v3 Chapter 23： Professor McGonagall's doubts

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Headmaster's Office.

Dumbledore sat in a chair with a mirror in his hand, chatting gently with a child.

From time to time, there was laughter from inside, as if amused by Dumbledore's cold jokes.

After a while, the voice of "Annie, it's time to eat" came from the mirror, and the girl said "goodbye" and left quickly.

Dumbledore put down the mirror and glanced at the time, but he didn't expect it to be dinner time.

In front of him was a huge clawed table with a shelf behind the seat, on which lay a tattered pointed wizard hat.

"Dumbledore, how about the lyrics I just prepared?"

"It's pretty good, the lyrics are as good as ever, and the students will love it!" Dumbledore commented.

"But you didn't listen at all!" The Sorting Hat made a shrill voice.

Being left out, it was very dissatisfied.

"You only care about chatting with that little girl, is she more interesting than me?!"

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, wasn't that obvious?

The Sorting Hat is self-defeating.

The Sorting Hat obviously didn't have this kind of self-awareness. It mumbled a few words, and then asked, "Have you been to Nurmengard?"

Dumbledore's mood fell quickly, he was silent for a moment, and shook his head: "I didn't go."

"Why, didn't you go to the United Wizards Conference? The conference is held in Austria, so close."

Dumbledore did not speak.

"He keeps writing to you, saying that he is ill and in bad health, and wants to see you." The Sorting Hat followed suit and wentssip.

Dumbledore finally raised his head and said in an old voice: "I saw him, what should I say?"

The Sorting Hat grinned: "Tell me about the current situation, have a heart-to-heart talk, and take care of each other's flesh... body, isn't it good?"

"That's been discussed in the letter." Dumbledore glanced at a locked cabinet containing a stack of letters from Nurmengard.

"Writing a letter and meeting each other are two different things," the Sorting Hat persuaded in a familiar voice.

It seems that it also had an epic country love story with a certain women's hat.

Dumbledore said softly: "The time difference caused by the delay between correspondence is probably only comparable to the microsecond difference in the germinative time of natural yeast—"

The Sorting Hat interrupted: "Once the communication becomes too efficient, it is no longer necessary to raise the head and look at each other, and some affection will quickly depreciate and go unnoticed...

Dumbledore, I also read the book Charing Cross. "

"Oh, who gave it to you?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"William, the Christmas present he gave me, this kid is really good, it's the first time I've ever received a present from someone other than you.

I remember his family lived near Charing Cross Street? "

"Yes, it's a beautiful street, I visited once, but William hasn't lived there recently, he bought a house in the wizarding village."

Dumbledore was delighted to be able to divert the conversation away from Grindelwald.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Dumbledore looked at the door and said softly, "Come in."

A tall witch in an emerald green robe opened the door and walked in.

The Sorting Hat shut up immediately, and it also felt that it was not a good time to discuss Dumbledore's relationship in front of Professor McGonagall.

"Minerva, good noon." Dumbledore motioned for Professor McGonagall to sit down in the chair.

"Hello Professor Dumbledore, I have something to discuss with you, do you have time now?"

"All day, of course," Dumbledore laughed.

"But don't worry, first some honey butter almonds? This is a small gift from Annie."

Dumbledore waved his hand, and a plate appeared on the table.

Professor McGonagall politely refused, she was past the age of snacking, and she handed over a document.

"This semester, there are a total of seventeen students who want to apply for the fund. I have already reviewed them. The places are here and you need your signature."

Dumbledore took the list and read it carefully.

Hogwarts does not charge tuition fees at all, and even provides a scholarship fund for those poor students to ensure their smooth graduation.

"I think the amount of our bursary fund should be increased, this amount is too small." Dumbledore said.

Lockhart wanted to buy seven books at once, and the amount of stipend was not enough for those students who wanted to be financially disadvantaged.

"But the school manager..." Professor McGonagall hesitated. "I think Malfoy would object."

"Let Professor Snape talk, and he'll find a way to get it together," Dumbledore said confidently.

"I remember, didn't Professor Snape just persuade Malfoy to donate seven Nimbus 2001s to Slytherin House?"

Dumbledore smiled and said: "It's too generous. If I knew Malfoy was so enthusiastic about education, I shouldn't have changed the broom so quickly..."

Professor McGonagall glanced at Dumbledore with small eyes, she pursed her lips, not very happy.

Last year, I didn't win the Quidditch Cup, and this year, Slytherin House changed the gun again... Wouldn't the Quidditch Cup also become a lifetime series?

Wait...the House Cup Gryffindor hasn't been won in years!

Professor McGonagall's lips tightened.

"Of course, if the school manager doesn't agree, we can let Sniffs go to the world to dig for gold. I remember that there are a lot of Sniffs in Newt's family."

Dumbledore told another very cold joke, Professor McGonagall felt a chill, and she got goosebumps when she was cold.

"Headmaster, one more thing, about William's class schedule."

"What's the matter?" Dumbledore's tone remained unchanged.

"He chose all twelve courses. There are many time conflicts here. Do you need to help him apply for a time converter?" Professor McGonagall asked.

If students are too passionate about learning, professors can write various letters to the Ministry telling them that the owner is a model student and will never use it for anything other than learning.

Of course, there are very few students who meet the conditions, and they must be good students who are excellent in both character and study.

Dumbledore crossed his hands and shook his head, "No, which class William wants to go to is entirely up to him, just give him the exam at the end."

Professor McGonagall hesitated, but nodded. "Well, it seems that you have already decided, you have always had your own reasons."

Dumbledore supported the glasses on the bridge of his twisted nose and asked, "Anything else?"

"It's about... the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, I'm asking everyone, especially Professor Snape.

During this time, you went to Austria for a wizarding convention, and we heard that Lockhart was going to be a professor? "Professor McGonagall frowned.

Lockhart was a total troublemaker, creating all kinds of problems during his school days.

Lockhart told everyone who would listen to him that he would make a Philosopher's Stone before graduating, captain England to the Quidditch World Cup, and become Britain's youngest Minister for Magic.

Lockhart also craves attention, craves awards He asked the principal to start a school newspaper just to see his name printed on it.

It was also the first Hogwarts newspaper, but it was full of praise for him before it was terminated.

After seeing that these "feats" didn't garner him attention, he moved on to more grand, dramatic approaches.

Professor McGonagall didn't like the student at all, let alone come back to teach.

Simply a disaster.

So, why did Dumbledore want him back?

Wouldn't there really be some kind of special deal between the two, as Snape had guessed?

...

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(Thanks to "LIEbe" for the reward)