New Semester, New Professors

"Sorry…"

Hermione pushed open the compartment door, breathing heavily.

"What happened? Why are you only getting here now?"

Ron glanced out the window. The platform was slowly sliding backward in his view, which meant Hermione had boarded the Hogwarts Express almost at the last second.

That had been practically impossible before!

"Actually… I just tried to find traces of our new headmaster…"

Hermione said,

"You all know that the letter Hogwarts sent during the summer holiday was somewhat different from previous years…"

Besides the usual list of textbooks and supplies everyone needed to prepare for the new term, the letter included an extra sheet of parchment. It stated that Hogwarts had just changed headmasters and explained the current situation in the Wizarding World.

"Although the Wizarding World is not very peaceful at the moment, I can guarantee, in the name of Hogwarts’s thousand-year honor, that from the moment your children step into King’s Cross Station, they will receive the most comprehensive protection until they leave the school safely."

After reading the final passage from the letter, Hermione looked at Harry and Ron.

"So I guessed that our new headmaster, who was unwilling to reveal his name, might have been secretly protecting us at King’s Cross Station just now."

"Did you find him?"

Harry’s eyes lit up. He truly wanted to properly thank that headmaster who had refused to reveal his name. Professor Dumbledore had said that person was the one who saved Sirius Black. To repay that kindness, Harry would do anything!

"Uh… obviously, no."

Hermione shrugged.

"Sorry, Harry."

She had been there that day too and understood very well just how drastically Harry’s emotions had risen and fallen.

"Hey, isn’t that normal? Professor Dumbledore said the new headmaster was even more powerful than he was. It would be strange if Hermione could find him, right?"

Ron put an arm around Harry’s shoulders.

"No need to rush. We’ll definitely see him once we get to Hogwarts, right?"

Yet after they arrived at Hogwarts, the headmaster’s seat remained empty all the way until Professor McGonagall finished sorting the new students.

Seeing that, Ron nearly blurted out a curse.

"Bloody—mmph!"

Ron turned around and met Harry’s disapproving gaze, then nodded helplessly.

"Everyone!"

After having Filch remove the Sorting Hat, Professor McGonagall stepped up to the podium.

"I believe you have already learned from the letters you received during the holiday that Hogwarts has undergone a change of headmaster. For certain reasons, the headmaster himself is unable to appear publicly, so I will act on his behalf in some duties requiring his presence."

With that, Professor McGonagall turned around, picked up a roll of parchment from the empty headmaster’s seat, and unfolded it.

"Next, I will relay the headmaster’s words."

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and looked at the parchment she was seeing for the first time as well.

"To all colleagues and students of Hogwarts, I am honored to serve as headmaster. Although I cannot conveniently reveal myself for certain special reasons, my love for Hogwarts will not diminish in the slightest because of it."

"At this special time, there is no need for excessive explanation. Let us get straight to the point—I hereby announce in the name of the headmaster that all decrees issued and all orders given during the tenure of Dolores Umbridge, headmaster appointed by the Ministry of Magic, are null and void. That is—"

"All Hogwarts High Inquisitor Educational Decrees are revoked; the lifetime Quidditch bans imposed on Harry Potter and others are revoked; the expulsions of Fred Weasley and George Weasley are revoked; the dismissal of Sybill Professor Trelawney is revoked; the Special Operations Investigation Squad is disbanded…"

Though she kept telling herself this was a serious occasion, Professor McGonagall could not stop the corners of her mouth from rising.

"Let us welcome two students back to Hogwarts to complete their studies! And let us also welcome Professor Trelawney back into our ranks!"

Thunderous applause and cheers immediately rang through the Great Hall.

After that, the Gryffindors excitedly whistled and offered Fred and George their blessings, without noticing how bitter the smiles on the two boys’ faces were.

Professor Trelawney, unusually, had joined the welcome feast for the new students. She stood up excitedly and raised her glass to everyone, as though she had just won a battle.

"Furthermore—"

Professor McGonagall continued unrolling the parchment and read aloud,

"This term, our teaching staff will undergo another change: Mr. Franz will replace Professor Hagrid and Professor Grubbly-Plank in teaching Care of Magical Creatures."

Still dressed with a touch of tropical flair, Franz stood and waved to everyone. The smile on his face clearly showed that he was immensely satisfied with Hogwarts’s collection of magical creatures.

How could he not be?

After Adam’s adjustments, Hogwarts’s Forbidden Forest and Black Lake had come to encompass nearly every type of magical creature and regional terrain from around the world!

After making the rounds, Franz could not help sighing. Hogwarts truly deserved to be called a magical school far older than America. If he wanted to study magical creatures that could not be found here, he would probably have to try his luck in those remote and dangerous regions rarely visited by people.

That was right. Although Professor Scamander had warned Adam that the magic used to alter regional terrain violated Ministry of Magic law, but…

What lawbreaking? This was all nature’s handiwork… ahem, these were all legacies left behind by the four founders! The Ministry of Magic did not even exist when Hogwarts was founded!

The students were also quite generous with their applause for this new professor, who looked like he had only just graduated and wore such an enthusiastic, sunny smile.

"Furthermore, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor…"

Professor McGonagall’s voice suddenly stopped. The smile on her face froze, and she could not help adjusting her glasses and bringing the parchment closer.

The students, who were smiling as well, could not help exchanging puzzled looks. What was going on?

Wasn’t it just a change of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor? The other professors were one thing, but this position changed every year. They were used to it. What could possibly be wrong?

"Starting this term, I will be responsible for teaching your Defense Against the Dark Arts classes."

In an instant, the flames in the braziers on both sides of the Great Hall surged high and turned azure blue. Grindelwald’s voice came from within the flames.

The flames rose and gathered in midair into the shape of a Fire Dragon. The Fire Dragon spread its wings and flew over the students’ heads, while the rolling heat waves drew cries of alarm from them.

The Fire Dragon landed near the teachers’ table and transformed into a cluster of slowly dying flames. Grindelwald stepped out of the fire, his mismatched pupils sweeping across every student’s face before he smiled.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Gellert Grindelwald. Perhaps some students with good History of Magic grades are no strangers to that name."