"I am deeply relieved to see all of you here again—and to see that not a single person is missing."
Dumbledore's voice echoed throughout the Great Hall, filled with heartfelt relief.
His gaze swept across the young faces before him.
Everyone understood what he meant.
For the past two months, nearly every issue of The Daily Prophet had carried reports of people disappearing or dying.
Some had been abducted from their homes. Others had vanished from the streets. Some had gone out in the middle of the night and never returned.
It was indeed fortunate that none of the students had suffered such a fate.
The Great Hall fell silent for a moment.
Dumbledore did not linger on the subject.
He was not a man who enjoyed dwelling on sorrow, but neither would he pretend those tragedies had never occurred.
Then, as usual, he began announcing the precautions repeated at the beginning of every school year.
"First, I must remind all first-year students that the Forbidden Forest is strictly off-limits. The older students should already be well aware of this rule. Nevertheless, every year, a few excessively curious young people inevitably attempt to challenge it."
His gaze habitually drifted toward the Gryffindor table.
Hmm...
They had already graduated.
Dumbledore calmly withdrew his gaze as though nothing had happened.
"Quidditch team tryouts will begin in late September. Please consult your respective House noticeboards for the exact times."
He paused.
"Anyone wishing to participate should prepare a broomstick in advance. The school does not provide brooms for students to borrow—unless, of course, you wish to humiliate yourself on the pitch by riding one of the antiques in our storage room."
A ripple of quiet laughter spread through the Great Hall.
"Furthermore..."
Dumbledore's tone became rather subtle, as though he were suppressing a smile.
"Our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to inform everyone that students are strictly forbidden from carrying any products purchased from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes this year."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Mr. Filch has particularly emphasized that any student found carrying the aforementioned products will have them confiscated immediately and receive no less than one week of detention."
Even now, no one knew exactly what Fred and George had done to Filch that caused their joke shop to remain blacklisted by Hogwarts even after they graduated.
Some claimed they had left an entire crate of self-detonating fireworks inside Filch's office.
Others insisted that they had transformed his chair into a biting trap.
Still others swore that the twins had once dyed Mrs. Norris every color of the rainbow while Filch was asleep.
Fred and George denied every accusation.
They did so with expressions so sincere that one desperately wanted to believe them—
Yet did not dare.
"Additionally," Dumbledore continued, "this year, we are delighted to welcome a new professor who is also an old friend—Professor Slughorn."
Dumbledore extended a hand toward the staff table.
Slughorn rose from his seat.
His moustache remained immaculately groomed, while his gleaming bald head shone beneath the candlelight.
"I am exceedingly pleased," Dumbledore said, his voice carrying the warmth of an old friend reunited, "that Professor Slughorn has agreed to come out of retirement and resume his former position as our Potions professor."
"Potions?!"
The Great Hall instantly erupted into noise as conversations broke out at every table.
The sixth- and seventh-year students reacted particularly strongly.
They had expected to continue studying Potions under Snape.
Although Snape's teaching style was suffocating, his mastery of the subject was beyond question. Anyone who survived his lessons could at least hope to achieve an "E" on their N.E.W.T.s.
Now he was being replaced by Slughorn?
An old man who had been retired for decades?
How skilled was he at Potions? What was his teaching style like? Did he even know that the N.E.W.T. syllabus had been revised several times since his retirement?
"Meanwhile—"
Dumbledore raised his voice, effortlessly drowning out the commotion filling the Great Hall.
"Professor Snape will assume responsibility for teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts."
The Great Hall fell silent.
"No!"
The abrupt shout exploded through the quiet hall.
Harry slammed both hands against the table and shot to his feet.
He leaned forward over the tabletop, nearly overturning the plate in front of him. His glasses sat crookedly across his face, his hair was even messier than usual, and every feature of his expression screamed, I cannot accept this!
Defence Against the Dark Arts was his favorite subject.
Snape?
The Snape who had singled him out since his first year?
The Snape who deducted points from him in nearly every lesson?
The Snape who looked at him as though Harry had personally murdered his father?
And now that man was going to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts?
Harry felt as though his entire world had collapsed.
Dumbledore stared at him for several seconds.
He did not speak.
He simply watched.
Harry finally lowered himself back into his seat.
Whispers rustled throughout the Great Hall.
Snape becoming the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor was far more shocking than Slughorn taking over Potions.
"Ah, the old bat finally got his wish."
Edgar turned toward Lynn and lowered his voice until only the two of them could hear.
"I remember he always wanted to become the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. It looks like the Headmaster finally agreed."
Lynn smiled.
"I only hope he doesn't fall victim to Voldemort's curse."
Edgar froze for a second.
Then he remembered the long-standing rumor that Voldemort had cursed the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.
No one could hold the post for more than a year.
Quirrell, Lockhart, Lupin, Moody, Ellis...
There had been no exceptions.
Some had died. Some had been disgraced. Some had gone mad. Others had resigned.
Could Snape break the curse?
Edgar thought about it carefully and decided that it was unlikely.
...
The following morning, sunlight streamed through the castle's tall windows, scattering patches of gold across the corridor's stone floor.
The air carried the distinctive mixture of dust, wax, and ancient stone.
It was the unmistakable scent of Hogwarts.
Lynn and his three companions arrived at the Hogwarts greenhouses.
However, they had not come for a lesson.
They were there for something more important—
Course selection.
