Chapter 316: Vanished Without a Trace
Chapter 316: Vanished Without a Trace
After the Easter holidays, the students of Hogwarts were astonished to find that their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had gone missing.
The seventh-year students who attended the advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts class were the first to notice the issue, wondering why Professor Smith hadn't shown up for lessons. The student council president had no choice but to inform Professor McGonagall about the matter.
However, what left them even more bewildered was that Professor McGonagall herself had no idea what had happened.
News of Professor Smith's disappearance spread through the school like wildfire.
Everyone was talking about it, curious to know where he had gone and why he wasn't teaching anymore.
Most students speculated that Professor Smith might have resigned prematurely, just like Professor Broad last semester. But they wondered why he hadn't informed them beforehand.
Professor McGonagall was equally unable to get in touch with her missing colleague and had no choice but to inform Dumbledore.
Dumbledore, already occupied with the matter of the Philosopher's Stone, hurried back to the school to address the situation.
Hogwarts Castle, the Headmaster's office on the eighth floor.
Professor McGonagall was relaying the current situation to Dumbledore.
"The owl I sent hasn't been able to reach Rowena, and she didn't mention any plans to go anywhere," Professor McGonagall said, her brow furrowed. Though she was reluctant to admit it, it was an undeniable fact that the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was one of the most dangerous jobs in the wizarding world, with a new professor needed every year.
"Didn't she mention her plans to anyone?" Dumbledore inquired as he listened to Professor McGonagall's report.
"No," replied Professor McGonagall. "I've asked Mr. Anderson and the McDougal sisters, who interacted with Rowena the most, and none of them know where she's gone."
"When was the last time she was seen at the school?" Dumbledore asked.
"Ten days ago," Professor McGonagall answered. She wouldn't have paid much attention to it, as professors also needed breaks and weren't expected to spend their holidays at the school. "Oh, and Rowena's family is also searching for her whereabouts."
Professor McGonagall placed the Daily Prophet newspaper in front of the headmaster.
Dumbledore steepled his fingers on the table, falling into a brief silence. In truth, he didn't have many options, especially since Rowena had been missing for an extended period, rendering even some tracking spells ineffective.
"Let's first try to see if we can find any news about Rowena," Dumbledore suggested, glancing at the personal ad in the Daily Prophet. "If we still have no leads...I'll think of something else!"
The professors at Hogwarts were all busy and didn't have the time to delve deeper into the matter, nor would they spare the time to search for Rowena. And at the moment, Dumbledore had his hands full with other pressing matters.
"What about the Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"We can ask Severus to fill in temporarily, or..." Dumbledore trailed off, his gaze shifting towards the fireplace in the headmaster's office, where green flames had just appeared, and a figure stepped out from them.
"Your timing is impeccable, Bard!" Dumbledore greeted the newcomer with a smile.
"I heard about Rowena's disappearance, and our old friend, Gerber, is frantically searching for her. He asked me to come to Hogwarts to find out what's going on. You know how Gerber feels about Rowena—she's his most favored junior," Professor Broad said with a helpless shrug. "I had correspondence with Rowena just half a month ago. It's baffling how she could just vanish into thin air."
"We're just as clueless," Professor McGonagall said with a greeting to her former colleague, her tone resigned. "Rowena left Hogwarts during the Easter break, and no one knows where she is."
"By the way, Bard, there's something I'd like to ask of you!" Dumbledore suddenly interjected. "Would you be willing to come back and..."
"I'm afraid I must decline," Professor Broad interrupted, refusing Dumbledore's request outright. "The position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is just too cursed. I can't help but wonder if Rowena's disappearance has something to do with that blasted curse. I'm just glad I got out when I did last year, or I might have suffered the same fate."
Professor McGonagall frowned, but she had to admit that the man before her was one of the luckiest Defense Against the Dark Arts professors in recent decades.
"Very well, I'll take over the classes for these two months," Professor Broad agreed, stroking his beard.
Rowena Smith's disappearance caught the attention of the wizarding world, and the Smith family offered a hefty reward. Despite their efforts and the use of various methods, they still couldn't find any trace of her, as if she had vanished without a trace.
"The prophecy failed," Nico Flamel said, shaking his head as he gazed at the unchanging crystal. "I suspect...the person you're looking for might be dead!"
There was no doubt that this was the worst news Dumbledore had heard so far.
"Dead?"
"The dead have no future, nor do they need one," Nico Flamel explained. "Of course, it's also possible that someone used a powerful spell to interfere with my prophecy, but that seems unlikely."
"Dreadful!"
Dumbledore contemplated whether to share this news with his old friend.
Little did he know that Gerber Smith was already aware of this and knew the truth behind Rowena's disappearance. Everything he had done was merely an act.
Of course, Rowena's death was also a heavy blow to the nearly centenarian elder.
After taking over Rowena's position, Professor Broad worked to erase any remaining traces of her.
Mr. Moan had already turned Rowena's bones into a stone and buried it forever in a secluded spot deep within the Forbidden Forest, never to be found. No one would ever know that Rowena Smith lay there, let alone discover her body.
The students of Hogwarts were curious about what had happened to Professor Smith, but when they heard that Professor Broad would be taking over the classes, they breathed a collective sigh of relief. After all, Professor Broad was also highly reliable.
A new rumor began circulating at the school—the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors were truly cursed, and that was why Rowena Smith had disappeared without a trace.
(End of Chapter)
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