Daily News: The Prophet of Hogwarts

Chapter 7 When will Dumbledore abdicate?

Paddington Station.

"Hagrid, Lane..." Harry put down his hamburger, carefully choosing his words, "The people at the Leaky Cauldron, and Mr. Ollivander, all think I can make something of myself, but..."

"But you know nothing about magic, and didn't even know the wizarding world existed before today?" Ryan looked at Harry's hesitant face and comforted him, "Don't worry, Hogwarts has many students from ordinary backgrounds every year. They are just like you, and they knew nothing about the wizarding world before they received their acceptance letters."

"But these people are no less capable than those young wizards from wizarding families. Besides, in everyone's eyes, you are the hero who defeated Voldemort."

"But I know nothing about Voldemort that night..." Harry blurted out, then noticed Hagrid shiver twice and quickly said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Hagrid waved his hand: "It's not your fault, it's just that Ryan never calls him Mystic."

Harry was puzzled; he couldn't understand why Hagrid, whom he considered powerful and who had rescued him from the Dursleys, would be so terrified of Voldemort.

Of the three people present, two dared to call Voldemort by his name.

"Because Hagrid experienced that era firsthand, he has a lingering fear of Voldemort," Ryan explained. "Because at his peak, he placed a curse on his name, and anyone who dared to utter his name would be sensed by him."

Harry knew the consequences of being approached by Voldemort, and he nodded, understanding Hagrid's fear.

"Your class of freshmen is different from previous years, where most of the young wizards' friends came from our own house. Some of you will make friends from all four houses," Ryan said suddenly as he watched the train pull into the station.

Harry: "Why?"

Hagrid: "Why?"

"secret."

Along with Hagrid, Ryan saw the ever-curious Harry off on the train home, waving goodbye to him: "Looking forward to seeing you again on September 1st."

Filled with boundless curiosity and anticipation, Harry returned to the Dursleys' home by train, where a month of sleepless nights filled with excitement awaited him.

.............

Hogwarts.

"Are you also going to see the principal?"

Ryan discovered that Hagrid had not returned to the cabin outside the Forbidden Forest, but instead entered the castle with him, climbing the stairs together.

"Yes," Hagrid said.

"Let's do it together then," Ryan said, stepping forward to the gargoyle. "Lemonade!"

The stone statue slowly and spiraled up, revealing a staircase. The two stepped forward, knocked on the lion-headed, eagle-shaped bronze ring on the oak door, and entered the principal's office.

On the long-legged table sat many spinning, spraying silver vessels and a copy of the Daily Prophet. Behind the smoke, Dumbledore was interacting with Fawkes, who was hopping around on a gilded perch.

"Lane, Hagrid, what brings you here together?" Dumbledore asked with a smile.

"Hagrid, you go first." Ryan pulled out two chairs, chose one to sit down, and relaxed his expression and demeanor, not at all like an outsider: "Hagrid, you sit too."

"Good heavens! Students these days have no respect for the principal at all! This won't do. Back when I was the principal..." A portrait on the wall expressed its dissatisfaction.

"Headmaster Phineas Black, if you continue in this manner, I may consider removing some of the 'portraits of incompetent headmasters' from the headmaster's office in the future," Ryan retorted, thinking about when Dumbledore would step down.

He picked up the teapot on the table and poured a glass of water for Hagrid and himself. Under Dumbledore's somewhat speechless gaze, he added some water for Hagrid, then said to Fawkes, "Fawkes, would you like some?"

"Dumbledore, look at this! Who is the headmaster at Hogwarts, you or him?!" Phineas's portrait waved his cane wildly.

"Phineas, Ryan is just... more goal-oriented." Dumbledore hesitated for a moment, then his brow relaxed as he found a suitable adjective.

All the portraits of the principals hanging on the wall fell silent.

Ryan Wales has more than just goals!

Throughout all these headmasters' careers, Lane is the only "problem student" to enter the headmaster's office during the summer break of his first year, and the only one whose first words upon entering were: "Headmaster Dumbledore, what do you think of me hanging my portrait on the empty space on the east wall?"

At that time, Dumbledore was still pondering what words to use to comfort an eleven-year-old child who had been intimidated by the pure-blood faction of the Ministry of Magic.

When Ryan finished speaking, the entire principal's office seemed to be muted.

"Hagrid, it's done." Dumbledore spoke, breaking the silence.

"Yes, yes. The thing is here." Hagrid, who had been fidgeting with his fingers in the atmosphere, quickly got up and took a dirty little paper packet from his coat pocket.

"Dumbledore, may I leave now?"

"Of course, Hagrid, I may need your help in a while."

"I have time anytime."

As Hagrid left, Ryan tapped the table, and the silverware that filled the table was neatly moved to both sides, leaving space in the middle.

"A beautiful banishing spell, and it was cast silently and without a wand. Philius would definitely give you a perfect score here." Dumbledore exclaimed, "I've only ever seen one or two young people as talented as you."

Ryan looked up, carefully observing Dumbledore's expression, but could only see the marks of time and years, unable to determine whether the words he had just spoken were praise or lament.

This made him hesitant to respond. Instead, he summoned a pile of ancient documents and books protected by magic from his ring and placed them in the center of the table: "The alchemist's manual I obtained on this trip seems worthy of being placed in the forbidden book section."

"The usual rules?"

"Of course, of course, Ryan, you've added many books to the library. Ravenclaw gets a hundred points every term, and this too." Dumbledore took out a quill, wrote a line, tore it off, and handed it to Ryan.

The note read: "I, Albus Dumbledore, authorize Lane Wells to borrow any book in the library, including the restricted section, during his fifth year."

"Ryan, I'm curious why? Can you tell me your reason for donating books to Hogwarts every time?"

"Headmaster, what I found is nowhere near as good as the Hogwarts library." Ryan waved the note in his hand. "I'm a Ravenclaw, an eagle that chases knowledge and wisdom, so naturally I'll make the most rational choice."

"The most reasonable choice? That sounds like something a Slytherin would say." Dumbledore laughed, his long beard swaying with it, before handing Ryan a copy of the Daily Prophet.

"Lane, you might want to take a look at this article in the Daily Prophet. It's an interview with you by a Slytherin graduate."

Ryan frowned. Did that reporter not know what fear was, yet dared to record rumors for the sake of so-called "hype"?

He took the Daily Prophet, the headline of which read: "Inside Lane Wales."