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The first Defense Against the Dark Arts class ended smoothly, and the students walked out of the classroom looking excited.
They gathered in twos and threes, chatting about what had happened in class.
Their first true practical class had taught them a great deal.
Although Professor Lupin had run into a minor incident during class, that was because of Dudley. Mr. Dursley could not be judged by common sense. This was the students' shared understanding.
Overall, the lesson had gone smoothly. Compared with Lockhart and Quirrell, Lupin looked excellent. Naturally, he won the support of many students.
Everyone began looking forward to the second Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson as well.
When Harry and the others returned to the Gryffindor common room, they found the corridor outside packed with people.
"What happened here?"
Harry patted the tall older student in front of him and asked curiously.
The older student, who had originally been a little annoyed at being patted, immediately softened when he saw Harry.
"The Gryffindor common room was attacked. The Fat Lady's portrait was badly damaged, and scraps of canvas are all over the floor."
The Fat Lady was the portrait guarding the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. Unlike the bronze knocker of Ravenclaw, which allowed entry as long as the question was answered correctly, the Fat Lady had a certain degree of independent behavior.
"Do you know who did it?" Harry asked.
The older student said dramatically, "Who else could it be? That criminal, Sirius Black. Only he would do something so cruel. Poor Fat Lady. I imagine she will not be able to guard Gryffindor Tower for quite some time."
At that moment, after receiving reports from the professors, Dumbledore hurried over.
After getting a quick account of what had happened, Dumbledore began making arrangements.
He had the professors organize the students to rest in the Great Hall. A dangerous person was wandering Hogwarts, and that was extremely dangerous for the students.
Countless students followed the professors to the Great Hall and began laying out sleeping bags. Every three hours, a different professor would take patrol duty.
Dumbledore pushed open the door to the Headmaster's office, looking somewhat tired.
Even though he had the title of the greatest wizard of the century, he was already over a hundred and ten years old.
Even though wizards generally lived longer than ordinary people, over a hundred and ten was hardly young. Moreover, the last Philosopher's Stone capable of extending life had vanished from history with Nicolas Flamel's death.
Someone had already been waiting in the Headmaster's office for quite a while. It was Dudley. At that moment, he was holding something like a bean and teasing Fawkes. When he saw Dumbledore return, he greeted him.
"Everything arranged?"
"Minerva and Severus will patrol the first half of tonight. Filius and Pomona will handle the second half."
Dumbledore sat in his chair and took out a Liquorice Wand. He first asked Dudley whether he wanted one. After receiving a clear refusal, he placed the Liquorice Wand into his mouth and tasted it.
Only sweets seemed to make him feel better.
Dudley glanced at the Liquorice Wand. Aside from sugar and glucose, that kind of sweet also included aniseed oil.
It tasted faintly like cleaning solution.
Only a wizard with tastes as unique as Dumbledore's would like it.
"Professor, this is already the third time."
Dudley emphasized, "Do you still remember your promise?"
Of course Dumbledore remembered.
'Hogwarts is the safest place.'
That was what he had said.
Once again, reality had slapped him in the face.
"I remember. Of course I remember."
To be honest, Dumbledore was also somewhat depressed.
In the first year, there had been Quirrell possessed by Voldemort. That was still understandable, since Dumbledore had known about it in advance. In the second year, putting Voldemort's Horcrux aside, there had also been an extremely dangerous basilisk, which had exceeded his expectations. Finally, in the third year, the Dark Lord was no longer causing trouble, but the outside of the castle was full of Dementors, and a highly dangerous wanted criminal had infiltrated the castle.
Every year brought a surprise. Never once did it miss.
Even Knockturn Alley, where Dark wizards gathered, was not this dangerous.
At least that place did not necessarily get people killed. The things appearing at Hogwarts every year could easily kill an adult wizard.
"Professor, do you need my help this time?" Dudley watched Dumbledore eat candy and felt a little hungry himself. But he did not accept any of Dumbledore's sweets. Instead, he took some biscuits from his pocket and began chewing.
They were finger-shaped rock biscuits Dudley had asked Hagrid to make in the style of rock cakes. They really sounded like fingers being eaten: crack, crack.
Originally, Dudley had wanted Hagrid to add a little cherry juice inside, which would make them seem even more like fingers, but it was not cherry season, so he had to give up.
"He damaged Gryffindor Tower. That falls under the disciplinary group's jurisdiction."
Dumbledore had already finished his Liquorice Wand, so Dudley handed him a finger biscuit. Dumbledore refused that as well.
He did not have teeth like Dudley's.
Instead, Dumbledore took out a bottle from somewhere. Inside the bottle, a dense cluster of black beetle-like creatures kept crawling toward the opening. They were Cockroach Clusters, a kind of sweet with a frightening appearance and an even more frightening texture. Supposedly, they tasted rather good.
Dumbledore casually took one out and chewed it.
Seeing the cockroach sweet's antennae twitch at the corner of Dumbledore's mouth, Dudley's mind kept producing the image of a cockroach bursting open in his mouth. Even Dudley's eyelids could not help twitching, and he silently put down the finger biscuit.
That was too much even for him.
Even Dudley had to admit Dumbledore was unmatched when it came to disgusting people.
After happily eating one Cockroach Cluster, the tightness between Dumbledore's brows eased slightly. He spoke to Dudley earnestly.
"Dudley, you are still only a third-year student. Sirius Black is too dangerous."
To be fair, Dumbledore personally did not quite believe that Sirius had done what happened back then.
Although Sirius was rebellious, he would not betray his friends.
Dumbledore felt there should be some hidden secret in the matter. In truth, he would rather Harry resolve this matter, not Dudley.
Dudley's essence was good, and Dumbledore admired him very much, but the way he handled things was... hm. He was rigid in his sense of justice, and was too extreme, too direct, and too violent.
He had established the disciplinary group, upheld the principle of fairness, and cracked down on every kind of torment among students.
Quite a few students had either been expelled or crippled. Audrina had been sent to St. Mungo's, and the two students from her dormitory who had tormented others had also withdrawn from school.
Dudley had instantly killed the troll that threatened students' lives, destroyed Voldemort's remnant soul that endangered Hogwarts, ruined the Voldemort Horcrux that disrupted Hogwarts's peace, and killed the basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets that had left Hogwarts in a panic.
If he were allowed to handle this matter...
Dumbledore did not think Dudley would show Sirius mercy.
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