bioinnovel Chapter 97 Dumbledore's Considerations
Chapter 97 Dumbledore's Considerations
Chapter 97 Dumbledore's Considerations
Throughout September, the students were tormented to the point of near ecstasy by Gilderoy Lockhart, and some even considered abolishing Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Some of Lockhart's loyal fans at the school have stopped being fans, and some have even turned against him in a fit of anger. It's not uncommon for fans to turn against him after leaving the school.
As the headmaster, Dumbledore seemed to be deaf and blind, turning a deaf ear and a blind eye, completely ignoring the complaints from the students and staff on campus.
More than one professor approached Dumbledore, hoping he could intervene to resolve the damage caused by Lockhart. Even Professor McGonagall confronted the Hogwarts headmaster, asking what could be learned from this vain, fame-seeking scoundrel.
Albus Dumbledore's answer was simple, yet full of life philosophy. He said: You can learn a lot from a bad teacher, such as what not to do and what not to be.
A near-perfect answer, but hardly satisfactory. Aside from Dumbledore, what else did the Hogwarts students and teachers think of Gilderoy?
Lockhart's patience was nearing its limit.
Belvina was probably the only person in the entire school who understood Dumbledore. In her open class, she expressed a similar view, advising students not to become the protagonist of the next story.
However, while Belvina understood Dumbledore's actions and intentions, she did not support them; she simply refrained from expressing strong opposition.
Leaving aside the saying that those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles, and the principle that one cannot command an army with a kind heart, Dumbledore's approach is very much in line with Slytherin House: to achieve one's goals, one will stop at nothing, and there is nothing that cannot be given up.
When October arrived, a damp chill began to permeate the grounds and seep into the castle, and the flu spread among teachers and students, causing the school hospital to be overcrowded.
The flu outbreak brought by the cold wave arrived just in time, inadvertently saving Gilderoy Lockhart's precarious teaching career and giving the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor a helping hand.
If it weren't for this cold, the students wouldn't be so listless and sick. Instead, they would probably be marching and demonstrating in the castle and grounds, forcing Dumbledore to drive Lockhart away.
Of course, there is another major prerequisite: students must dare to speak out for their own interests and dare to question and oppose the decisions of those in power, namely Headmaster Dumbledore.
One night, the sky was as black as ink, and the torrential rain showed no sign of stopping. Raindrops the size of bullets pounded against the windows, and the water level of Black Lake rose sharply due to the continuous heavy rain over the past few days.
In Belvina's bedroom, Bassheda sat curled up on the edge of the bed, her head spinning. The stimulant caused her ears to constantly spew smoke, and her long golden hair also rose into the mist.
Ancient Rune, sweetheart, was struck down by the flu, looking listless and frowning like an ignorant child.
Fortunately, Bassheda is an adult after all, and even without anyone comforting her, she takes her medicine on time and makes sure to keep warm.
The fire crackled in the fireplace, and Belvina sat in an armchair nearby, holding a copy of "Wandering with Werewolves." On the low table to the other side lay a book by Lockhart.
"It's so uncomfortable, I feel like my nose is completely blocked." Bassheda's voice was hoarse and had a heavy nasal tone. "Whether I'm lying flat or on my side, it's very uncomfortable, I can't breathe."
Without looking up, Belvina said softly, "Perhaps I should tell you a bedtime story? The Wizard and the Bouncing Pot or the Fountain of Good Fortune, or I could read you a passage from Lockhart's work."
"Forget it, the stories in Beedle the Bard's Tales always give me the creeps," said Bassheda. "Especially the wizard's hairy heart, I always thought it was a horror story."
Muggles have Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales and Grimm's Fairy Tales, while wizards have The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
Unlike fairy tales for Muggle children, The Tales of Beedle the Bard are more like dark fairy tales, with themes of death, disease, bloodshed and other gloomy content, and are not very suitable for children to read.
Just then, there was a knock on the door of the lounge.
Bassheda, curled up by the bed, waved lazily. Belvina got up, took a jar of chilled fruit, placed it on the bedside table, and then left the bedroom.
Passing through the lounge, Belvina pushed open the door and stood at the top of the spiral staircase, where she immediately saw Dumbledore in the open space in front of the classroom.
"Professor, please wait a moment," Belvina said. She didn't know why Dumbledore had come to visit, but she did have something to give to the headmaster.
With that, Belvina turned back to the lounge and retrieved a small, exquisite box from a locker. Then, she carried a pot of hot tea out of the lounge.
Dumbledore sat leisurely in the first row of the classroom, but his long silver beard made him look nothing like a student.
"Please have some tea, Professor," Belvina said. "Hogwarts' terrible weather is my least favorite thing about the place."
