Ancient Wizards Return to Hogwarts...

Chapter 275 Hufflepuff's New Job

After a moment's thought, she decided to show off her skills to the current principal.

Rice watched coldly from a distance.

He found Hufflepuff's claims of being omnipotent laughable: alchemy, Dark Magic resistance, and cooking were one thing, but how dare he claim he could protect magical creatures? Which of the four founders didn't have countless blood debts owed to magical creatures? Did he really think the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts was a gift when the castle was built?

Helga, don't you have any idea why these magical creatures have fallen to the point of needing protection?

"I won't demonstrate food magic; I'll just give a brief demonstration of alchemy."

Dumbledore nodded; he had long recognized the other's expertise in food magic.

Hufflepuff drew his wand and pointed it at the ground. A paving stone was overturned by the bulging soil beneath it, and two little mud figures emerged from the ground.

Each little clay figure was only one foot tall. To save time, Hufflepuff didn't give them facial features, but instead equipped each of them with a miniature wand.

The two little figures jumped onto the table in front of them and began a duel, a lively and noisy battle with them, occasionally casting shapeshifting spells on the desserts on their plates to aid in the fight.

Watching the little clay figures locked in fierce combat before him, Dumbledore raised an eyebrow: "White could even teach Transfiguration."

In the end, one little clay figure blasted another little clay figure into pieces. Dirt flew everywhere, and if Dumbledore hadn't reacted quickly, the plates of desserts in front of him would certainly have been ruined.

"Take a look at this." While the clay figures were battling, Helga wasn't idle either. She used a small spoon given to her by the dessert shop to make a simple alchemy prop.

"What is this?" After taking the spoon, Dumbledore narrowed his eyes and guessed its function.

"It has a very weak freezing spell on it, which can speed up the cooling of food and keep the ice cream frozen." Hufflepuff pointed to the bowl of ice cream in front of Dumbledore.

Because it was made entirely of dairy, and the weather was hot, most of the ice cream had melted by now, turning into a sticky, unappetizing mixture of solid and liquid.

Dumbledore stirred the ice cream in the bowl with the spoon Helga had handed him, and wisps of steam rose from the edge of the bowl before the ice cream inside froze again.

After demonstrating two "simple" spells, Dumbledore had no further doubts about the woman's abilities; she was capable of several roles: Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor of Alchemy, Professor of Transfiguration, and Professor of Cooking.

What she wants to teach depends on her personal wishes.

Dumbledore told Helga about the available positions at the school and the situation, saying that she could choose any of them and he would coordinate the arrangements.

After thinking about it for a while, Helga asked a question.

"Mr. Dumbledore, I've heard—it's just a rumor—that the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is cursed, and that a teacher in that position can only teach for a maximum of one year?"

Upon hearing Mrs. White's words, Dumbledore subconsciously glanced at Rice: It must have been you who leaked it! Otherwise, how could someone who traveled back from hundreds of years ago have heard this news?

Dumbledore hesitated for a rare moment. In recent years, it had become increasingly difficult to recruit professors of Defense Against the Dark Arts at the school, because the rumor that the teaching positions were cursed had spread.

Look at the students Hogwarts has admitted in the years since Harry enrolled: Quirrell, a scheming Muggle research student; Lockhart, solely focused on teaching for a year to enhance his resume; and Lupin, practically penniless. With this lineup, one could easily say: Who among the respectable would teach Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts?!

Every summer, Dumbledore worries about who will be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the following school year.

A teaching position at Hogwarts is extremely attractive, except for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Most people, however, value their physical and mental health.

The reason Dumbledore was in such a hurry to schedule the interview today was because Ms. White said in her job application that she was "qualified to be the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts".

However, keeping it from them doesn't seem right either...

Dumbledore had no choice but to tell Helga that the professors who taught Defense Against the Dark Arts at the school did indeed change every year for various reasons.

Why do professors stop teaching this course?

Dumbledore told the truth, which immediately silenced Hufflepuff.

The reasons are really varied: some were possessed by the Dark Lord and died, some were captured, but some had a good ending and voluntarily transferred to other positions.

After a moment's consideration, Hufflepuff decided to become the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. The reason was simple: she wanted to challenge herself and experience the legendary "curse."

She had never encountered this type of curse before, so why not give it a try now that she had the chance? She didn't think the curse could do anything to her.

"It's time to put an end to this so-called curse on me," Helga said confidently.

Dumbledore: ...

He had heard similar words many times.

"Besides Defense Against the Dark Arts, I'd also like to teach the children some alchemy. No need for classes, just give me a classroom, and I'll give a lecture every now and then," Hufflepuff stated her request. She felt it was a real shame that the modern magical world didn't teach alchemy.

Even if the children don't study it in depth, just getting a general understanding is excellent!

"You could start an alchemy club, where students can get together once a week. Professor Lupin and his colleagues started a dueling club before, and it was very well received," Dumbledore suggested after a moment's thought.

Dumbledore was pleased to see that Ms. White was willing to become the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, but considering the heavy burden on her shoulders, he politely declined her offer to also serve as the alchemy professor, and instead suggested that she open an alchemy club.

"That works too." Hufflepuff and Dumbledore reached an agreement. Then, as if by magic, Dumbledore produced two copies of the contract, which was a one-year appointment as a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Hufflepuff took the contract, glanced at it, and signed his name—the terms were quite generous: room and board included, a monthly salary of one hundred Galleons, and fifty Galleons for teaching expenses; more could be applied for if needed. It also specifically stated at the end that all medical expenses would be covered by Hogwarts.

After Helga signed her name, Dumbledore felt a sense of relief: Great, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for this year is settled again.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Update here!

The second update is coming soon!

Requesting monthly votes at the beginning of the month~ I'll still add three extra chapters for every 1000 votes!

Thank you all for the monthly votes! We've reached 1000 monthly votes for March, and the protagonist will add three extra chapters as promised (payment in installments).

(End of this chapter)