https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-753-Sweet-and-Refreshing-Pudding/13013098/
Chapter 752: Introducing the Professor to the World
Chapter 752: Introducing the Professor to the World
"What? You want to take leave?"
In the office, Professor McGonagall stared at Kyle, momentarily thinking she had misheard.
"Yes," Kyle nodded, "probably for a month or two. I'd like to manage my time during this period."
"This..." Professor McGonagall furrowed her brows, not answering immediately. Instead, she asked, "Does Professor Sprout know about your request for leave?"
"Yes," Kyle replied, "I went to Professor Sprout first, and she agreed, but only to excuse me from Herbology classes."
"And she also told me that for a long-term leave, I must obtain the Headmaster's signature."
"That's correct," Professor McGonagall affirmed.
"But Professor Dumbledore hasn't been at school recently," Kyle shrugged, "so I came here instead."
With Professor Dumbledore being so busy, most school matters fell under the responsibility of Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress. Signing a document like this was no issue.
"I can grant your request," Professor McGonagall said, glancing at the application form Kyle handed over. After a brief moment of hesitation, she signed her name on it and said, "However, I must remind you that even if you don't attend classes, you cannot leave the school without a parent's application. This is non-negotiable, no matter how excellent your grades are."
"Of course, I understand," Kyle replied, "I'll stay within the castle and won't go anywhere."
Seeing Kyle's agreement, Professor McGonagall returned the application to him and casually asked, "Can you tell me the reason?"
"Ah, I might be attending an important supplementary class during this time, and it's a bit tight, so I have to give up regular classes."
"What did you say?" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, lifting her head abruptly.
She had initially thought that Kyle wanted to spend his time in the library until graduation, which wasn't uncommon at Hogwarts.
Many outstanding students in their seventh year's second semester often became less concerned about attending classes and opted to study independently in the library.
"Who's going to teach you this supplementary class?" Professor McGonagall asked instinctively, "Professor Dumbledore?"
In her opinion, only the Headmaster had the capability to teach Kyle.
"No, it's Rowena Ravenclaw," Kyle replied calmly, speaking words that almost made Professor McGonagall jump out of her seat.
In her momentary excitement, she even snapped the quill she was holding.
"You said... who?"
"Rowena Ravenclaw," Kyle repeated, "Professor Dumbledore should have mentioned it. The Ravenclaw Crown is in the castle, and it carries her memories."
Professor McGonagall stiffly nodded her head.
Indeed, Professor Dumbledore had mentioned that to find the Crown, they had almost searched the entire castle, but to no avail.
This matter had even caused disagreements among the professors, with some believing Professor Dumbledore's words and others thinking he had become senile.
Although Professor McGonagall hadn't explicitly stated her stance, she secretly leaned towards the latter... at least until she saw the Crown herself.
"I met her yesterday," Kyle continued, "I helped Lady Ravenclaw with a small matter, and as a token of gratitude, she arranged this supplementary class."
Professor McGonagall took a few deep breaths.
For a moment, she thought Kyle might have been hit by an advanced Confundus Charm.
It was absurd for anyone in their right mind to suggest that a person from a thousand years ago had come back to life and was teaching a class.
Yet, it was Kyle speaking, and she couldn't help but waver in her disbelief.
In Professor Dumbledore's stories, it was Kyle who brought the Ravenclaw Crown back to Hogwarts.
Professor McGonagall tightly pursed her lips and asked, "Are you serious?"
"Of course," Kyle affirmed.
Kyle had no intention of hiding the fact that Rowena Ravenclaw had opened a 'supplementary class' in the Room of Requirement, especially not from the professors at Hogwarts.
They all shared a common goal, and even Rowena Ravenclaw herself didn't mind. There was no need for secrecy.
However, this information was limited to the professors; students need not know.
Firstly, there were too many people, and the class primarily focused on Runes. Combined, there were likely fewer than fifty people in the entire school who had taken Ancient Runes classes.
Moreover, even within this group, most could only manage a basic translation of Runes. At most, they could only visit a thousand-year-old Hogwarts.
Additionally, Rowena Ravenclaw had mentioned that the duration of the 'supplementary class' was limited, and Kyle didn't want to waste time on tours.
Seeing Professor McGonagall's lingering doubt, Kyle spoke straightforwardly, "If you don't believe me, I can take you to see the class."
"Very well."
Professor McGonagall stood up immediately, but before she could take a step, Kyle continued, "But not right now..."
