The Wind and the Wings of Hogwarts

As he spoke, he winked at them.

"But I need to talk to him alone, you know, about some important things that I can't let everyone know."

"Alright then, let's go back first."

George glanced back at the crowd that had already disappeared into the distance.

“Hey Scott, I hope you’re not in a rush to go to France. We also have some ‘big things’ we’d like to talk to you about.”

"certainly……"

Scott looked at Dumbledore, and after seeing him nod, continued, "I'll go to France again tomorrow."

“See you later,” Eddie said.

See you later.

Once the group had walked a distance, Scott turned to Dumbledore and asked, "Are you alright, Professor? Rimbaud told me..."

Dumbledore waved his hand.

"I'm fine, Scott."

He gestured for Scott to grab Phoenix Fox's tail feathers.

Scott reached out and grabbed the magnificent feather, and in the blink of an eye, they were in the principal's office.

Dumbledore immediately sat down in the large chair behind his desk.

He leaned back in his chair, a heavy weariness on his face, closed his eyes, and took several deep breaths.

Phoenix Fox flew to the golden bird perch next to it and closed its eyes.

Scott didn't disturb them; his gaze was drawn to the image on Dumbledore's desk.

At this moment, the dark wooden tabletop seemed to transform into a giant television screen, displaying the live surveillance footage outside the castle gates.

Voldemort and the Death Eaters did not take the corpses with them when they left.

The scene did indeed look somewhat bloody.

Especially Fenrir Greyback, who was cut in half at the waist by a water blade, and the giant who was sliced ​​into pieces...

Scott glanced at it a few times and then looked away.

Although he was the one who caused this scene, he did not have a penchant for appreciating such disgusting sights.

He took a few steps back and sat down on the sofa in front of his desk.

As he leaned back on the sofa, he looked up and met the portraits of the former principals on the wall.

It's remarkable that these portraits aren't feigning sleep; instead, they're all observing him with wide-open eyes.

"Well done, Ravenclaw kid, we saw your performance."

Surprisingly, it was Phineas Black who was the first to praise him.

Scott was about to politely say "thank you" when this most unpopular principal in history added—

"As a Muggle-born student, you have something to be proud of."

This ancestor of Sirius fully demonstrates the reasons for his unpopularity.

"Thank you."

Scott adjusted his expression.

"Although it sounds very proud to say this, the truth is that none of the students from pure-blood families at Hogwarts right now are better than me."

In the painting, Principal Blake's unpleasant old face instantly stretched into a long, drawn-out expression.

"What a disappointment," he said with dissatisfaction. "Even purebloods are starting to degenerate..."

Just then, a huge fist reached out from the portrait next to him and struck him hard in the face, knocking him down and making him disappear from the frame.

"Stop talking nonsense, Blake!"

A bald, red-bearded school principal withdrew his fist.

"Hogwarts only has our students; there are no pure-bloods or Muggles!"

He looked at Scott with particular admiration.

"Well done, kid. I admire your courage. You should have gone to Gryffindor. This must be a mistake by the Sorting Hat!"

"That's enough, the Sorting Hat can't be wrong!"

An old witch with long, silver, curly hair interrupted him.

She is Delis de Winter.

She retorted loudly to Redbeard, "Ravenclaws simply value intelligence more and are more particular about methods, but Ravenclaws have never lacked the courage to act!"

Redbeard insisted, "No, his courage is even more outstanding..."

The two principals started arguing, and then the other members living in the picture frame joined in, and soon they were arguing fiercely.

As their voices grew louder, Dumbledore, who had been dozing, opened his eyes.

"Oh, sorry."

His complexion looked much better, but he was still somewhat listless.

"Oh, I almost fell asleep."

He moved his fingers and poured himself and Scott a cup of hot tea each.

Of course, he added half a cup of sugar to his teacup.

"Oh……"

After taking a sip of the tea, which Scott found unbelievably sweet, the old principal let out a long, comfortable sigh, and the weariness on his face finally vanished.

“I didn’t expect you to choose to come straight back,” he told Scott.

Scott smiled.

"If you ask me beforehand, I cannot accurately predict or choose."

He thought back for a moment.

"But when I actually received Professor Flitwick's notification, I returned without even thinking about it."

At that time, he did not weigh the pros and cons or hesitate; he activated the door key directly.

"Although it did not play a decisive role."

Looking back on the entire war, Scott's mind was now clearer.

"I think even if I don't come back, those guys won't be able to break through Hogwarts' defenses."

For a period of time, even Voldemort himself couldn't break through the magical barrier, let alone anyone else.

"But I can't just sit back and wait with a clear conscience when I know Hogwarts is under attack and I have the ability to come back."

“Yes, who can not love Hogwarts?” Dumbledore said with a smile.

As he spoke, he snapped his fingers.

A house-elf wearing a Hogwarts tea towel immediately appeared in the office.

"It's a pleasure to serve you, esteemed Principal!"

It bowed deeply to Dumbledore, its large head, connected by a thin neck, almost touching the ground.

Dumbledore said softly, "Thank you for your help. Please clean up the battlefield and restore everything around the school to normal."

"trouble?"

The house-elf started screaming.

"please?"

It cried out in fear.

"Please don't be so polite! We will definitely restore everything to its former state, down to every single blade of grass and every single tree!"

“Oh…” Dumbledore seemed startled, “My requirements weren’t that strict…”

Before he could finish speaking, the house-elf burst into loud sobs and vanished from its energetic state.

Scott asked with some curiosity, "Professor, that covered bridge has been completely destroyed. Can it be restored?"

“Don’t underestimate them, Scott,” Dumbledore said. “The magic of house-elves is no less powerful than that of ordinary wizards; it’s just that the magic they use is different from ours.”

Next, the two discussed some details of the battle after Scott returned to Hogwarts alone, and then left the office together and went to the Great Hall.

The auditorium was unusually lively at this moment, and the professors sitting in the faculty seats did not prohibit the students from discussing.

When Scott followed Dumbledore into the Great Hall through the side door, everyone suddenly fell silent.

A few seconds later, deafening cheers and applause erupted.

Scott received a prominent welcome as he walked toward the Ravenclaw table.

Of course, most students were unaware of Scott's role in the defense of Hogwarts; their welcome to him stemmed more from his status as a champion in the Triwizard Tournament.

Scott tried to nod, smile, and say "thank you" to everyone who spoke to him, then walked to the Ravenclaw table and sat down next to Eddie and Milton.

"Oh! Our big star is back!"

Eddie joked loudly and clapped incessantly.

Scott ignored him and continued to thank the students around him.

Ding, ding ding.

Professor McGonagall tapped the glass.

"Quiet!"

She said it seriously.

"Professor Dumbledore has something to say to you."

Dumbledore stepped forward and began to speak.

"I am so glad, children, that when Hogwarts was in danger, I saw all of you stand up and bravely take up your wands..."