The Hogwarts Board of Governors meeting wasn't held within the castle.

In the Department of Mysteries, Level Five of the British Ministry of Magic, there was a deliberation hall exclusively for the British branch of the International Confederation of Wizards. However, since the second half of last year, it had been primarily used as the designated meeting place for the Hogwarts Board of Governors.

This wasn't surprising, as in the magical world, magic schools were always under the jurisdiction of the International Confederation of Wizards.

More precisely, magic schools around the world were supervised and registered by the Department of Education of the International Confederation of Wizards. Students from uncertified magic schools were uniformly marked as "wild wizards" or "dropout wizards" in the official records of various Ministries of Magic.

Dumbledore dressed and Apparated directly to the Ministry of Magic atrium.

As soon as he appeared, the wizards crowded in the reception hall greeted him warmly and respectfully.

The honorary title of the current President of the International Confederation of Wizards hardly registered on Dumbledore. Whether they were officials, visitors, or foreigners, people still regarded him as a professor, which pleased and delighted Dumbledore greatly.

However, such pleasant scenes were limited to public occasions.

As Dumbledore stepped out of the elevator and into the "conference room" of the Hogwarts Board of Governors, his expression gradually calmed down.

Perhaps the people in this conference room would still regard him as the headmaster of Hogwarts, but Dumbledore knew very well that in their eyes, it was just a position with some special rights, nothing more.

"Good morning, everyone."

Dumbledore said, taking out his pocket watch and glancing at it. "There are still five minutes until the agreed time... but I see everyone is here, so why don't we get straight to the point? That way, we can save each other's time."

"That would be ideal, Professor," said Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge with a smile.

"Very well. Let's begin then."

Dumbledore nodded and strode to the podium in the center of the room.

Unlike usual, in addition to the members of the Hogwarts Board of Governors, the spacious deliberation hall was also occupied by Ministry of Magic officials such as Cornelius Fudge, Barty Crouch, Amelia Bones, and Dolores Umbridge.

Since Hogwarts began piloting the "New Curriculum Standards," the Ministry of Magic had occasionally participated in some discussions.

Of course, today was slightly more special.

As the first day of November, Dumbledore's agenda was quite tight.

In addition to the discussion on the implementation of the "New Curriculum Standards" at Hogwarts in the past two months, today was also the regular meeting time for the British branch of the International Confederation of Wizards. As usual, they had to start finalizing some amendments to laws, international cooperation... and even ways to deal with potential local conflicts.

Dumbledore waved his wand gently, and a stack of meeting documents appeared in front of everyone.

Then, he detailed the teaching situation at Hogwarts over the past two months, as well as the creation of Ghost Cuisine and the "Ghost Patrol," to the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Magic. To his delight, there were no objections today.

"I think this is perfectly fine, yes, very reasonable."

After Dumbledore finished speaking about the Ghost Patrol, Fudge said, "Ghost Cuisine is a unique product originating from Hogwarts and the British magical world! You're right, Professor Dumbledore... I don't think any ghost can resist this temptation... Hogwarts' surrounding security should be improved a bit—"

"Thank you, Minister," Dumbledore politely interrupted Cornelius Fudge's nonsense.

After the previous few meetings, he was well aware of the Minister of Magic's talent for oratory.

If he didn't interrupt in time, today's meeting might last from morning to afternoon—when the meeting place was in the Headmaster's office, the chances of this happening were almost one hundred percent.

"So, does anyone have any questions?"

Dumbledore asked softly, looking around the hall.

His gaze mainly moved over the members of the Hogwarts Board of Governors. No matter how the Ministry of Magic officials evaluated it, changes in Hogwarts personnel and reforms to educational decrees were ultimately subject to the Board's final opinion.

In fact, it wouldn't be difficult for Dumbledore to form a one-man show.

But in Elena's words, it was good to let the Hogwarts Board of Governors have some sense of participation from time to time.

Moreover, this way, if there were any accidents or problems later, it would be the result of collective discussion, and everyone would spontaneously and subconsciously maintain the small group to reduce their own responsibility—on the other hand, ending with this sentence would be relatively more comfortable for everyone.

Faced with Dumbledore's question, Lucius Malfoy hesitated in the corner.

Having participated in several Hogwarts Board of Governors meetings, he naturally knew what Dumbledore meant.

The next part was for the Ministry of Magic and the British branch of the International Confederation of Wizards. Irrelevant people like him who didn't hold positions in the Ministry of Magic naturally had to prepare to leave—members of the school's Board of Governors weren't qualified to listen to "political affairs."

"Well... Professor Dumbledore... I have a small suggestion," Lucius said.

"Mr. Malfoy, do you feel there are any problems with the New Curriculum Standards feedback or the Ghost Patrol?"

"Well... no, I think they're great... it's actually something else."

Lucius Malfoy said awkwardly, choosing his words carefully.

As he and Dumbledore spoke, all the wizards in the room turned to look at him.

"'Something else,' Mr. Malfoy, what are you referring to?"

Cornelius Fudge raised his eyebrows.

Lucius Malfoy bit his lip and took a breath.

"Actually, I was wondering if it would be possible for house-elves from outside the school to come to Hogwarts Castle for further study."

"Further study?" Cornelius Fudge asked, puzzled. "Study what? Although Hogwarts is a magic school, in my impression, it shouldn't have any courses specifically for house-elves yet, right?"

"That's right, Minister, you mentioned it briefly a few months ago."

Lucius Malfoy explained patiently, his expression sincere.

