Chapter 430: Changes
Chapter 430: Changes (Request for Subscriptions, Favorites, and Votes)
The Ministry of Magic hereby appoints Dolores Umbridge (Senior Inquisitor) to replace Albus Dumbledore as Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This decree is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-Eight.
This announcement was posted throughout the school overnight. People in the castle had heard that Fudge and Umbridge had tried every trick in the book to frame Dumbledore, but to no avail. In the end, they resorted to threatening and bribing the board of governors to force Dumbledore to leave. The campus was filled with a sense of dread, and everyone felt that with the recent mass escape of Death Eaters from Azkaban, Dumbledore's departure had left the castle in a very dangerous state.
For the better part of a century, Hogwarts had been considered the safest place in Britain, not because of its powerful castle and ancient magic, but because it was led by Albus Dumbledore, the most respected wizard in the Wizarding World. Now that the Headmaster had left, everyone had to admit that the castle no longer felt as secure as it once did.
However, Umbridge was oblivious to these concerns. She was so blinded by her appointment as Headmaster that even when the Headmaster's Office automatically sealed itself and the Stone Gargoyle refused to let her in, she merely had a fit and then boldly hung a sign outside her own office, labeling it as the Headmaster's Office. She then began to meddle in the school's affairs with a free hand.
For example, Umbridge formed the Inquisitorial Squad, recruiting many Ministry of Magic-loyal students as its members. These members were primarily from various Pureblood Families in Slytherin.
Unfortunately, due to Liam's previous exposé on Umbridge's background, these carefully selected members did not hold a Halfblood Witch from an obscure family in high regard. As a result, the Inquisitorial Squad mostly used their positions to do as they pleased and did not serve as the all-seeing eye Umbridge had hoped for.
"By the way, what did you ask your sister to do?" Hermione asked curiously one day in the Library. "I heard that Rose Crystal left her dorm yesterday with a wooden box in her Spatial Bag and returned a few hours later with a larger wooden chest."
"Rose Crystal came to your dorm for a sleepover again?" Liam immediately knew how Hermione had found out. "I sent some communication items to Sirius Black and my shop. With that old woman backed by the Ministry of Magic, all communication channels within and outside the school are under her surveillance. The Ministry of Magic has Floo Network administrators who monitor every fireplace in Hogwarts except Umbridge's office. Her lackeys in the Inquisitorial Squad intercept all Owl Post entering and leaving the castle. And Filch keeps an eye on all the secret passages."
"In this situation, we need a secure way to communicate with the outside, especially for my business, which involves trade secrets. If Umbridge, that morally bankrupt old woman, gets her hands on this information, who knows if she'll sell it to my competitors", Liam leaned closer to Hermione's ear and whispered, after making sure no one was nearby.
"That old woman", Hermione took a deep breath. "Her becoming Headmaster has turned the school into a prison."
"What's going on?" Liam asked, pointing behind Hermione. A Ravenclaw girl had sat down at a table, but everyone else at the table quickly moved away, leaving only Zhang Qiu still seated.
"That girl is Marietta, the one who betrayed Harry and the others", Hermione said with disdain. "Now, no one wants to sit with her or talk to her. Only your friend Cho Chang, who is a true friend, still tries to be nice to her."
This is like a social death; it's just too terrible. Indeed, informers are never welcome in any world. However, this is Marietta's own doing. If she had been forced to confess under severe torture or after being given certain potions, it would be understandable, but her voluntary betrayal is simply unbearable.
"I have to admit that what Marietta did was very wrong, but as a friend, I can't just leave her alone", Zhang Qiu explained to those who questioned her closeness to Marietta during the Saturday Study Group. The group accepted her explanation; compared to someone who would abandon their friends at the first sign of trouble, people were more willing to be close to someone like Zhang Qiu. Besides, everyone knew that she and her friends were not the type to betray others.
"Alright, let's get back to practice", Liam called out once he was sure the Inquisitorial Squad member who had come to check on them had left. Everyone immediately ran to the corner of the classroom. Liam then waved his wand, making the desks and chairs float into the air and slowly transfigure into various obstacles scattered throughout the classroom.
This was a technique Liam had learned during his second year at Castrobrusso Academy: using numerous obstacles to create a training ground that closely simulates real combat conditions. For Liam, now a high-level alchemist, both quick transfigurations and setting traps were effortless.
"Good heavens, this is so difficult. Even Professor Lupin's final exams weren't this complex", Justin said, rubbing his arm. He had been thrown out by a trap that released a shockwave within three minutes of entering.
"Legend has it that many Pureblood Families used to have similar training grounds for practicing magic and combat", Hannah explained softly. "But I doubt any families still have such facilities today."
"Yes, my grandmother used to tell me about this", Neville nodded. "But maintaining such facilities is costly. Our family's training ground only has the obstacles, and we can't afford these alchemy traps."
"We've never even heard of such things", the Weasleys said in unison. Fred then shrugged. "I guess our ancestors sold it off a long time ago, but I think we could rebuild it."
George nodded and said to Liam, "Hey, when we rebuild our family training ground, we'll definitely order from you. Remember to give us a discount!"
"Of course. Now, it's your turn to go in. This time, don't get kicked out in less than five minutes", Liam interrupted the Weasley Twins' conversation, worried that if they kept going off-topic, they wouldn't achieve the goal of each person entering the grounds three times.
"Hermione, why don't you tell your boyfriend to tone down the traps' power when we go in? Last time, that Stinging Jinx made my right buttock feel the same as my left", Fred said.
"That's because you weren't taking it seriously. If you had, you could have dodged it. Let me be frank, treating practice like a game is not a good idea. Real battlefields are filled with blood and death. You must practice survival skills to the point where you can perform them instinctively in dangerous situations. Otherwise, you might not survive a crisis."
"You're right", Fred's playful demeanor vanished, and he nodded seriously. "Our father specifically told us that his lack of training led to him being completely unprepared for real combat, causing him to fall asleep on duty. If it weren't for Liam's bracelet, we might not have seen him again. So he told us to take training seriously, and we've been slacking."
George nodded in agreement. "We'll train seriously today. Watch us; we'll hold out for a good amount of time." With that, he and Fred charged into the obstacles with determined expressions.
"Hopefully, this training will make them stronger. That way, some tragedies might be avoided", Liam thought, listening to the sounds of battle from within the obstacles.
(End of Chapter)
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