Hogwarts Headmaster's Office.
"Albus, you called for me?"
As soon as Professor McGonagall entered the Headmaster's Office, she saw Dumbledore teasing his phoenix, Fawkes, with a pile of cockroaches.
Fawkes preened its feathers, ignoring Dumbledore.
Seeing Professor McGonagall arrive, Dumbledore gave up on the idea of offering Fawkes more cockroach clusters, popped the cockroach candy in his mouth, and mumbled, "Fawkes, it's truly a pity you don't eat cockroach clusters."
After finishing the cockroach clusters in his hand, he finally looked up and said unhurriedly, "Minerva, please sit down."
Professor McGonagall adjusted her spectacles with a serious expression and said to Dumbledore, "Albus, what urgent matter has occurred? You wouldn't normally have Fawkes specially notify me."
Dumbledore picked up another cockroach cluster and said, "It's not anything too important; Hagrid just told me that some of the children of Aragog, the Acromantula he once raised, have been killed."
"Hagrid? Acromantula?" Professor McGonagall was a little puzzled; the death of some Acromantula wasn't a particularly special event, so why had Dumbledore specifically called her. "Acromantula don't lack natural predators in the Forbidden Forest. I've heard the Centaurs of the Forbidden Forest say that Acromantula have repeatedly encroached on their territory. Could it be that the Centaurs hunted the Acromantula?"
Dumbledore shook his head, dismissing Professor McGonagall's conjecture, and a few crumbs of cockroach clusters fell from his white beard.
"Aragog said that a Wizard invaded its hunting grounds and killed its children with very evil Dark Arts. Hagrid went to see, and one Acromantula had a wound that wouldn't heal and bled incessantly, quickly dying."
"Other dead Acromantula had cuts on their bodies, and their venom had been collected, but these aren't the main point."
"The main point is, these spiders died from—the Killing Curse!"
Dumbledore's eyes instantly changed from peaceful to sharp, his expression serious, exuding an aura of authority without anger.
"The Killing Curse?" Professor McGonagall was extremely shocked; a Dark Wizard capable of the Killing Curse had secretly trespassed into the Forbidden Forest.
Casting the Killing Curse not only requires powerful magic as a basis for the spell but also a heart filled with intense murderous intent.
Very few Wizards cast such an evil spell. Dark Wizards who can cast the Killing Curse have incredibly twisted and dangerous minds.
"I suspect that Death Eater have infiltrated the Forbidden Forest and are brewing an unspeakable conspiracy."
There may not be many Dark Wizards who can cast the Killing Curse, but there are many Death Eater who can.
Eleven years ago, Death Eater wielded their wands, causing many horrific events in the Wizarding world.
The green-glowing wands became a nightmare in the hearts of many Wizards.
Everyone feared being killed, everyone feared the Dark Mark rising in the sky.
"Aren't all the Death Eater locked up in Azkaban? Their master has disappeared."
"But you know, too many people followed Lord Voldemort back then, and not everyone received their due judgment."
"Oh no, Albus! Quickly notify Professor Silvanus, don't let him take students to the Forbidden Forest for Care of Magical Creatures class!"
Professor McGonagall was very anxious. She worried that Professor Silvanus might encounter the mysterious Dark Wizard in the Forbidden Forest during his Care of Magical Creatures class.
Perhaps Professor Silvanus could escape from the mysterious Dark Wizard, but the students he brought might not return unharmed.
"Don't be nervous, Minerva. Perhaps things aren't that bad yet. I've already notified Professor Silvanus, and I've also asked the Centaurs to closely monitor movements in the Forbidden Forest. They will all be careful. Come, have a cockroach cluster to calm your nerves. This one is chocolate flavored, which helps with emotional stability."
Dumbledore pushed the plate of cockroach clusters towards Professor McGonagall, gesturing for her to eat something to calm down.
Professor McGonagall didn't have a habit of eating cockroach clusters. Looking at the cockroaches squashed together on the plate, she couldn't understand why Dumbledore was so fond of them.
