great-warnovel Chapter 230 The Battle for Third-Year Freshmen!
Chapter 230 The Battle for Third-Year Freshmen!
Chapter 230 The Battle for Third-Year Freshmen!
Dumbledore has been busy procuring supplies these past few days.
The deal with the fairies was settled. He led the school's elves to search the cellar thoroughly. The compensation from Malfoy Castle over the past two years, along with donations from alumni, would barely be enough to gather the necessary supplies, but the school would be in a bit of financial straits afterward.
Gornuk also sent two goblin silversmiths to the castle to build a large, stable portal in an abandoned classroom on the fifth floor, though Hermione thought it would be more appropriate to call it a portal.
It was a huge silver ring, similar to the one they touched when they went to Wenyu's Gulinglant, but this one was a larger version, like a round door placed indoors.
The fairies renovated the abandoned classroom, filling it with their favorite brass steampunk style. Gonuk, with his business acumen, had them set up several stalls in the classroom to sell trinkets to the students after the start of the school year.
Professor McGonagall plans to apply the Hogsmeade policy from back then to the goblins. Once the gate key is set up after the start of the school year, all students in their third year and above can fill out an application form to visit Wen Yu's Gringland on weekends.
It is said that Gonuk is also working hard to mobilize all the fairies to revitalize the shops that have been abandoned for many years.
"If Hogwarts is indeed breached, this door could be the children's last escape route," McGonagall, who always anticipated defeat, said.
Putting aside the headmaster's many considerations, Potions Professor Lily also returned to the school with a group of younger students. Firstly, Harry's Transfiguration was progressing very well, and she planned to discuss the details of a Transfiguration potion with Professor McGonagall. Secondly, the school was short of supplies, and she also had to make another trip to Vagabond to deliver the new order and bring back the money.
However, Barty seemed to suddenly become very interested in this senior from back then. During the meal in the auditorium, he would always try to find topics to talk about. He probably even made a special effort to brush up on the latest theories in potions so that he could have something in common with Lily.
But Mrs. Potter didn't like him much. The two had little interaction during their school days, and as adults, their positions were completely opposite. Last year, James and he even had an unpleasant encounter. She simply maintained a polite social distance and ended the conversation as quickly as possible before leaving.
He might still be resentful about his father's death, subtly inquiring about how Dumbledore escaped Grindelwald's curse. Could he possibly think it was my potion?
Lily complained as she discussed the Transformation potion she was preparing for Harry with McGonagall.
Because Hermione wanted to use her own moonlight to illuminate the potion in place of real moonlight, both the Transfiguration professor and the Potions professor were very interested in this idea. They did a lot of theoretical deductions and discussed how to safely and effectively change the materials that were originally needed in the potion.
"I think we could use the leaves of the mandrakes that grow next to the pyroxene crystal clusters. They grow better and have slightly bluish veins, which might also suit Hermione's moonlight better," McGonagall said seriously, wearing her glasses.
"Young Crouch has just lost his father, so perhaps we should be more patient with him. Even if his words are offensive, it's only natural."
"Ghost face moths are also attracted to light, so could we let them live under Hermione's moonlight for a while?" Lily pondered.
"To be honest, Professor, I've been very patient, but if James sees this, he might get rough with him." Mr. Potter has remained unchanged in his pursuit of excellence over the years, and the charming Barty might very well mislead him.
The two female professors discussed professional issues while also chatting about everyday matters, proceeding on two parallel tracks simultaneously.
No interference.
Hermione quietly ate the gossip on the sidelines, listening to them chat about old times. The three women, despite their generation gap, got along exceptionally well. McGonagall would occasionally bring up old grudges between the Marauders and Barty Jr. from their school days, and she and Lily would throw tantrums at these men. Hermione would secretly write them down and later tell Harry and the others about her father's past.
Time is passing by day by day, and there is only one week left before the start of the new school year. The battle for new students is about to begin.