"Why?"
"Because I don't have the key with me right now, so I can't get in." Kyle shrugged, "If the professor doesn't mind, how about after dinner?"
Professor McGonagall had no choice but to agree.
After Kyle left the office, Professor McGonagall found it hard to focus on the assignments in front of her. Eventually, she pushed them aside and stood up, heading towards the Headmaster's office.
Although she knew it was unlikely that Dumbledore would be back, Professor McGonagall still wanted to take a chance.
The situation was so bizarre that it was hard for her to accept within a short time.
Rowena Ravenclaw, from a thousand years ago, had returned to Hogwarts through her Crown, and even offered to tutor a student.
Every piece of information Kyle revealed challenged her understanding of the past sixty years and was a significant test of her sanity.
Professor McGonagall was eager to hear another person's opinion, and Dumbledore was the best choice... Perhaps he knew something.
Unfortunately, the Headmaster's office was empty. At this moment, Dumbledore was outside, engaging in a battle of wits with the Dark Lord.
Unconsciously, Professor McGonagall considered writing him a letter, but after hesitating, she put away the parchment she had already unfolded.
Professor McGonagall was well aware of the dangers of dealing with the Dark Lord, and she didn't want to disturb Dumbledore over something that hadn't been confirmed.
It was just a dinner; she could wait.
After leaving the Headmaster's office, Professor McGonagall didn't return to her own office. She was in no mood to grade assignments and could only change locations to pass the time.
Professor McGonagall decided to head straight for the greenhouses in the outdoor area.
...
Time passed quickly, and soon it was afternoon.
Around three o'clock, a door suddenly appeared in one of the corridors on the eighth floor of the castle.
This strange occurrence startled a third-year Gryffindor who happened to be passing by, causing him to run off instinctively.
However, when he returned with his classmates ten minutes later to investigate, the door had mysteriously disappeared.
"I knew you were lying, Dennis," one of them said loudly. "I've walked down this corridor countless times. How could I not know if there's a hidden door?"
"No, I'm not lying," Dennis Creevey said anxiously, gesturing on the wall.
"It was right here, I saw it with my own eyes, and there was even a handle on the door."
"Come on," said another. "You're just trying to get Harry Potter's attention this way..."
"But you succeeded. Potter is here."
As he finished speaking, Harry came running over, out of breath, from not far away.
However, it was no use; he still couldn't open the door to the Room of Requirement.
...
Meanwhile, on the grounds by the Black Lake, Cona returned the Raven Knocker to Kyle.
"Why are you out so soon?" Kyle asked.
Cona sighed. "I don't understand. It's like listening to an even more complex Ancient Runes class. I can understand each sentence the professors say, but when they're put together, I can't make sense of it."
"Oh, and Seamus couldn't understand it either. He said his head was a bit swollen, and he went back to the Common Room already."
"Alright," Kyle said, taking the Raven Knocker.
This explained why he said he didn't have the key.
Before going to ask for leave from Professor McGonagall, Kyle had given the key to Cona and let her go to the Room of Requirement.
Later, Cona suggested inviting Seamus.
Kyle didn't go with them because he had to ask for leave, but he specifically repeated Ravenclaw's previous words to Cona, telling her not to force herself to listen to avoid conflicts with what she had learned before.
And then the current situation happened.
Cona hadn't deeply studied Runes, and although she could barely understand those lessons, it was very difficult for her.
As for Seamus... Kyle remembered the last time his head was swollen, it was during their first Ancient Runes class.
This also indirectly proved that those lessons were indeed not something that anyone could take. After all, Seamus's grades were among the top in Ravenclaw.
"What about you?" Cona asked. "Did Professor McGonagall approve your leave?"
"Of course," Kyle said, taking out the application form with Professor McGonagall's signature. "Starting next week, I won't have to attend classes until the end of the school year."
As the two were chatting, they happened to see Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout coming out of the greenhouse.
They hurried back to the castle as if they had something urgent to attend to.
Since Dumbledore had stopped managing affairs, Professor McGonagall was in charge of everything at Hogwarts, making her very busy.
This made Kyle, who had just thought of stopping them, put his hand down.
He had originally thought that since Cona had already come out of the Room of Requirement, he could take Professor McGonagall there. But since she had something to do, he decided to wait until later.
Kyle sat back down next to Cona, enjoying the cool breeze from the Black Lake while listening to her talk about her experience in the Room of Requirement.