Doesn't he worry about eating real cockroaches in the clusters?
"No, Albus, I must quickly go and inform the Gryffindor students, prohibiting them from entering the Forbidden Forest for adventures recently. You know, compared to other Houses, Gryffindor students are more lively. Especially the two Weasley twins, they are simply... too much trouble..."
Seeing Professor McGonagall about to leave, Dumbledore immediately called out to her.
"Don't rush off, Minerva, sit down and let's continue chatting. It's a good thing for children to have energy. My purpose in coming here this time is to ask you to keep an eye on Professor Quirrell."
"Professor Quirrell?"
"Professor Quirrell's recent behavior is very perplexing. I have already asked Severus to keep an eye on his actions. But I feel it's not safe enough with just one person watching him, which is why I specifically mentioned it to you. Also, I hope you can pay extra attention to Harry; he is our future and hope."
Professor McGonagall bit her lip lightly, staring at Headmaster Dumbledore, hailed as the greatest Wizard of this century, and asked sharply, "Harry? Future and hope? Headmaster Dumbledore, haven't you given up on your plan yet? How can you bear to entrust such a heavy responsibility to a child? He is just a child, he shouldn't bear such a heavy burden!"
"But this is fate. Grindelwald too, Tom Riddle as well, even I, we are all failures of fate. Minerva, you and I both know that prophecy; Lord Voldemort did not truly die that night. He will return sooner or later; this is Harry's inescapable destiny."
"But... this way... he will lose so much..."
"He will also gain a lot..."
Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall stared at each other. After a long while, Professor McGonagall finally relented.
Because she knew Dumbledore was right, she just couldn't bear the thought of an 11-year-old Little Wizard, who had just entered Hogwarts, bearing the heavy responsibility of fighting the Dark Lord.
Finally, Professor McGonagall wiped away a few glistening tears from the corner of her eyes and left the Headmaster's Office without looking back.
"I will go and inform all Gryffindor students to prohibit them from going to the Forbidden Forest recently. Harry has been busy training with Wood on the Quidditch Pitch recently, so he won't have time to go to the Forbidden Forest."
"Then I'll leave it to you, Minerva."
...Emerging from the Headmaster's Office, Minerva became the strict, serious, and meticulous Professor McGonagall.
She arrived at the Gryffindor common room, intending to ask Percy to gather the Gryffindor students to warn them again not to go to the dangerous Forbidden Forest.
However, as soon as she walked into the common room, she smelled an enticing barbecue aroma that made her mouth water.
Professor McGonagall was wondering if a student had brought roasted meat from the Great Hall to eat in the common room when she saw a chaotic scene.
She saw the youngest Weasley son by the fireplace, holding skewers of meat and grilling them by the fire, occasionally brushing oil onto the skewers.
The sizzling, oily aroma filled the entire common room.
And across from him, the child she had brought from the orphanage, the one she had always thought highly of—Chen Yu—was holding a broom, using it as a megaphone, standing on a long table, shouting to the Little Wizards below: "Look, look, authentic Xinjiang lamb skewers, mysterious Eastern flavor, only two Sickles a skewer! For two Sickles, you won't get ripped off, for two Sickles, you won't be cheated! Don't miss out, authentic mysterious Eastern cuisine, carrying thousands of years of cultural heritage, only two Sickles, don't miss out!"
"Alright, advertising time is over! Those who want lamb skewers, go find Ron over there. Now, please enjoy the music I'm about to perform—'Lang's Temptation'!"
As the music's beat emanated from Chen Yu, he began to sing loudly: "Niangzi!"
"Ah ha!"
"You will not get hurt..."
With a universal language translator system, Chen Yu didn't have to worry about language barriers at all, directly presenting an authentic rendition of "Lang's Temptation" to the Little Wizards present.
Looking at the Little Wizards wildly cheering with their wooden sticks, Professor McGonagall felt a deep disconnect between herself and them.
So, this is how the Little Wizards play privately now?
