"Hmm... you look very happy today?" Being hugged from behind by Hermione, who had just woken up, Amanda looked at her lazy and comfortable appearance in the washroom mirror, and the smile on her lips instantly widened.
"Yes, I'm very happy today." Amanda said softly, her voice so gentle that it seemed as if she were afraid of disturbing the just-awakened Hermione.
"Why? Did something good happen?"
Rubbing her fluffy head against Amanda's neck, Hermione asked softly.
Amanda nodded slowly with a smile on her lips, "After waking up this morning, I received a letter from the senior in charge of the Y Country Muggle World, and the old gentleman who had always opposed us has changed his mind."
"It seems our Amanda convinced him."
Coming to her senses, Hermione raised an eyebrow, smiled, leaned in close to Amanda, and pecked her on the cheek.
"Yes, and not only that, according to the senior, Mr. Dilworth has also agreed to help us lobby other members of parliament to ensure that our products can successfully enter the Y Country Muggle World market."
"That is indeed a good thing," Hermione nodded thoughtfully, "What does he need you to do?"
Amanda turned her head to look at Hermione, "Rather than saying he needs me to do something, it's more like he needs Hermione and me to do some things together."
"Hmm?"
Reaching out to place her rinsing cup upside down on the washstand, Amanda picked it up again, "Prying open those behemoths that have been looming over the heads of the Y Country public, and making them spit out all the blood they've sucked over these years."
Hermione smiled, reached out, and held the back of Amanda's hand, "Uh-huh, I'm very interested in that."
Amanda was very happy to have successfully taken another step toward opening the door to the Muggle World, and Hermione was also very happy to see Amanda achieve this milestone.
Marietta Eckmore and Cho Chang woke up to see the two younger students smiling happily, and their own moods were naturally lifted as well.
The four girls' good mood lasted until they arrived outside the Great Hall and saw the notice posted on the wall opposite the hall.
"Hogwarts High Inquisitor?"
Cho Chang frowned as she looked at the notice on the wall, reading out the strange term word by word.
"Umbridge is holding the position." Marietta Eckmore clicked her tongue, feeling that her good mood had vanished into thin air.
"Obviously," Hermione said, wrapping her arm around Amanda's waist, her face, which had been bright all morning, slowly darkening, "The Ministry of Magic hasn't learned its lesson; they still want to interfere with Hogwarts."
"Just a final, desperate struggle," Amanda said, leaning faintly against Hermione's arm, shaking her head expressionlessly, "It only makes them look weak and ridiculous."
Hogwarts High Inquisitor? No one in Hogwarts takes the current Ministry of Magic seriously anymore; who would care about some High Inquisitor appointed by the Ministry of Magic?
Fudge and Umbridge are trying to smash their last shred of surface dignity, turning themselves into a complete joke.
"To live like this," Hermione paused halfway through before continuing, "is truly both deserved and pathetic."
"Fudge has lost his mind," Cho Chang shrugged, turning to walk toward the Great Hall doors, "It just depends on whether Umbridge, who has been staying at Hogwarts, can be wise enough to see the situation clearly."
"I doubt it," Marietta Eckmore followed quickly, taking her arm, "Any hope held for her and Fudge will ultimately turn into disappointment."
Amanda, held in Hermione's arms, walked slowly behind them, and at the same moment they entered the Great Hall, she expressed her thoughts in a mechanical, flat voice.
"I agree with Senior Marietta; Umbridge and Fudge only have this bit of empty title left now, and they won't give up this false facade to see reality."
"Just as people can never wake someone who is pretending to be asleep."
Her words were like an instant prophecy; the other three girls who walked into the Great Hall looked toward the Staff Table.
And wasn't it exactly like that? Umbridge's face once again wore that condescending, confident expression.
You know, for some time now, she had been like those seedlings in the ground behind Hagrids Hut that had been battered by a storm—wilted and listless.
However, as soon as this new empty title arrived, she instantly perked up again.
It really is just as Amanda said: one can never wake someone who is pretending to be asleep; likewise, one can never destroy the dreamscape a person has carefully woven for themselves.
Hermione shook her head, sat down at the Ravenclaw Table with Amanda, and lowered her head to eat breakfast as usual.
Halfway through breakfast, a "clang, clang, clang..." sound rang out from outside the Great Hall. Amanda, who was looking down at her fried egg, frowned and looked up toward the outside of the Great Hall.
This loud, metallic clashing sound was really unpleasant; it made one feel as if their eardrums were vibrating along with the sound.
