“What on earth…”

Professor McGonagall paused for a good few seconds, before saying, not very smoothly.

However, before Professor McGonagall could finish speaking, a flurry of footsteps suddenly echoed in the corridor outside.

It was precisely the end of class, and the Transfiguration classroom, located on the second floor of the castle, was the most direct route for most students and teachers heading to the Great Hall. Along with the sudden explosions and arguing sounds, everyone nearby rushed over, crowding the corridor and whispering amongst themselves.

A few seconds later, Sirius Black, who had been teaching a class next door, was the first to burst into the classroom, followed closely by Professor Flitwick and Professor Lupin. Noticing the unusual commotion, Filch, Madam Pomfrey, Professor Snape, and others also arrived in quick succession.

Dumbledore and "Apocalypse" Professor Grindelwald, however, were the last two teachers to arrive at the scene this time.

The two elderly men, arriving late, wore expressions of confusion.

"What happened here? What happened?"

As it was the end of class, the corridor was filled with students eager to watch the spectacle. Dumbledore and Grindelwald had to force their way through the crowd.

Before they could even ascertain the specific situation inside the classroom, Umbridge, who had been slumped on a chair in the corner of the room, suddenly raised her right hand upon seeing Dumbledore's arrival. Her stubby fingers pointed at Helena, who was standing by the podium, and she screamed in a trembling voice.

"Helena! That girl is insane! Utterly lawless—"

Umbridge gasped for breath, glaring venomously at Helena, with a hint of bloodshot in her protruding eyes.

"She! Yes! She attacked me from behind in a despicable manner, taking advantage of my discussion with Professor McGonagall, she suddenly drew her wand and attacked me!"

Helena... struck first?

Dumbledore frowned slightly, his gaze flitting across the back of the girl's smooth hand.

He and Grindelwald exchanged a subtle glance. The reasons for this were clearly not so simple.

"Professor Umbridge! I believe this may not be a suitable place for discussion."

Dumbledore said, glancing around, his eyes quickly sweeping over Helena, Hermione, Professor McGonagall, the other teachers present, and the black walnut wand scattered on the other side of the classroom. Then, he looked at the surrounding crowd.

"In any case, let's go to the teachers' office downstairs first—as for the other students and the order in the Great Hall—"

"I will be responsible for guiding and looking after them, Professor Dumbledore," Snape offered.

"Thank you, Severus," Dumbledore said.

The crowd of onlookers parted to both sides, sizing up the disheveled Umbridge while obediently letting them pass.

Snape, expressionless, guided the flow of people from behind to restore order, and the teachers who arrived later also helped maintain order and clean up the mess.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick quickly followed behind Dumbledore and the others, accompanying Professor McGonagall and Helena, Hermione downstairs. Grindelwald and Sirius caught up after exchanging a few brief words with Filch.

A pair of gargoyles stood by the entrance to the teachers' office, stepping aside as Dumbledore approached.

The group filed in, quickly crowding the office—even Professor Quirrell and Madam Hooch had rushed over.

Since the secret arrest a few months ago, an unspoken sense of camaraderie had formed among the Hogwarts staff.

Not to mention, unlike last time, this conflict directly involved Professor McGonagall.

The elderly cat lady was simply too well-liked at Hogwarts.

"How is she, Poppy? Professor Umbridge isn't injured, is she?"

Dumbledore sat behind the desk, looking at Madam Pomfrey, who had put away her wand, asking with just the right amount of concern.

After everyone entered the office, before Umbridge could speak out, Dumbledore took the initiative to suggest a "medical examination"—as a victim of an attack, this reason was naturally impeccable. Even if Umbridge was somewhat unwilling, she couldn't find a way to refuse.

"Hmm, I've examined her carefully, Professor Umbridge is quite healthy—"

"The damage from spells isn't just on the surface. I'm still feeling a bit nauseous and dizzy—that little girl doesn't know what dark curse she used. I don't think you can draw conclusions just by looking at the surface. Moreover, this kind of lawless behavior is in itself an extremely serious violation of discipline."

"I'm sorry, I'm just a school nurse, I'm not responsible for judging student misconduct or not..."

Madam Pomfrey shrugged, saying in a firm tone, "But according to my examination, other than those few scorch marks on your cardigan, you have not suffered any magical damage. At most, you have been a little frightened—which is not surprising, there are some neurologically sensitive wizards, who may experience discomfort under strong light or sound. In this case, bed rest is best, a comfortable sleep will make everything better."

"Madam Pomfrey, I am not a neurologically sensitive person!"

"Oh, yes, of course you're not—" Madam Pomfrey replied absentmindedly.

If Dumbledore hadn't specifically requested it, and it wasn't related to Minerva, she would have preferred to have "Professor Apocalypse" simply throw a few healing spells at this Senior Undersecretary. Wasting energy on this arrogant, annoying Ministry official was such a waste.

"Alright, then let's get straight to the point."

