Chapter 203 I have never seen such a shameless person
Rows of candles lit the Great Hall, illuminating it brightly.
All five petrified victims had been restored by the MandrakePotion; Madam Norris lay lazily in Filch's arms; Penelope, Justin, and Colin sat at their respective House tables, chatting and laughing with other students; Sir Nicholas floated back and forth overhead, occasionally greeting people and loudly proclaiming his return.
Hagrid had also been released from Azkaban; he sat in his seat, smiling, his gaze at Harry and the others filled with relief.
The truth of the Chamber of Secrets had been uncovered, and the culprit brought to justice; the unjust case that had weighed on him for fifty years was, as of today, gone with the wind.
Of course, all of this would not have been possible without Aaron's help; as Dumbledore's most trusted person, he knew the truth in much greater detail than others.
Although he really wanted to thank Aaron in person, Hagridinadvertently glanced at the Slytherin table and, seeing that he was distracted, wisely chose not to disturb him.
Aaron was indeed not in a good mood, because there were too many Slytherin girls here.
The thought of those love letters made him feel stifled, but to pretend not to know, he responded to everyone with a benevolent fake smile.
After more than an hour, his facial muscles were painfully cramped.
At this moment, he suddenly admired Lockhart; although the latter had no real ability, his control over his expressions was absolutely insane, being able to continuously flash a brilliant smile for hours while signing autographs for fans was a kind of talent.
Ding, ding, ding, ding... Professor McGonagall tapped a glass a few times, and the Great Hall suddenly fell silent.
"May I have your attention, please."
Headmaster Dumbledore slowly rose from his seat. "Before the feast begins, please give a round of applause to Professor Sprout and Madam Pomfrey; thanks to their Mandrakepotion, the petrified individuals were saved."
A thunderous applause erupted, and Professor Sprout and Madam Pomfrey sat at the teachers' table, beaming.
"Additionally, in light of recent events at the school, the school has decided to cancel all exams."
Upon hearing this, with the exception of Hermione Granger, who was particularly fond of exams and wore a sour expression, almost all the students were uncontrollably excited, erupting in applause even more fervent than before, which lasted for a long time.
"What a pity."
While happy, Aaron also shook his head with some regret.
He had originally gone to have a friendly conversation with Lockhart, coercing and enticing him, to avoid the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class while still wanting to get a good grade for free.
But then again, Lockhart was already in Azkaban, so it seemed there was no need to take the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class exam this semester anyway.
"And some unfortunate news," Dumbledore said with a sigh. "Our Defense Against the Dark Arts Class Professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, has encountered some problems; barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will not be returning."
Upon hearing this, everyone present cheered, even the usually stern Professor Snape and Deputy PrincipalMcGonagall were no exception.
Everyone felt pleased; they could finally get rid of that idiotic teacher who was good for nothing but jokes.
The feast lasted for a long time, and it wasn't until three or four in the morning that the students, having released the accumulated stress of the past period, gradually returned to their dormitories to rest.
Aaron finally felt a sense of relief, but just as he was walking out, Dumbledore stood in front of him.
"Are you free, Mr. Gaius?" Dumbledore smiled kindly. "I'd like to talk to you."
Aaron's first reaction was to refuse; after all, Dumbledore's biggest impression on him was that he was cunning, and being sought out by him surely meant trouble.
But could he avoid the fifteenth if he avoided the first? Unless he stopped attending Hogwarts, PrincipalDumbledore could find him anytime.
Thinking of this, Aaron immediately put on a smiling face, "Principal, is there something you need me for?"
Dumbledore looked at Aaron meaningfully. "Your strength fluctuates, which is almost impossible for other Wizards.
Mr. Gaius, your condition worries me greatly!"
Upon hearing this, Aaron felt as if a thousand alpacas were stampeding through his mind.
This old scoundrel could indeed see his strength; fortunately, he hadn't sent his clone, or it would have been tragic if he had been found out.
"Thank you for your concern, Principal.
However, I'm not seriously ill; last night, during the battle with the Basilisk and Riddle, I forcibly stimulated my body's potential. This is just a minor after-effect, and I will slowly recover after some rest."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow slightly, then let out a long sigh. "Had I known you made such a great sacrifice, I should have revealed the truth inside the Chamber of Secrets last night."
How dare you bring that up? Those ambiguous words have already caused me a lot of trouble.
Aaron couldn't help but curse inwardly, but on the surface, he remained relatively calm. "There's no need; our family's ancestral teachings do not allow me to be high-profile."
"Alright! I'm relieved to know you're fine." A hint of regret flashed in Dumbledore's eyes; since the other party had brought up ancestral teachings, he couldn't very well put Aaron in the spotlight to draw fire for Harry Potter anymore.
"If you truly feel bad, Principal, why not give the House Cup to Slytherin?
After all, essentially, the Chamber of Secrets incident was resolved by me, a Slytherin."
"This…" Dumbledore's expression changed slightly. "This might be a bit difficult.
Last night, I already divided the special contribution award for the Houses among the four of you, two hundred points each. In other words, Gryffindor has four hundred points more than Slytherin, and such a huge gap cannot be made up by ordinary effort.
