The slacker professor at Hogwarts

Chapter 199 You want to play, huh?

Chapter 199 You want to play, huh?

This was definitely the most exciting opening banquet for the young wizards. After experiencing a dangerous and thrilling adventure, everyone had a lot to say.

The new students were stunned, and some of the young wizards from Muggle families immediately felt the difference between the wizarding world and the Muggle world.

Especially the players who performed exceptionally well in this encounter, even the most outstanding Neville, all exuded a heroic pride.

However, after Professor McGonagall presided over the Sorting Ceremony for the new students, Dumbledore returned to the school to deliver his opening address, which was like a bucket of cold water being poured on him, and everyone fell silent.

"I am very dissatisfied with your performance."

Dumbledore rested his hands on the wings of the owl relief extending to the left and right on the podium, his tall figure looking down at the young wizards below, his eyes sharp through his half-moon spectacles.

"The response to the sudden accident was only so-so. So many people knew the Patronus Charm, yet they could only be driven into the carriage by the Dementors. If you ask me, Professor Lockhart taught for nothing."

The young wizards in the audience were stunned.

They had never seen Dumbledore so aggressive.

In fact, none of the professors had ever seen it either.

Professor Snape narrowed his eyes and looked at Professor McGonagall beside him, only to see Professor McGonagall rolling her eyes with a strange expression.

He turned back to Lockhart, only to see him silently mouthing a name—Grindelwald.

"!!!"

Snape had heard of the power of this dark wizard since he was a child, but he never had a concrete idea of ​​just how powerful he was. Now he truly felt it for himself.

He couldn't even tell that the "Dumbledore" in front of him was someone else in disguise!

What a terrifying transformation technique! There wasn't even the slightest fluctuation of magic!

Dumbledore surveyed the expressions of each young wizard with an air of authority, offering no comment on the indignant Harry, the dejected Percy, and the others.

He rubbed the wooden carving in his palm and spoke again, "Magic isn't child's play!"

"To cast the Flame Curse, you must be determined to kill your opponent at all costs; to use the Guardian Curse, you must have the conviction to protect everything, regardless of your own safety or interests."

"None of the spells you've cast—" he shook his head, "are satisfactory. I see not a single moment when the soul shines with brilliance!"

"It's all like a joke!"

Old Gai was heartbroken.

Really.

Damn it, he only spent a few decades in prison, how did the world become like this?!

Leaving aside the era when he launched the war against the Secrets Act, wizards before that were constantly fighting with Muggles, magical creatures, goblins, centaurs, and each other. They only gave peace to the new generation. In just two or three generations, the social atmosphere has deteriorated to such an extent that wizards have started to treat magic as a game.

When did wizards cease to be synonymous with danger, mystery, and misfortune, and even lead this young Lockhart to come up with the concept that "magic is the ultimate romance in fairy tales"?

Oh, such a concept can even be described as a very high level; most people simply can't reach it.

He observed the young wizards in the school and felt as if he had entered kindergarten. The young wizards no longer bore the heavy burden of the survival of their race. They played, frolicked, and played Quidditch. The most outrageous thing they did was to go out at night or play pranks.

Every year, Hogwarts leads new students down the same path that the four founders took when they started the school, but in reality, they have long forgotten the founders' original purpose in establishing the school.

At first, he was quite pleased to hear the young wizards discussing how his alma mater, Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, still preserved its wizarding traditions, and how these young wizards called it a "dark wizarding school."

Later, after hearing Dumbledore describe the state of the school under the leadership of Headmaster Igor Karkaroff, he was utterly devastated.

This is not a matter of times changing.

This is a problem where the entire wizarding world has completely lost its fighting power.

If one day the Muggle world suddenly reveals the existence of wizards, politicians will have to face the Muggles' fear of their own safety and launch another round of witch hunts.

He dared to say that most wizards would be utterly defenseless.

Peace?

Ha! It looks so damn ridiculous now!

Dumbledore's hard work in maintaining peace in the wizarding community for decades did indeed lead to a surge in the wizarding population, but whether this is a good thing or not remains to be seen.

The widespread decline and extinction of pure-blood families have been replaced by a surge in Muggle wizards, and a terrifying internal rift is quietly building within wizarding society.

With this, how can we compete with Muggles whose technology is advancing by leaps and bounds?

There's no hope, just wait to die!

It's heartbreaking!

Grindelwald was deeply distressed by what he saw. While Dumbledore was at the Ministry of Magic in Wizengamot, he returned to the school, intending to give the new generation a pep talk.

He couldn't go too far. If he said something in Dumbledore's name, Dumbledore wouldn't mind, but if he did something, it was hard to say.

Grindelwald was well aware of this.

He looked at everyone indifferently, as if he were looking at a dazzling array of junk in a junkyard, and sneered, "Many people are saying how terrifying and powerful this so-called mysterious person is, but please remember, he also came from Hogwarts."

"What he can do, you can do too."

"But can you really do it?"

His gaze sharpened. "Voldemort, Tom Riddle, graduated from Hogwarts in 1945. Nearly fifty years have passed. Has Hogwarts really been unable to produce another powerful wizard? I don't believe it!"

"The school hasn't changed, the professors haven't changed, the teaching philosophy hasn't changed, but the teaching content has been updated to keep up with the times. What does that mean?"

