The Pacifist Necromancer of Hogwarts

Chapter 353 Q&A
Anthony felt speechless for a moment. Fortunately, Dumbledore changed the subject briskly: "I guess your next question will be, in this case, when I agreed to let Dolores into Hogwarts, did I realize what kind of impact she would have on the school?"

"I haven't had time to think about this question yet." Anthony smiled. "But since we are talking about this, sir, maybe you can tell me the answer directly?"

Dumbledore pondered, "I think my answer is uncertain... If you ask me if I know that Dolores is a selfish, opportunistic person, I can probably tell you that I do know that. However, this does not mean that I know what she will bring to Hogwarts. Maybe some people will hate her, maybe some people will admire her, maybe people will see her and say to themselves, 'I must never become such a wizard', maybe some people will think, 'She needs to be tougher and more secretive'. Alas, Henry, if the past has taught us anything, it is that some futures are unpredictable."

Anthony asked in confusion, "So... why did you agree to let her into the school in the first place? I'm not questioning you," he added immediately, "but I know Minerva will definitely ask you that."

"And I have already answered her," Dumbledore smiled. "I will give you the same answer: the purpose of Hogwarts has never been to make students live in the Toadstool Tales. Just as Beedle the Bard never shied away from death, disease or dangerous magic, we do not wish to shied away from greed, prejudice, unreasonableness or abuse of power. Tea?"

"But...but aren't you worried?"

"worry about what?"

"Fearing that some student might be harmed, or, as you said, begin to idolize her, resolve to be more - more Umbridge."

Dumbledore's smile faded a little. "And that's why she's leaving now, why I changed my mind." He tapped the table with the tip of his wand, and a crystal clear kettle appeared out of thin air on the table. "I allowed her to enter Hogwarts. I may have allowed her to walk around the castle, investigate classes, and question professors - just to make Cornelius feel more at ease - but she was not allowed to hurt my students."

The curtain floated up, and the gift boxes and pictures covering the stove flew to the sides, making way for the kettle. With a slight click, the kettle landed on the stove and boiled water on its own.

Anthony watched him do all this smoothly before saying, "What about the admiration part? I mean, besides Mr. Filch, there must be other people who are inspired by her..."

"Being inspired is not a bad thing, Henry," Dumbledore said with some surprise. "But I understand what you mean. Well, I personally think that if someone, under the influence of Minerva, Filius, Pomona, Severus - I could make a list, including you and me - still thinks that Dolores is the most inspiring role model for him or her..."

Anthony frowned.

Dumbledore said slyly, "Then we can probably say that this man is not very clever."

Anthony hesitated, then pointed out, "I thought Hogwarts wasn't a school just for smart people."

"Indeed, Henry, indeed!" said Dumbledore happily. "Someone even told me that school is not for smart people. However, people who think they are smart are often just better than others in one aspect, and in other things, this person may still be very stupid. Nico is an impeccable alchemist, but his arithmetic is terrible. On the other hand, my brother Aberforth probably never figured out what runes are, but I heard that he runs his small business very well - of course, it may be because he has not yet learned how to keep accounts, so he mistakenly claims that he is doing very well -"

Anthony gave an example: "My necromancy is pretty good, but I still don't know what it is."

"I think you understand what I mean, Henry." Dumbledore said with a smile, "Like alchemy, arithmetic or runes, Dolores is a subject - some people are good at it, some are not so good at it. But in any case, when there is an opportunity to offer courses, schools should seize the opportunity to let students see it, instead of worrying that some people may get a P or D."

"And what about those who get P or D?" Anthony asked. "What about those who get attached to Umbridge?"

Dumbledore smiled and asked, "If a student received a P in a Muggle Studies test, what would you say to him, my professor?"

Anthony thought about it and smiled: "Try again next time."

……

The water boiled, and Dumbledore directed the kettle to pour water into a round teapot.

"Speaking of Madam Umbridge," Anthony said, "can we do anything about the grades of the Muggle-borns?" Dumbledore produced two floral-print teacups from nowhere. The kettle poured a cup of tea for each of them. The rain seemed to have eased, but it still pattered against the windows.

"I sent an owl to the Examinations Board this evening," said Dumbledore, "but I doubt whether it will have much effect. The Examinations Board has a reputation for being stubborn and unsympathetic, and a reputation that it has earned justly."

Anthony took a sip of the scalding hot tea and felt his body relax a little.

"But we can't really just accept such an unfair grade, right?"

"If the exam board refuses to change the grades or resit the exams - and they are likely to do so - I am afraid we will have to accept the current OWLs and NEWTs," said Dumbledore.

"But--"

"However," Dumbledore raised his hand to indicate that he had not finished speaking, "this does not mean that we can't do anything. If things really develop as we expect, I will propose that fifth and seventh years participate in the final examinations. Hogwarts can provide proof of the validity and seriousness of their final grades, and when necessary, other professors and I will provide letters of recommendation for those who need them. I guess this can make up for some of the unfairness."

Anthony murmured, "That probably does work."

Almost the entire British wizarding world is made up of Hogwarts graduates. Even without mentioning Dumbledore's influence, just a serious letter of recommendation from the dean is enough to open countless doors for the holder.

Just then, Anthony suddenly remembered something: "Wait, fifth and seventh grade final exams? Including Muggle Studies?"

Dumbledore said, "Unless all fifth and seventh years drop out without anyone telling me, I don't see why Muggle Studies should be an exception."

"Um... okay," said Anthony.

He imagined that the other professors would just pick a few questions from the past and change them up - really, what's the difference between turning a plate into a mushroom and turning a basket into a mushroom - while he would skip all the sleep questions for the next two weeks, carefully balancing the questions between the various Muggle Studies chapters, and better be careful not to copy any OWL and NEWT questions that looked reasonable, because Professor Bubbage would definitely remember them, and Anthony didn't want to sound like a new professor who couldn't come up with a good question, even if he was. He sighed slightly.

As if he knew what he was thinking, Dumbledore said, "And Charity will take care of all the questions."

"What?" Anthony said. "Isn't this too much trouble for her? I mean, it's all very well, but I'd give it a try..."

"Because I was hoping to ask you to do something more troublesome," said Dumbledore.

"Oh," said Anthony, "what is it, sir?"

"Do you remember Quirinus?"

"Professor Quirrell?"

"Yes. You see, I have never been able to persuade Cornelius to issue a wanted order, so I thought that since they are unwilling to help, we might as well look for him ourselves," said Dumbledore. "About a few months ago, we sorted out all the clues and finally found a few places he might be interested in; and now, his whereabouts have become clearer and clearer. I am basically sure where he is hiding, but it will still take some effort to find him. Would you like to run an errand for me, Henry?"

(End of this chapter)