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Chapter 1658: A War with No Victors (One Hundred and Eight)
Chapter 1658: A War with No Victors (One Hundred and Eight)
September 1st.
Hogwarts enrollment day for new students, and Albert's first official job after graduating from school.
Why is it called the first job?
Working as a senior advisor to Kingsley, Albert didn't earn a single Galleon.
Probably for this reason, Professor McGonagall, having learned from Kingsley's experience, insisted on stuffing Galleons into Albert's pocket. She hoped that he would be more diligent in teaching the students this semester and not merely hold an empty title, choosing whether or not to show up for classes as he pleased, as he had done in his advisory role.
Kingsley couldn't really complain, considering he hadn't paid Albert a single Knut, and it was his own request to have the title in the first place. He couldn't very well complain about getting something for nothing.
Today was the welcoming feast for the new students, and Albert naturally couldn't afford to be absent, or he would truly be going too far.
However, as a lazy person, Albert undoubtedly couldn't be bothered to take the train to school. Instead, he had his house-elf bring him to the office of Defense Against the Dark Arts via Side-Along-Apparition.
It seemed Professor McGonagall had already sent a house-elf to clean the place, but he had no intention of staying in the school's dormitory.
With a wife, daughter, and little auntie at home, Albert naturally didn't want to live in the school's accommodations. He wasn't there to endure hardships.
However, the inability to Apparate within Hogwarts did pose a slight inconvenience, and it wasn't ideal to have a house-elf ferry him back and forth every day.
Could he ask Professor McGonagall to secretly open a backdoor for him?
To be honest, Albert was skeptical if Professor McGonagall could, like Dumbledore, use her authority as Headmistress to secretly open a backdoor for him.
Even if she could, it still wouldn't be a good choice.
A better option would be to connect the fireplace in his office to another location outside.
Of course, he couldn't directly connect it to his home. He would need to find another place to serve as a transit point.
Just then, there was a knock on the room's door.
Albert put down his briefcase, walked over to open the door, and was rather surprised to see a familiar face standing outside.
"Cedric, what brings you here?"
"Ahaha, looks like I won the bet. I knew you'd arrive at Hogwarts on time."
Upon seeing Albert, this fellow laughed and prepared to give him a hug.
"Who did you bet with?"
Albert nimbly took a step back, avoiding the hug by gesturing for Cedric to come inside.
"Hagrid," Cedric replied without hesitation. "He seems to have gotten his hands on some good stuff lately, and he said he'd give me some if I won."
"What good stuff could Hagrid possibly have?" Albert couldn't help but roll his eyes. "I bet it's mostly alcohol."
Cedric didn't respond to that and instead walked into the office, taking in the interior. He raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "I don't imagine you'd be very comfortable living here."
"It's fine. I don't plan to live here anyway. I'll just use it to compile the 'Dark Magic Defense Guide,' and it's also close to the library, which is convenient for borrowing books."
Albert waved his wand, and the briefcase on the table opened automatically. Common items flew out of the briefcase and arranged themselves neatly on the desk.
"It seems like you're not here to teach students but to go through the motions," Cedric complained.
The two of them walked out of the office, and the wooden door behind them closed automatically, with the key disappearing without a trace.
"You're not wrong about that," Albert admitted as they made their way to the Great Hall.
At that moment, Professor Flitwick was getting familiar with the duties of the Deputy Headmaster with Professor McGonagall's help, while also going over the evening's schedule.
Speaking of which, it was quite amusing. Ever since Professor McGonagall had been appointed Headmistress, the position of Deputy Headmaster had been vacant. However, none of the Hogwarts professors were interested in the position.
Slughorn was already semi-retired. If not for Avalon still being under construction, he might have already resigned to become Albert's advisor in Potions.
While the salary might be a bit lower, the lifestyle would be relaxed and happy, and he could do what he loved.
As for Professors Pomona Sprout and Filius Flitwick, the Heads of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw houses respectively, they were similarly uninterested in the Deputy Headmaster position. Especially Professor Sprout, who planned to retire in a few years, so she didn't want to increase her workload.
Thus, the position of Deputy Headmaster ultimately fell to Professor Flitwick, whose lifespan was far longer than that of ordinary wizards.
If not for the sake of not wanting to put his colleagues in a difficult position, Professor Flitwick wouldn't have wanted to take on the role either.
But he had no choice. He couldn't very well leave the mess of Hogwarts to the new Headmistress.
Professor McGonagall still had to serve as the Transfiguration professor as well.
That's right. They hadn't found a suitable candidate for the Transfiguration professor, so Professor McGonagall had to fill in herself.
"Oh, it's quite troublesome," Professor Flitwick said, looking up at Albert. "You don't mind helping me with some of the work, do you?"
"Happy to be of service," Albert replied.
He glanced at the parchment that flew in front of him. It was mostly errand work, like checking if the kitchen was ready for the evening's feast and confirming Hagrid's preparations with the Thestrals for transporting the students...
"I have a more suitable task for you," Professor McGonagall said, standing up to call Albert over. "Would you mind coming with me for a walk around the school to inspect the security measures?"
"Oh, certainly not," Albert agreed.
Voldemort was dead, and the remaining Death Eaters were unlikely to dare cause trouble at Hogwarts, so Professor McGonagall probably had something else in mind.
After they left the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall got straight to the point. "You've probably noticed that Hogwarts is short-staffed at the moment."
"Can't find suitable professors?" Albert continued along the same line of thought.
"Yes, that's the case. We're really pressed for time," Professor McGonagall admitted. Unlike Dumbledore, she didn't have a wide network of friends, and even though she had sought Kingsley's help, the Ministry of Magic was also short-staffed and couldn't spare anyone to fill in as the Transfiguration professor temporarily.
"If possible, I hope you'll consider returning to Hogwarts as a professor and also taking on the role of Head of Gryffindor House." Professor McGonagall was practically asking him to become the Headmaster in a few years.
"I'm sorry, Professor, but I'm really not that interested in being a professor. And next year, I plan to take my entire family on a trip around the world to broaden our horizons."
Albert noticed Professor McGonagall's facial muscles twitching, but he pretended not to see it and continued speaking.
"If Hogwarts is truly short-staffed, you could consider grooming Cedric to become the Transfiguration professor. Then, you could bring Harry Potter back to Hogwarts as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. I'm sure Kingsley wouldn't refuse, and the Ministry of Magic doesn't lack for Aurors, even without Harry Potter."
(End of Chapter)
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