Sixth-year students had to begin preparing for their N.E.W.T.s, and the prerequisite for sitting a particular examination was taking the corresponding subject during their sixth year.
The N.E.W.T.s covered material taught throughout both sixth and seventh year. If a student failed to study the necessary material in sixth year, no amount of desperate revision during seventh year could fully compensate for it.
Therefore, course selection had to be completed during the first week of school.
Knock. Knock-knock.
Lynn raised his hand and knocked three times.
"Come in."
Professor Sprout's gentle voice came from inside the office.
Lynn pushed open the door and entered.
Professor Sprout's office was situated in the innermost section of the greenhouse complex. It was small, but exceptionally cozy.
Pictures of various magical plants covered the walls. Some had been drawn on parchment, while others were photographs. Several of the framed plants were even moving, slowly growing before the viewer's eyes.
Several pots of succulents rested on the windowsill. Each plant was round and plump, their leaves crowded tightly against one another.
Professor Sprout sat behind her desk, with several sheets of parchment arranged before her.
It appeared that other students had already submitted their course-selection forms.
"Good morning, Professor."
Lynn entered the office, followed by Edgar, William, and Ollie.
"Good morning, children."
Professor Sprout lowered her quill and folded her hands across the desk. An exceptionally warm smile appeared on her face.
"Sit down. There's no need to stand."
After exchanging a few simple pleasantries, Lynn went straight to the point.
"Professor, these are our course-selection forms."
He removed several folded pieces of parchment from his pocket and handed them to Professor Sprout.
She accepted the forms with a smile.
After briefly examining the first one, however, her smile immediately stiffened.
Her eyes remained fixed on the parchment for several seconds.
Then she looked up at Lynn, lowered her gaze again, and reread the few lines written upon it.
Professor Sprout drew a deep breath before slowly releasing it.
She temporarily set Lynn's application aside and picked up the other three forms.
Edgar had selected:
Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Care of Magical Creatures.
William had selected:
Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Ancient Runes.
Ollie had selected:
Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, and Defence Against the Dark Arts.
After reading the three forms, Professor Sprout's expression finally returned to normal.
"Your applications are approved. You will receive your timetables by tomorrow at the latest."
She raised her head and swept her gaze across Edgar and the others.
"If there is nothing else, you may leave."
The three students nodded.
"Goodbye, Professor."
They walked out of the office, and the door closed behind them.
"Mr. Lynn, please remain for a moment."
Professor Sprout's voice rang out the instant the door shut.
The office remained silent for several seconds.
Professor Sprout picked up Lynn's application, examined it once more, and then handed it back to him.
"Don't you think choosing only three subjects is rather too few?"
Lynn scratched his head.
"Is it?"
He lowered his gaze toward the parchment in his hands.
Charms.
Transfiguration.
Herbology.
Professor Sprout nodded.
She had initially intended to warn him that selecting so few subjects would severely limit his future employment opportunities.
The words were already on the tip of her tongue when she suddenly remembered who Lynn was.
He was the youngest recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, in the wizarding world.
He was also an "Outstanding Intern" at the Auror Office of the Ministry of Magic.
And it was not an empty title.
The Ministry had officially certified and stamped it.
Furthermore, he owned the Epoch-Making Alchemy Shop in Diagon Alley.
Employment?
Did Lynn even need to seek employment?
The organizations eager to hire him could form a queue stretching from Hogwarts's front gates to King's Cross Station, and there still would not be enough room for all of them.
Whether he selected three subjects or seven truly made no difference to his future career.
Professor Sprout swallowed the words she had been preparing to say.
"Ahem."
She cleared her throat and changed her approach.
"Choose at least one more subject. Hogwarts is a place of learning, after all. You shouldn't allow yourself to become too idle."
Professor Sprout took back Lynn's course-selection form and studied the three listed subjects for a while.
"What about Potions?"
Lynn shook his head.
"Professor Slughorn is too utilitarian. I don't like him. Studying Potions under him would be less useful than reading the textbooks by myself."
Professor Sprout fell silent for a second.
Then she nodded and moved her attention away from Potions.
"Then... Defence Against the Dark Arts?"
Lynn shook his head again.
This time, he did not provide a reason.
Professor Sprout did not need one.
It was obviously because of Snape.
Given Lynn's personality, if Snape were teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts, Lynn probably would not remain in the classroom for more than ten minutes.
Professor Sprout sighed and stopped attempting to persuade him.
"Care of Magical Creatures should be acceptable, shouldn't it?"
Lynn sighed inwardly.
He had originally hoped to enjoy a somewhat more relaxed sixth year.
Ultimately, however, he nodded in agreement.
A smile finally returned to Professor Sprout's face.
She picked up her quill, added "Care of Magical Creatures" to Lynn's course-selection form, and placed it atop the stack of approved applications.
Thus, Lynn's sixth-year subjects became:
Charms.
Transfiguration.
Herbology.
Care of Magical Creatures.
"All right, you may go."
Professor Sprout waved him toward the door.
"Your timetable will be delivered tomorrow."
"Thank you, Professor."
Lynn folded his copy of the course-selection form, slipped it into his pocket, and turned toward the door.
It closed behind him.
Edgar, William, and Ollie were waiting in the corridor, leaning against the wall.
The moment Lynn emerged, Edgar was the first to approach him.
"What did Professor Sprout say to you?"
Lynn merely sighed and walked forward in silence.
---
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