Hogwarts: The Exemplary Wizard I Am Chapter 667: The Senior Investigator's Dismissal - Novel Cool

Chapter 667: The Senior Investigator's Dismissal

Chapter 667: The Senior Investigator's Dismissal

The news of Voldemort's resurgence caused a huge stir at Hogwarts, and everywhere one went, people were discussing it.

Especially students from magical families, who had an innate fear of Voldemort. Ever since reading the newspaper, they were in a state of unease.

Not only were students like this, but now, it was also common to see professors huddled together in the corridors, whispering anxiously. They would stop talking whenever a student approached.

While some students were like this, a different scene unfolded in Slytherin, where pure-blood wizards were most prevalent. They appeared excited, as if Christmas had come early.

During lunchtime, Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode's grating laughter filled the air, and they strode into the Great Hall with their heads held high, resembling two peacocking birds flaunting their feathers.

"Look, it's those two stupid turkeys again," Susan Bones said with disdain. "I bet someone in their family is a Death Eater."

The Bones family had always supported the Order of the Phoenix. They had fought against the Death Eaters for over a decade, and the mutual hatred between them was irreconcilable.

They hadn't shown it before because Voldemort had been defeated for over a decade, and several of the most heinous Death Eaters were imprisoned in Azkaban. Everyone believed the matter was concluded.

Even though Susan didn't particularly like some Slytherins, it didn't amount to hatred.

But now, with Voldemort's resurgence and the Death Eaters' escape from Azkaban, the situation seemed to have reverted to over a decade ago, and naturally, the attitudes of both sides became distinctly polarized.

"Hey, what are you guys chatting about?"

At this moment, Fred and George approached and naturally sat down at the Hufflepuff table.

"Of course, those two," Mikel said, nodding towards Slytherin. Pansy and Millicent had just sat down and were loudly conversing with others.

"Do you think they might be on the Death Eaters' side?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Fred said. "If you look at the newspaper again, you'll find that one of the Death Eaters who escaped yesterday was a Bulstrode."

"I don't understand, why doesn't the Headmaster expel these people from the castle?" Susan asked, poking at her fried Hog's Leg.

"Because they aren't Death Eaters," Cedric said. "At least up until now, their identities are just students. The Headmaster can't possibly expel them from the castle based on their surnames. It goes against Hogwarts' educational philosophy."

"Just like with the Chamber of Secrets incident, the Headmaster also didn't expel Harry, who was the prime suspect."

"You're right..." Mikel muttered. "But their attitude is so infuriating, I really want to teach them a lesson."

"I agree!" George was the first to chime in. "Remember to include me when the time comes."

"It's better if you guys drop this idea," Cedric said. "If you're discovered, you'll definitely be put in detention."

"No problem, as long as we don't let others find out, right?" Fred said in a lowered voice. "I know Honeydukes has these large parchment sheets, probably used for stocking up. They're big enough to fit a person inside. We can definitely use them to cover Millicent or Pansy before we take action..."

The more he spoke, the conversation, the more excited he became, occasionally letting out a chuckle.

"Leave this to me," Susan said, uncharacteristically enthusiastic. "I buy a lot of sweets from Honeydukes every year, so I should be able to borrow a few of those sheets."

"We can buy them too..." George said with a smile. "I have a hunch these sheets will become the most popular consumable goods later on. We can't keep borrowing them forever."

"I say, why don't you two go back to Gryffindor to discuss this?" Cedric interrupted, exasperated.

To prevent the two from further "inciting" others here, he quickly asked, "What are you guys doing here?"

"Oh, we're here to find you," Fred realized he hadn't mentioned the main purpose of their visit yet. He turned and said, "We were thinking about expanding the DA's scale."

"After all, the situation now is different from before," George said. "We believe there will be more people who want to learn how to protect themselves."

"That's also the original intention of why we created the DA, right?"

Looking at the two's serious expressions, Cedric furrowed his brows, asking doubtfully, "Are you guys really thinking like this?"

"This is what Hermione wanted to ask," Fred said,

"But she's quite busy at the moment, carrying a thick stack of books. It's as if she's moving the library into the dormitory."

"We just happened to be free, so we took on this task."

Cedric still didn't believe them.