Every time the sound rang out, the eardrums vibrated, which was completely different from other sounds.
Many Young Wizards in the Great Hall had the same reaction as Amanda. Hermione, Cho Chang, and Marietta Eckmore, who were sitting next to her, couldn't help but look up toward the Great Hall doors, but the open doors partially blocked their view, making it impossible to see what was happening outside.
Fortunately, there were still people coming in from outside the Great Hall, so they just needed to ask them.
"Good morning, Senior Penelope," Hermione nodded to Penelope as she sat down beside her, then curiously pointed toward the Great Hall doors, "Is Hogwarts getting renovated?"
"Renovated?" Penelope reached out to take a piece of bread for herself, paused for a moment, then shook her head with a strange expression.
"Of course not," she picked up a table knife and spread a thick layer of jam and butter on her bread, "That was the first Educational Decree issued by our majestic Professor Umbridge as soon as she took office as that High Inquisitor."
She deliberately emphasized the word "majestic," which actually had nothing to do with Umbridge, making the four younger students, including Amanda, smile faintly.
"Educational Decree?" Hermione smiled, then smoothed the curve of her lips, tapped her right fingers on the table, and asked a question.
"Yes," Penelope nodded, took a bite of bread, "Very strange thing, isn't it? I've never heard of it."
"The content seems to be something like requiring boys and girls to keep a relatively far social distance, and boys and boys, and girls and girls must also keep a certain distance; they cannot be too intimate."
Penelope carefully recalled the content she had just glanced at, and with her fairly good memory, she recounted the gist of what was called Educational Decree Number One.
"A relatively far social distance?" Marietta Eckmore found it baffling.
"Boys and girls, boys and boys, girls and girls..." Hermione counted on her fingers, "Doesn't this just mean they want us to stay away from everyone else except ourselves?"
"What kind of rule is this? Humans are creatures that need a certain amount of intimacy."
Cho Chang took a sip of pumpkin juice and silently raised her hand, "To be honest, the content of this Educational Decree doesn't seem that unfamiliar to me..."
She vaguely remembered that it was a cousin attending school back home who had mentioned similar rules in a letter to her; it seemed to be called something like, uh, puppy love?
"It has similarities to the rules of my school in my original world." Amanda's calm voice rang out, which made the four girls who had been talking just now change their expressions.
Especially Cho Chang; her pretty, gentle face instantly became panicked. It had similarities to the rules of Amanda's school in her original world?
Doesn't that mean that the school in her hometown also had certain similarities to Amanda's school in her original world? That couldn't be, it shouldn't be.
She shook her head, forcing herself to forget this terrifying thought. Her hometown was such a nice place, how could that be?
"Heh," Hermione reached out and stroked Amanda's back, "No one will care about this rule."
When it's time to maintain social etiquette, they will naturally maintain it; they don't need her, Umbridge, or the Ministry of Magic to remind them.
When it's time to have a certain level of intimacy, they will naturally have it, regardless of how Umbridge and the Ministry of Magic dictate it.
How many couples are there in Hogwarts? If Umbridge has the ability, let her go manage them pair by pair.
Facts proved that Hermione's statement was correct. Who among the Hogwarts Young Wizards, who were already full of disdain and dissatisfaction toward Umbridge, would care about what she and the Ministry of Magic had decreed?
If it were Headmaster Dumbledore or the Professors who decreed it, that would be one thing; they would obey if they had to, and at worst, they would just do it in secret.
But the four Deans had clearly expressed their opinions in class that day.
"Every Young Wizard possesses wisdom. Under the guidance of the Professors, you can distinguish what can be done and what cannot be done. I don't think we should force anything upon you." Professor Flitwick told everyone while standing on a stack of books; he might as well have explicitly said that everyone should continue as they were, and as long as they didn't cross some well-known bottom lines, there was no need to care about that so-called Educational Decree from the Ministry of Magic.
"Everyone knows that a Young Wizard's magic cannot be suppressed, as that will lead to the creation of an Obscurial," Professor McGonagall's serious gaze swept over all the students in the classroom, "I personally believe that a Young Wizard's emotions are the same, whether it is friendship or love."
"Of course, being able to enter and being able to exit is also a kind of courage."
The Witch's pursed lips were as usual; she never indulged the Young Wizards, but likewise, she never suppressed them.
"We must, of course, be close to those around us, just as we must be close to nature," Professor Sprout smiled as she put down the magical plant beside her, "Of course, just like treating different magical plants, being close to people around us also requires different methods."
