The Sorting Hat continued to ponder, "Death metal... it has quite a few elements, but none of them are really suitable for singing at the start of the school year... so I replaced them with elements of fighting and courage, and it seems to be working well!"
"Ah...that won't work either! That's too Gryffindor! As a Sorting Hat, it can't be like that! I need to think about it some more...By the way! Albus, have you found a band yet?"
"A band?" Dumbledore had just picked up another document to review. "I'm planning to invite the 'Weird Sisters' over."
"They're popular among young people, and their styles seem somewhat similar, what do you think?"
"I trust your judgment!" The Sorting Hat twitched, as if laughing. "Let me think about the lyrics again..."
The Sorting Hat fell silent, and the Headmaster's office fell quiet, save for the rustling sound of a quill pen tracing documents.
...
As night fell, a knock on the door broke the silence.
"Please come in!"
Dumbledore picked up his wand and gently waved it at the pile of documents that reached the ceiling.
Professor McGonagall appeared at the door, still wearing her familiar dark green robe, which was her favorite style.
The only things left beside Dumbledore were the corrected documents. "Minerva, good evening!"
"Albus, good evening!" Professor McGonagall stepped forward and handed over a letter with a blue stamp of crossed wands on it.
"It's quite rare for them to send a letter at this time…" Dumbledore accepted the letter but did not open it; he simply placed it aside.
"This is the list of Hogwarts collaborators for this year." He pushed the stack of documents toward Professor McGonagall. "As usual, review them and then submit them to the Board of Trustees."
Professor McGonagall nodded slightly and glanced briefly through the documents. A hint of displeasure appeared on her face.
"Professor Lockhart's books are quite expensive, and the original scholarships are simply not enough."
Dumbledore rested his head on his hand and turned it from side to side. "Of course I know, that's why I wrote the application, and the Board of Trustees will approve another grant."
He tapped the table, murmuring lowly. "Minerva, I've been busy lately. From your perspective, what do you think of Professor Lockhart?"
A tea set appeared before Dumbledore, along with a plate of colorful macarons.
Professor McGonagall pressed her lips together even tighter, gazing at the steaming tea before slowly speaking: "Similar to my views before the start of the semester, I must say..."
"The position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor isn't really suitable for him." Her words were very conservative. "Professor Snape even asked me to inquire why he wasn't chosen."
"He asks you to ask me this question every year." Dumbledore picked up a macaron and took a bite. "I feel like something's missing these days since I haven't heard that question."
"As far as I know, apart from his poor performance in the first class, he seems to have continued to surprise his students in the subsequent classes."
Professor McGonagall glanced at the stack of documents again. "Albus, it seems you've been busy all afternoon. You didn't know he was up to something..."
"Fred and George... you know, the Weasley twins, they blew up the big iron cage and the pixies flew out."
"The pixies stole Lockhart's wand, and then they pointed it at...cough...pointed it at...cough cough cough!"
She coughed violently, a barely concealed smile playing on her lips.
"It seems I've missed something... well, something sad." A slight smile played on Dumbledore's lips. "Perhaps he needs some blood-replenishing medicine?"
"That was really out of line!" Professor McGonagall had excellent self-control and quickly stopped coughing.
It was unclear whether he was speaking of Lockhart or the twins.
She let out a soft breath and continued, "That was just a normal injury. Poppy healed it in just one second."
"Back to the main point! Given Fred and George's abilities, and their close relationship with Hufflepuff, I'm afraid that by tomorrow... this matter will have spread throughout Hogwarts."
"Albus, these past two years... especially this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, have really... you should understand what I mean. Could the mysterious man's curse be real?"
Dumbledore's expression turned serious. "That's something I can't be sure of, just like... I can't be sure whether You-Know-Who is really dead."
"What is certain is that the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor does indeed have its unique characteristics. After all, a new professor needs to be found every year, and even I would find it very difficult..."
"We paid too heavy a price in the years of fighting You-Know-Who. Now, there are not many wizards who can teach this course, and our choices are very limited."
Professor McGonagall nodded and sighed softly. "Of course I understand that."
Dumbledore continued, "Minerva, you should know that I am certain You-Know-Who will return."
Professor McGonagall nodded in agreement, "Of course!"
Dumbledore interlaced his fingers and leaned forward slightly. "I noticed Quirinus's strangeness and, through the Gringotts theft, confirmed my suspicions."
"Albania is You-Know-Who's hideout, and Quirinus just happens to be there. If I'm not mistaken, it's better to keep You-Know-Who under my nose than to refuse Quirrell."
"Having a goal is better than having no goal at all… I want to observe You-Know-Who, and I also want to try to help Quirinus. I must admit, without Vizette…"
He paused, his fingers clenched tightly together. "Without Vizette's help, we wouldn't have been able to uncover Quirinus's other side, and perhaps his fate would have been different."
"As for Professor Lockhart, the knowledge in those books is actually very useful." Dumbledore waved his wand, and a copy of "Wanderings with Werewolves" flew to his side.
He opened the book and began to read it carefully. There were many annotations on it as well. "Minerva, have you read this book? The contents are very interesting."
"I once visited Professor Marlowe Foufon, a leading expert in werewolf research, for a certain reason. I went to Armenia with Professor Foufon..."
"Professor Fryant told me that he found a clue from the slightest clues: there is a wizard in Armenia who may have magic to free werewolves from their tragic fate."
"Werewolves?" Professor McGonagall adjusted her glasses. "Could the story in that book... be related to this Armenian wizard?"
"That's right!" Dumbledore flipped to three-quarters of the way through "Wanderings with Werewolves" and pushed it toward Professor McGonagall.
"The Reparo?" Professor McGonagall quickly grasped the key point.
Dumbledore nodded. "This magic does exist. It can temporarily weaken werewolves, making them easier to control, but it doesn't last long."
"This is an extremely niche magic. Due to its extreme difficulty in learning, it is almost facing extinction. Only a few people know this magic."
…
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