The Pacifist Necromancer of Hogwarts

Chapter 350 Summer Night
The celebration lasted until curfew, when students hurried back to their respective college common rooms under Filch's gloomy and malicious gaze. Except for the Slytherin students, of course. They were unusually quiet and dull during dinner, and no one tried to join in the celebration that the professors tacitly approved. Almost the next moment they put down their knives and forks, they disappeared from their seats.

Before leaving, the Weasley twins had secretly hidden several large plates of chips under their school robes, and Anthony thought they had never noticed that Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Flitwick while watching them from the other end of the table. He himself had made himself comfortable in a corner and, when no one was looking, had eaten a whole plate of peanut cookies - he had taken them from the Slytherin House table, which was filled with the same food as the other tables, but no one had touched it.

"Come with us, Roger?" Lee Jordan jumped out of the crowd and hooked his arm around Roger's neck. "And Emery, where is he? There's a party in the Gryffindor common room - ice cream, Filibuster fireworks, and other things - Fred and George have hidden some nice things... Are you all right?"

"You stink." One of the twins shouldered him aside. "You are suspected of attempting to murder one of our Roger Snake co-researchers by scent, Mr. Jordan."

"And you're suspected of getting a T in Herbology for disparaging dragon manure, Mr. Weasley," Jordan shot back.

A few chips fell in their path, and Mrs. Norris, lying in Filch's arms, stared at them suspiciously.

Roger stopped at the entrance of the hall: "I should go back to the dormitory, guys."

The Weasley twins asked in unison, "Why?"

"Because the Professor is watching us?" Roger said.

The twins and Lee Jordan turned their heads and happened to meet Anthony's sight in the corner. Anthony smiled at them with a glass of sparkling pumpkin juice and motioned them to turn around. The head of Ravenclaw and the head of Gryffindor had stopped talking and stared at them with dignity and meaning.

The three Gryffindor fourth-years showed almost the same innocent and frank look on their faces. They greeted their head of house with a smile and ran away. More chips fell out of their school robes, but Filch was concentrating on cursing Peeves for being a "damn circus ghost who did evil things" and did not notice Mrs. Norris anxiously tugging at his arm and meowing hoarsely, wanting to jump off.

……

After all the students in the hall left, the faculty also left one after another. Professor Sinistra and Professor Trelawney were talking about a satellite of Uranus and centaurs. Professor McGonagall had a stern face and walked quickly, listening impatiently to Lockhart's words that he was not happy to use his fame to gain privileges, but the staff room was indeed not enough for him to fully display his talents, and even if the location of the club activities was changed, it did not mean that he would abandon his lovely colleagues, and "the door is never locked, just like the heart."

Professor Flitwick motioned for his colleagues to lean forward.

"Look, Minerva is just about to get on her broom and fly out the window," he whispered to Anthony and Professor Sprout. "Goodness, Gilderoy, what a fool he is!" But the smile on his face did not fade at all. Professor Sprout also smiled indulgently, obviously in a good mood.

"Any plans for later?" asked Professor Flitwick. "The Three Broomsticks? And Charity? I know Minerva would love to order some violet water after getting rid of Gilderoy."

"Not today, Filius," Professor Sprout replied. "I have some herbs to tend to. It's a full moon today, you see, and I need to pollinate those Aconitum plants that are in bloom."

"Professor Anthony?"

"of course."

……

Madam Rosmerta entertained them graciously, as if she saw the Hogwarts professors in the bar every late night. Professor McGonagall asked for violet water, Professor Bubbage asked for rum, and Professor Flitwick refused the offer of soda water, telling Madam Rosmerta that he wanted to try a new cocktail. Anthony ordered a cold pint of Butterbeer - purely out of curiosity, because Hagrid had always told him that only hot Butterbeer was Butterbeer, and the cold one was just some sweetened fox-killer.

Hagrid was right.

Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick argued for a while about whose office the Advanced Transfiguration Illustrated Book was in, and then dragged Professor Burbage to order two plates of Gobstones. A wizard who claimed to be from Denmark came to their table and said that he was working on a potion that could allow people to pass through walls like ghosts, but he had some financial difficulties. Anthony gave him a cup of sugar-coated Vixen Killer and politely declined the investment invitation.

Professor McGonagall began to talk about how much paperwork she would need to prepare to allow Professor Kettleburn and Hagrid's menagerie to stay legally on Scottish soil ("Actually, it doesn't matter if you don't prepare any of that," Professor Burbage commented. "'Teaching purposes' will suffice.") So they spent some time thinking about how to legally avoid the Ministry's scrutiny.

