After the injury received from a series of events, the three young witches from Slytherin have recovered and have been discharged from the hospital, and the much-loved Headmaster Dumbledore and recently acclaimed Professor Brain have returned to their respective posts. Most importantly, Sirius Black, who has been under scrutiny for nearly a year, has become the Dark Magic Defense teacher at Hogwarts.
So many significant changes appeared in one night, the young witches have not been this excited for a long time.
Even if their stomachs have been stuffed with all kinds of delicious food, the young witches still lingered in the Great Hall and refused to leave. They stared at the teachers' table where Professor Black was chatting with professors from other subjects, smiling all night long. They discussed the forthcoming Dark Magic Defense class eagerly.
There are many points to discuss on this topic.
For example, will Professor Black teach them the magical spell to escape Azkaban prison? Will his teaching level be better than previous Professor Lupin and Professor Brian? Will he overlook Harry's unfair treatment in Potions class as his father? What will he do?
Drag Professor Snape out of the basement and beat him up?
Because of these issues, the young witches argued fiercely. Ron had great confidence in Sirius, vowing that Sirius would definitely toss old bat's head into the Black Lake to wash it clean for Harry, even though he had witnessed Snape dismembering those werewolves in the Forbidden Forest with his own eyes.
Harry stared at the teachers' table all night. His eyes lingered on Dumbledore, Professor Brain, and Sirius. This was the first time he felt so secure. The feeling filled his heart with a happiness he hadn't experienced before. He knew Sirius probably couldn't wash Snape's head in the Black Lake, but he still laughed uncontrollably at Ron's description.
New colleagues should receive more attention.
Sirius was networking at the teachers' table while Amos was having an important conversation with Dumbledore.
"--The first and second year students are still in the basic stage. I haven't decided to let them participate yet. It would be appropriate to start from the third grade, that is, the third and fourth grades. Students in higher grades will need to face OWLS and NEWTS exams, which will occupy a large part of their energy. Of course, after forming a routine, high-grade, gifted young witches and wizards according to their own wishes will join my enhancement class."
Amos was recounting his own plan, but curiously, Dumbledore's expression, as he listened intently, seemed quite grave.
"Do you think it's necessary? My preference is to hold events in the form of clubs, such as the Transfiguration Club led by Millicent Bulstrode and the Potions Club led by Severus Snape - this method has a long history at Hogwarts and is more easily accepted -"
Amos fell silent, looking down at the vibrant Great Hall, at the innocent faces adorned with joyful smiles, before continuing to patiently persuade Dumbledore.
"This is necessary, Headmaster Dumbledore. Hogwarts needs to teach them some real skills, to truly teach them how to protect themselves. With the changing times, magic is indeed moving towards serving everyday life, and that is not wrong. However, certain ancient arts are far from being abandoned."
Snape left the Great Hall halfway through the dinner, while Amos, after persuading Dumbledore to accept his new course, looked at the happy Sirius and quietly left the table.
The moment they stepped out of the Great Hall, the cacophony faded away, and the world fell into silence.
Amos didn't hurry back to his office. He climbed a few flights of the spiral staircase, then wandered aimlessly along the quiet corridor, filled with an ancient and mysterious atmosphere.
The light from the torches hanging on the stone walls of the corridor melted into the bright moonlight. The comfortable evening breeze wandered among the rows of buildings at Hogwarts, and Gprofessor Flitwick had lit the candlelight in his little hut, restoring the tranquility and peace of Hogwarts as it had been before.
Maybe because he had grown accustomed to the peaceful atmosphere of Hogwarts, Amos, who was entangled in worldly affairs for a while, cherished this rare tranquility.
He had been mulling over the things he discussed with Dumbledore in the Great Hall for some time, and it was Draco's request when he saw him in the hospital that convinced the initially hesitant Amos to further advance his plan.
The magical world had been at peace for a long time, and most witches born and raised in it were proficient in only a few magical spells related to their work, and discarded those that were harmful.
Amos had been in deep contact with the Ministry of Magic during this period. He was quite clear about it. On the surface, the Ministry of Magic that governs all witches and wizards, with hundreds of employees, plays a very limited role in conflicts, except for having the virtue of righteousness.
Consider this: within the Ministry of Magic, the only armed force is the Office for the Regulation of Magical Creatures under the leadership of Rubeus Hagrid, with only a dozen Dementors. According to ancient wizard standards, these Dementors are just formal wizards. Only a mere two or three have reached the level of court wizards.
With such weak military power to maintain the peace of the magical world, Amos can only say that the British magical community has not experienced a major upheaval so far thanks to this elderly man, Dumbledore, who is half-dead.
But luck won't always favor the witches and wizards living on this land. They will eventually face problems they don't want to deal with but have to confront.
Not only was Dumbledore cautious about training the young wizards in combat skills, but Amos, who was pushing for this cause within the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts, also felt hesitant.
Indeed, on the surface, training young witches and wizards in combat skills is beneficial to enhancing their ability to protect themselves. However, re-giving them the means of killing and war means pushing them towards killing and war.
All these young witches and wizards are minors. They should be protected, but unfortunately, the magical world lacks the ability to protect them in intense conflicts. Therefore, they have no choice but to defend themselves.
"Good evening, Professor Brain..."
Amos quietly passed through one arch window after another, deep in thought, when suddenly a voice appeared, a bit young yet exuding an air of purity and ease, greeting him.
"Good evening, Miss Lovegood..."
Amos responded casually, "Good evening, Miss Lovegood," and continued to walk forward, deep in thought.
But a few steps later, Amos suddenly stopped and turned around. He stared at the little witch who was leaning against the window hole with her wand clipped in her ear and peering intently at the night sky, with an odd look in his eyes.
Interesting...
For Amos, a witch, being discreet and invisible is almost a natural instinct. When he passed behind the little witch just then, he made no noise. So, how did this little witch notice him?
Amos was not going to hide his confusion, so he walked back a few steps and asked in a gentle tone, "Pardon me, but how did you notice me?"
"How did you manage to notice me passing by behind you, Miss Lovegood?"
"It's the Buzz-Tongue that told me, Professor Brain--"
When Luna turned around, Amos noticed that she had a necklace made of a large string of butterscotch beer bottle caps hanging around her neck.
"What?"
Amos frowned slightly.
"The Buzz-Tongue, they always flutter around near my ear. When you came close, they all flew away. I guess, they were very afraid of you..."
Amos used his perceptive magical gaze to sweep around the surroundings, but did not find any magical animals capable of hiding their figures.
If it hadn't been for the serious light that he could see in the silver eyes of Luna, Amos would have thought that the little witch was teasing him with Buzz-Tongue.
Looking at the little witch in front of him, who exuded a cold and ethereal aura, Amos' brow quivered slightly, and his eyes glowed with an unusual light.
"I'm not quite sure, but if my memory serves me correctly, Miss Lovegood, you are a second-year student of Ravenclaw, aren't you?"
After getting a positive response, Amos nodded thoughtfully.
"That's right, Miss Lovegood. I've been planning to introduce an unprecedented teaching course for third and fourth-year students recently. I believe you have a rare talent. Would you be interested in joining?"
(Chapter ends)