"I believe you can handle it yourselves, can't you?"
"If your brains haven't become as small as a Troll's, you should be able to control matters in this regard, rather than needing your poor, busy old Professor to worry about these things." Professor Snape expressed his attitude in his usual familiar way of speaking.
Headmaster Dumbledore was off busy with something and not at school, so the attitude of the four Deans was equivalent to the attitude of Hogwarts.
With this "imperial sword," the Young Wizards paid no attention to the so-called Educational Decree Number One. A Little Lion and a Little Badger were still sitting on a bench in the Hogwarts corridor, holding hands, everything wonderful.
"Mr. Hanks, Ms. Bayis, I believe you two have violated our Educational Decree Number One."
A high-pitched voice came, and Umbridge, dressed in pink, waved her wand, separating Hanks and Bayis with a sweet, cloying smile on her face.
Hanks frowned and stood up, looking at Umbridge with a low voice, "Professor Umbridge, I don't think this matter is within your, or the Ministry of Magic's, jurisdiction."
"No, no, no, this certainly is, Mr. Hanks," Umbridge said, waving her hand with a smile and signaling to Filch behind her, "Mr. Filch, please take these two Young Wizards to detention."
"Very well, Professor Umbridge." Filch replied in a hoarse voice and walked forward in a good mood.
As long as he could make the Young Wizards unhappy and punish them, he was happy.
Seeing Filch coming toward the two of them again, the usually gentle Little Badger instantly became even more "irritable" than the Little Lion. Bayis pulled out her wand without hesitation, stepped forward, and pointed it directly at Filch.
"Mr. Filch, you are a person of Hogwarts, not a person of the Ministry of Magic."
After saying that, she didn't care about Filch's reaction and turned her head to look at Umbridge, "You should also remember the previous lesson, Professor Umbridge."
Hearing her mention the word "previous," Umbridge's voice suddenly became even sharper, "Are you going to attack a faculty member? Ms. Bayis, the Hogwarts High Inquisitor has the power to expel students!"
"You've been struck off yourself, and you're talking about expelling others?" Bayis rolled her eyes unceremoniously.
"You wait, tonight I will sell the news of Umbridge being struck off by Hogwarts decades after graduation to The Daily Prophet—no, I'll give it to The Daily Prophet—I'll make you the headline of the Wizarding World tomorrow!"
"Filch! Grab her!" Umbridge shouted shrilly, her face flushed red with anger.
Filch squinted and walked toward Bayis; Hanks instantly pulled out his wand and aimed it at him too, but before they could make a move, Filch was sent flying first.
"Young Wizards are not your enemies, Mr. Filch."
A cold and indifferent voice rang out. Hanks and Bayis's eyes instantly lit up, and they looked to the side in unison.
Amanda, who had just finished her Transfiguration class, didn't even pull out her wand; she walked forward slowly, carrying her school bag, with Professor McGonagall following closely behind her, also looking at Filch, who had fallen to the ground, with a face full of disapproval.
"Filch, I think you should go back to your office."
Saying this coldly to Filch, Professor McGonagall turned to look at Umbridge, "Professor Umbridge, as a Professor, you are overstepping your bounds."
"This is my authority, Professor McGonagall; this is also a regulation of the Ministry of Magic!"
"Is that so?" Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows, "That's a pity; Hogwarts doesn't have this rule. Perhaps this regulation of the Ministry of Magic isn't intended for this Hogwarts."
Amanda stood not far away and gave a wink to Hanks and Bayis. The two immediately understood and, playing along, gave each other a sweet kiss right behind Professor McGonagall, in front of Umbridge.
"Young love." Professor McGonagall smiled as if nostalgic, and waved her hand at Umbridge with a flat attitude.
"Go have dinner, Professor Umbridge. You and the Ministry of Magic don't need to worry too much about Hogwarts' affairs. Blind prohibition and suppression will only lead to more serious and uncontrollable consequences."
"What Young Wizards need is correct guidance and education. As the Deputy Principal of Hogwarts, I will take the initiative to add a new course to the school, where Professors will teach them the correct view of love, ensuring their physical and mental health."
The Young Wizards who happened to be passing by and stayed to watch the excitement couldn't help but look at each other and open their mouths wide after hearing Professor McGonagall's words. No, not this... Professors are going to teach them love?
How novel, a bit strange, but why are they also a bit expectant?
If so, does that mean they might get to know the love lives of the Professors?!
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