Just as the retired Dark Lord was taking advantage of his vacation time, openly bringing his little granddaughter and, of course, her best friends, for a day trip to his old lair, the guardian who had repeatedly thwarted the Dark Lord's schemes and saved the wizarding world was sitting in his office, frowning at the blazing fireplace in the room.
It wasn't until he woke up this morning that he finally understood what Grindelwald meant by "doing his best," "given the limited time," and "hastily" contacting some famous wizards for him – it was quite the understatement.
On the desk, a roll of parchment was filled with rows of ornate names, each circle enclosing another.
Beside the parchment was a thick stack of replies, each representing a renowned wizard who would be attending the "Hogwarts Talent Exchange Conference" today. If Albus Dumbledore hadn't miscounted, at least thirty-nine "guests" would be visiting the Hogwarts Headmaster's office today.
As for why "at least"...
Dumbledore looked up, glancing wistfully at the crowded office, and sighed silently in his heart.
Unlike the tranquil and peaceful "retirement lounge" of the past, the Hogwarts Headmaster's office now resembled a balloon, forcibly enlarged at least four or five times its size by magic.
Even so, the spacious and comfortable semicircular living room was now filled with wizards.
The four Heads of Hogwarts House were each surrounded by a small group of wizards, most holding resumes in their hands, arguing and discussing excitedly, or gesticulating wildly, offering suggestions to the Heads of House.
Of course, more people were gathered around Dumbledore's desk, waiting for the old man to finish his "work."
It seemed there was no escape. Although, theoretically, Hogwarts was perfectly capable of handling a large expansion, and so many excellent wizards were a welcome surprise, the problem was...
In Dumbledore's original expectations, Grindelwald, in his haste, could "shake up" no more than ten people!
The old man put down his quill, pinched the bridge of his nose with a headache, and said with a gentle expression, "I can roughly guess the confusion in your minds. The Hogwarts educational reform is a brand-new attempt, even for me..."
"Educational reform... attempt?"
Suddenly, a gaunt, rather wizened old man interrupted.
"Why don't you just say you're completely reforming Hogwarts' nearly thousand-year-old educational methods? It's ridiculous! It's utterly absurd! Albus, have you been living in the Muggle world for the past year? You actually plan to have Hogwarts borrow some Muggle school models, and add so many new things all at once."
"Only the weak are accustomed to ridicule and denial..."
On the other side, Gilderoy Lockhart wagged his finger and said grandly.
"Mr. Damocles, as a fellow recipient of the Order of Merlin, I do not agree with your opinion. On the contrary, I am looking forward to new challenges at Hogwarts, whether it is the ancient alchemy tradition or the Language Arts class I now teach."
The young wizard's bright, white teeth, and the inexplicably familiar tone, formed a stark contrast with the withered old wizard beside him who had received the Order of Merlin, Second Class, for inventing the Wolfsbane Potion.
Damocles Belby's face darkened, looking as if he had accidentally swallowed a fly.
He gave the grandstanding wizard beside him a displeased look, a strange, inexplicable frustration rising in his heart. This young upstart, who had been babbling in the crowd since the beginning, was already an official Hogwarts professor?
"Excuse me, this... uh, Mr. Lockhart."
The old wizard narrowed his eyes, sizing up Gilderoy Lockhart with a grimace, and said pointedly.
"Evidently, the reasons why these two courses have not appeared in the Hogwarts curriculum before are not exactly the same. And what I object to are those so-called courses, including the Language Arts class you teach..."
"But times have changed, and young people now need to master these basic life language skills."
Gilderoy Lockhart responded with a smile, as if he were holding a press conference.
"And the Language and Literature class that I teach not only helps them learn how to express themselves clearly, but more importantly, it is to interpret the magical knowledge recorded in obscure words by those... uh, taciturn wizards."
Compared to a year ago, Gilderoy Lockhart had not abandoned his style.
His strength over these past few years and his newfound understanding of the future had, to some extent, further strengthened his confidence when showing off in public – after all, as a "sCp Foundation-05 Council Member" who could converse with Nicolas Flamel and Gellert Grindelwald, he was no longer the ordinary novelist who was constantly worried about being exposed.
On the other hand, Gilderoy Lockhart was well aware of his purpose for being here today.
Albus Dumbledore was neither good at nor suited for arguing with people. As one of the several public spokespersons for the Destiny Group, his most important task was to block those who questioned him and attract hatred and strife.
"Who are you saying is taciturn and writes obscurely?!"
Damocles Belby's fingers twitched, as if he wanted to pull out his wand from his pocket.
"Ahem, excuse me, gentlemen."
However, before he could finish speaking, a dry, odd laugh suddenly rang in their ears.
Damocles Belby subconsciously turned his head and saw that another short, fat witch had appeared in the room at some point.
She had a large, flabby face, a wide mouth drooping downwards, large, round eyes bulging outwards, and small black velvet bows on her short sideburns, resembling a pale, large toad that had just jumped out of the fireplace flames.
"This is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the cradle for nurturing the young wizards of the future. Neither you, nor you, nor even Professor Dumbledore can independently decide on changes to the curriculum... These reform proposals have all been approved and promoted single-handedly by the Ministry of Magic. Instead of questioning and discussing here, you might as well think about how to adapt..."
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*Grumble*~ Update~ There are a lot of new characters added at once, boo hoo hoo~ Difficult to write