He knew Fred and George too well. If they just wanted to discuss this issue, they wouldn't have made a special trip. Besides, expanding the scale wasn't something he alone could agree to.

"Tell the truth!" Cedric said.

Fred and George exchanged glances.

"No wonder you're the male student council president, nothing gets past you."

Fred chuckled and, like a magician, produced a hat with red feathers sticking out.

"We just wanted to ask if you could wear this hat at the next DA meeting."

"The hat that makes your head invisible? No way, I don't want to be the laughingstock of everyone." Cedric immediately declined without hesitation.

The DA meetings were for learning Defense Against the Dark Arts, not for selecting members for the Headless Hunt Club, so there was no need to hide one's head.

"No, no, you misunderstood." Fred quickly interjected, "This is our new product, made overnight."

"We call it the Anti-Curse Hat," George said, "and its function is to block one attack from a spell."

"To be honest, given the current situation, having such a hat is quite necessary."

"It can save your life in critical moments."

The two spoke with such seriousness that Cedric hesitated.

"If it's as good as you say, why not just sell it directly?

"Just like before, if you demonstrate its function in front of everyone, I think many people will want to buy it."

"We tried it this morning, but the response was average." Fred sighed, "Maybe the price is a bit high, and people aren't that keen on our products."

"Expensive?" Cedric was taken aback.

Up until now, none of the products in the Weasley Joke Shop had exceeded five Galleons, so this price shouldn't be a significant deterrent.

"Well, our price is fifty Galleons," George said.

Cedric quickly covered his mouth, preventing himself from spitting out the pumpkin juice he had just drunk.

Fifty Galleons?

This price was almost equivalent to a month's salary for an average Ministry of Magic employee, and hardly anyone at Hogwarts could afford it.

"There's no other way, this is the lowest price," Fred sighed.

"We used dragon skin, real dragon skin," George explained, "Not entirely, but it's definitely worth the price."

"So, we need someone more famous to advertise this hat."

"Speaking of which..."

At this moment, Fred suddenly turned to Kyle beside him, "Why is it that your valuable items sell so easily? I remember that necklace you made from a fire dragon's tooth, which sold for a hundred Galleons."

"Because the buyer was from Slytherin," Kyle shrugged, "They don't worry about being attacked by Death Eaters."

"Never mind then." George shook his head, implying, "They probably don't fear being targeted by Death Eaters either."

"Let's get back to the advertisement..." The two turned to Cedric again.

"If you wear it, perhaps more people will want to buy it."

As one of the shareholders of the Weasley Joke Shop, Cedric only hesitated slightly before agreeing.

"It's possible, but this feather has to go; it's too ugly." He said, "And I want to test the hat's function as well."

"No problem." George immediately put on the hat, "Attack me..."

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Before he could finish his sentence, a spell landed on him. George flew backward and fell to the ground.

But he wasn't petrified and quickly stood up.

"Hey, Kyle, you should've told me earlier." He complained.

"Isn't the effect better this way?" Kyle asked, looking at the hat on George's head, which was now torn in half.

"Can it only be used once?"

"It depends on the power of the spell," Fred explained with a hint of sadness, "More powerful spells can only be blocked once, but if someone else tries, it'll be fine."

"Don't forget, Death Eaters are all adult wizards, and none of them are weak." Kyle added, "Take Barty Crouch Jr., for example. He had twelve certificates when he graduated."

"What? A Death Eater with twelve certificates?" George was so shocked that he temporarily forgot about the hat's condition, "Doesn't that mean he's like Bill and Percy?"

"Exactly." Kyle said, "Hogwarts fifty years ago, only the three of them had twelve certificates.

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"Also, why are you so surprised? Those chosen by Voldemort to be under his command can't possibly be fools.

"What about that short guy, Peter?"

"He's a special case." Kyle shook his head, "Even among the Death Eaters, Peter isn't well-liked."

"Alright." George said, tearing off a piece of leather the size of a plate from the torn hat.

"Is this dragon skin?" Cedric asked.

"Yeah, we bought it from Hogsmeade, and it's ridiculously expensive." George nodded, "But to make the hat block spells, the runes must be engraved on dragon skin. If it were ordinary fabric, the impact of the spell would tear the hat apart in an instant, rendering it useless for blocking spells."

