The bell rang, and the students filed out with eager looks on their faces.
"I've decided!" As they walked in the direction of the Potions classroom, Ron announced in a loud voice, "I'm going to make a whole set of wizard chess pieces." The faces of those around him were filled with shock.
But Harry and Hermione showed little interest in the comment. "Have you finished your Transfiguration papers by any chance? Lend it to me." Harry said.
Ron's aura immediately dwindled.
"Not yet," his face fell, "just at the beginning of it - I can't understand half of it right now."
"Professor McGonagall will go over all of them over and over again, and there's actually a lot I don't understand." Hermione said some words of encouragement, "Things will be much better when you master the Animagus and understand the context of the material, won't they, Harry?"
Harry muttered ambiguously. He did feel some difference after learning Animagus Transfiguration, but this 'difference' didn't include the advanced transfiguration theories that Professor McGonagall was talking about, and he was just as clueless in class as he had been before.
He is aware of Hermione's learning method, but the thought of the big books she keeps constantly in rotation at her fingertips these days puts him off.
Ron, for his part, looked frustrated that he hadn't been able to feel the throbbing of the Animagus all this time, and was recently asking Harry and Neville about that feeling in one way or another.
"Is it a sudden increase in heart rate and head sweating?"
"Are you sure it's not a psychological problem?" Harry asked rhetorically, so Ron stopped talking.
...
In Potions class, Slughorn stared at Harry's cauldron in utter disbelief.
Inside the cauldron, there was a soft grey-green slimy blob that looked like a boiled and solidified slug mixed with vegetable juice jelly, and you could still feel a hint of cold air when you got closer; this was Harry's work for the day, and it was disastrous.
Hermione's eyes widened pleasantly as if she might open her mouth and sing in the next moment.
"Oh ... well, son, that's not acceptable," Slughorn said absent-mindedly, fiddling with the buttons on his waistcoat, "It's not even close to being useful, you'll have to refresh your potion theory more... ..."
He said nothing more, and walked up to Ron instead, pausing only for two seconds before being forced back by the pungent smoke.
"There's no hint in that book, is there?" When Slughorn walked away to check on the other students, Hermione's eyes shone brightly as she said, "Even Snape and Professor Hap's combined notes couldn't teach you how to solve a complex compound toxin in just a few lines."
"I can just carry a piece of bezoar around with me." Harry murmured through clenched teeth.
Hermione froze for a moment while Ron said excitedly, "You could still use that as a solution now? I mean, why not just do that, there is perfectly enough time for us to-"
"No! Professor Slughorn knows about Harry's little prized book, not only does he know about it, he has even taken it and looked through it." Hermione rushed to say. She said with a serious look, "I think the first person to do so would be considered a brilliant mind and the second is just a poor imitator."
"That sums it up nicely, thank you, Hermione." Harry said with annoyance.
When Slughorn returned to the podium, the students below hung their heads in defeat, the fact that none of them had been able to formulate the antidote in the allotted time was a bit of a shock to them.
Slughorn showed no disappointment at all though, he puffed out his tight stomach and spoke up with a smile, "Did you find that some of your tricks don't work anymore?"
Some of the students looked at Slughorn and then looked at Harry's side in unison.
Because of the particular experience of last year's O.W.Ls exams, many people knew that several Gryffindor students had gotten the textbook that Professor Hap had used when he was in school from Professor Hap, and subsequently a part of the simplified steps for O.W.Ls level potions were put together and all the students of the four houses benefited from it.
At the beginning of this year's Potions class, they tried to do the same, and although they got the notes (Harry removed the parts with the dangerous hexes, jinxes as well as Professor Hap's frightening comments), they were surprised to find that it wouldn't work that well.
With a smile on his face and a twitch of his walrus moustache, Slughorn said.
"Yes, Miss Granger was the closest to success in today's test, and if she had been given another half an hour, I'm sure she could have made the antidote on her own. But she is still a considerable distance away from being a true expert in potions."
Hermione was not quite convinced by that statement and pouted.
