to Classroom Eleven on the first floor of the castle, with house-elves specially preparing their meals. freewēbnoveℓ.com
Harry's heart sank.
Ernie Macmillan had once played a nasty joke, claiming his uncle, while attempting to learn Animagus transformation, had to avoid swallowing Mandrake leaves during meals by using a funnel to consume liquids only. Ernie described it vividly, causing a crowd to gather around him until he admitted it was a hoax. His uncle did try to learn Animagus transformation, but gave up after just one week.
"After you receive it, check carefully. The edges of the Mandrake leaflets will emit a white light during the full moon, similar to Fluxweed... Alright, if there are no issues, put it in your mouth," McGonagall instructed.
Harry double-checked and, finding no problems, put the Mandrake leaflet into his mouth. Having just enjoyed the Christmas feast, he tasted a hint of bitterness. He noticed Draco across from him, frowning and averting his gaze.
Sirius had told him about the recent situation at Malfoy Manor the night before. In short, it was a mixed bag. A mid-term defection had allowed him to avoid the retribution his "despicable friends" faced, and he had even recruited some remaining pure-blood families, maintaining his influence. However, this had also incurred the resentment of some former Death Eater allies, such as the Crabbe and Goyle families.
Sirius also mentioned a few examples from a couple of weeks prior.
Lucius Malfoy, who had kept a low profile since the war, suddenly emerged to give an interview to the Daily Prophet, boasting about his undercover efforts and contributions. "Some newspapers claimed Potter, Weasley, and Granger sought help from the Ring of Resurrection that night in the graveyard... That's not entirely accurate. I also risked my life to inform Mr. Snape. However, due to my obligations, I couldn't publicly acknowledge my actions..."
"The Ministry is currently tallying merits," Sirius explained. "He's trying to secure a Merlin's Order of Service for the Malfoy family, but he's wasting his efforts. His actions only just manage to keep him out of prison..." he muttered vaguely, "It's Severus who might actually receive a substantial reward. Now that we all know where his intel came from..."
Upon hearing this, Harry suddenly realized why Professor Slughorn's former student, Eldred Worple, who wrote 'Blood Brothers: My Life Among Vampires,' had been pestering Snape at dinners. It was clear he wanted to write a book about Snape's experiences, but Snape coldly refused.
...
In the dormitory, Harry looked at Ron and Neville with a shrewd expression.
"What about me then?" he complained.
"At least you don't snore," Ron grumbled irritably, closing his eyes and putting on a look of noble sacrifice. "Hurry up, I've finally made up my mind."
Harry glanced at him, then at Neville, who was too nervous to speak.
"Alright."
Flashes of Petrificus Totalus and Stupefy alternated. Ron and Neville fell stiffly to the ground. Harry used the Levitation Charm to move them onto their beds, tucked them in, then slipped into his own warm and cozy covers. Outside, the wind howled, sending chills down Harry's spine.
He hesitated for a long time whether to cast the Stupefy spell on himself. After all, not everyone had the courage to sleep peacefully with two stiff bodies nearby. He tossed and turned in bed for a long time, then finally retrieved a roll of magical tape from under Ron's bed and sealed his own mouth shut.
Throughout the process, Harry forced himself not to look at Ron's stiff face in the moonlight. He climbed back into bed, stared at the ceiling, counting numbers. He didn't know how long it had been—definitely past midnight—before drowsiness overtook him, and he drifted off to sleep.
When he woke up, he could still feel the Mandrake leaf with his tongue, but the bitterness in his mouth had intensified, as if seeping into the gaps between his teeth. Overall, though, he was in a cheerful mood. He eagerly woke up Ron and Neville, sharing his method with them.
"Great, I'm feeling a bit more confident," Ron said, rubbing his neck. "But there's a problem, I think I've got a stiff neck..."
For the next few days, Felix didn't pay much attention to these students.
He was busy himself—Tom Riddle in Classroom Seven had graduated two years ago, but he still couldn't master the Patronus Charm. However, Riddle recently gained inspiration from Peeves, secretly gathering emotions from students at the school, and obtained a seemingly plausible Patronus.
Felix was pleased with this development, as it meant Riddle would be even more attached to the school.
Felix also obtained data from Severus Snape and Damocles Belby on improving the Wolfsbane Potion. He intended to use it to boost his own reputation as a Potions Master, but Snape's false flattery was evident to him. Felix sneered at the thought of classifying his former Headmaster as a 'foolish wizard'...
"Better work on your acceptance speeches! Lupin said the promotion of magic television isn't going as well as expected. Most wizarding families still rely on magic radios to listen to broadcasts of award ceremonies. They'll mistake your unnecessary pauses for stuttering," Felix advised.
"Imagine being questioned by students' parents about your teaching competence because of this issue... how embarrassing..."
Felix's good intentions didn't yield good results—instead, he faced rejection for several days in a row. The former professor of Potions and current professor of Dark Arts refused to speak to him, always wearing a cold expression whenever they met. When Felix sought justice from other professors, only Dumbledore expressed sympathy.
"Severus does tend to be taciturn, considering the image of Hogwarts—" he said, with McGonagall and Grindelwald staring at him expressionlessly. "—at least advise him to change his clothes and hairstyle."
Felix didn't know how Dumbledore managed it, but on the day of the award ceremony, Snape, although still dressed in black, finally wore something other than his perennial wizard robes—a suit with a high-collared white shirt underneath.
Snape received the Order of Merlin, First Class. "For his second time undercover, providing a constant stream of intelligence for the side of justice," announced Madame Bones loudly. Following him was Harry, also receiving a First Class Order, directly related to Voldemort's downfall. Although no one knew the details, Dumbledore and Felix Hop provided testimony, and no one questioned it.
Of course, Ron and Hermione didn't receive awards. They still held the Second Class Order of Merlin, recognizing their bravery.
"It's all because the war ended too quickly," Ron muttered under his breath.
"Oh, shut up!" Hermione snapped.
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