Hogwarts: Who made her a professor?

Chapter 43 Dumbledore's Secret Treasure

Dumbledore had come to the right person to ask Belvina Black's opinion.

She had no opinion whatsoever; she neither felt it was unfair nor did she think there was anything wrong with this approach.

The fewer people who know the secret guarded by Cerberus, the better. If it were Belvina, she would keep it from Hagrid as well.

By not telling anyone, the possibility of leaks is reduced; by not telling anyone, the issue of "fairness" will not arise.

Moreover, Bassheda Bablin was neither a confidante like Hagrid nor the head of any of the four houses, so whether or not Dumbledore informed her of the inside story was entirely up to the headmaster's freedom and right.

This is Belvina's rational analysis of the matter, but when emotions are involved, rationality can take a backseat. Therefore, she unconditionally supports Bassheda, unites with her friend, and shares the same hatred for the enemy.

"Professor Dumbledore, forgive my disrespect, but your actions are indeed unfair," Belvina said, seemingly speaking a fair word, but in reality, she was showing favoritism.

"Exactly! We're part of the school too, and you haven't told us anything!" Bassheda chimed in. "We're your students too, and we want to do our part for Hogwarts!"

If it were last school year, Bathsheda would never have come to see Dumbledore. She would have pretended not to see or hear anything and focused on teaching behind closed doors.

But now that Belvina has arrived, Bathsheda's restless nature has begun to surface. She is no longer the invisible student in the elective course, which is why she confronted Dumbledore today.

Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully and said slowly, "It was my oversight."

Without flying into a rage or trying to reason with the troublemaker, Dumbledore admitted with lightning speed that his actions were ill-considered.

"I just thought that we had provided enough protection, and there was no need to trouble you further," Dumbledore continued. "I hadn't considered your feelings."

Belvina did not believe Dumbledore's words.

She preferred to believe that Dumbledore had deliberately overlooked it, rather than that the headmaster had failed to consider it.

"The whole thing started in the summer." Dumbledore paused, his eyes, hidden behind his half-moon spectacles, turning to Belvina.

"Are you referring to the Gringotts intrusion?" Belvina said. "According to the Gringotts goblins, the underground vault the intruders entered was empty, and the items inside had already been taken."

To continue, Belvina is a professional, and very skilled at it.

If Dumbledore is about downward compatibility, making everyone feel comfortable and at ease, then Belvina is about downward compatibility while also being socially adept; she can get along harmoniously with the vast majority of people if she wants to.

Dumbledore stood up and slowly walked to the three elective professors. He said, "Yes, that day Hagrid took Harry to buy school supplies for the new term, and I asked Hagrid to run the errand for me and bring that item back to Hogwarts."

The principal spoke slowly, seemingly wanting to allow enough time for the three elective course professors to think it over carefully.

The series of strange events that began in the summer were once again connected, and Belvina finally understood.

Quirrell was the one who broke into Gringotts, and Quirrell was also the one who let the trolls into the castle. What he wanted was hidden in that forbidden corridor.

"In order to protect that item, I discussed it with several professors for a long time, and in the end we chose the same method as Gringotts: to set up a mechanism to prevent anyone from getting close."

"What is that item?" Belvina asked. "That someone would break into Gringotts for it, and even set their sights on you."

Dumbledore didn't answer immediately, but instead looked at Paul Bernard.

From the moment he entered the principal's office, the alchemy professor was captivated by the alchemical artifacts in his hands, his eyes never leaving them for a moment.

In Paul's view, this strangely shaped silver piece was a series of profound and complex crafts, a perfect application of alchemical theory. Through handling this silver piece, Paul had a sudden realization; he had found the key reason why his attempts to alchemize dolls always failed.

"You can take them if you like; I have many more here," Dumbledore said. "They were all given to me by an old friend."

"Nico Flamel?" Paul asked uncertainly.

This silverware is definitely the work of a master. Dumbledore's friend, who was also a master alchemist, was the only person Paul could think of who was Nicolas Flamel, the French wizard considered the father of alchemy.

"That's right. He has another very important item that he has temporarily left with me, protected by numerous mechanisms."

"The Philosopher's Stone?" Paul Bernard jumped to his feet. "Is what you hid the Philosopher's Stone? Can I take a closer look?"

The alchemy professor was so excited that he trembled all over, but he didn't suddenly collapse, which shows how strong his mental fortitude was.

