Hogwarts: Don't call me the Staff Maker

Chapter 522 Percy's Decision

Chapter 522 Percy's Decision

It was a bit chilly on Christmas night, but thankfully the impromptu meeting didn't last too long.

About ten minutes later, the door to the humble dwelling was opened from the inside again.

"I have to say, Molly, this is the best turkey sandwich I've ever had."

Dumbledore was the first to come out from inside, smiling as he spoke to Mrs. Weasley.

"If you like, I can make some more; it won't take long."

"Next time, Molly. Ms. Maxim has urged me three times already, and Fox is on an important guard duty. I need to leave for France immediately."

Feeling a bit cold, Dumbledore tightened his robes, strode out of the Burrow, and quickly disappeared at the end of the path, leaving only a long trail of footprints in the snow, just as he had when he arrived.

"He's really busy, Dumbledore—" Mrs. Weasley murmured. "He seems to have been on the go ever since Hogwarts went on holiday last year."

"No, it started before the holiday," Moody said, his blue magic eye suddenly disappearing into the back of his head.

Just then, Sirius Black came out of the Burrow.

"Black, how about we grab a drink? I also want to thank you for taking on the role of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

"I'll have a drink, but no need for thanks," Sirius said, glancing at Harry almost instinctively. "After all, I have my own selfish reasons—"

"That's a different matter." Moody shook his head. "I didn't have time to submit my resignation to Dumbledore when I was at St. Mungo's. If it weren't for you, I would probably have had another failed mission, which is not very respectable for a retired Auror."

It seems that Moody treats his job as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor as a mission he is undertaking, and failing to fulfill all the commitments would be considered a failure.

"That's so much like something Mad-Eye would do," Ron muttered. "He's like a machine, not allowing himself or anyone else to make a single mistake."

"Huh?" Xilun looked at him in surprise.

"Isn't this great?" Hermione said.

“That’s true,” Ron said, looking her up and down. “But Hermione, not everyone is like you—”

Moody and Sirius left together, and they also invited Lupin, the previous Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

"They don't even want to take me!" Nymphadora Tonks said angrily.

"Does the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts have a club where they hold regular gatherings?"

You could tell she was really unhappy; even her hair had turned an unsightly eggplant purple.

"Hmph, I'll just go myself!" Nymphadora Tonks stormed off, heading in the exact opposite direction from them.

After walking ten feet out of the humble dwelling, she vanished with a snap.

"Hmm?" Xilun raised an eyebrow, as if he had discovered something.

"You're right." Bill walked over and whispered, "The 'Loyalty Spell'—although it's just a temporary stop, Dumbledore thinks the Death Eaters might be spying on Dad, so it's better to be cautious."

"Oh, by the way, I'm the one who kept the secret. It was originally supposed to be my dad's, but he felt that since he'd been a member of the Order of the Phoenix for over a decade, it would be too obvious."

"Wait a minute—" Xiren quickly interrupted him, "Shouldn't the person responsible for keeping secrets keep them confidential? You're telling me right now?"

"What does it matter?" Bill said nonchalantly. "Everyone here today, whether it's you, Harry, or Hermione, is trustworthy. They'll find out sooner or later."

At Mrs. Weasley's urging, everyone went back to the warm room, changed into their pajamas, and gathered together to chat in a very comfortable state.

Mrs. Weasley was trying to persuade Bill to cut his long ponytail, while Fred and George were whispering in a corner about their shop renovation plans.

Out of various concerns, they still did not tell Mrs. Weasley the truth, and continued to use Lee Jordan as an excuse.

Ron was earnestly inviting Hermione to play a tense and exciting game of wizard chess with him—it was probably the only way he could possibly beat Hermione.

Harry was thinking about Sirius Black, while Percy was reading—three books in total. He and Mrs. Weasley had returned to the Leaky Cauldron half an hour later than agreed time that morning to buy these books.

Xilun leaned over to take a look, somewhat curious.

From Prefect to Minister of Magic

What Should You Do After Joining the Ministry of Magic?

The third book was covered up, so I couldn't see the name, but since it was bought together, I suppose the content is similar to the first two.

"Percy—do you still want to go back to work at the Ministry of Magic?" Celen asked tactfully.

He thought that Percy had already lost faith in the Ministry of Magic after being implicated by Barty Crouch last time, but he didn't expect him to be the same as before.

"Why would you ask that?" Percy looked up from his book and said, "I haven't done anything wrong, of course I should go back to work at the Ministry of Magic."

"But—" Xilun hesitated, unsure of what to say.

"I know what you're trying to say." Percy seemed lost in thought, and after a dozen seconds he said softly, "I admit, when I was locked in that cramped room, I thought more than once—if I could get out of here, I would never come back."

"But—" Percy changed the subject and continued, "Once I actually left the Ministry of Magic and calmed down, I found that this kind of escape didn't solve any problems."

"What if next time it's Fred who gets arrested, or George, Ron, or Daddy—do we still have to count on Dumbledore?"

"He's already busy enough."

"So you want to solve it yourself?" Siren asked.

"I'm not as all-powerful as Dumbledore, and I can't solve every problem like him," Percy said. "But if I were in a higher position, would they be more hesitant to arrest people?"

Silen didn't know if the "they" Percy was referring to meant the strikers responsible for making arrests, or Fudge and Scrimgeour who gave the orders, or perhaps both.

"That's all." Percy opened his book again. "I felt it was necessary for me to do something, at least to be of some help. That's important while Fudge and Umbridge are in office."

Silen noticed that Percy's tone unconsciously carried a hint of resentment when he mentioned Fudge and Umbridge.

Xilun glanced at the books he had bought again and asked, "Are the contents useful?"

"To be honest, it's not very useful," Percy said, but his gaze didn't leave the room.

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