A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts

Inside the train compartment, a few Aurors were discussing recent events.

"You might think the Dark Lord lacks brains? Think again. How do you think he gathered the initial Death Eaters? If you assume he only relies on force, you're mistaken," Moody's hoarse voice echoed. "Overemphasizing the protection waterfall will only lead us into the enemy's trap. We must stay vigilant."

Upon hearing this, Diggle couldn't help but snort.

"I was part of the last war too. All I saw was him and his Death Eaters leaving one Dark Mark after another, along with those inferi... The impression he left was pure fear."

"That was the most enduring impression," Moody roared, gulping from a curved bottle fiercely.

"I've been through it all, even before the Dark Lord publicly recruited Death Eaters. In the early years of the war, Voldemort hid his cruel side well—he spent most of his time propagating his unorthodox ideologies, recruiting followers, and maintaining a low-level confrontation with the Ministry. He stopped following the Ministry's orders then and had his own agenda... But the Minister at the time was deceived by his disguise, dreaming of peacefully resolving disputes. Wizards openly opposing the Dark Lord kept disappearing, dark creatures were secretly recruited... Fudge eventually saw the truth, but by then, it was too late to contain Voldemort's rise."

"So, he was a competent leader in the early stages of the war?" Felix interjected.

"It depends on your perspective. He focused on the ancient pure-blood families, gaining funds and followers from them. Yes, I said 'followers,' and he did manage to confuse a bunch of people, fools... Those people brought out their hidden treasures to support him, like the Blacks at the time," Moody glanced at Felix, "If it weren't for Mrs. Black's health, I'd suspect she'd join Voldemort's ranks and be firmly tied to him."

"When did Voldemort's character shift towards extreme cruelty?" Felix asked softly.

"Probably mid to later stages," Moody clicked his tongue, "Hard to pinpoint. It just felt like those years. He might have felt invincible, on the verge of becoming Britain's ruler, so he reverted to his true nature."

Felix had a different opinion.

Those years might have been when he frequently dueled Dumbledore. According to Dumbledore, he severely weakened Voldemort multiple times, yet Voldemort always bounced back. Felix speculated Voldemort might have used horcruxes in secret.

From the information he gathered, Voldemort's actions toward conquering death exuded extreme confidence. Without firsthand experience of dying and coming back, it's hard to exhibit such unwavering certainty.

Meanwhile, the Hogwarts Express was traversing an open wilderness, patches of various colors sliding past their view.

Felix estimated the time and retrieved a silver pocket watch from his pocket.

*Click.* The cover popped open.

All Aurors' attention turned to it for a moment. A pink snout poked out, followed by a black, furry head—Valen emerged from the watch's space, looking around bewilderedly.

"Chirp? (Is this the school?)" n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Not yet," Felix said, "But you've been asleep for nearly a day. Come, I'll take you out for a stroll. Hermione and Harry are in the compartment."

Valen perked up, stretched lazily on Felix's lap, then leaped out to the compartment's door, eagerly gesturing back at Felix. He inquired of the others seated, "I might grab some food, anyone want anything?"

Others shook their heads.

"We'll manage on our own," Kingsley said confidently, and Diggle nodded in agreement.

Without further ado, Felix opened the door and stepped out.

"Help me find Harry," he said to Valen.

Sniffing around, Valen led Felix to a compartment ahead. Through the window, Felix saw Harry, Neville, Ginny, and Luna sitting together. He smiled, "All familiar faces, this makes it easier."

Felix opened the compartment, and Neville was introducing his birthday gift to his friends.

"Mimbulus Mimbletonia, my grandmother gave it to me, waiting for me to come back," he pointed at what seemed like an underdeveloped cactus. But instead of spines, it was covered in pustule-like growths.

"What... what can it do?" Harry asked, struggling to convince himself he liked it.

"It has many uses!" Neville proudly declared. "It has this amazing defense mechanism. I plan to put it in my Room of Requirement; I've figured a trick..."

"Room of Requirement?" Harry asked, genuinely hoping Neville would focus on that. But Neville was too eager to showcase the peculiarities of his new pet. He took out a quill and moved closer to the plant.

Everyone's attention was drawn to his action. Harry felt uneasy, leaning backward; Luna, on the contrary, peered out from behind the Quibbler magazine.

"Can you demonstrate after I leave?" Felix's voice interrupted. Everyone raised their heads; Neville's hand froze in mid-air, and Harry felt a sense of relief.

"Professor Hap, what are you doing here? You mentioned... leaving?" Harry couldn't help but ask.

Felix swiftly moved in, drawing the compartment's curtain. He gestured for silence, placing a finger on his lips. "Shh. Can I trust you all?"

In this serious moment, Harry, Ginny, Neville, and Luna nodded dumbly. Luna lagged a bit behind, only catching up later, and greeted him, "Hi, Felix."

"Hello, Luna. Have you solved the riddles in the magazine?" Felix asked.

"Not yet—"

After exchanging pleasantries, Felix got down to business.

"You may or may not know, this train is under various protective spells, including anti-illusion, and..." He glanced out the window, where blurry steam and distant mountains and forests were visible.

Felix withdrew his new wand, "For certain reasons, I have to leave temporarily, and while I'm gone, you pretend you didn't see anything, alright?" Without waiting for their response, he waved his wand lightly, and a small vent above the window popped open.

"Professor, what can I do?" Harry hastily asked, his hair tousled by the sudden gust of wind.

"Of course, close the little window after I leave," Felix replied, stowing away his wand.

"But how will you get out? The vent is too small—" Harry almost bit his tongue as Professor Hap's body rapidly shrunk, as if in slow motion. Harry could see every detail, but in an instant, the professor disappeared, replaced by a swift.

The four in the compartment were stunned, Luna blinked and looked out the window. The swift only lingered in their line of sight for a few seconds before disappearing.

"Are we dreaming?" Luna's airy voice wondered.

"Luna, I think that might have been an Animagus, the professor's Animagus," Ginny said.

Harry felt someone tugging at his clothes; he looked down to see Valen pointing at the open vent.

"Valen? Oh, right," Harry stood up, closed the vent. By then, Valen had settled between Harry and Ginny, retrieving a bag of cream biscuits from the silver watch.

"Chirp?" It looked at Harry.

"Uh, I didn't catch that?"

Valen huffed,

vigorously gesturing.

"I think she wants you to help open the package," Luna said. "Smart little thing, she even writes."

One more chapter to go, coming up shortly.

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