Professor Umbridge's subsequent expressions in Transfiguration class became noticeably more cautious.

At least when Professor McGonagall was walking around the classroom, she restrained herself from the urge to follow behind the professor and quiz students as she did in other classes—if she really did that, Professor McGonagall would most likely "educate" her a second time in front of the whole class.

Although Professor McGonagall had only recently joined Hogwarts when Umbridge was a student, she had briefly been her teacher.

If Professor McGonagall wanted, she could even start with a sentence like, "Dolores, I warned you when you were at school..." Since Hogwarts rehired a bunch of professors this semester, the seniority of the faculty team has risen sharply, not to mention figures like the nearly centenarian Newt Scamander, or even "Paracelsus" and Nicolas Flamel, the living fossils of the magical world.

In comparison, Minerva McGonagall was a relatively easy and valuable "young" professor to target.

In Umbridge's background check list, apart from Severus Snape, who had a record, Professor McGonagall, who served as Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, Head of Gryffindor House, and Transfiguration professor, was undoubtedly the most valuable prey, and of course, the difficulty was also quite high.

Therefore, for the rest of the Transfiguration class, Umbridge sat in the corner with a gloomy face, writing and writing on her clipboard.

When Professor McGonagall finally told the class to pack up and leave, she stood up again, but her face was still frighteningly stern.

"Hey, it's starting."

As Ailina said this, she casually grabbed Neville's goblet with the rat's tail and threw it into the Transfiguration recycling box.

The students filed out of the classroom, and Ailina looked forward to seeing Professor Umbridge walk towards the podium.

She nudged Hermione, and the two deliberately delayed a while while tidying up the classroom and organizing their textbooks, "openly" hiding by the desks to eavesdrop.

"So... how long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" Professor Umbridge asked.

"By the end of this month, it will be exactly thirty-six years and one month."

Professor McGonagall replied stiffly, slamming her briefcase shut.

Professor Umbridge scribbled a few notes.

"Very good," Umbridge looked at her notebook, tapping it lightly with her quill.

"As far as I know, after graduating from Hogwarts, you initially worked at the Ministry of Magic, but after working for a while, Dumbledore dug you out of the Ministry to teach at Hogwarts—as a replacement for him, is that correct, Professor McGonagall?"

"I don't know where you got this information, but this description is clearly somewhat inaccurate—"

Professor McGonagall frowned, her eyes scanning the two little witches who were still dawdling not far away, and said coldly.

"After staying at the Ministry for two years, I got a big promotion opportunity, but I refused it. I wanted to change to a more comfortable and relaxed working environment, so I took the initiative to send a letter to Hogwarts, asking if I could be considered qualified to be a teacher. A reply came back in less than a few hours. Professor Dumbledore told me that Hogwarts would be happy to provide me with a Transfiguration subject job."

"Oh, that might be that the Ministry of Magic's files are slightly ambiguous."

Umbridge wrote quickly in her notebook, her toad-like swollen eyes flashing with malicious light.

"How should I put it, this is too strange. Dear Professor McGonagall, I don't understand, why would the Ministry of Magic make you uncomfortable? After all, this is not a logical choice, right? Leaving when your career is booming, perhaps... Professor Dumbledore gave you some promise?"

Umbridge paused for a few seconds, squinting her eyes, "Such as the next principal internally appointed? Sorry, I'm just saying."

"Because of some... personal issues, unrelated to Professor Dumbledore, and without any promises."

"Oh? What kind of personal issues?" Umbridge pressed.

Professor McGonagall looked annoyed, and the briefcase was heavily placed back on the desk, her eyebrows almost twisted together.

"Professor Umbridge, I don't think this content has anything to do with the background check... The rights granted to you by the Ministry of Magic are for campus safety inspections, not for boundless questioning of other people's privacy—I really can't see any connection between this and my ability to serve as a teacher..."

"Tsk tsk tsk... I'm sorry, in my opinion, the two are indeed related—"

The evil gleam in Umbridge's swollen eyes became brighter and brighter, and she grinned unpleasantly.

"Let me guess—emotional problems? Elphinstone Urquart pursued you fiercely during your tenure, right? He was your direct superior at the time, but you were dating a Muggle named 'Dougal'... Oh, maybe there are some parts related to your original family problems, I just happened to find a file about Ms. Isobel—"

"Enough! Professor Umbridge. I hope you pay attention to your words and deeds—"

Professor McGonagall's face was frosty, and there was a burst of anger in her voice that she could hardly restrain.

As the child of a Scottish Presbyterian minister and a witch, Minerva McGonagall was the eldest.

In the years she grew up, wizards were not allowed to marry Muggles.

The constraints of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy made her mother, Isobel, dare not reveal her identity, otherwise their family would be severely punished by the Ministry of Magic, and she even locked her wand in the attic, completely giving up the life of the magical world.

However, with the birth of Minerva McGonagall, her outstanding magical talent broke Isobel's seclusion plan.

Minerva McGonagall began to show small but obvious signs of magic shortly after birth:

Toys placed high on the shelf appeared mysteriously in the baby's cradle, she could order the family cat even before she could speak, and her father's bagpipes would sometimes play themselves in empty rooms, which often caused little Minerva to giggle.

Isobel felt both pride and fear at the signs of magic Minerva displayed.

She knew she had to tell him everything before Robert became alarmed. Finally, under Robert McGonagall's patient questioning, Isobel suddenly burst into tears, then pulled the wand out of the locked box under the bed and showed him who she really was.

Although Minerva was too young to remember the entire process of that night particularly clearly, the aftermath of the incident continued to affect her, making her painfully understand how complicated it was for a wizard to marry and live with a Muggle. Although Robert McGonagall's love for his wife did not diminish in the slightest, he was greatly shocked, not only because she was a witch, but also because she had hidden it from him for so long.