That's Nicolas Flamel's Philosopher's Stone, the only Philosopher's Stone in the world, a stone that can grant immortality, the highest achievement in alchemy!

"Merlin, am I dreaming? The Philosopher's Stone is so close to me, in the same space as me!" Paul muttered to himself, almost delirious. "The Philosopher's Stone, the Philosopher's Stone, to see the Philosopher's Stone with my own eyes, I could die happy!"

The fanaticism and madness that Paul Bernard displayed were beyond Belvina's comprehension, because she had never craved anything like Paul.

"I'm sorry, Paul, I can't grant your wish without his permission," Dumbledore said apologetically. "Besides, I really need my alchemy professor; he can't die without regrets."

"Where is Nicolas Flamel? Can I go to him in person and ask him?" Paul asked excitedly. "No, forget about the Philosopher's Stone. Can I visit Nicolas Flamel? Just once!"

Compared to Nicolas Flamel, the pioneer of alchemy, the importance of the Philosopher's Stone is diminished. Paul has too many academic questions that need to be answered, and Nicolas Flamel can certainly provide them.

"I'm sorry, Paul, I need to talk to him." Dumbledore could only continue apologetically, "You know, people may prefer a quieter life as they get older."

Seeing that Paul, who was extremely agitated, was about to say something more, Belvina wisely stood up and pressed the agitated alchemy professor back to his seat.

"I think Mr. Lemaître wouldn't mind if you asked him a few questions from time to time, would he?" Belvina suggested, offering a compromise.

The fact that Nicolas Flamel placed the Philosopher's Stone at Hogwarts shows that he fully trusted Dumbledore, and the two must have been corresponding with each other.

In this way, Dumbledore could completely take Paul's place in asking questions, which would not disturb Nick Flamel's peaceful life, but would also satisfy Paul's thirst for knowledge, which could be considered the best of both worlds.

"Is it possible? Is it really possible?" Paul started getting excited again.

It's likely that Dumbledore didn't reveal that the Philosopher's Stone was at Hogwarts because he had his alchemy professor in mind.

Paul Bernard's madness and enthusiasm were so overwhelming that even the over-100-year-old Dumbledore couldn't keep up with it, let alone the twenty-something-year-old Belvina.

"Young people's minds are so sharp," Dumbledore remarked, tacitly agreeing with Belvina's proposed compromise.

Satisfied, Paul finally calmed down and began to examine the silverware in his hands again. It was an alchemical product made by Nicolas Flamel, comparable to a major work on alchemy.

As for who wanted to steal the Philosopher's Stone, and whether it was Quirrell or not, Paul Bernard didn't care at all at this moment.

"Now you know my secret," Dumbledore said, sitting down on the steps of his office as casually as an ordinary old man.

Bassheda's mouth was so wide open it could fit an egg. She never would have imagined that Hogwarts would hide a Philosopher's Stone, the only Philosopher's Stone.

"Professor, isn't someone eyeing the Philosopher's Stone?" Bassheda said in a low voice, as if the Philosopher's Stone would be stolen the moment her voice was raised.

She continued, "It was like this at Gringotts, and it's still like this at school; someone's always eyeing it!"

"It is under heavy protection; it is safe, Basilda," Dumbledore said patiently, without any impatience. "I will not let it fall into the hands of evildoers."

Today, Bathsheda pleased Dumbledore greatly. His ancient Runewen professor was no longer a beautifully crafted rag doll; she could feel anger, she could feel injustice, and she wanted to do her part.

Apart from being a little too active, everything is great.

"We can help too! We can add three more mechanisms and three more locks to the Philosopher's Stone!" Bassheda exclaimed excitedly. "I can use ancient runic stones to set up a small magic circle, and Paul can use his puppets to patrol 24 hours a day!"

In just a short while, Basilda had figured everything out and even assigned Paul a job, even though Paul might not want it.

"And there's Belvina, Belvina could also..." Bassheda frowned, deep in thought, "Belvina is quite formidable!"

Muggle Studies is arguably the least magical course at Hogwarts. This major offers nothing but assistance, unless Belvina is willing to wander around the vicinity of Muggle military facilities.

Besides, no matter how good Belvina is at fighting, can she compare to Dumbledore?

There's no need to force yourself to do something if there's no work available.

This was Belvina's only thought at the moment; she didn't want to end up like Cerberus, working as a security guard for the Philosopher's Stone.