"The problem lies with you!"

"The school, which was originally meant to be the guardian of wizards and the warrior to train wizards in resistance against witch hunts, has long forgotten the mission it was entrusted to, and all that's left is playing and having fun."

He slammed his hand on the podium, his gaze shifting from indifference to icy coldness. "Professor Lockhart told me that times have changed, but I completely disagree. Times haven't changed. The war continues, whether it's with that evil Voldemort or some Muggle group that might harbor ill will towards wizards in the future."

"Just like this attack on your way to school, I hope you will think carefully about what you would do if it happened again next time."

He knew all too well how to get the young wizards to take this to heart: "Think carefully, if this attack happened in your home, with your parents, your family, everyone you care about there, what would you do?"

Such reflection is clearly a heavy one.

Professor McGonagall strongly disagreed with imposing such a heavy burden on young wizards; this was something adults should consider.

But in the end, I didn't argue with him at the opening banquet.

"Professor Lockhart!"

Dumbledore suddenly turned to Lockhart, who was whispering to Snape, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Regarding this matter, I'd like to invite you up here and speak to the young wizards, would you mind?"

You're kidding me!

Lockhart had no doubt that if he said anything wrong, Dumbledore's anger toward Grindelwald would be transferred directly to him.

Old Gai is such a coward and a playful person; he's asking me to take the blame!

OK OK.

You want to play, huh?

Come!

He stood up, strode forward, and stood directly beside Grindelwald, looking at the young wizards with a gentle expression.

Looking at Harry, looking at Ron, looking at Hermione, looking at Draco, looking at Crabbe, looking at the faces of every little wizard.

"Professor Dumbledore is not only the headmaster of Hogwarts, but also the chief wizard of the International Confederation of Wizards. He has a lot to think about."

"I'm different. I'm just an ordinary person. I'm happy to make my due contribution to this era, but I don't have much ambition to guide everyone to do anything."

"I just want to tell you how I, as a wizard, view magic."

"Dear students—"

His smile was so warm that even the young wizards who had been tense relaxed.

"Magic comes from life. It doesn't just exist in conflict. Yes, conflict is undoubtedly the most powerful way to create magic. Combat is always the main theme of human beings, whether they are wizards or Muggles."

"But I hope everyone will pay more attention to life, because magic exists in every corner of life, in every moment."

"It should be beautiful, born from life, and in turn make our lives more interesting."

"It should also be exciting; every interesting adventure in life has the potential to breed magic. Open your heart..."

Go and truly feel it, and you will find that it can bring you boundless power.

"So I say, times have changed, not gotten worse, but got better."

"We can finally break free from the confrontational atmosphere and explore the wondrous world of magic, a world whose wonder lies in the relationship between ourselves and others, between ourselves and nature, and between ourselves and all living beings in the world."

"This is an opportunity brought about by the new era, allowing us to explore a more harmonious path, whether in life or in magic."

Lockhart looked at everyone with a smile, "It is an honor to have received Professor McGonagall's invitation. I will be able to explore this possibility with you all over the next academic year, starting with the harmonious coexistence of humans and magical creatures."

"I will be the professor of the Magical Creatures Protection class at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Of course, I know that everyone is already very familiar with me, even our freshmen."

"So, there's no need for me to introduce myself, right?"

The banquet finally came alive again, with everyone shouting excitedly—some calling for their idols, some for their professors, some for their magic masters, and some for their internationally renowned authors.

Lockhart gestured for silence, a smile on his face that was hard to decipher. "So I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce my teaching assistant for this course. As you all know, Dumbledore is always happy to provide me with a strong teaching assistant."

Grindelwald suddenly had a bad feeling, and the smile on his face tightened abruptly as he stared intently at Lockhart beside him.

But it was too late; Lockhart became more and more excited as he spoke, his speech becoming extremely rapid.

Raising his hand to indicate where the faculty and staff would be seated, he said, "Mr. Mystery, I hope everyone will call him that! Please welcome him!"

The advantage of having enthusiastic fans is that the young wizards don't care who the so-called teaching assistant is. When Professor Lockhart tells everyone to welcome him, they clap wildly.

The atmosphere was so electric it felt like the roof was about to burst, with Lockhart yelling, "Mr. Mystery! Mr. Mystery!"

Everyone joined in, shouting, "Mr. Mystery! Mr. Mystery! Mr. Mystery!"

So.

Who is the mysterious Mr.?

Everyone looked in the direction Professor Lockhart had just indicated, and were surprised to see a strange figure standing there quietly.

He had a handsome head of neatly styled white hair, wore an exquisite and well-fitting suit, had a pair of captivating heterochromatic eyes, and his aged face exuded an indescribable arrogance and elegance.

Is this Grindelwald?

Professor Flitwick and several other professors who knew Guy were stunned. Even though he looked slightly different from the confident and charismatic figure he used to be, the man in front of them was so familiar.

Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape were also stunned. They exchanged a glance, looked at Dumbledore standing by the podium, and then at Grindelwald sitting there.

"???"

"Boggart!" Dumbledore's lips twitched as he looked at Lockhart with obvious displeasure.

Lockhart just looked at him with a smile, as if to say, "Is this fun?"