A fine snow drifted around Hogwarts, falling sparsely and adding a touch of homecoming atmosphere to the lines of young wizards walking across the white lawn.
The Christmas holidays had finally arrived.
The students, laden with large and small bags, happily made their way towards the main gate of the castle. They would take carriages to Hogsmeade Station, and then, just as they had at the start of term, board the Hogwarts Express together for the journey to King's Cross Station.
Harry sat in his dormitory in Gryffindor Tower, looking out the window beside his bed. He watched his classmates winding their way towards the carriages, a hint of envy rising in his heart.
'Hoo-- Hoo--'
A burst of loud snoring echoed in the otherwise quiet dormitory. Harry turned his head and looked at Ron, who was still fast asleep, completely oblivious.
A smile appeared on the corner of his lips. Suddenly, he felt that those little wizards going home for Christmas were not so enviable after all.
Because Hogwarts was his home. And he was going to spend Christmas at home this year.
Suddenly, a trace of surprise floated into Harry's eyes—
On the snow-covered lawn, he saw a young wizard walking back, moving against the crowd. Through the distinctive, platinum-blond hair, Harry recognised that the student was Draco Malfoy. Walking beside Draco was an adult wizard with the same striking hair colour, striding towards the castle with purpose.
'Draco, are you sure it was a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor who bullied you?'
Walking on the snow-covered lawn, the wizard with the same hair colour as Draco asked, looking down at his son walking beside him.
Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy, had the same long, platinum-blond hair as Draco, cold grey eyes, and held a luxurious snake-headed cane in his gloved hand.
Seemingly guessing what was about to happen, Draco fidgeted uneasily.
'It is Professor Dracula, from Defence Against the Dark Arts,' he said softly. 'Father, are you really going to fire him?'
'Of course. Is that not what you wanted?' Lucius looked at Draco's cowering expression and said, exasperated. 'Draco, you must know that we are the Malfoy family, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. We must directly strike back against those who dare to provoke us, lest we bring shame upon the family!'
'But… but his lectures are actually quite interesting. And he seems to be very strong. There have always been rumours at Hogwarts that he is not afraid of the Dark Lord at all…' Draco said hesitantly, his voice barely a whisper.
Hearing the words 'Dark Lord,' the corner of Lucius's eye twitched violently.
He had only recently disposed of the very important diary that the Dark Lord had given him. Although it did not show on the surface, he was actually very uneasy, worried that the one whose name must not be spoken would make a comeback.
'Listen, Draco. The Dark Lord is dead. We must look forward,' Lucius said softly to Draco—and perhaps, to himself. 'The rumours that your Defence Against the Dark Arts professor is not afraid of the Dark Lord are most likely just that—rumours. And even if he really is not afraid, it is only because the Dark Lord is dead, so he has a certain… inexplicable confidence.'
Draco nodded as if he understood.
At this moment, a man wearing a purple turban happened to walk past them. For some reason, when Lucius's eyes met his, he felt a tremor from the very depths of his soul.
'Good morning, Professor Quirrell.' In front of his father, Draco was happy to present himself as more polite than usual, so he greeted the man wearing the turban.
'Good morning, Malfoy,' Quirrell said, his voice surprisingly steady, not wavering in the slightest. 'I wonder if I have the honour of knowing what you were just talking about?'
'What we are talking about is none of your business!' Lucius suppressed the fear and tremor deep in his heart and retorted coldly, his hand tightening on his cane.
Quirrell gave him a deep, knowing look and then turned to walk towards the Hogwarts castle gate.
What Lucius did not notice was that in the pocket of Quirrell's robe, a blank diary was emitting a strong, cloying aura of darkness, seeping into Quirrell's body and controlling his consciousness.
'Strange… why does Professor Quirrell not stutter anymore?' Draco glanced back at Quirrell in surprise.
'Let us go, Draco,' Lucius urged, his voice somewhat tremulous.
'Coming!'
Seeing his father's urgency, Draco put aside his doubts and quickly followed Lucius's pace.
When the Malfoy father and son arrived at the Hogwarts Board of Governors meeting room, all twelve governors had already arrived.
They sat in a circle around a long, polished table, looking at each other in silence.
'Lucius, so you called us all here today just to fire a professor?' one of the governors took the lead in breaking the silence, his tone laced with impatience.
'Yes,' Lucius placed his cane on the round table, its silver snake head gleaming in the candlelight. He stared at the Board of Governors member who had spoken first. 'I believe that the current Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Dracula, has problems with his teaching methods. His courses often put students in danger, disregarding their safety. If a teaching accident occurs one day, Hogwarts will find it difficult to bear such a serious responsibility.'
'In addition, I have investigated several knowledgeable students, and they unanimously stated that Professor Dracula often uses corporal punishment on students.'
He took out a "questionnaire for students" from his pocket and showed it to everyone present. In fact, the students who had filled out the questionnaire were Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco's friend Pansy Parkinson—all Slytherin students.
The members of the Board of Governors quickly passed the questionnaire around, frowning slightly as they read.
'Headmaster Dumbledore, what are your views on these actions of Professor Dracula?' one of the governors looked at Dumbledore, who seemed to be dozing in the main seat, and asked.
Dumbledore glanced at him, then said with a calm smile: 'I believe that Professor Dracula is the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor with the highest teaching level and personal qualities that Hogwarts has seen in recent decades.'
Hearing Dumbledore's powerful evaluation, the eleven governors other than Lucius were all somewhat surprised. After all, although Dumbledore was old, his prestige and personal charm in the magical world were undeniable; his reputation as the wizard who had defeated Grindelwald had not diminished in the slightest over the decades.
This legendary wizard had given such a high evaluation, so the governors had to take it seriously.
'Headmaster Dumbledore, but you cannot deny that Professor Dracula uses corporal punishment on students, can you?' Seeing that the situation was not going his way, Lucius quickly added, his voice sharp. 'The educational laws formulated by the Ministry of Magic stipulate that no teacher or teaching group may inflict serious corporal punishment on underage wizards.'
'And my child, Draco, suffered severe psychological trauma after being subjected to corporal punishment by Professor Dracula. This alone is enough for the Board of Governors to fire him!'
He stared into Dumbledore's eyes and said with a sneer, confident he had finally cornered the old Headmaster.
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