Professor Minerva McGonagall cast Jon a suspicious glance. Seeing how serious he looked, she even wondered if he was teasing her.
However, there were less than fifteen minutes left until one o'clock.
Professor McGonagall decided to simply wait in the Headmaster's Office and see for herself who this new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor would be.
Time passed minute by minute. Jon didn't seem the least bit rushed. Sitting in the headmaster's chair, he calmly read the Daily Prophet he hadn't finished earlier that morning.
Just as Professor McGonagall was beginning to grow impatient, the sound of footsteps echoed from the staircase below.
She immediately lifted her head.
...
With a soft creak, the brass door of the Headmaster's Office was gently pushed open.
An elderly woman slowly shuffled inside, leaning heavily on a cane.
She looked incredibly old. Her short hair was as white as frost, her face deeply lined with wrinkles, and most of her teeth were already gone.
Yet despite her frail appearance, her movements suggested surprising vitality. The afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows fell across her silver hair, giving her an almost spirited glow.
"Merlin's beard, I hope I'm not late!" the old woman said leisurely.
As she spoke, she casually glanced around the room, clearly quite familiar with the surroundings of the Headmaster's Office.
"You are… Professor Merrythought?" Minerva McGonagall studied the old woman carefully before finally recognizing her, letting out a startled exclamation.
"I never expected that after forty years away from Hogwarts, someone here would still remember me." The old woman seemed a little surprised as well. She turned and looked straight at Professor McGonagall.
"If I remember correctly, you must be Minerva… The last time I saw you, you were still a lovely little girl. And now look at you—fully grown. I still think it's a shame the Sorting Hat spent five whole minutes deciding to place you in Gryffindor instead of my Ravenclaw…"
Hearing the regret in the old woman's voice, Professor McGonagall could hardly hide her astonishment.
"Professor Merrythought, you're actually willing to return to teach at Hogwarts… but your health—"
"These old bones of mine aren't what they used to be… If I had to stay at Hogwarts for another year or two…" Professor Galatea Merrythought said with a cheerful smile. "But Headmaster Hart wrote to me and said he only needed me to come back temporarily to fill the position for a little over a month. That I'm quite happy to do. Retirement has been rather boring, after all."
Galatea Merrythought had once served as Hogwarts' Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and by the time she retired she had already spent nearly fifty years at the school.
Now, more than forty years after her retirement, a letter from the Headmaster of Hogwarts had brought her back to the castle once again.
The old woman turned back toward the young man seated in the headmaster's chair and grinned.
"I presume… you must be Mr. Hart—the youngest headmaster in Hogwarts' history. You certainly look the part."
"Yes, that's right, Professor Merrythought." Jon quickly stood up and nodded with a smile. "Welcome back to Hogwarts."
...
"How nostalgic," Galatea Merrythought said as she slowly looked around the room. "When I said farewell to Albus here all those years ago, I thought I'd never return…"
Her gaze drifted across the portraits on the wall until it finally settled on one.
Leaning on her cane, she bowed slightly toward it with a smile.
"Headmaster Black, it's been a long time."
"Good afternoon, Merrythought." Phineas Black removed his hat and returned the greeting with a polite nod.
Galatea Merrythought's gaze continued moving across the wall of portraits until it stopped at another.
"And Professor Dippet—how good it is to see you again."
"Ahem, ahem—Galatea!" Armando Dippet coughed a few times before speaking. "I never expected you'd return to Hogwarts."
"Neither did I," Professor Merrythought replied with a smile. "I didn't think these old bones of mine would ever serve Hogwarts again."
As she spoke, her eyes continued searching the portrait wall.
"Oh!" she suddenly exclaimed softly.
"Headmaster Hart, why don't I see Albus's portrait here?"
As she asked the question, she turned around. Her aged eyes studied Jon with quiet curiosity.
"It all happened too suddenly. Professor Dumbledore's portrait hasn't been completed yet," Jon replied calmly.
"Is that so?" A faint glimmer flashed through the old woman's eyes, and she gave Jon a sly smile. "I see…"
"Professor McGonagall, is there anything else you need?" Jon asked, turning toward the Deputy Headmistress. "I'd like to discuss some matters regarding the Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum with Professor Merrythought."
"Then I'll take my leave." Minerva McGonagall, noticing nothing unusual, quietly exited the Headmaster's Office.
...
"Please, have a seat, Professor Merrythought," Jon said, giving his wand a casual flick.
A chair with a pale blue cushion instantly appeared in front of Galatea Merrythought.
The old woman set her cane aside, sat down, and stretched her limbs slightly.
"To be honest, I felt quite regretful when I heard the news of Albus's death," she said slowly. "For such a great wizard to leave the world so suddenly and under such unclear circumstances—it's truly a shame, isn't it?"
"Yes," Jon replied casually. "Life is unpredictable, after all."
"So," Professor Merrythought continued in her slow, measured tone, "a headmaster so young summons an old woman like me back to Hogwarts. I wonder if you have some other matter in mind?"
"I'm afraid you're correct," Jon said calmly, making no attempt to hide it.
"Do you remember a student named Tom Riddle? He was studying at Hogwarts before you retired."
"Of course." Professor Merrythought closed her eyes briefly in thought, then nodded. "A very diligent and intelligent child. Students like that always leave an impression."
"Forty years ago, after you retired, he returned to Hogwarts to apply for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position you left behind," Jon continued. "But Headmaster Albus Dumbledore believed his intentions were questionable and refused his application."
"And after that… a curse began to haunt Hogwarts."
"Since then, no Defense Against the Dark Arts professor has been able to keep the position for more than a year."