"I could name some particularly brilliant Potions masters, such as Damocles Belby, Severus Snape, and of course, Lily Evans-" Slughorn glanced at Harry with a smirk. "Perhaps you might think I'm judging based on achievement, but that's not the case ... What a Potions Master needs is independent thinking, courage, passion, rigour, innovation, and an extraordinary understanding and appreciation of potions."
"For the truly gifted, these traits would manifest very early on and their thinking would become so distinctive like Fluxweed on a full moon."
"It's hard for outsiders to understand how I have an extra preference for only a few students among the many who got outstanding in the O.W.Ls Potions exam ... It's because I see the talent in that few students. It's also often a matter of course that they will pull off a huge gap in sixth grade. I seldom misread them."
"Unlike the previous grades, the advanced class will introduce you to more magical potions, more profound theories, and without a passion for potions, it's actually hard to advance very far in the field ... Of course, it's still possible to brew something that's barely passable."
"Pretty much sums up what Professor Hap had said." Harry muttered in a small voice.
"Harry, do you have any questions?" Slughorn asked with concern, after not catching his muttering.
Harry stood dazed and dawdled on his feet. The others looked over at him.
"Well ... I was wondering, is Professor Hap considered gifted? I mean, those notes of his were useful to me-" Harry stammered.
This time Slughorn didn't give an immediate answer, as he usually did, he frowned and thought for half a second.
"I haven't taught him, but ... from the notes it's clear he has his own independent ideas about potions." Slughorn was clearly reluctant to say more, but the students were staring at him, very interested in this topic, and Slughorn waved his hands in the air for a while as if he had no words to express his thoughts, "All right." He cleared his throat and muttered in a small voice.
"I don't think he'll be a Potion Master - Professor Hap is capable of brewing many advanced potions, yes, I have no doubt ... his notes are logical and with his magical attainments, he won't mess up those delicate manipulations."
"But I didn't get to see too many groundbreaking insights, probably because his heart wasn't in it, and his achievements in the field of ancient runes speak for themselves. It's normal, talented wizards always have a more unique personality, they're drawn to different aspects of magic ..."
Harry suddenly thought of something else, Professor Slughorn had probably seen Voldemort in the same way back then.
Voldemort had likewise excelled in his school years, Dumbledore said he had gotten straight O's in every subject, but he was probably more of an imitator than a pioneer in the field of potions, like Professor Hap.
Well, as Slughorn said, "Talented wizards are drawn to different aspects of magic." Apparently, Professor Hap ended up choosing the ancient runes, while Voldemort did not hesitate to plunge into the abyss of dark magic.
He also thought about Dumbledore and Grindelwald, once close friends, who had also gone down opposite paths.
Harry suddenly understood a little about the 'choice' that Dumbledore had been emphasizing. He had seen too many good wizards in the Pensieve over the past few months who had started out differently, sometimes even oddly and clumsily, like Mr. Newt Scamander... ...
In the evening, Felix suddenly appeared in his office.
He had just returned from a trip outside, tens of thousands of metres high to be precise, and nothing had affected him except that he felt it was a little cooler. He had thought about wandering through the thick clouds even higher up, but after some careful consideration, he decided there was no point in rushing.
It was just considered a walk after dinner.
When he returned, Valen, who was sitting on the sofa mixing her juice, gestured towards the window where a silver phoenix Patronus sat silently.
"Felix, I want you to come to my office." Dumbledore's voice sounded.
So Felix turned and walked out of his room, "I'll take you out for a walk some other time." Valen waved her hand at him.
In the Headmaster's office, the spacious room is brightly lit, and the windows are covered with thick night darkness. Dumbledore sat behind the long-legged table and immediately dropped the newspaper he was holding when he saw Felix and walked around the desk to stand in front of him.
"I need to show you something." He said bluntly.
"Do you want to use the Pensieve?" Felix asked and Dumbledore looked at him with some confusion, "What? Oh-" Dumbledore noticed Felix's gaze land on a clear glass vial on the table, which filled with wisps of silvery filaments.
"No, not that one." He said briefly.