As Belvina spoke, the teapot floated up on its own, pouring Dumbledore a steaming cup of tea. The steam from the nitrogen box blurred the headmaster's face, making him appear somewhat unreal.
"Bad weather always passes, and if you're lucky, you might even see a rainbow," Dumbledore said, seemingly implying something, or perhaps just casual conversation.
As people age, they become more shrewd, and as horses age, they become more cunning. When facing Dumbledore, who is over a hundred years old, Belvina always feels a sense of defeat, as if her intelligence and emotional intelligence are being completely outmatched. Time may age people, but it also bestows wisdom upon them.
Dumbledore continued, "I had intended to visit you in the summer, when you were staying at Fertile Ground and I was searching for a successor to the Defense Against the Dark Arts. But you returned to London and became very busy, so I didn't bother you."
"So you ended up finding Gilderoy Lockhart?" Belvina said. "Don't worry, I didn't mean to interrogate you. I can generally understand your thoughts; I neither support nor oppose them."
Belvina handed over the exquisite little box, then held out a cup of hot tea. She genuinely disliked Hogwarts in late autumn, hating the sticky, damp chill.
"What is this?" Dumbledore took the box, opened it, and saw a gold locket lying quietly inside.
"This is a replica of the locket, which I had custom-made for the holidays," Belvina said. "The materials are solid and the craftsmanship is exquisite, but it lacks the weight of history."
Dumbledore took the locket to his eyes and examined it closely. He said, "The craftsmanship is superb. It must have cost a lot of money. This family has been in business since the Middle Ages. They must have a very deep pocket for wealth."
Even though I knew Dumbledore didn't mean it that way, it still sounded rather harsh, especially after Lucius Malfoy gave Slytherin seven Nimbus 2001.
"Blake's background taught me that wealth is for solving problems, and that one should avoid problems that wealth cannot solve, and never let wealth create problems," Belvina said.
Someone like Lucius Malfoy, who throws money around wherever he goes, exudes an aura of being foolish and rich. If the high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Magic didn't squeeze him dry, it would be a disservice to his charisma.
"No matter how exquisitely made this locket is, it's still just a replica, and its value is far less than the real thing," Belvina said. "I suspect that the locket might have come from a pure-blood wizarding family, like Selwyn or Shafik."
Belvina paused for a moment, then continued, "Personally, I prefer Slytherin. Only Salazar Slytherin is worthy of Voldemort, isn't he?"
Dumbledore remained noncommittal, offering no indication of his stance. He continued to examine the replica of the locket, focusing on the large letter "S" on it.
"Where did you find it?" Dumbledore asked.
"In a cave on a deserted island, there's a lot of magical protection, indestructible corpses, and a pot of potions," Belvina said. "It's far superior to the mechanisms protecting the Philosopher's Stone last school year."
Dumbledore ignored Belvina's barbed tongue and didn't react at all.
Whether it's arguing or mocking, the purpose isn't to win, but to infuriate the other person. Dumbledore successfully turned the tables on Belvina by using silence.
"It seems Voldemort hid his Horcrux very well. If it weren't for his neglect of the house-elves, we wouldn't have been able to obtain this Horcrux, nor would we have been able to prove that he had split his soul," Dumbledore said. "Please give my thanks to Kreacher."
Belvina leaned back, casually crossing her legs, and asked, "Finding the Horcrux isn't something that can be done overnight. Aren't you going to do anything about the terrible situation at the school? At least step in and calm the students down."
"I thought we had reached an understanding regarding Lockhart." Dumbledore put away the replica of the locket. "In Quidditch matches, Rolanda is the referee. She will determine who has fouled and blow the whistle to end the match, but she will never manipulate the outcome."
Defense Against the Dark Arts isn't Quidditch!
Gilderoy Lockhart is not Rolanda Hodge!
This time, Belvina didn't take a stand. Since Dumbledore didn't want to get involved, Defense Against the Dark Arts was definitely doomed, and the students could only hope for the best.
"Don't you think it would be more meaningful and memorable for students to personally expose a professor's hypocrisy?" Dumbledore added. "Complaining is useless, and I hope everyone can realize this soon."
"I don't think it matters. I'm not going to walk around in student shoes," Belvina said. "The only thing that's certain is that the prospects for the wizarding exams next summer are not good."
It's better to hope that the curse will defeat Lockhart soon and hand over Defense Against the Dark Arts to Snape than to expect Gilderoy Lockhart to guide students in their wizarding exams.
"You didn't think that Severus would be a safety net for you in the second half of the semester, so you went all out?" Belvina asked in surprise.