Harry Potter and the Great Old Ones

Chapter 426 Variables
Unfortunately, Hermione's wish did not come true.

The next morning, Umbridge was still wearing a pink fluffy dress, but this time she had a bright purple bow in her hair.

Harry swore that in the brief moment he looked up, he caught a glimpse of countless little witches wearing the same or similar ornaments, silently removing their bright purple trinkets from their hair or wrists as Umbridge appeared.

Prior to this, the day after Umbridge arrived at Hogwarts, the number of Hogwarts witches wearing pink accessories had been reduced by half.

On the third day, the number was reduced by half again, and now it's almost impossible to see any girls wearing pink accessories.

It can be said that Umbridge single-handedly dissuaded all the girls at Hogwarts from wearing pink accessories.

That night, Harry and Hermione were not called to solitary confinement by Umbridge again. Apparently, Umbridge did not notice that Harry and Hermione's hands had healed during breakfast.

Harry and Hermione were also happy to see this.

Although the magical willow tree didn't grant their wish to make Umbridge disappear, it at least made Umbridge disappear during their free time—

Harry and Hermione are already very satisfied with achieving this.

Because Dumbledore combined History of Magic and Muggle Studies into one class, Gryffindor's fifth-year students only had one class today—Protection of Magical Creatures.

The class is taught by Newt Scamander, the author of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".

To be honest, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all really looking forward to this class.

They had already learned from conversations among the middle and upper-level wizards who had taken the course how exciting it was.

Their classes were still held on the lawn in front of Hagrid's cabin, next to the Forbidden Forest.

Hagrid's hut remained locked, meaning he had not returned. In the plaza surrounding Hagrid's hut stood a tall, thin old man, as thin as a bamboo pole.

The old man had a thick head of gray hair, a neat and clean beard, and wore an elegant suit that was popular decades ago. He carried a dark brown, old-fashioned briefcase in one hand.

It was Newt Scamander, the author of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them".

Newt Scamander appears to be a little hunchbacked.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione could tell that Newtscamander was trying his best to straighten his back, but he still looked a bit hunched over, completely unlike Hagrid's tall and imposing figure.

Of course, apart from Headmistress Beauxbatons who came to Hogwarts last year, no one could be taller and more dignified than Hagrid.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were the first to arrive. Ron had even been eating a cheese and ham sandwich he'd brought from the Great Hall as they walked—

Because Harry and Hermione didn't want Umbridge to discover that the scars on their hands had healed, almost the instant Umbridge entered the Great Hall, Harry and Hermione stood up simultaneously and pulled Ron toward the back door of Hogwarts.

This resulted in Ron not finishing his breakfast and having to grab a few slices of sandwich and eat them as he walked.

When the three arrived in front of Hagrid's hut, Newtscamander, standing on the empty meadow, smiled and nodded at them.

“Good morning, Mr. Potter, hello, Mr. Weasley, hello… um… Miss Granger, right?” Newt Scamander nodded politely.

"Good morning, Professor Scamander," Harry, Hermione, and Ron greeted in unison.

Their greetings gradually became louder and more uniform.

They were so orderly that even they were taken aback. "Hehe... kids, no need to be so nervous." Newtscamander waved with a smile, seemingly a little tense from Harry, Ron, and Hermione's synchronized greeting. "I don't want you to treat my class as a serious lesson, um... I'd rather... I'd rather see it as a fun and wonderful journey."

“Yes, Professor,” Hermione replied.

Because Harry, Ron, and Hermione arrived far too early, they and Newtscamander could only stand there staring at each other in the cool morning breeze.

Clearly, Newt Scamander wasn't a particularly sociable person. His old but bright eyes would glance at the trio who had been penalized, then look elsewhere. His hand, which wasn't carrying the suitcase, seemed nervous, sometimes putting it in his pocket, sometimes taking it out.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were also nervous, their eyes darting around.

“Um… your… your father’s name is Arthur Weasley, right?” After a few minutes of awkward and long silence, Newt Scamander felt he couldn’t continue like this, so he spoke up.

“Hmm…hmm? Yes, yes.” Ron was clearly not expecting Newt Scamander to speak to him and answered in surprise, “Wh…what’s wrong, Professor Scamander?”

“No, it’s nothing,” Newt said. “I just think you look a lot like your father when he was young.”

“Oh… um… thank you,” Ron said.

Then came another awkward silence.

“Miss Granger… Hermione Granger, right?” Newtscamander asked again.

“Um…yes, Professor,” Hermione replied.

“Dumbledore mentioned you to me… He said you were the smartest little witch he had ever seen at your age,” Newt said.

“Thank you, Professor,” Hermione said, then paused, as if gathering her courage, and continued, “Professor Scamander, you are the author of *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*. What are your thoughts on the plight of some of the magical creatures?”

“I think…the Ministry of Magic isn’t doing enough…” Newt said. “I know there are still many dark wizards hunting magical creatures in the black market of Knockturn Alley, and the only punishment they face is a fine, sometimes even less than what they earn. The cost of crime is too low, which is also—”

“Professor, please excuse me for interrupting,” Hermione said. “What I mean is, should creatures like house-elves and centaurs, which possess human intelligence and understand human languages, really be classified as magical creatures?”

"Or rather, even if they are magical creatures, why are they treated differently from other magical creatures?" Hermione continued, "Do you think the way centaurs, house-elves, and wizards interact is normal? Is it reasonable? Based on your knowledge of magical creatures, should it be like this?"

“Ah… this…” Newtscamander was clearly not expecting a young wizard of Hermione’s age to ask such a question, and for a moment he was at a loss for words, not knowing how to answer.

……

Meanwhile, Tyrell, who was still hunched over her desk preparing lessons in Dumbledore's office, suddenly looked up in alarm.

Just now, just now, right after Hermione asked that series of questions—

Tiera sensed that the seemingly calm thread of fate in this world had suddenly rippled—

A sudden change appeared in the unchanging world—

Hermione has become a variable.

I'm really sorry everyone, I'm updating a bit late today.

My recent posts might have been a bit dry and boring, and I apologize for that. First, my first year of graduate school is ending, and I need to move my things from the training campus in the suburbs back home. I've been busy moving these past few days. Second, my roommates, with whom I've lived for a year, are all leaving soon. Although we're all in Beijing, I'm honestly a little sad and reluctant to part ways, so I've been feeling down lately. And this Wednesday, I have to go to the Institute of Botany to do experiments, officially starting my 9-to-5 graduate research life. I haven't adjusted to the pace yet, so my recent updates might have been a bit lackluster. Please forgive me!

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(End of this chapter)