"The Book of Admissions is no longer accepting new names, and this year's freshman list is essentially finalized." Still in the Headmaster's office, the Order of the Phoenix members and the school's professors were gathered once again. Dumbledore stood before the table and said in a deep voice.
"Thanks to the elimination of the Basilisk in the first half of the year, there has been very little news about the Death Eaters lately. They seem to have retreated completely and are no longer as rampant as before." Moody stared with his darting, magical eyes.
He spoke in a hoarse yet high-pitched voice.
"Optimistically speaking, we'll face much less resistance in recruiting this year; maybe we'll only have to deal with Muggle bullets and spittle," Sirius told a lame joke, but no one laughed.
"We still can't be careless. If our previous speculation is correct, Voldemort needs to sacrifice his children to gain immortality, and he probably won't easily give up this once-a-year opportunity," McGonagall said with a stern face.
"The pen of acceptance that he stole has probably completely lost its magic. No children have gone missing in Malfoy this year. Finding new life by following our trail is probably his only option."
"We need to be wary of a Green Flame Party sneak attack; their retreat might just be a ruse," Lupin said seriously. Barty the Younger stood among the professors; he too would be participating in the freshman competition. At that moment, he was distributing potions made by Lily, which he had bought at a high price from Malfoy Castle, to the other professors, earning a roll of his eyes from James.
The two adult men seemed to dislike each other from the moment they met, and the conflict that had continued from last summer vacation had not eased. Fortunately, both of them were quite restrained and simply pretended not to see each other.
This was Bill's first time participating in a major operation by the Order of the Phoenix. He looked around the room with great interest, while Hermione, standing beside him, seemed more experienced, leaning calmly against the cupboard and stroking the edge of the Sorting Hat.
Incidentally, Dumbledore has already brought Neville and Harry to try and pull out the sword. The Sorting Hat indicated that they were indeed qualified, but it wasn't the right time yet, and the Gryffindor sword wouldn't appear so easily.
Harry bluntly stated that the Gryffindor sword was arrogant and haughty, ignoring him now, but he would make it unable to reach him in the future!
This year, a new character joined the group, named Nymphadora Tonks. She is a natural-born Disguise Magus, whose hair color can change according to her mood, giving her a natural advantage in hiding and disguise. Hermione remembers her because of this.
After graduating, she worked for the Order of the Phoenix with Moody, but because she was impulsive and her stealth and tracking skills were terrible, Moody had always refused to let her participate in the Order of the Phoenix's annual recruitment battle. It wasn't until this year, when the Basilisk was gone and the situation improved, that he finally relented.
Bill was three years older than her and was her senior in Gryffindor. The two had some common topics, so they chatted together.
"This year's new students are still scattered, and the castle is in London, which is not very convenient." The Longbottoms carefully looked through the list of new students. As in previous years, there were students from Northern Europe, Greece, and even Egypt and the Middle East. Starting from the UK would greatly increase the distance for picking up and dropping off the new students.
"This year can be considered a rehearsal. After returning to the Scottish Highlands, we will face this situation every year in our admissions process," McGonagall said helplessly. But there was nothing that could be done about it; most other magic schools were in the same boat.
Dumbledore declared, "As I did last year, I will go to the forests of Albania to make sure Voldemort doesn't show up anywhere else."
Hermione immediately raised her hand: "Professor, I'll go with you."
She stared into the white wizard's eyes, and he stared back at her.
"That's too risky, that kind of battle," Lily frowned.
But before she could finish speaking, Dumbledore said, "Yes, Miss Granger, you may come with me."
Everyone else looked on in surprise. Apart from the professors, no one else had a very accurate assessment of her strength, only a general idea. But even the other professors thought Dumbledore was being too bold.
Hermione could more or less understand Dumbledore's thinking. Since the Finger Witch would have to face Voldemort sooner or later, it would only be beneficial for her to see this dark wizard who transcended death beforehand, under Dumbledore's protection.