The Pacifist Necromancer of Hogwarts

The Slytherin common room had become increasingly grim over the past few days. In the beautifully carved fireplace, the fire has been burning since the beginning of school - the cellar has always been the first place to light the fireplace in Hogwarts Castle - but the biting chill still sneaks into the room from the gaps between the wet stones, and The hard carved chairs, cold leather sofas and green-lit chandeliers couldn't make the chill any less.

Even so, Draco Malfoy still loved staying in the common room. He enjoys being in an environment full of Slytherin atmosphere, talking about the glory of his father's generation with Crabbe and Goyle, discussing big and small news inside and outside the school with his classmates of the same class, mocking other people's failures with witty words that contain malice or sarcasm. An exchange of knowing glances at the mention of certain names...or, as in the current case, just plain small talk.

...Flying so well, it's almost invisible on the ground, only a few green shadows.

Malfoy said lazily: That's just the normal speed of Nimbus 2001. It will be surprising when the actual competition comes.

Gryffindor went crazy when they saw our brooms. A Slytherin said, Their captain, that Wood, trained the players desperately, and didn't realize that the players' minds were not on training for a long time! I said, when the games come, we'll just put up a few four-poster beds under the pitch, and the Gryffindors will jump off their brooms and fall asleep.

The group of them laughed.

Those poor fellows are so jealous, Draco, said another student, Listen to what they say! 'Slytherin is cheating!' Oh, how pitiful - last term, Potter The Nimbus 2000 stole the show, but people seemed to have forgotten about it and just pointed at our broom.

Potter! Malfoy shouted, Great Potter and his great scar, just a passing grade in History of Magic, and Gryffindor's loss of the Quidditch Cup. Look at the guys he dated. : Pauper Weasley, mudblood Granger, coward Longbottom, rude servant Hagrid...

And that idiot who loves taking pictures, Blaise Shabini said, it was hard to tell whether he was mocking or teasing.

Malfoy's face darkened: He will pay the price. That's an insult, Blaise. Dumbledore may want to protect this scum, but just wait... Something big is going to happen at Hogwarts. Yes. Remember my words.

I'm looking forward to it, Draco, Shabini said, nodding towards Malfoy as an apology.

Dad hopes that we pure-blood families who still maintain ancient honors will cooperate. Malfoy said, After all, some wizarding families are much better than others... By the way, Pansy, how is your friend doing lately?

Pansy Parkinson sat nearby, giggling at every Slytherin joke and glaring at Shabini when he mentioned Colin Creevey. She didn't seem to expect that the topic would suddenly turn to herself: My friend, Draco?

That third grade mixed race. Shabini reminded her as if she was kind, Tracy Davis.

Under the dancing firelight and dim lights, it was difficult to see whether Pansy's expression had changed.

She's not my friend. Pansy said one word at a time, Brace, how many times do you want me to say this? Yes, I said some nonsense last semester, but I have sobered up.

Your nonsense even scared my mother. Shabini couldn't help but laugh. She kept saying 'The Parkinson girls were ruined by Hogwarts' throughout the holidays.

Draco's father is very concerned about educational issues at Hogwarts. A senior Slytherin next to him said, I heard that Mr. Malfoy put pressure on the Ministry of Magic?

That's right. Malfoy said proudly, And my father is still a member of the school board... If you ask me, wizard schools should not admit those outsiders. Our family even considered sending me to Durmstrang to study. , I heard that the students there all study 'Dark Arts' instead of 'Defense Against the Dark Arts', let alone 'Muggle Studies', which is not a trivial course.

That Anthony is very confusing, isn't he? Chabini teased, When he took you away, we all thought you would become the next Pansy.

Malfoy said disdainfully: It's just Dumbledore's cliché, that everyone is a wizard, everyone is a human, no one should be higher... nothing new. Who would really believe him? slogan, who is the real fool? He looked at Pansy with meaning.

Well said, Draco, said the senior Slytherin, We don't need any more pure-blood traitors.

Pansy paled. She said loudly: I am not a pure-blood traitor! That Davis, she is trying to frame me——

Come on, Pansy, another senior said impatiently, we're just saying that you almost took a bad path, no one is calling you a traitor. We don't need to divide ourselves.