From the tip of Dumbledore's wand a wispy cloud of smoke wormed its way out and soon coalesced into a scene in mid-air, Felix glanced at it and his gaze turned thoughtful as he took a large step forward to stare down at the parade of people and buildings in the scene.
"Parliament House?" Felix inclined his head.
Dumbledore nodded, then gestured with his finger in one direction.
Felix refocused his attention on the vision, ignoring the flamboyant and extreme slogans held in the hands of the protesting crowd, his eyes kept searching, there was definitely more to the march than what Dumbledore was showing him, then ...
In the open space in front of the building, a clearly well-groomed Rita Skeeter held a microphone in her hand and occupied a prominent position.
"Rita Skeeter?" Felix laughed soundly, "That surprises me. And she looks surprisingly well-placed."
"That's the point." Dumbledore said, "This vision was shown to me when Grindelwald applied for the job, and I know he has the prophetic ability, but of course, he can only see bits and pieces of the future."
"I bet he didn't even know Rita Skeeter back then." Felix chuckled.
"Skeeter's sharp words are far more recognizable than her personal appearance," Dumbledore said approvingly, "And it probably would have been overlooked by most, Skeeter has been near invisible in the wizarding world this school year, and it took me a while to find her in the Muggle press."
Felix blinked, it was he who had recommended this woman to Amelia Bones.
"Since then, I've been keeping a close eye on her movements. I don't think that particular newspaper is exactly a good place to be, the work environment there is far more complicated than in the Daily Prophet, but she's certainly adapted well, and with a series of articles on the gun ban movement, she has made a name for herself and is on track to get what is said to be a very prestigious journalism award ..."
"It definitely counts as a surprise for her." Felix was quite impressed.
"My question now is," Dumbledore looked at him with interest, "does she intend to live as a double reporter all the time? I know some wizards have separate identities in Muggle society - not just a name, but a more specific profession - but these people basically lean towards one side, and it's actually rare to find one as active on both sides as she is."
Felix hesitated for a moment.
"Amelia gave her an assignment for only a year, but as far as I know about Rita Skeeter, she wouldn't be able to part with the reputation she has worked so hard to build on the other side, so she might actively maintain that life even after the assignment is over, for exactly ... how long no one can predict. "
"Yes, no one could have predicted that."
Dumbledore said softly, sinking into deep thought. After a moment, he came back to his senses and said, "Felix, there is another, more important matter."
It was Felix's turn to be curious.
"About Grindelwald?" He asked tentatively.
Grindelwald had only just given a near-surrender speech during the day, had Dumbledore changed his mind so quickly? Felix pondered in his mind the implications of such a step, not just the issue of an additional Dark Lord colleague, but the series of changes that would result from it.
The attitude of the Ministry of Magic, the involvement of the International Confederation of Wizards ...
Of course, none of this mattered to Felix. What is significant is that if Grindelwald is allowed to stay at Hogwarts for a long time, the risk of his identity being revealed will increase significantly.
What DeWitt, who had at one point previously presented himself as a loyal and fanatical acolyte, but in reality an ambitious one, said was actually not without some validity.
'At the end of the day, it is almost an inevitable thing that word will leak out, and then the eyes of the world will be on Hogwarts, and even in Dumbledore's present-day reputation he will find it difficult to resist ...'
"I have spoken to my successor, Mr. Babajide Akingbade, the new Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards," Dumbledore said in a quiet voice, "and when this year's exams are over, they will send men to bring Gellert back to Nurmengard Castle."
Felix looked at him in surprise.
"When did this happen?"
"Just last night."
Felix looked oddly at the old man in front of him, this is so much more decisive than he thought it would be. Dumbledore had just decided to throw old man Grindelwald back in jail? Well, he had assumed Dumbledore had gone soft after he heard about the existence of the Blood Pact from Harry.
"So ... what do I need to do?"
"I'm worried that Gellert will make an incident when he finds out, I want you to keep an eye on him for the time being, as well as ..." Dumbledore paused, his silvery white beard trembling slightly, "Do you know anything about the charm that imprisons the magic in his body? "
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