After pondering for a moment, Kyle suggested, "Have you considered making it a disposable item... Remove the runes that reduce the power of the spells and replace them with 'Collision' runes, using a more brutal method to counteract the spells.

"So, we can reduce the amount of dragon skin required significantly."

"A direct collision?" Fred pondered aloud, "But that way, we won't be able to distinguish between different types of spells. A simple cleaning charm might trigger the defense mechanism."

"Moreover, 'collision' itself is quite unstable, and it could directly destroy the dragon skin."

"But it's cost-effective." Kyle added with a smile, "These runes are not large. We only need one-fifth of the dragon skin you have, which will significantly reduce the cost."

For a moment, everyone's gaze towards Kyle shifted.

It had to be Kyle...

"I didn't expect you to be like this." Fred said with a look of disdain, "We thought we were already dark enough."

"What are you thinking?" Kyle said, slightly annoyed, "I mean, after reducing the cost, the selling price will definitely need to be adjusted accordingly."

"Originally, something that costs fifty Galleons will only need about ten Galleons after reducing the dragon skin. This way, everyone can afford it, it just means we need to be a bit more careful in our daily lives, which might be a bit troublesome."

"But if we really encounter Death Eaters... to be honest, this kind of one-time-use item might actually be more effective."

"You're not wrong about that." Fred stroked his chin, "Alright, we can give it a try..."

Seeing the three of them chatting enthusiastically, Cedric couldn't help but think about expanding the DA.

From a personal perspective, he didn't want to expand it because more people meant more work for him.

Recently, there had been a steady stream of new members joining, and now the DA had around eighty people.

This already made him feel a bit overwhelmed, and if they added more people, they would have to extend the gathering time. Moreover, it was foreseeable that this increase in numbers wouldn't be just one or two, and might even double.

Nearly two hundred people... they couldn't possibly extend the gathering time to three hours.

So, when Fred and George were about to leave, Cedric could only give a vague response.

"Let's discuss this later when we have more time. Maybe the school can assign us a more reliable Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and then we won't need to attend the DA."

"Alright." Fred and George, eager to return and research new products, left with a quick jog.

...

In the afternoon, Fudge arrived.

Whether it was intentional or not, he came just before the start of the first class, and almost all students saw him go to Dumbledore's office.

No one knew what they discussed in the Headmaster's Office, not even Kyle.

All afternoon, everyone was curious.

"I hope he takes Umbridge away."

In the afternoon's Herbology class, Mikel whispered, "We obviously need a more reliable Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, not someone who only makes us read and copy from books."

His words received unanimous agreement from the others.

By dinner time, the entire Great Hall was buzzing with speculation, wondering if Umbridge would be kicked out.

Then, Dumbledore arrived. He cleared his throat, and the Great Hall immediately fell silent.

"You all should know by now that Voldemort and his followers are stirring up trouble again, and their power is growing."

As Dumbledore spoke, the Great Hall was filled with a tense and anxious silence.

"I need to emphasize that the current situation is tense, and everyone needs to be extremely cautious to ensure their own safety.

"The Ministry of Magic has agreed to assist Hogwarts in strengthening magical defenses later, but every teacher and student must remain vigilant and not let down their guard.

"Therefore, I demand that you strictly abide by every school rule, no matter how annoying they may be..."

"Regarding our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher..."

Hearing this, Cedric raised his head.

"Umbridge will still be teaching you..."

A sigh and complaints filled the Great Hall, making Umbridge, sitting beside Dumbledore, look uncomfortable.

"However..." Dumbledore raised his voice, not at all concerned about Umbridge sitting next to him, "The Ministry believes that in times like these, everyone should learn to protect themselves, and one Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is obviously not enough.

"So, next, two experienced Aurors will join Umbridge in teaching."

The next second, the sighs turned into cheers.

But this wasn't all.

"Additionally..." Dumbledore raised his voice again, not at all bothered by Umbridge sitting right next to him, and happily said, "We also discussed that Hogwarts and the Ministry should unite and trust each other, and the Minister readily agreed to abolish the position of Senior Investigator."

"So, here, I am pleased to announce that all previous Educational Decrees, including the need to register and the detention of certain teachers, will be abolished."

The cheers in the Great Hall grew louder, accompanied by applause and the sound of banging on tables.

From morning till now, everyone was finally this happy.

...

(End of Chapter)

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