Hogwarts: Voldemort, don't stop me from studying

Chapter 1023 Survival and Choices
As the lesson drew to a close, Frank signaled for everyone to stop practicing.

He stood on the podium, his gaze slowly sweeping over the entire class, and said in a deep voice:

“Remember one thing, children—true defense against the dark magic isn’t just about how many spells you know, or what grades you get on the upcoming test…”

"The most important thing is survival! It's about making the only choice that will allow you to live in the shortest amount of time!"

"Remember to always have the will to live, fight for survival, and fight even more for the people behind you who need protection!"

His voice echoed in the classroom, and many people couldn't help but show their admiration. At that moment, a student raised his hand high.

Frank looked at him and said, "Mr. Goldstein, do you have any questions?"

Anthony Goldstein stood up and said, “Professor Longbottom, we’ve all heard about you and your wife… we’ve heard that you were seriously injured and in a coma for so many years while fighting the dark wizard Lestrange.”

He mumbled something, and many students instinctively turned to look at Malfoy.

Pure-blood families typically have a treasured family tree that records the intertwined blood relationships between various branches of the family, which people wouldn't usually mention in the past.

However, when the Longbottoms appeared on campus, the reasons why they had disappeared from society for more than a decade, their scarred bodies and slow speech, and the relationship between the Malfoy and Lestrange families were already common knowledge.

The better Franky and Alice are, the more despicable those who have hurt them seem.

Bathed in those piercing gazes, Malfoy remained silent, his face expressionless, offering no response to a single glance, like a pale stone statue.

But Anthony's purpose in bringing this up was certainly not to publicly judge his classmate in the classroom.

His complexion wasn't much better than Malfoy's; he asked with a hint of pain and confusion:
"If survival is the most important thing, then why... why didn't you make the choice that would have allowed you to live?"

A deathly silence fell over the classroom; even the sound of a quill pen scratching across parchment was gone. All eyes were on Anthony, then abruptly turned to the podium.

Frank's face did not show any anger or displeasure. He knew very well why Anthony had asked the question, and he also knew that the person Anthony really wanted to ask was not him, but the American Auror who had been sacrificed.

He paused for a moment, then placed his hands on the edge of the podium, leaned forward slightly, and said with utmost seriousness:
“Very good question, Mr. Goldstein. This is what I’m going to say next—'living' and 'being able to breathe' are not always the same thing.”

"For humans, there are many things that are more important than the continuation of the individual."

He gazed intently at Anthony, and also at the many students who were wavering in their convictions:
“Survival has different dimensions: the continuation of the body is one, the inheritance of will is another, and the absolute uncompromising belief is also one, and the most expensive one.”

"So when faced with a choice, what we consider is—why do we want to 'survive'?"

"Once we understand this, at that moment, we made the choice that would allow us to 'survive'—not as Frank and Alice, but as Aurors, as warriors, and as the future possibilities for those we swore to protect!"

"So we choose to use everything we have to exchange for a future where everything except life itself can continue!"

After he finished speaking, Frank remained silent for a long while, his chest heaving as if he were adjusting his breathing and suppressing some intense emotions.

After a long pause, he spoke again: "So, children, the 'will to survive' is not an excuse for cowardice, it is not for you to run away in times of danger, and it is certainly not for you to kneel before evil and injustice!"

"It allows you to clearly distinguish, even in the darkest and most desperate moments, what is the true 'way out'? Is it to eke out a living and then be swallowed up and assimilated, or to fight with everything to protect what should be protected?"

His gaze, intentionally or unintentionally, swept over Wade's direction again: "Of course, I hope you never have to face such a cruel choice, but if one day in the future, fate pushes you to such a crossroads..."

"I hope you will remember what I said today and make a choice that will keep your hearts whole for the rest of your lives, and that will prevent you from completely denying yourselves in the quiet of the night."

...In an unusually heavy atmosphere, the bell rang, and the students packed up and left one after another.

Wade also tidied his belongings and followed the crowd toward the door. As he passed the podium, Frank suddenly said:

"Mr. Gray, please wait a moment."

Wade stopped walking, something Michael had gotten used to—these past few days, every time Wade went to a classroom, the professor would keep him behind for a chat.

So he slung his backpack over his shoulder, waved to Wade, and quickly caught up with Daphne and walked out.

After all the other students had left the classroom and the door was gently closed, Wade asked, "Professor, did you need something from me?"

Frank's serious expression softened as he looked at him and said, "I've heard from several other professors that your learning progress far surpasses that of others, so you are free to choose whether or not to attend classes. Mr. Moody also said that you have mastered the courses you missed earlier."

“That’s right,” Wade said. “If you think it’s necessary, I can demonstrate it.”

Frank shook his head slightly and said, "No, no need. I trust Mr. Moody's judgment. You've already demonstrated your abilities in the lesson just now."

He took a handwritten notebook from his bag and handed it to Wade, saying:
"I heard you enjoy reading. These are some practical spells and insights I've compiled based on my past experience as an Auror and some personal lessons learned."

He smiled, his expression appearing quite magnanimous.
"You may already have grasped most of the content here, and may even have more insightful observations. But I hope—even if only a sentence or two is helpful—that it will bring you some assistance in the future."

Wade took the heavy notebook with both hands, raised his eyes, and met Frank Longbottom's gentle gaze.

“You’re too modest, Professor. You won’t find such an excellent Auror’s experience notes anywhere else in the university. Really… thank you.”

……

As the night lights came on, Wade was sitting by the window, carefully flipping through the notes Frank had given him, when he suddenly heard a series of "thumping" sounds.

He turned around and saw his owl standing outside the dark window, pecking at the glass with its hard beak.

"Ava?" Wade opened the window to let the owl fly in, and said in surprise, "I'm going home in a few days, why are you here now?"

The owl, of course, couldn't answer him. It simply turned its head, looked at its owner with its round eyes, raised a claw, and let out a low "cooing" sound.

"Did Father send this on your behalf? What's inside?"

As he spoke, Wade untied the palm-sized, dark suede bag, inside which was a note from his father, Ferdinand, and a crystal bottle about the length of a finger.

"Wade, this was delivered to your house. They specifically asked for it, saying it was very urgent. Ava has been a bit restless lately, probably because she misses you, so I had her make this trip."

Also, check carefully, and if there is any danger, do not handle it yourself; remember to go to the professor!
—Ferdinand.

Wade took out the crystal bottle and saw that there was a silver liquid flowing slowly inside. Unlike the bright and clear color of the bottle, it appeared somewhat turbid and the light was somewhat dim.

Two small letters are engraved on the bottle stopper—

VN
This is something that Wayne... that is, Braun, sent.

A bottle of memories.

(End of this chapter)