It was already dark, and insects were constantly attracted by the warm yellow light of the Three Broomsticks, flying into the window on the summer night breeze, flying around the chandelier and banging against the lampshade. A few half-drunk wizards started quarreling, and were decisively thrown out of the tavern by Madam Rosmerta, who then Apparated away with a slight "pop". A guest at a table told a joke about doppelgangers, which made everyone laugh. The glasses with liquid residue and the plates with bread crumbs jumped up and piled up, running towards the door behind the bar.

Before he knew it, Anthony had finished most of his cold Butterbeer, and so had Professor McGonagall's violet water, Professor Bubbage's rum, and Professor Flitwick's cocktail, who asked Madam Rosmerta for another soda with ice and conch cherry syrup.

"I knew it, Professor Flitwick," said the witch as she placed the glass on the table. She glanced at the still-unfinished Butterbeer, then glanced at Anthony, and hesitated for a moment.

Professor Bubaggi asked perceptively, "What's the matter, Rosmerta?"

"Oh, nothing," said Madam Rosmerta briskly. "I was just wondering what brought these professors here. The semester isn't over yet, is it? And it's not the weekend."

"A good thing," said Professor Flitwick cheerfully, "if you haven't heard it by now, you will hear it soon." "Good things?" Madam Rosmerta raised her eyebrows.

Professor Bubaji said, "Why are you so surprised?"

"What have you heard, Rosmerta?" Professor McGonagall also asked.

"Oh... never mind, they're just rumors, Professor. Have a nice night."

"No, no, come back, Rosmerta." Professor Bubbaji held her back. "How about this, we tell you the good news and you tell us the rumors. How does it sound?"

Madam Rosmerta smiled. "Well, you will regret this, because now that I think about it, it's really a bit ridiculous - I heard that Professor Anthony is seriously ill and is leaving Hogwarts."

"You must have heard me wrongly, Rosmerta," said Professor Bubaggi, very confused. "That's Dolores, our deputy minister."

Madam Rosmerta exclaimed in a low voice: "Really? What happened to her?"

"I don't know." Professor Bubagji shook his head. "Maybe he's insane?"

"I don't think my name is very similar to Ms. Umbridge's." Anthony mused.

"That's right!" shrieked Professor Flitwick. "I don't see how you could have heard it wrong, Rosmerta."

"Okay," Madam Rosmerta surrendered. "So, what's that good thing?"

They looked at each other.

"Today is a full moon night," said Professor McGonagall calmly, "so it can pollinate the monkshood."

……

The bright moonlight sprinkled on the street, reflecting a faint silver light on the stone slabs. Most of the shops were closed. The doors were locked, models were napping on the posters, the signs hanging under the eaves swayed slightly in the evening breeze, and the glass windows with the lights turned off vaguely reflected their figures as they passed by.

Even though it was June, the nights were still cool, and the breeze rustled the long grass. Professor Flitwick told of the time he had startled a toad in the grass, and the amphibian nearly jumped onto his hat.

They bypassed the Black Lake and soon left Hogsmeade behind, then pushed open the castle gate which had already entered curfew, whispered good night to each other, and returned to their respective offices.

The room was pitch black. As Anthony opened the door, the wind rushed in, causing the half window to hit the wall lightly, making a rhythmic thumping sound. Something as cold as water slid silently across his ankle and circled around his leg.

"Good evening, Cat," Anthony greeted, turning on the lights in the room.

The ginger cat raised its tail and casually slipped between his feet, returned to the bedroom, jumped onto the pillow, and lay down to watch Anthony walking back and forth between the office and the bedroom, hanging up clothes, pouring the evil mice out of his slippers, boiling water, washing, cleaning up the remains of the battlefield where the cat and the evil chicken had fought, watering the white fresh potted plant hanging outside the window, closing the window, driving the evil chicken on the windowsill into the room, checking tomorrow's schedule... and finally sitting down beside the bed with a book.

"Why are you staring at me, cat?" Anthony asked him. "Huh?"

The cat turned over, stretched, and stood on the pillow and stared at him for a while. Suddenly, it walked to his side and jumped on his legs. Anthony had to reach out and hug it, and put the book aside. The ghost chicken squatting on the chandelier also fluttered down and landed beside him, tilting its head to look at him. The chandelier made a loud protest and creaked and shook.

"What's wrong?" Anthony scratched the cat's head. "What happened? Did Professor Quirrell break in again?"

The cat lay down and closed its eyes. The vengeful chicken bit his finger gently, then squatted down beside him, hunched up its neck, half-closed its eyes and dozed off.

Anthony sat with them for a while, confused, and finally decided it was time to go to bed. He floated the book to the bedside table, flicked his wand to turn off the light, and fell back. Before he fell asleep, he felt the ghost mouse sneak up to his neck and curled up to lie down.

He fell asleep like that, in his slippers, with his legs hanging over the edge of the bed.

(End of this chapter)