So… the House Cup will be awarded to Gryffindor."
As Dumbledore spoke, he noticed the faint smile on Aaron's face, and his own face became a bit awkward. "Well, I have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving first."
This truly wasn't him abusing his power; it was mainly because the other three Houses had been completely overshadowed by Slytherin.
For a full seven years, the House Cup had belonged to Slytherin. If this continued, the other three Houses might lose their competitive spirit and just give up, which was not impossible.
As Principal, he wanted to see the four Houses develop in balance and advance together.
It just so happened that Gryffindor had gained six hundred points this time, pulling far ahead of Slytherin, so he went with the flow.
Although it was a bit unfair, the effect was quite good; whether it was Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff, they had all regained their confidence, and Slytherin would also be motivated to strive harder next year.
Aaron looked at Dumbledore's retreating figure and pouted speechlessly, "I've never seen such a shameless person."
Dumbledore stumbled slightly, then quickened his pace and left the Great Hall.
During the remaining days of the summer term, Aaron didn't see Dumbledore again, enjoying a rare period of peace.
He tried appearing in different places with his thought-form, preparing for several elective courses next semester.
At the same time, he also instructed his thought-form that magic circles must continue to be studied, but spells should not be neglected either; during the holidays, he had to make good use of the Hogwarts library.
At this moment, a knock on the door suddenly sounded.
Aaron gave his thought-form a meaningful look; the latter smiled slightly and cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself.
The door opened, and Draco walked in with a dark expression, emanating an aura that warned others to keep their distance.
"What's wrong? Why so angry?" Aaron asked curiously.
"I have some bad news to share with you." Draco sat down angrily in a chair. "My dad was fired from the school board."
Aaron opened his mouth, wanting to speak but holding back.
Lucius Malfoy had caused such a big commotion; merely being fired was already considered lucky.
"There's no need to be so angry; the position of school governor isn't indispensable for the Malfoy family."
"That may be true, but those governors didn't even give a reason.
It was as if they had conspired to kick Malfoy off the school board; it's truly bullying."
Aaron pondered for a moment, then decided to tell Dracoabout his father's good deeds; at least he needed to understand that Lucius's punishment was not unjust at all.
About ten minutes later, Draco's face turned from dark to pale, and his aggressive aura quickly subsided.
"So, the school board didn't explain, but rather saved my father's face?"
"Otherwise?" Aaron spread his hands. "That Dark Arts item almost killed several people. Although there's no evidence, everyone knows in their hearts.
If this matter had escalated, Mr. Lucius would probably have had to visit the Ministry of Magic.
Of course, without evidence, no one has a reason to send the powerful Malfoy to Azkaban, but the aftermath would be quite troublesome.
And now, by sacrificing the school's interests, a major issue can be minimized and a minor one resolved; Mr. Lucius is probably incredibly relieved!"
"But how could my dad… He had no reason to do something like that!" Draco frowned tightly. "I don't understand."
"If you don't understand, go back and think about it slowly, but for now, you need to rein in your temper." Aaron looked at him meaningfully and said, "You are no longer the son of a school governor; you are just a Slytherin with a family background. I hope you understand this clearly."
Draco nodded in silence, then left Aaron's dormitory dispiritedly.
"As expected of me!" The thought-form revealed its true self. "Couldn't you have comforted him a bit?"
"Draco isn't that fragile; he'll recover from this minor matter in a day or two at most.
Besides, I'm his friend, not his babysitter; I can't be expected to consider every single thing, can I?
If you have this much free time, you should think about how to arrange your holiday!" Aaron said with a hint of envy and resentment.
His holiday would definitely be monopolized by over twenty ancestors, struggling in an ocean of tutoring to ensure he didn't drown.
But the thought-form's holiday could be arranged freely; a Disillusionment Charm could allow him to leave the Castleopenly and silently, and an Apparition could take him to far-off places to do whatever he pleased.
The thought-form naturally understood Aaron's meaning and smiled, "You can rest assured about that; barring any accidents, my range of activity won't be too far from Hogwarts.
When I get bored, I'll also visit Hogsmeade Village; only students from third year and above are allowed to go there, and I'm quite interested.
You have to leave the magic carpet for me; you won't be using it at home anyway."
Aaron rolled his eyes, feeling a sense of illusion that he himself was the clone.
"Oh, right." The thought-form suddenly remembered something and said seriously, "When we ran away from home, we were entry-level magi. We can't have our strength decline after spending a school year here, can we?
You know how sharp the ancestors' eyes are, so I personally suggest you raise your strength to an appropriate level before going back, otherwise…"
"Don't say another word; I'll handle it before leaving school."
Aaron clutched his chest with a pang of heartache; he knew very well that without some real skill, he would never be able to deceive the memories of those ancestors in the family's secret room. This meant his magic energy had to be higher, not lower, than a year ago.
But if that happened, all the magic points he had painstakingly accumulated might be reset to zero at once. Although improving his strength wasn't a bad thing, he still felt incredibly stifled.