Dumbledore nodded, waving his wand casually in the air, closing the door to the office.

Evidently, even Snape could not suppress the students' curiosity. If they didn't close the office door, they might see at least one or two classes of students "strolling back and forth" outside the corridor when they came out.

Dumbledore's expression was unusually serious, his gaze looking down at Helena along the bridge of his crooked nose, asking calmly.

"Miss Caslana, please explain why you did this—"

"I heard her indirectly insulting Professor McGonagall, and of course, you as well."

Helena said, her tone tinged with righteous indignation. When she explained in the Headmaster's office how her actions were gradually saving Hogwarts' future, Dumbledore had heard the same tone of righteous indignation, though this time it was acted even more convincingly.

"Professor Umbridge implied in her questioning that Professor McGonagall engaged in quid pro quo exchanges during her time at the Ministry of Magic, and even more shamelessly, she even insinuated that you and Professor McGonagall were having an affair... Professor Dumbledore, you and Professor McGonagall are the people I admire and respect most. I really couldn't stand her slandering you like that. Hearing Professor Umbridge's words, I couldn't help but act impulsively..."

Accompanying Helena's accusations, a wave of disbelief rippled through the teachers' office.

The professors frowned, looking at Dolores Umbridge with displeasure. If it was indeed such an insult, then it was truly too malicious.

At the same time, Dumbledore's expression suddenly froze—although he wouldn't believe a single word about "admiration and respect," if you disregarded those subjective emotions, Helena most likely wouldn't deliberately lie about objective facts.

As for why Helena was so precocious, Dumbledore had long since grown accustomed to it.

"Slander! It's simply slander! This is simply—"

Umbridge screamed, clearly realizing the precariousness of the situation.

However, before Umbridge could formulate a reason for rebuttal, she suddenly went silent, as if a frog had been choked.

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

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

"..."

In the large teachers' office, the voices of Professor McGonagall and Umbridge suddenly echoed.

Although somewhat indistinct, everyone could still clearly distinguish their conversation, and the source of this sound...

"I am very sorry, Professor Umbridge—it seems that you have not carefully read the 'Personal Terminal' function introduction. As a magical tool to help Hogwarts students learn better, our 'Personal Terminal' can record more than half an hour of magical audio even in the un-upgraded state."

Helena pointed to the open magic book beside her, giving a serious product description.

"It was not long after class that I had not had time to turn off the recording function, and I happened to record your conversation with Professor McGonagall."

"As for the authenticity of this recording, I believe that all the professors present can distinguish it—Professor McGonagall and Hermione can also testify for me."

In fact, Helena wasn't completely lying this time.

Transfiguration was originally a magic that required a high degree of magical control and mental concentration.

In order not to miss Professor McGonagall's comments and supplementary explanations during everyone's transformations, Helena liked to turn on the recording in class.

Of course, this time she deliberately didn't turn it off, but Helena didn't expect it to come in handy at this time. She mostly wanted to share the fun with Luna and Hannah after going back at night, after all, everyone likes this kind of campus gossip.

The recording in the magic book was not long, only a few minutes in total.

When the playback ended, the teachers' office temporarily fell into a somewhat suffocating silence.

Even Professor Sprout, who had the best temper, couldn't help but glare at Umbridge at this time.

It must be admitted that Umbridge showed absolutely no respect during her questioning of Professor McGonagall.

She was clearly deliberately tearing open Professor McGonagall's scars, trying to provoke Minerva McGonagall.

And what was most frustrating was that this slick, cunning Ministry official happened to be putting on a businesslike appearance in the conversation, insidiously getting on people's nerves on the edge of the "default" rules of adult society. If Professor McGonagall hadn't restrained herself and cast a counterattack, she might have been punished for breaking the "rules"—if Helena hadn't acted, perhaps such a thing would have already happened.

As time passed, Minerva McGonagall gradually woke up from her anger.

She gazed at Helena's face with a complicated expression, hesitating to speak.

As a witness to the "Binary Inversion Architecture Transformation Magic," she was very clear about the effect of that illusion magic: In addition to light and shadow, if you selectively adjust the air vibration, you can even fabricate simple sounds, such as the few sentences she heard in the smoke.

Whether it was "her" questioning Helena, or the Whirlwind Charm that dispelled the dust...

Minerva McGonagall never thought that she would one day be saved by her student, and a problem student at that.

"Oh, all right, all right. I admit that the wording in my review process needs improvement."

Umbridge glanced at the dissatisfied gazes around her, shrugging reluctantly, and then quickly changed the subject.

"However, Professor Dumbledore... these should be two different things, shouldn't they?"

"Miss Caslana openly attacked a professor, despicably attacked a senior government official from behind. Whether or not she caused substantial harm, this should at least warrant expulsion—in fact, I personally believe she even needs to be tried in the Wizengamot."

"This kind of bad seed that endangers the magical world should be nipped in the bud!"

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Yay!