Framing you through gratitude and intimacy? Shabini said. There are rumors that among the alternative, you are the one with the better reputation between us, Pansy.

We don't need to divide ourselves, Blaise. repeated the senior Slytherin. We believe in the ancient Parkinson family. Aren't Mr. and Mrs. Parkinson happy to say that Pansy has changed her mind? That's enough.

Malfoy said calmly: Okay, Blaise, Davis is just a half-blood, much better than a mudblood. Besides, there are many half-bloods who want to join the pure-blood family. Don't tell me that the Shabini family doesn't have I’ve met such a person before.”

…

Three floors up from the lounge where they were, the door of an office was pushed open. Anthony walked out with an empty bag, ready to buy some snacks from Honeydukes.

His students are already jokingly complaining about the same coconut sorbet, and according to Ian Williams, Honeydukes has launched new candy for Halloween.

Anthony had no intention of seeing more than a dozen Count Dracula in class - he bought Halloween Vampire Candy out of curiosity last year, and was severely scratched by the skeleton cat because of his long fangs - but those You can't go wrong with chocolates packaged in the shape of bats and toffees shaped like pumpkins.

Good morning, Professor Anthony! a Gryffindor greeted with a smile, Are you going out in this weather?

Unfortunately, yes, Anthony laughed, no owl is willing to help me deliver the order for the goods.

The student glanced at the storm shaking the windows and shrugged, I can understand them.

So can I, Anthony said, suddenly remembering the secret passage Fred and George had used. He shook his head, shaking away the thought that had suddenly appeared from Honeydukes cellar warehouse and startled the clerk.

…

In blustery weather, the role of an umbrella is very similar to that of a sail. Amidst the crisp ringing of the doorbell, Anthony pushed open the door of Honeydukes' store, soaking wet, and the sweet smell of various candies hit his face. The fireplace is burning brightly, and the honey-colored walls fill the entire store with an unreal warmth.

The clerk looked up at him from behind the counter: Professor Anthony! Why are you here now?

Ask about my schedule, said Anthony, standing at the door and flapping his cloak. It's hard to find an opening in it.

We were talking about you yesterday, the clerk said. We have a new candy for Halloween. It tastes similar to coconut sorbet. You will definitely like it——

Anthony stepped into the store: No, thank you. I want the furthest thing from coconut sorbet. Do you have cinnamon rolls?

…

Anthony finally picked three packs of bat chocolates, two packs of pumpkin candies, two cans of bloody fruit gummies, a pack of broken finger pretzels, and a large box of milk eye candy. There were eyeballs of various colors, and each eyeball would Turn toward people walking past them.

Anthony paid under the glare of Milky Eyes. Before leaving, the clerk's eloquent recommendation led him to buy a piece of freshly baked cream cake that melted in his mouth. Raspberry jam was poured on it like splattered blood, and thin dark chocolate crumbs formed the top. An ominous big black dog - a new Halloween item, Homicide in the Snow.

It took Anthony a lot of levitation spells to transport the murder back to Hogwarts. Under the surprised eyes of the students, Anthony calmly opened the door to the staff lounge with his hair dripping, ready to add a little fun to his colleagues' afternoon tea, and then froze at the door.

The staff lounge has completely changed.

The tables and chairs were turned into light pink and light blue, and a row of golden, shriveled balloons lay on a lilac-colored high platform in the middle (where did this high platform come from?). There was also a painting of Luoyang on the wall. Hart's photo. He took a closer look and saw that the words Lock Your Heart were spelled out on the balloon, and there was a piece of dark blue velvet with a gold edge next to it. He didn't know what it was used for - probably not an electrostatic experiment, Anthony thought.

Just as he was holding the cake and cautiously looking at the staff lounge, someone pushed the door open and came in, and the door almost hit Anthony's back.

Oh, I'm sorry - Henry, why are you like this? Don't tell me that you jumped into the Black Lake too.

As if she had not seen the decoration of the staff lounge, Professor McGonagall quickly walked to the light blue cabinet and looked inside.

Well, Albus changed the password from 'Chocolate Frog' to 'Chocolate Frog,' she told Anthony.

