“Merlin’s pants, Lorin, your punctuality is truly admirable.”
Minerva McGonagall walked quickly out of the castle, just happening to meet Lorin as he walked toward it from the gates.
“I am so sorry.
As you know, people are usually accustomed to being half an hour late, and there’s just been too much to handle today…”
“Just a French habit.
You are just as timely, Minerva.” Lorin smiled and nodded, not thinking poorly of Professor McGonagall for being exactly five minutes and twenty-three seconds late.
“After all, we agreed to meet ‘at the castle gates’, didn’t we?”
“Ah, haha, Mr.
Lorin, you truly are humorous.” Professor McGonagall pushed up her spectacles and swept her gaze over Lorin.
“Do you have any luggage you need help carrying?”
Lorin did not answer, but simply gestured with the wedding ring on his left hand.
“Oh, I forgot.
Please, Mr.
Lorin, I will take you to complete your onboarding process.”
“Thank you for the trouble, Minerva.”
“No trouble at all.
However, Mr.
Lorin, you seem to look much healthier?”
“Perhaps the damp air after the rain makes my complexion look rosier, or perhaps my dear mother has nurtured my health a bit better.”
Lorin did not mention that he was nearly fully recovered.
A sickly person was less likely to arouse the old bee’s suspicion…
Leading Lorin all the way into the Deputy Headmistress’s office, Professor McGonagall gestured for Lorin to sit.
“Would you like something to drink?
Tea?
Pumpkin juice?
Or perhaps I have some Butterbeer?”
“Just tea, Minerva.”
Lorin kept his eyes lowered, not looking around curiously.
One of the noble rules: do not look around when in someone else’s home; it makes one look very impolite.
“One moment, I will go get the registration form.” Professor McGonagall casually waved her wand, and a steaming teapot instantly appeared on the table, along with a cup half-filled with tea.
“Please help yourself, Mr.
Lorin.
Perhaps I left the form in my study…”
“No rush, Professor McGonagall.” Lorin still did not look around, merely sipping the tea in front of him in silence as he waited for Professor McGonagall.
Before long, Professor McGonagall shut a door with a click and emerged from it.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Lorin.
I’ve been so busy I forgot to take the registration form out beforehand.”
“The lovely little witches and wizards always give people plenty to worry about.” Lorin’s dark eyes looked straight at Professor McGonagall as he casually took the registration form she handed him. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
“It’s quite simple.
I thought I would have to fill out a form this long.”
As he spoke, Lorin gestured an exaggerated length, causing even the usually stern Professor McGonagall to crack a smile.
“Lorin, are all Beauxbatons students as humorous as you?”
“Who knows?
Perhaps a little humor can dissolve the tension brought by tedious etiquette.” Lorin quickly filled out the form with a quill.
Professor McGonagall did not pursue that thread and instead started another topic.
“Actually, it isn’t usually this busy, it’s just…”
Seeing that Lorin had no intention of interrupting, Professor McGonagall continued, “It’s just that this year, a very special student has arrived at Hogwarts.”
“A special student?” As if highly curious, Lorin adopted a look of intense inquisitiveness as he watched Professor McGonagall.
“Yes, a very special student.” With nothing else to do, Professor McGonagall simply rubbed her temples, leaned back in her chair, and chatted with Lorin.
Even though Lorin knew the plot, he still wanted to hear about Harry from an eyewitness’s mouth.
After all, there was always a difference between a god’s-eye view and a first-person perspective.
“His name is Harry Potter.
I wonder if you have heard of him in France, Mr.
Lorin?”
“I’ve heard a bit.” Lorin nodded.
This time, it was Professor McGonagall’s turn to be surprised.
“By Merlin, has this Mr.
Potter’s fame already spread to France?”
“On the contrary, we French wizards mainly heard about that Dark Lord first, which is how we came to hear of this Mr.
Potter.”
“The Dark Lord?”
“Yes.
We often joke that he is the worst Dark Lord in history.” Lorin poured himself a bit more tea, a teasing smile playing on his lips.
“After all, compared to Gellert Grindelwald, the most severe of this Voldemort’s evil deeds seems to be nearly taking over a school…
As for the so-called slaughter of Muggles…” Lorin shrugged, his tone turning slightly heavy.
“To be frank, I do come from a Muggle noble family after all.
A single minor war among Muggles kills more people than that so-called Dark Lord ever did.
If we were to measure it by that standard, wouldn’t some of those Muggles be considered ‘Dark Gods’?”
“Surely not?” Professor McGonagall’s surprised expression was visible through her clear lenses.
She clearly did not believe Lorin’s words.
“Every wizarding war results in tens of thousands of casualties.”
“If it were a total war on the scale of a wizarding war…” Lorin let out a cold laugh.
“In the most recent major conflict, the death toll among Muggles exceeded a hundred million…
A failed art student from Germany…”
“Muggle development isn’t stagnant like the wizarding world, but let’s not talk about that.
Let’s get back to Mr.
Potter.”
“True.
As you said, that…
worst Dark Lord?”
“Over ten years ago, he attempted to kill a baby boy.”
“That Harry Potter?”
“Yes, him.
And Lorin, guess what happened?” Professor McGonagall didn’t wait for Lorin to answer but continued on her own, “He was rebounded by the protective magic of Harry’s mother, Lily Evans, and lost his physical body…”
“Meaning his soul still exists?”
Hearing Lorin’s question, Professor McGonagall nodded solemnly.
“This Harry Potter was also dubbed the Savior because of this…
Though it seems a bit hasty, the trajectory of fate is always intriguing.”
Lorin nodded, his tone filled with curiosity.
“So, this Savior is coming to study at Hogwarts this year?”
Mentioning Harry’s enrollment gave Professor McGonagall a bit of a headache, and she rubbed her temples again.
“Yes, Lorin.
We need to beef up security measures significantly, especially since Mr.
Potter’s family environment is truly…”
“To prevent that Dark Lord from attacking him?”
“Naturally.
Lorin, did you hear that Gringotts was broken into on the thirty-first of last month?”
“Ah, of course I did.
Those Goblins are still putting out wanted posters for the intruder.
Though to be honest, as a wizard, I’ve never understood why money is kept in the care of Goblins in the first place.”
“Yes, it is indeed puzzling.
Many suspect that the intruder was the Dark Lord.”
“Merlin’s socks…
the British wizarding world is truly…” Lorin hesitated for a long time before only managing to come up with, “Full of an epic feel!”
Professor McGonagall also saw that Lorin didn’t know how to praise it anymore.
She stood up and pointed toward the door.
“Let me take you to where you will be staying.
It might be a bit simple.”
“No matter.
Wherever it is, I can always get used to it.” Lorin smiled as he waited for Professor McGonagall to close the door, and they headed toward the other side of the castle together.
“Thank you for your patience, Minerva.”