Hogwarts
Professor McGonagall, dressed in dark green wizard robes, strode down the corridor with hurried footsteps. She held a thick stack of envelopes, her pace revealing a hint of anxiety.
"Chocolate ball!" The stone beast statue opened with a bang, and Professor McGonagall quickly walked in.
Soon, after a call to come in, Professor McGonagall opened the door and saw Dumbledore writing a letter.
"Albus, Lockhart is recruiting research assistants in the name of Hogwarts. Why didn't you mention this to me?"
Her face showed a hint of frustration as she raised the thick stack of envelopes in her hand. "I received so many letters last night, including this morning. There are a lot of them. All the owls came to me."
Her tone was laced with complaint.
"Minerva, don't be anxious," Dumbledore said, signing his name on the letter. He looked up with a smile. "I wanted to talk to you about this today."
"I didn't expect Lockhart to be so impatient. Not long after I agreed, he quickly posted the recruitment."
Hearing this, Professor McGonagall's expression softened slightly, but she still spoke with a hint of worry. "Albus, are you sure there is no problem recruiting research assistants in the name of Hogwarts?"
"This seems to be a big deal. The school board has sent letters asking about it, and their attitude isn't good."
She asked curiously, "Albus, is Lockhart's research real? How can he give Squibs the ability to cast spells?"
"Yes, Minerva," Dumbledore nodded gently. "I also participated in Lockhart's research. Indeed, it can give Squibs the ability to cast spells."
Hearing this, Professor McGonagall nodded and asked thoughtfully, "Albus, how much did you participate in this research?"
"Some of my friends have written inquiring letters. Although they didn't say it explicitly, they hinted at their suspicions. They think Lockhart might be a shield you're using to prevent any consequences."
"Minerva, what do you think?" Dumbledore asked directly instead of answering her question.
Professor McGonagall hesitated. She thought for a moment before saying, "Maybe I would have had similar thoughts before Lockhart became a professor. After all, Lockhart hadn't made any significant achievements in magic research before. However, after recent interactions, it feels like he's changed. Of course, I trust you more. You're definitely not the kind of person who would use a shield."
Dumbledore smiled at her answer. "Indeed, this research was basically completed by Lockhart alone, and I just helped polish it."
Hearing this, Professor McGonagall seemed to have thought of something. She raised the envelope in her hand and said, "Albus, would you like to read these letters? They were sent by the school board. They want to know about the research."
"They said the matter is of great importance. They want us to temporarily stop recruiting research assistants and not publicly announce the news in the Daily Prophet."
"After everyone is gathered, they will discuss it at the school board meeting and make decisions together."
Her voice was full of anger by the end. She understood the school board's attitude—they wanted to keep the research results for themselves.
Professor McGonagall knew what changes Lockhart's research would bring. If the knowledge were limited to the pure-blood families, Squibs wouldn't be able to master magic without joining a pure-blood family.
As a mixed-blood witch who was despised and bullied by pure-blood families when she was young, she understood their mindset well.
"Oh, that's right." Dumbledore's attitude remained gentle and unchanged, completely opposite to Professor McGonagall's. "You can reply to them that this research has nothing to do with Hogwarts. It was conducted by Lockhart alone."
"I'd like to emphasize that Professor Lockhart has only been at Hogwarts for a month, and this research was the result of his work before he came here."
"Okay, Albus." Professor McGonagall's lips curled up slightly at Dumbledore's reply. She could already imagine the expressions on the faces of those pure-blood families when they read the response.
"By the way, Minerva, please forward the letter from the school board to Lockhart," Dumbledore said gently. "Ask if he still wants to use the Hogwarts name to recruit assistants. If he does, there's no need to stop him."
"Okay, Albus," Professor McGonagall responded with some hesitation, clearly understanding Dumbledore's meaning.
Lockhart's Office
"Professor McGonagall, did the headmaster really say that?"
Looking at Minerva McGonagall, Lockhart asked.
"Yes, Lockhart," Professor McGonagall nodded slightly.
Lockhart looked at the school board envelope in front of him, lost in thought. He understood Dumbledore's message.
Now the choice was before him. If he chose to continue recruiting research assistants in the name of Hogwarts, it would mean in-depth cooperation with the school. Later, the school board might use this as an excuse to seize his research results and even ruin his reputation.
He had seen and experienced this kind of routine in his previous life.
But if he stopped using the name of Hogwarts to recruit research assistants, the school board would have no excuse to intervene. After all, he had only been at the school for a month. If this information were released, even a fool would know who the research results belonged to.
So, he made his choice.
"Okay, Professor McGonagall, let's continue recruiting in the name of Hogwarts."
Lockhart replied decisively. Although there were troubles with using the Hogwarts name, the benefits were significant.
The influence of Hogwarts was the pinnacle of the entire wizarding world. If he could leverage it, the advantages would far outweigh the disadvantages. It was like using the name of a renowned university to promote knowledge in his previous life. The knowledge would spread naturally, even be sought after by many.
This was the influence of prestigious schools. Hogwarts, with its long history and thousand-year reputation, was number one in the wizarding world.
It would be much easier to promote the new magic system with Hogwarts' influence.
As for the school board...
"Minerva, may I call you that? I would like to ask, can you introduce me to the school board? Also, can I join the school board?"
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