A Professor of Magic at Hogwarts C.317: End of the School Year

Outside the staff room, Ron waited quietly by the door. As he saw Harry and Lupin, he excitedly waved to them.

"Harry, Professor Lupin, you finally came!"

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked curiously, looking around. He spotted Hermione's figure around a corner, whispering with Professor McGonagall.

Soon, they approached with smiles, walking together into the staff room. The room had been rearrangeda long table now stood where the old black wooden chairs used to be piled near the fireplace.

Fawkes had cast a spell on the ceiling, causing colorful ribbons to hang down. Felix conjured a small white ball that floated up to the ceiling, emitting a gentle light that warmed and brightened the room. Hagrid carried a large bucket of mead, Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall turned the decorations on the table into miniature animals with laughter.

Harry momentarily forgot the sadness of parting and dug into the food. Upon Hagrid's recommendation, he even tried a small glass of homemade elf-made grape wine. Just as Professor McGonagall shot a reproachful look, Hagrid took his glass away, saying, "You're still young, Harry..."

Apart from various piping-hot dishes and sweet puddings, there were also several novel dishes on the table. Ron speared a meatball dripping with sauce and asked curiously, "What's this? Haven't seen it before." He put the fork in his mouth and his eyes lit up. "Harry, Hermione, you have to try this!"

Harry picked up a yellow square that tasted sweet and tangy. "It's pineapple," he said with certainty.

"What's this dish called?"

A house-elf, wearing a chef's hat, respectfully answered, "This is Pineapple Sweet and Sour Meat, a recently developed dish. Mr. Hagrid received a cookbook from Professor Snape as a Christmas gift, and it contains many magical recipes."

Hesitatingly, Hermione said, "Are you a house-elf from the kitchen? Why not join us..."

The house-elf named Yuenbo stepped back a few paces. "We'll dine in the kitchen," he bowed, "The dishes are ready, please enjoy." With a loud pop, he disappeared.

"You scared him, Hermione," Ron chuckled.

At this point, Professor McGonagall began to inquire about Lupin's plans after leaving the school. Lupin shared his intention to apply for a job he saw in the newspaper. "I'm qualified in most areas except for Ancient Runes. I'm preparing to submit a resume."

Professor McGonagall smiled warmly, "Which company is it? Maybe I know them and can help you write a recommendation letter."

Lupin replied gently, "It's a new company called 'Future World,' though I don't know much about them yet"

"Future World?" Felix repeated with an odd look. He examined Lupin with a curious gaze, leaving Lupin somewhat puzzled. After a while, Felix raised his glass. "You'll surely succeed, Lupin."

"Thank you."

"Cheers!"

Their goblets clinked.

...

The next morning, Harry got up early and hurriedly dressed. Ron was sound asleep, murmuring something about delicious food, "This is tasty, Harry..."

Harry put on a robe and stepped out of the bedroom, disturbing Fat Lady's pleasant dream due to his early exit.

"Child, it's finals time now," she said with a weary tone as she rotated to open the passage.

"I'm not confused, just have something important to do," Harry explained. He descended the spiral staircase, and as he had come out so early, he disturbed the Fat Friar's good dream too.

"Morning, Harry," he greeted, yawning.

Harry gasped for breath and caught up with Lupin, who was carrying a suitcase. "Professor, I'm here to see you off!"

They strolled across the lawn, facing the golden dawn until they reached the front doors of Hogwarts. They chatted like true friends, sharing stories openly. When the time came to part, Harry felt even more reluctant.

Lupin smiled and said, "I'm slipping away quietly to avoid making the farewell more emotional. Besides, we won't be apart for long."

"You mean, for Sirius's funeral?"

Lupin nodded. "A worthy man..." With a wave, he departed gracefully.

Harry watched as he disappeared into the distance along the path before returning to the castle. The time that followed passed quickly. He invested all his energy into the study of ancient magic, to the point that he couldn't spare time for the Disillusionment Charm. Except for Hermione, some members of the club had learned the spellPercy Weasley, followed closely by Geoffrey and Penelope.

"They're all seventh-year students, the advantage is too obvious," Ron commented.

"Cedric's also got the hang of it," Harry said sensitively, "I always fall just a bit short."

"Mate, he's two years ahead of you. Why compare yourself to him?" Ron asked puzzledly.

Harry didn't respond. He also found his thoughts a bit silly, yet he couldn't help but feel competitive.

In the blink of an eye, it was the last day before the holidays. On this day, the school announced the exam results. Harry, Ron, and Hermione passed all their subjects.

Harry received an 'Exceeds Expectations' in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He also received 'Acceptable' grades in Ancient Runes, Charms, and Care of Magical Creatures. Ron glanced at his report card, "I'm just a bit short in Defense Against the Dark Arts, everything else is the same."

He looked at Hermione's grades, still struggling with the one 'Acceptable' in Defense Against the Dark Arts amidst all the 'Exceeds Expectations'. "Defense Against the Dark Arts... it reminds me of that Boggart you encountered during the exam."

During the practical exam, Hermione had encountered a tricky Boggart that transformed into a professor telling her she'd failed all her exams and would need to repeat a year. Calming herself down took a considerable amount of time, leading to a ten-minute interruption of the exam.

Hermione glanced at Ron and reminded him, "I've mastered the Disillusionment Charm."

Ron frowned, muttering under his breath, "I've succeeded twice as well..."

"Once losing half an eyebrow, and the other time, my robes got shreddedyes, if you consider those as successful."

"I should go find Fred and George, their bottoms are going to be bruised by Mum..." Ron said.

When they entered the Great Hall, they saw Professor Lupin already surrounded by excited students. Percy announced loudly, "All Exceeds Expectations!"

Jeffrey reminded him, "You forgot Marcus."

"Alright, there's one 'Acceptable'... I'll try my best to overlook that."

Felix was stuck in the center of the crowd, taking a while to extricate himself, but it was a happy annoyance. The seventh-year graduates continued to celebrate fervently. Even Snape didn't take any points from them, which was unimaginable in the past.

"Severus, I need a stable supply of Wolfsbane Potion."

"For that werewolf?" Snape said disgustedly. Since the night of the battle on the causeway, he had not mentioned Lupin's name in conversations with Felix, referring to him as 'that werewolf'.

"You don't strike me as one to meddle in others' business," he remarked.

Felix sighed, "He would be an excellent employee."

"Your company?" Snape asked, not immediately refusing, but rather considering seriously, "Are you still accepting investments?"

"If it were anyone else, I would decline, but you're different, Severus."

"Give me a title, it better be higher than that werewolf's, and I will personally interview him." Snape pinched his fingers, revealing a sinister smile.

"Your expression looks terrifying, the little wizard almost dropped his fork."

Snape glanced and said disdainfully, "A foolish lad eating pie in my class. I had him dissect two large buckets of Bundimun's guts."

"Is that so? No wonder he looked familiar..."

The third-year campus drama comes to an end. Today, there will be two updates.

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