"Ever since experiencing the cuisine at Hogwarts, I've wanted my clumsy fool at home to learn properly. That way, Draco wouldn't be thinking about returning to school as soon as possible, less than half a week after coming home for vacation."

He saw a comical expression on Cornelius Fudge's face and quickly added.

"I know it's a bit abrupt to say this suddenly... but—how should I put it—as everyone knows, the house-elves at Hogwarts are clearly leading the entire magical world in terms of cuisine and housekeeping. We wizarding families—compared to the few clumsy fools in our respective homes, Hogwarts has so much to learn in this regard..."

"So," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, "you're hoping that Hogwarts will receive a batch of outside house-elves?"

"You could say that," Lucius Malfoy nodded frankly. "The school can command and use those house-elves at will during this period, just like us... I just hope that Hogwarts' excellence... whether it's wizards or advanced house-elf experience, can be spread more widely throughout the magical world."

"Similar to sending students to learn? That sounds like an interesting idea."

At this moment, Mr. Greengrass, one of the directors of the Hogwarts Board of Governors, nodded slightly.

"Personally, I think Mr. Malfoy's suggestion makes some sense—lately, I've become increasingly dissatisfied with the house-elves in my home. It's time for them to find a place to learn how to serve their masters properly."

The old wizard thought for a moment, turned to look at the other wizards around him, and said softly.

Undoubtedly, the wizards present were mostly from prominent families, representing the old pure-blood families in the British magical world that still retained their glory. Most of them had house-elves in their respective homes.

And the problem raised by Lucius Malfoy happened to address a predicament that these wizarding families had previously been unable to solve.

Compared to the vast number of constantly evolving "Hogwarts house-elves," as time went on, the house-elves distributed among the various old pure-blood wizarding families had become increasingly clumsy and difficult to use—not to mention the unchanging and unpalatable dishes, and due to the lack of complete guidance and education, many elves had even begun to become neurotic and demented.

"Sending house-elves to Hogwarts for further study? That's a very constructive idea."

Cornelius Fudge paused for half a second and nodded thoughtfully, glancing at Barty Crouch beside him.

As Minister for Magic, he was thinking further than Mr. Greengrass. Since Dumbledore had ignited the ambition in his heart to "reforge the glory of the British magical world" some time ago, Fudge had been thinking about how to expand his influence during his term.

Cornelius Fudge was well aware that compared to the previous Ministers for Magic, he had been somewhat lucky to reach this position.

If it weren't for Dumbledore's recommendation, Crouch's son's irresponsibility, and the retirement of the previous Minister for Magic... these factors all coincided at that time. Based solely on his public credibility, he wouldn't have been elected Minister for Magic.

However, Cornelius Fudge had one advantage: he was very good at seeking help and absorbing the advice of elders.

Undoubtedly, Albus Dumbledore was the recognized wise man of this era. Cornelius Fudge didn't mind letting people know that he wrote more than a dozen letters to Dumbledore every month asking for help—in fact, he even tacitly allowed this news to spread. With the blessing of "Dumbledore's advice," his credibility and reputation rose rapidly.

And just a few months ago, Dumbledore had unprecedentedly taught him some political skills.

Unique, irreplaceable, and groundbreaking... all positive reforms would inevitably leave traces in history, and these were the key to helping him gain support in future elections, as well as the most important and reliable political achievements.

And now...

"Of course, of course, Mr. Malfoy, your suggestion reminds me."

Cornelius Fudge pondered for two seconds and said with a bright smile.

"Besides Hogwarts Castle, there's no other place in the world that gathers so many house-elves. Complacency will cause these useful servants to gradually disappear... that would be a pity... We can start with a small-scale pilot program, and then use the International Confederation of Wizards to promote it, focusing the attention of all pure-blood wizarding families in the world on Britain."

"Oh, that's a brilliant idea, Minister."

Umbridge leaned forward, complimenting him exaggeratedly.

"We can even let them have more children to fill the wizarding families and recreate..."

This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading!

"Cough, excuse me, just a slight interruption—"

Dumbledore coughed lightly, glancing at Malfoy meaningfully.

"Hogwarts has no arrangements for this at the moment, and there is no precedent for it... Whether it's school safety or specific details, there's still a lot to explore and discuss—besides, this is not child's play. In my opinion, if we really want to implement such a 'dispatch study,' then at least one academic year should be used as the time unit."

The old wizard said calmly, looking around the hall, his tone firm and undeniable.

"Considering various factors, the house-elf will not be able to return to its original family during this period, which will inevitably cause many problems. Therefore, I think it's best to..."

"The Malfoy family will not have any complaints or concerns," Lucius said bluntly.

"I mean, the Malfoy family's house-elf can be used as the first pilot batch. Many things will only show the problems after trying, right? Or is there anything inconvenient at Hogwarts at this time?"

The middle-aged father's gaze met Dumbledore's squarely, the first time in over a decade that he hadn't evaded eye contact.

If the "dangerous key" was in Hogwarts Castle, then it was most likely in the hands of Albus Dumbledore. Slytherin's treasure could only be opened by Slytherin's people. The Dark Lord had mentioned this unintentionally.

Perhaps Dumbledore's intention was to eliminate the danger of the Chamber, but Lucius wasn't entirely at ease.

After all, decades ago, the young Dark Lord had successfully deceived Albus Dumbledore in his prime.

And in Lucius Malfoy's view, there were only two Slytherins at Hogwarts that Dumbledore could command—and compared to that unfathomable 'traitor,' Draco was clearly easier to fool and manipulate.

Therefore, he had to find countermeasures before anything happened.

————

————

Yay!