bioinnovel Chapter 106 The Principal's Grand Inspection
Chapter 106 The Principal's Grand Inspection
Chapter 106 The Principal's Grand Inspection
On Monday morning, rumors were rampant at school, and everyone was in a state of panic, with everything rapidly heading in the wrong direction.
The students can be roughly divided into two factions: one led by Slytherin, and the other by the remaining three houses.
Slytherin House can be further subdivided, with a group of people watching intently without opinions or viewpoints, simply passive observers.
Another group of Slytherins celebrated their victory, secretly hoping that the heirs and the monster in the Chamber of Secrets would step up their efforts and complete Salazar Slytherin's legacy as soon as possible.
The other three colleges were not so relaxed. Everyone was on edge and suspicious. The lower-year students always went out in groups, afraid that if they were alone, they would be attacked by the heir.
People were also making secret deals behind the teachers' backs, exchanging amulets, buying lucky crystals, and even onions and garlic cloves became priceless.
Anything associated with blessings and protection becomes a hit at school in a very short time and becomes a favorite among students. Neville Longbottom, the little crybaby, is both pitiful and funny. Despite being a pure-blood wizard and belonging to one of the Twenty-Eight Holy Houses, Mr. Longbottom is the one who buys the most amulets and crystals.
While others learn from their mistakes, Mr. Longbottom learned from one mistake after another. His "learning from mistakes" was slow to come, suggesting that he was accumulating knowledge and experience before finally achieving his goal.
The students' panic also affected the faculty and staff. Students who were distracted were unable to concentrate on their studies, and the teaching tasks of various subjects were delayed again and again.
The professors tried their best to calm the students' panic and prevent it from escalating further; maintaining school stability became their primary task.
Of all the subjects, Muggle Studies is the most affected. The heirs of Slytherin are purging those who are not fit to learn magic. At a time like this, going to Muggle Studies is tantamount to voluntarily enrolling in the heirs' classes!
The two extra Muggle research open courses this academic year have become practically useless, with only a handful of students attending each class.
The huge classroom was empty, and the lecture echoed.
Belvina, on the other hand, was enjoying her leisure time. She seemed to have returned to the state of being in a year ago, lying down and having no desire for anything except rice. Everything outside the bed was a foreign land to her.
In reality, Professor Blake was anything but idle; he wore out several quill pens.
Cornelius Fudge's letters kept arriving at Hogwarts, and Belvina was either replying to the minister or on her way to reply.
The letter from London was exceptionally strong in its wording. Cornelius Fudge was extremely dissatisfied with the attack on Hogwarts and even more furious at Dumbledore's slow response.
The powerful handwriting allows readers to clearly feel Fudge's anger while reading the letter, and even imagine the intensity of the minister's expression as he wrote it.
Belvina felt a throbbing pain in her head, realizing that she was powerless to help from Scotland. Just as she had predicted, the Minister of Magic was beginning to change course and was heading in an uncontrollable direction.
Nobody knows what Cornelius Fudge will become next; probably not even Fudge himself.
November at Hogwarts was like a tangled mess, as chaotic as a cable box tidied up by an electrician in the South Asian subcontinent, leaving one clueless as to where to begin. The fact that no third victim had appeared was the only piece of good news.
Amidst the general unease, December arrived, bringing with it a piece of morale-boosting news: the school had temporarily opened a dueling club.
At eight o'clock in the evening, snowflakes began to fall outside the window. The auditorium was brightly lit, with hundreds of candles floating in the air.
The long college tables have disappeared, replaced by a gilded stage.
Almost all the students in the school came, crowding together, each clutching a magic wand, their faces full of excitement.
It's as if joining the Duel Club will grant you access to advanced magic and the ability to defend against attacks from the Slytherin heirs.
The students, in high spirits, were discussing which professor would be in charge of the club that night, and which professor would guide them on how to duel.
Some say it was Professor Flitwick, the exceptionally gifted Philius Flitwick who was a dueling champion in his youth; others say it was Professor McGonagall, whose stern personality made her seem unapproachable, and who taught everyone the profound art of Transfiguration.
