Hogwarts: My Yorozuya has no taboos!

Chapter 32 Back Then

The rain poured down, and the night was as dark as ink.

The brightly lit Hogwarts Castle provided a luminous haven in the darkness, yet the flickering flames amidst the storm silently conveyed a sense of impending doom.

Minerva McGonagall, the Headmistress of Gryffindor and Professor of Transfiguration at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, hurried through a door out of Hogwarts Castle and into an outdoor corridor leading to the Independent Tower.

Perhaps it was sweat, or perhaps it was rainwater from outside the corridor.

In short, Professor McGonagall's face, weathered and no longer youthful, was glistening with water droplets. Her complexion was pale, and her lips were tightly pressed together. She crossed the corridor into the detached tower, climbed several spiral staircases, and arrived at the door of the Hogwarts Headmaster's office.

Seemingly sensing Professor McGonagall's bad mood, the pair of ugly stone beasts at the office door jumped aside and cleared the way before she could even finish giving the command.

There were two people in the office. One was naturally the owner of the office, the highly trusted Albus Dumbledore.

The other was her colleague, Severus Snape, the head of Slytherin.

Standing in the firelight and shadows, Severus watched as Minerva strode closer, her sallow face flashing by... or at least, Minerva thought it was gloating.

"How's it going, Minerva?"

Dumbledore knew who it was without even looking. He lowered his head, his expression serious, his gaze deep into the stack of parchment in his hand... such parchment filled his desk.

"The situation isn't too good—"

Minerva, eager to interrogate Albus, caught her breath and chose to answer his question first.

"There are several—the most serious is probably Foley. His leg was definitely hit by some kind of highly corrosive dark magic, and Bobby says the chances of saving it are slim... Nobody wants to admit who cast that dark magic... but Dumbledore!"

Minerva took a few breaths, then suddenly raised her voice.

"But you can't blame it on Ares. He didn't attack anyone, did he? He just..."

"It reflected all the magic that attacked him back."

Severus's lips curled into a smirk as he spoke in a smooth tone,

"It's astonishing—dozens of people against one person, and that person reflected all the magic back. I'm not sure I could do that myself, Minerva, probably... definitely not."

I can't even figure out what kind of magic could have such a powerful effect... and where did a fifth-grader get this kind of magical power?

"But we can't put all the blame on Ares because of this!"

Minerva glared at Severus and said sharply,

"We all know the whole story, don't we?"

"This is absurd! It was that stupid girl from Slytherin named Blaise who tried to drug Ares, and when Ares found out, she got angry and turned around and brought dozens of upperclassmen to surround him... They even insulted his deceased family!"

The fury flashing within Minerva's brown skin was so intense that even Severus Snape was unwilling to provoke her.

"I'm not trying to defend Blake's inappropriate behavior, Minerva, but... teenage girls are always sensitive and vulnerable, and I think it must have been Delfino who used the wrong words when he called out her cute little joke..."

He avoided Minerva's gaze and looked at the headmaster, attempting to draw Dumbledore into the debate.

"We can deduct points from Bleach and put him in solitary confinement, but the problem now is that Ares Delfino has injured so many students, some of whom will have to spend the rest of their lives with severe disabilities."

Before McGonagall could refute him, Severus 'tactfully' reminded her,

"The most critical thing is that most of these students who were harmed come from prestigious families."

"Well, let's be reasonable, Severus!"

Professor McGonagall's smear sprayed out.

"Who caused this tragedy, Severus, huh?!"

"But it's hard to reason with the parents of disabled children, Minerva—"

Severus claimed he wouldn't defend them, but he was firmly absolving the Slytherin students of responsibility.

"They don't care about the truth; they only want to punish those who disabled their children—I must remind you again, Minerva, most of them come from prominent families..."

Honestly, have you calculated it? More than half of the school board members' children and nephews are involved. Most of the children's parents are either officials in the ministry or have close ties with some high-ranking official.

"But, Dumbledore—"

Minerva, no longer wanting to entangle with Severus, looked at Dumbledore, her chest heaving, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"You can handle the pressure, right?"

Dumbledore didn't speak for a moment. He seemed fascinated by the piles of parchment on his desk, his stern gaze lingering on them.

"This has nothing to do with withstanding pressure, Minerva—"

Severus glanced at the silent Dumbledore, a hint of mockery flashing in his dark eyes.

"This is... a right, understand?"

Either Professor Dumbledore expel Ares Delphinor, or they collectively file a lawsuit against the Ministry of Magic.

He sued Ares Delfino, then used his influence to force Wizengamo to issue a ruling and expel Ares Delfino...

Personally, I think it's best to avoid the latter situation, because if that happens, Mr. Delfino might face more than just being dismissed; they won't be satisfied until they get him into Azkaban.

"That's bound to happen."

In the framed portrait on the wall behind Dumbledore, a former headmaster with a goatee nods in approval.

"And I think this is reasonable!"

"Thank you for your opinion, Phineas."

Dumbledore finally looked away from the parchments and said coldly.

"Albus—"

Minerva couldn't refute Severus's words; she knew it was true, and denying it would be deceiving herself.

Yet she still looked at Professor Dumbledore expectantly, despite noticing the...helplessness appearing between his deeply furrowed brows.

"You can help him, right? Save him from being expelled?"

"oh-"

Severus let out a sneer.

"You're a bit late, Minerva. The board members left less than twenty minutes ago... If you were here and saw how angry they were, you wouldn't have such unrealistic expectations—"

Where is Mr. Delfino?

Dumbledore interrupted Severus, having already seen all the parchments, leaning back in his golden chair. He removed his half-moon spectacles, his questioning voice as gentle as the gesture of pinching his brow.

"Within my house—"

Minerva's face grew paler and paler; she had already sensed something from Dumbledore's attitude.

"You asked me to collect all his homework from first grade onwards, and I did so, and then I left him in my office."

"Is Mr. Delfino aware of the potential consequences?"

Dumbledore continued to furrow his brow.

I believe—

Professor McGonagall clutched her chest, breathing heavily with anxiety.

"He knows what he's doing."

A moment of silence fell; even Severus lay dormant in the shadows, remaining silent and offering no further comment.

"Bring him to my office, okay, Minerva?"

Albus Dumbledore said

I want to talk to him.