A day at Hogwarts.

Chapter 575 Guaranteed Returns
The atmosphere in the principal's office was unusually quiet, as if even the air had frozen.

Dumbledore looked extremely tired when he returned from the Hog's Head, with dark circles under his eyes and an unmistakable weariness on his face.

He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest. In the oil paintings hanging on the wall, the portraits of past principals quietly pretended to be ordinary oil paintings, their eyes revealing their concern for the current principal.

Time passed slowly, and Professor McGonagall walked into the office with today's dessert—a rich and creamy cheese ball.

She placed the plate of cheese balls on the table quietly, trying not to make any noise so as not to disturb Dumbledore's rest.

Dumbledore's breathing was deep and slow, as if he were trying to detach himself from his busy work and find a moment of peace.

When Professor McGonagall's footsteps approached, he slowly opened his eyes and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Gattler rescued Charles and is now hiding somewhere else."

Upon hearing this news, Professor McGonagall finally felt a weight lifted from her shoulders.

During these days, Dumbledore went to great lengths to send messages to the goblins through numerous personal channels.

Professor McGonagall nodded slightly and placed the plate of cheese balls on the table, saying, "He's finally done something."

In her eyes, Grindelwald was a huge troublemaker who never gave anyone a moment's peace.

Dumbledore, his eyes still closed, said slowly, his voice tinged with weariness, "Minerva, I'd like to ask you for a few favors."

"Tell Harry and the others that Ruby escaped with Charles and is now hiding in a safe place."

"The three-way battle for supremacy still has the final match. Most of the preparations have been completed, and you will be in charge of the work before the start of the competition."

Professor McGonagall saw Dumbledore's unprecedented exhaustion and felt a surge of worry.

She said softly, "No problem, I'll take care of these things. I can also share some of the Hogwarts stuff. You can rest for a few days first."

“Thank you,” Dumbledore said. “I’ll leave the budget allocation for next school year to you.”

June has arrived before we knew it, and the school year is coming to an end.

All the houses, subjects, libraries, medical clinics, and student societies at Hogwarts are required to submit their budgets for the next academic year.

Then, the principal allocates the budget based on the school year's revenue and funding.

This is a complex and tedious process that requires consideration of the actual needs of each department and the overall interests of the school.

If Quidditch is a competition between students, then budgeting is a battle between professors.

Everyone will strive to secure more resources for the benefit of their own department.

Everyone's submitted budget was inflated, including Professor McGonagall's.

In previous years, Dumbledore's intimidating presence was undeniable; even if he exaggerated the numbers, no one would say much.

But Professor McGonagall is far from it. At that point, even Professor Sprout, with whom she usually has a good relationship, will no longer give her best friend face, just as Dumbledore wouldn't give her any face.

It is foreseeable that it will be a job even more terrifying than fighting Voldemort one-on-one.

“Alright,” Professor McGonagall accepted the task.

She then asked, "What actions has the Ministry of Magic taken?"

Dumbledore sighed and said, "Everyone is terrified. Fudge is hesitant and hasn't given any reliable orders yet."

"Voldemort's rescue of Charles from Gringotts has made many pure-blood wizards wary of him." "Now, many in the Ministry of Magic believe that the goblin problem should be addressed first, and Fudge shares this view."

"The wizarding world in Britain is in complete chaos, something that has never happened before."

"Back to Hogwarts, I'm getting more and more worried that no one will be willing to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts next year."

This is an old problem at Hogwarts, and Professor McGonagall was at a loss, so she could only say, "Keep looking."

Dumbledore lightened the mood with a joke: "I'm afraid we'll have to go to Azkaban to find someone."

Professor McGonagall said irritably, "Then it would be better to have Jack lead the students in reading the textbook."

“You’ve reminded me.” Dumbledore seemed to be thinking of someone. “If all else fails, I’ll have to rely on him for a year.”

He picked up a cheese ball, ate it, and said, "To be honest, I think Charles is qualified to be the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Are you serious?!" Professor McGonagall thought he was still joking.

Dumbledore said seriously, "I am serious."

“From the first grade, I felt that he was not a child, but acted like an adult.”

“I asked Jack, and he didn’t want to tell me at first, but he told me later.”

“When Charles was a child, he saw Harry being disliked by his aunt and uncle at the Dursleys’ house. He was afraid that Jack would abandon him, so he tried his best to appear as excellent as possible.”

"He learned from the adults on TV, from the adults around him, and read many books that adults read. Gradually, he became like an adult."

"He did a lot of things after he came to Hogwarts. I would say that many professors, including myself, did not do as well as he did."

"The Defense Against the Dark Arts course mainly teaches students how to deal with dark magic. The necessary spells are learned in the Charms class, which is more application-oriented."

“Gellert and I have both fought Charles, and he is more than capable of being an Auror.”

Professor McGonagall shook her head and said, “Albus, your idea is too crazy. Hogwarts has never had a fourth-year student, no, a fifth-year student, as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.”

After pouring her and himself a cup of tea, Dumbledore said, "Fifth grade, just right."

"When I first came to Hogwarts, the professors often said that fifth year is the age when miracles happen."

“Isn’t that right, Phineas?”

After he finished speaking, he looked at the portrait of Phineas Black on the wall.

Phineas immediately said, "Oh, the young people in my family are asking me questions. It feels like I'm back when I was still alive!"

"I can't keep them waiting!"

Now that he was working at both Falbotton Castle and Dancing Grass Restaurant at Black's old house, he made an excuse to avoid engaging with Dumbledore.

Professor McGonagall silently sipped her tea, sensing that Dumbledore was serious and considering having Charles as a backup if they couldn't recruit anyone. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

She knew that Dumbledore's suggestion, though bold, was not entirely without merit.

Charles did indeed demonstrate a maturity and ability beyond his years; however, entrusting such an important position to a student was unprecedented in the history of Hogwarts.

Dumbledore was increasingly worried about Charles's future. If Charles could persuade Grindelwald, could he be colluding with Voldemort?
(End of this chapter)