With the strong support of Lucius Malfoy and the approval of Dracula, the Hogwarts School Board underwent a complete transformation.
The board, originally composed of twelve members, was temporarily reduced to seven, with the remaining five positions to be filled as needed.
Dracula, as the holder of the Hogwarts deed, was appointed as the newly established Chairman of the Board, holding veto power over board decisions and the highest guiding authority, along with the right to appoint or dismiss board members.
The board no longer engaged in complex power struggles.
Aside from Axley and the other four members from pure-blood families, Lucius, as a top opportunist, quickly allied himself with Dracula. The wealthy Malfoy family single-handedly covered half of Hogwarts' operating expenses, perfectly filling the financial gap left by the dismissal of five board members.
The other six board members, who had no intention of opposing Dracula, were genuinely devoted to Hogwarts' development and were noble wizards who worked diligently for the school.
Among them were notable figures like Gisela Marchban from the Wizarding Examination Authority and former Hogwarts Headmaster Armando Dippet, both prominent figures in the field of education.
Dracula, of course, had no intention of targeting these venerable wizards. He simply waved his hand dismissively, accepted the final decision, and then jumped out of the boardroom window…
Ms. Marchban, who was nearing two hundred years old, stared in astonishment at Dracula leaping from the window and couldn't help but look at Dumbledore, exclaiming:
"Albus, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts is truly an exceptional individual!"
"Indeed," Dumbledore shrugged helplessly, reflecting that Professor Dracula's unconventional ways were probably difficult to change.
...
As the remaining students at Hogwarts looked forward with anticipation, Christmas Eve arrived.
The Hogwarts Great Hall was beautifully and magnificently decorated by the professors.
Holly and mistletoe formed cascading garlands on the walls, and twelve tall Christmas trees were set up around the hall. Some trees were adorned with sparkling icicles, while others glowed with hundreds of candles.
"Hey, Hagrid, could you help me hang this package on the Christmas tree?" Professor Flitwick, who was shorter, tiptoed and tapped Hagrid's large belly.
The towering Hagrid, showing great understanding, bent down, took the packages of surprise gifts for the students staying at Hogwarts from Professor Flitwick, and effortlessly hung them on the top of the Christmas tree.
"Oh, thank you so much, Hagrid!" Professor Flitwick looked up and said happily.
"Hagrid, good evening!" Two small wizards wearing red scarves ran into the Great Hall and immediately spotted the conspicuous Hagrid.
One of them, a wizard with round glasses, noticed that next to Hagrid's knee was another short wizard, using his wand to cast a stream of golden bubbles and hanging them on the branches of a nearby Christmas tree.
"Oh, Professor Flitwick, I didn't realize you were here too!" he quickly said to the short wizard.
"Good evening, Harry, and Ron!" Professor Flitwick greeted the two young wizards warmly, not at all irritated by being overlooked.
Hagrid also paused his work and waved his large hand at Harry and Ron.
"Professor, are you decorating the hall?" Ron asked, enviously watching the golden bubbles emerging from Professor Flitwick's wand, feeling it was very cool.
"That's right, since tomorrow is Christmas, we need to get the hall decorated," Professor Flitwick said. "Hogwarts must ensure that the students who can't go home still experience warmth and joy, just like at home!"
Harry, touched, wiped his nose and felt even more appreciative of the Hogwarts family.
"Ron, let's continue to the library later?" He tossed his used tissue into the trash can, turned, and pulled Ron towards the Great Hall's entrance.
"Don't be like that, Harry, without Hermione, we can't figure anything out!" Ron's face scrunched up in frustration as he spoke to Harry.
"Library?" Hagrid said, following them out of the hall as he prepared to fetch more Christmas decorations. "It's Christmas tomorrow, and you still want to study? That's not like you two at all!"
"Oh, we're not studying," Harry cheerfully replied. "Since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel, we've been trying to find out who he is."
"What?" Hagrid looked alarmed. "Listen to me, I've told you... stop! That big dog's guard is really none of your business!"
...
In fact, after Harry was targeted during his first Quidditch match, he, Ron, and Hermione began to investigate who was trying to harm him.
Hermione initially suspected Snape, who had cast a spell at Harry, but she did not expect Snape to have cast the counter-curse for the Dark Curse. The magical fire Snape used interrupted the counter-curse, almost causing severe harm to Harry.
Even though Snape did not curse Harry and even tried to help him, his antagonism towards Gryffindor left a lasting negative impression on Harry.
Furthermore, after the Halloween feast, Harry inadvertently saw the bite mark on Snape's leg – it had definitely been caused by the three-headed dog on the fourth floor.
So, a little over a month ago, after the Quidditch match, the trio went to Hagrid's hut, hoping someone could help analyze the situation.
Hagrid didn't know how the trio had learned about the three-headed dog and didn't want them to know about Dumbledore's top-secret matters, so he sternly warned them:
"Listen! You three are meddling in things that don't concern you. It's very dangerous. Forget about that big dog, forget about what it's guarding; this is between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel…"
"Ah-ha!" Harry's eyes lit up with excitement. "So it's related to someone named Nicolas Flamel, right?"
"..."
And thus, the conversation between Harry and Hagrid about Nicolas Flamel took place on the eve of Christmas.