Even Paul Bernard, who lived a secluded life and was almost unknown to younger students, was mentioned, but no one mentioned Gilderoy Lockhart.
As a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts and a recipient of the Order of Merlin, it was Professor Lockhart's turn to step forward, defeat the darkness, and save his students from their dire straits.
But the last person the students wanted to see tonight was Gilderoy Lockhart, first the disastrous Cornish elf, then the one who was pushed away by Professor Black, and finally, the one who was easily disarmed in front of the entire school during a Quidditch match.
At this moment, any student with a sound mind knows exactly what kind of person Lockhart is. Gilderoy Lockhart is nothing but a fraudulent good-for-nothing!
Soon, the students in the Great Hall were in an uproar. They saw Professor Flitwick, the dueling champion, a short man with extraordinary talent!
Next, the students saw Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout, but the two deans looked a bit too serious, as if they were worried about something bad.
Subsequently, almost all the professors from various disciplines arrived, including professors of core courses and professors of elective courses. The professors all appeared at once.
Professor Sinister of Astronomy, Ms. Hodge of Flight, Professor Black of Muggle Studies, Professor Bablin of Ancient Runes, Professor Grappleland, the substitute professor of Magical Creatures, Professor Victor of Arithmetic and Divination, and Professor Bernard of Alchemy, the least well-known of all.
Only three professors have not yet appeared in the Great Hall: Snape, Head of Slytherin and Professor of Potions; Trelawney, Head of Slytherin; and the person everyone least wants to see.
As professors from various disciplines arrived one after another, the students' spirits gradually sank to rock bottom. None of the professors present stepped onto the gilded stage, nor did any of them step forward to take charge.
The professors' faces were increasingly serious, their expressions tense, and even Professor Blake, who had a semi-permanent smile, was no longer smiling. All these unusual signs pointed to an extremely cruel truth.
"Come closer, come closer! Can everyone see me? Can everyone hear me? That's great!" Gilderoy,
Lockhart's voice rang out at just the right moment, delivering a heavy blow to the students.
Gilderoy Lockhart stood imposingly on the gilded stage, dressed in a dazzling crimson robe.
At this moment, he didn't seem like a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor; he was more like an animal in heat, desperately trying to get attention.
And standing next to Lockhart was none other than Snape, who always wore all black. The Potions Professor's face was sour, worse than a can of herring mixed with stinky tofu.
"That's right, Professor Dumbledore has allowed me to open this little dueling club to fully train everyone." Lockhart stood on the gilded stage, full of confidence, showing no trace of his previous embarrassment at the Quidditch pitch.
Belvina, mingling in the crowd, was like a mischievous student, with meetings going on and off.
"It's supposed to be a dueling club, but it's been turned into a fashion show," Belvina muttered under her breath. "Is he here to sell wizard robes or to sign books?"
Belvina wouldn't be surprised if another scantily clad woman with large feathered wings appeared later. Lockhart was capable of anything to attract enough attention.
The students standing to the side wholeheartedly agreed. Everyone disliked Lockhart for showing off like a peacock, especially for forcing students to buy his books, which sowed the seeds of their dislike for him from the very beginning.
"I think it's because of these extravagant sets that Professor Dumbledore brought us all here!" Bassheda sighed softly. "At least when he messes up the club, someone will be there to clean up the mess."
Bernard then added, "Anyway, Lockhart did at least do one good thing."
As they spoke, the three elective professors, who had huddled together again, glanced at the students around them. The students, who had been so enthusiastic, had now all calmed down.
When Lockhart introduced Snape as his assistant for the night, the students present were filled with renewed hope—"Kill Lockhart! Please, dear, beloved Professor Snape!"
Some people hoped for a lose-lose scenario, with Lockhart and Snape both staying at the university hospital and returning home together.
Of course, even the person who hates Potions Professor the most knows that a mutually destructive situation is impossible, after all, that's Severus Snape.