Anthony put down the cake: Minerva, what does 'jump into the black lake too' mean?

Didn't Pomona tell you? Professor McGonagall said, This morning, Stan Sampac, a member of the Albacore Club, jumped into the Black Lake.

Anthony asked: Why? He was trying to recall whether the mermaid information in the textbook mentioned the song of the bewitching sailor - at the same time, another part of his Muggle brain was recalling The Daughter of the Sea.

When Pomona asked him, he said it was because Digory missed the previous mermaid practice, and he wanted to help Digory 'find a mermaid'. Professor McGonagall said, Speaking of which, Henry, How did you get yourself into this?

She looked sternly at Anthony's damp hair, his wet cloak, and his robes that had soaked up the rain.

Anthony showed her the cake next to her, and opened the bag to let her see the eyeballs and fingers inside: I went to buy some novel rewards for the students.

Professor McGonagall's eyes turned back and forth between the Halloween candy and Anthony a few times, and her face softened slightly: The students will be very happy - but Poppy is not necessarily.

I'll get her a pick-me-up, Anthony promised.

Very good. Professor McGonagall said with satisfaction, and walked out of the lounge with Anthony. Do you have any plans for the afternoon, Henry?

One of the benefits of walking with Professor McGonagall is that students no longer look at his dripping wet appearance. Anthony watched the two students holding the Wolf Fang UFO leave in a hurry, and thought for a moment: I have a Q\u0026A class for the fifth grade - they are facing the O.W.Ls exam - and then they probably have to make some preparations for practical activities. Other than that , I also plan to go to the library. He did not say that he also planned to go to the Room of Requirement to study undead magic, What's the matter, Minerva?

Pomona needs some handymen, and Filius has been booked by her, but she said as many as possible - she wants to build another greenhouse. Professor McGonagall and Anthony explained, You know we have a relationship with the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh There's a connection, right? They found an interesting collection of magical plants.

Anthony thought of Mr. Linde, who was still in contact with him from time to time: Yes, I know. But I'm afraid that most of my afternoon has been taken up. He shook his head with some regret.

It certainly sounds like it, said Professor McGonagall. Speaking of fifth-year O.W.Ls- She glanced sternly at the students who were gesturing towards Filch's office with their dung eggs, and they dispersed in horror, Do you have any predictions about their grades? I need to remind you, Henry, fifth-year professors need to submit students' O.W.L score prediction forms every year to facilitate our career guidance for students.

Anthony sighed: Okay, Minerva, help me schedule a more full afternoon.

No, there's no need to be in such a hurry. Professor McGonagall stopped her, Just before the Easter holidays are over.

That's great, Anthony said. No wonder Caridi insisted on letting me teach the fifth grade. The third and fourth grades are much easier than the fifth grade.

Professor McGonagall said thoughtfully: I have talked to Caridi about your class before. For her, the most difficult thing is the third-year students - they usually know nothing about Muggle Studies. knowledge - and fifth-grade students, because they understand the exams they are about to face, they will pay more attention to the courses.

The students are all very nice. Anthony said, Wait, are you talking about my class? He recalled it carefully, I hope there is nothing serious wrong with it.

No, no. Professor McGonagall said, We just mentioned that you insisted on taking them to do practical activities, because Caridi was lamenting that the vitality of young professors is really endless. Her expression told Anthony that in this sentence The young professor mainly refers to Lockhart, For you, there is endless patience, Henry. I heard that you still didn't deduct points in class?

No, Anthony admitted.

He suddenly remembered this conversation again in the afternoon. His undead magic was roaring unbridled in the huge and white Room of Requirement. His body was as cold as bones preserved in an ice coffin - or chicken breasts in the refrigerator - and he remembered what was hidden under the serious face of Professor McGonagall. worries. She told him that one problem professors all have to deal with is a sense of powerlessness.

Anthony knows that there are many things that are difficult to change even if professors spend a lot of time. They can only send students out of school and watch them meet their fate.

It doesn't matter, Minerva. It doesn't matter, Anthony thought. Looking back from the perspective of death, every stone that once tried to change the course of the river is important. He was an easy dead man and had known the secret for a long time.