In addition, he was a frank and straightforward person, and he was proud of it.

But when his wife told him the truth, Robert McGonagall had to go against his nature and live a secretive life.

Minerva was very close to her father, and she was more like her father in character. She witnessed the pain her father endured because of the peculiarity of their family. She could also feel her mother's physical and mental exhaustion in order to adapt to life in a village full of Muggles.

However, in Minerva McGonagall's first year after graduating from Hogwarts.

While obtaining a job at the Ministry of Magic, Minerva, who had just turned 18, followed in her mother's footsteps.

She fell completely in love with a Muggle boy.

This was the first and only time Minerva McGonagall lost her mind. Dougal McGregor was the son of a local farmer who was both handsome, intelligent, and funny. Although not as beautiful as Isobel, Minerva was both smart and wise. The two

People had a common sense of humor, often argued fiercely about issues, and probed each other's mystery.

Before the two realized what was happening, Dougal knelt on one knee on the newly turned land, proposed, and Minerva agreed.

When she returned home, she was about to tell her parents, but found that she couldn't.

That night, Minerva stayed up all night, thinking about her future.

Dougal knew no more about her identity than her father knew about Isobel before marriage. Minerva had witnessed her parents' sad married life up close. If she married Dougal, it would also become her married life. All her ambitions would come to an end.

And that would mean locked wands and teaching children to lie, even to their father.

She wouldn't fool herself into thinking that Dougal McGregor would accompany her to London. He was looking forward to inheriting his father's farm.

The next morning, Minerva sneaked out of the house and told Dougal that she had changed her mind and would not marry him.

She couldn't even give Dougal a reason for breaking up—if she violated the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, according to the laws at the time, she would not only lose her job at the Ministry of Magic, but the Department of Magical Law Enforcement would even erase all of Dougal McGregor's memories of her. As a new employee who had only recently joined the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Minerva McGonagall knew very well how the department worked. The only thing she could do was to completely cut off the past.

As an elite employee of the former Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Minerva McGonagall has always strictly abided by every government decree.

Naturally, just like reporting her Animagus form to the Ministry of Magic, she also organized a record of her experiences with Dougal McGregor according to regulations, proving that she had not violated the Statute of Secrecy in any way in contact with Muggles.

And according to the Ministry of Magic's current document confidentiality rules, unless she faces trial, no one can access that file.

Obviously...

The Ministry of Magic did not comply with this rule.

Professor McGonagall looked angrily at the smug witch, trying her best to restrain her emotions.

Or, more precisely, some people are using their power to trample on the laws of the magical world at will.

"Oh, I'm very sorry—I'm just a little concerned about past colleagues—"

Umbridge's toad-like mouth grinned even wider, her eyes inadvertently sweeping outside the door.

In addition to the two little guys in the classroom, Professor McGonagall's low roar just now had obviously attracted some passing wizards.

"But I think—mainly to correct some not-so-good remarks—whether in the Ministry of Magic or Hogwarts, there seems to be rumors slandering that some of your position and authority come from improper transactions, especially after you married Mr. Urquart..."

"Of course, I myself don't believe in such rumors."

Umbridge said delicately, her hand in her handbag, seemingly taking something.

"After all, less than three years after you married Mr. Urquart, Mr. Urquart died unexpectedly from a venomous Tentacula bite—even though he lived in Hogsmeade, he still couldn't hold on until Professor Dumbledore and others treated him. Perhaps these experiences are a bit painful, but I think that as the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, explaining and introducing these past events in detail can powerfully shatter those rumors—"

Professor McGonagall's whole body began to tremble, she looked like a volcano about to erupt, staring at Umbridge with somewhat red eyes.

"So, do you think, what else should I add to explain?"

"Of course, it's your past two love histories, and the first scene when Mr. Urquart died—"

Umbridge said lightly, her right hand hidden in her handbag silently clenched her wand, she was about to succeed.

Sure enough, Professor McGonagall suddenly drew her wand, roaring angrily.

"Don't go too far! Dolores Umbridg—"

"Protego..."

"Expulso!"

Boom!

A beam of crimson light streaked across the Transfiguration classroom.

The spell hit the ground at Umbridge's feet, directly overturning the slate and making a huge roar.

Then there were a few more beams, and the classroom was completely submerged in smoke and dust. Apart from Umbridge's terrified roar and the constant huge roars, the little wizards who were secretly eating melons outside the classroom could not see what was happening inside at all.

A few seconds later, in a cloud of dust.

The voice belonging to "Professor McGonagall" suddenly rang out clearly.

"Ventus!"

"Stop it! What are you doing?! Miss Kaslana?!"

"Publicly attacking a formal professor? Are you planning to be expelled directly from Hogwarts?!"

As the spell swept across, the dust settled.

Dolores Umbridge's pink cardigan behind her had patches of scorch marks, and she was huddled against the classroom wall in a mess.

Ailina was seen holding her wand flat, pointing at Umbridge, who was curled up in the corner of the classroom, the tip of the wand flashing red light, seemingly planning to launch another spell attack, while on the podium, Professor McGonagall's wand was also raised high.

The Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts had a mixture of shock and anger on her face, her lips pursed tightly, looking incredulously at the little witch who was accumulating power.

"Expelliarmus!"

Another extremely clear chanting sound.

Ailina instantly let go of her hand, throwing it high and landing on the other side of the classroom.

And throughout the process, Hermione, who was sitting next to Ailina, seemed to be frightened, motionless, looking like a statue petrified.

————

————

Not good! The more I write, the angrier I get, I'm tearing up the manuscript!

I can't wait to blast the toad into slag with a wand.