Mr. Dumbledore

"You want to become Hogwarts’s headmaster?"

Grindelwald was genuinely shocked. Adam’s plan was simply too fantastical.

A fifth-year student wanted to become headmaster!

"Why not?"

"Would the Ministry of Magic agree?"

"I have strength, I have money. Never mind the Ministry of Magic—even if the Board of Governors disagreed, so what?"

"But the students’ parents wouldn’t agree."

"It’s fine. They won’t know."

"Hm?"

Adam smiled confidently:

"I only need actual control over Hogwarts. I won’t make any statements in the name of Hogwarts’s headmaster, so it will be enough for a few professors… or even just the Heads of House to know."

As long as he did not openly oppose the Ministry of Magic, it would be too busy covering things up to announce that Hogwarts had completely slipped out of its control.

"I see. And here I thought…"

Grindelwald had thought Adam was about to reveal his ambition. Now, it seemed Adam was still hiding behind a disguise.

But Grindelwald had overthought it. Adam was not pretending; turning Hogwarts into a sanctuary amid the coming turmoil had always been part of his plan.

From the moment Professor Dumbledore left Hogwarts, Hogwarts would truly become the safest school of magic!

Dumbledore’s Army’s gathering went fairly smoothly… though Umbridge seemed to have received word the very next day and set her sights on them.

"There must be a traitor among the people at the gathering!"

Fred said indignantly during tea.

"Too bad Granger’s magic apparently didn’t work."

George sounded full of regret. He had heard that curse could cover someone’s face in pimples.

"If you’re holding meetings, leaks are inevitable. No one even needs to deliberately reveal anything."

Adam shook his head.

"You need a more secretive method."

Harry would soon be reminded by Dobby—or rather, by Professor Dumbledore—to use the Room of Requirement. But that would not really help; what was meant to leak would still leak.

A Portkey, the Fidelius Charm, and an Unbreakable Vow—those barely counted as secretive in Adam’s eyes.

Fred and George sighed at that, then wondered whether they should go home and ask their parents for advice… after all, they belonged to the secret organization known as the Order of the Phoenix.

"Brothers, am I late?"

Cedric arrived belatedly. He glanced at the table, then unapologetically grabbed a small honey cake and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Mmm~ So good!"

After sitting down, Cedric took the cola Adam handed him and gulped down half the cup before letting out a long breath.

"Burp~~~ Ah! Thanks, I feel like I’ve come back to life!"

"Was it really that bad?"

Everyone could not help looking at him. Cedric was the only seventh-year at the tea party and was currently studying frantically for the upcoming N.E.W.T.s!

"It was awful! The professors practically wanted to stuff their brains into my head. I’m doing homework almost every day. For some classes, what we learn during lessons isn’t even enough—I have to study on my own afterward."

Cedric shook his head with a pained expression.

"Now I understand why most upperclassmen quit the Quidditch team once they reach seventh year. I can’t keep this up either."

"You’re planning to quit the team?"

Klon was rather surprised, while Eugene did not seem surprised at all.

"Yeah, I’ve already reported it to Professor Sprout. They’ll probably start selecting a new captain soon."

Bernard thought about it and said:

"Actually, isn’t it mainly because you’re taking too many N.E.W.T. subjects? As far as I know, Gryffindor’s former captain stuck with it until seventh year."

"Uh, I really can’t compare to him. Even if he took every single N.E.W.T., he probably still wouldn’t give up Quidditch."

At the mention of Captain Wood, Cedric could not help expressing his admiration. His love for Quidditch had not reached the point of risking life and limb for it.

Seeing Cedric, who had always handled both school and life with ease, driven to such a state, everyone felt a chill of sympathy.

Adam, however, remained perfectly calm. This was nothing—did they not know what country’s student he had once been?

Throughout the tea party, no one mentioned that unlucky name, yet Adam could clearly sense the hatred hanging in the air. He could not help giving her a thumbs-up in his heart.

I’m rooting for you~

People often said life was like that thing—if there was no way to resist, then try learning to enjoy it.

Umbridge was disgusting, but everyone gradually began getting used to her, until Harry was banned from participating in Quidditch matches, and until Professor Trelawney was dismissed…

"The hatred is growing more and more intense, but it’s still not enough…"

After returning from the Great Hall, Adam once again dispersed the hatred card that had failed to take shape.

"Do I still have to wait for Professor Dumbledore to leave? Wait until Umbridge has no one left to restrain her and becomes even more unhinged, so that the hatred will be strong enough?"

Adam sighed. If possible, he truly did not want Umbridge to remain at Hogwarts for so long.

Even if he had made himself entirely invisible in Umbridge’s world, and her rules could not touch him, seeing that face every day—leaping about with that utterly fake smile—was still nauseating.

"But there was an unexpected gain, wasn’t there?"

Bernard leaned against the bedpost, looking rather unhappy.

"A centaur professor… He doesn’t seem to be with the ones we saw in the Forbidden Forest before?"

"There wouldn’t be two centaur tribes in one forest. We just happened not to see him last time."

Klon explained it to everyone.

"Hogwarts is really getting worse and worse now."

As Uther spoke, he looked at Adam. The meaning was obvious: when would Hogwarts return to normal?

"I’m afraid this is only the beginning, brothers."

Adam shook his head.

Everyone did not hate enough yet, which meant they still held hope for the Ministry of Magic. That was not what he wanted to see.

"When everyone truly realizes that the current Ministry of Magic is beyond saving, I’ll return Hogwarts to the simple school it once was."

So everyone understood that they still had a wait ahead of them.

But none of them could have imagined that this wait would directly bring Professor Dumbledore’s departure.

"Ministry of Magic Decree: Dolores Umbridge shall hereby replace Albus Dumbledore as the… headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

When they saw this notice on the bulletin board, their feelings were simply indescribable.

Let time return to one day earlier. Professor Dumbledore’s feelings had been equally indescribable.

He looked at Adam before him, then at Grindelwald, who sat nearby with one leg crossed over the other as he watched the show, and finally at Fawkes, who had brought him here.

He had just traveled through Fawkes, only to find that his destination was not the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, but a place somewhat familiar to him.

"Flamel?"

Professor Dumbledore murmured.

"Mr. Flamel has been dead for many years, Professor Dumbledore…"

Dumbledore froze, then turned to see Adam sitting on the sofa.

"No, that isn’t right. I should call you Mr. Dumbledore now."

On a small sofa nearby, Grindelwald spoke with some malicious delight:

"Please, have a seat, Mr. Dumbledore."