"I saw Helga Hufflepuff, and she looked exactly like her portrait."
"Also, there were so few people back then, even fewer than the number of students in a single year now."
...
For some unknown reason, dinner that day started about half an hour earlier than usual. By the time Kyle received the news and rushed over from the grounds, dinner was already halfway through.
Kyle and Cona hurried back to their house table and quickly grabbed a bite to eat.
After the professors finished their meals, they began to leave the Great Hall.
As soon as Kyle stepped out, he spotted a row of professors standing at the entrance.
Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, and even Professor Babbling from Ancient Runes were there, except for Professor Snape, who had been absent since yesterday.
All three remaining Heads of Houses had gathered.
When Kyle emerged, they all turned to look at him in unison.
Kyle clicked his tongue and asked, "Professor McGonagall, what's this all about...?"
"Everyone is curious," Professor McGonagall replied, appearing slightly embarrassed.
She had only intended to ask someone about the crown, but unknowingly, she had revealed a lot. By the time she realized it, everyone seemed to know the reason for Kyle's leave of absence.
Who wouldn't be curious about Rowena Ravenclaw's make-up class? So, they all came.
"Of course, it's also for your safety," Professor Sprout added.
"It's fine, follow me."
Kyle didn't mind either.
The professors present were all trustworthy, with no spies among them. He could take them along without worry.
And so, the four professors and Kyle set off in a grand procession to the eighth floor.
Along the way, they attracted a lot of attention, with people speculating about their purpose.
Some even followed discreetly, hoping to gather first-hand information.
But when Professor McGonagall turned around and swept her gaze across the crowd expressionlessly, they instantly abandoned the idea.
Upon reaching the eighth floor, Kyle skillfully navigated a few turns and stopped in the middle of a corridor. He placed the Raven Knocker on the wall.
Then, to the professors' astonished eyes, a door appeared out of thin air.
"Is there another place like this in Hogwarts?" Professor Flitwick couldn't help but ask.
He had been a professor at the school for decades, yet he had never known about this place.
However, no one answered his question.
Kyle opened the door and walked in, followed by Professor McGonagall, then Professor Babbling...
When they saw the scene inside, they were once again stunned.
It was the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts, with the Great Hall to the left and a staircase straight ahead. Except for some different decorations, everything else was identical, even down to the students.
Another Hogwarts within Hogwarts? It was hard for them to believe.
But being professors, they were seasoned individuals. They soon regained their composure and noticed the differences between this place and the school.
Everything around them looked new, as if it belonged to another era of Hogwarts.
"Impressive," Professor Babbling whispered, placing her hand on the nearby wall. "This is almost like a Runic construction... Oh, and it's maintained by the castle's magic... What a vast and magnificent undertaking!"
In their daily lives or when casting spells, young wizards inevitably generated excess magic.
This magic, generated within the castle, would feed back into the castle, sustaining things like talking armor and rotating walls, all of which relied on this magic to exist.
The Room of Requirement was no exception.
In other words, when the castle was devoid of students, the Room of Requirement ceased to exist.
"This is just the basics; the real wonder is on the second floor," Kyle said, leading the professors up the stairs to the classroom where he had previously attended class.
It was then that the professors understood what the make-up class meant.
A professor they had never seen before was teaching earnestly. Upon noticing the people outside, he sternly admonished them, "What are you all still doing out there? Don't you know class has started?"
The professors, some of whom had worked at Hogwarts for decades, never imagined they would be scolded in such a tone.
It was as if they were scolding tardy students.
What made it even more awkward was that they didn't know how to refute it. Professor Flitwick, in particular, subconsciously walked into the classroom. He realized it was a Charm class.
"Did Rowena Ravenclaw do all this?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Yes," Kyle nodded, "This is her memory of the school, Hogwarts a thousand years ago. I can study here for a while."
At this point, Professor McGonagall believed it.
Creating a real, tangible world from memories was something even Dumbledore couldn't achieve... Perhaps only the Four Founders could have done it.
The remaining three professors exchanged glances, then silently dispersed, beginning their search through the various classrooms.
"What about my safety?" Kyle, left alone in the original spot, twitched his lips, unsure of what to say.
However, he had expected this and shrugged, casually entering one of the classrooms.
Strangely, despite the time Kyle and the professors had spent outside, when he entered, the class had just begun, and he hadn't missed any content.
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
