Chapter 292: Chapter 292 Take leave of
"Professor Dracula, maybe you haven't realized it yourself..."
Dumbledore came to Dracula at some point and smiled gently, "During the four years of teaching at Hogwarts, you have finally developed some ties."
"Perhaps these ties seem insignificant to you, but they are all the sincere wishes of these students and their purest wishes."
"So this is your original purpose, Albus?" Dracula frowned slightly and asked softly, "Four years ago, old Nico asked me to come here for this purpose, right?"
Dumbledore smiled but said nothing.
Amid the expectant eyes of many young wizards, Dracula sighed imperceptibly, took a step forward, and looked around at all the students in the audience - the faces of these students were very familiar, and they had all sat upright facing his podium...
"I am not a competent professor," Dracula said slowly after a long silence.
"Do you know? I don't teach seriously, I'm not responsible for teaching, I don't even bother to mark homework, I'm too lazy to give exams as for the highly acclaimed duel club, it's just to watch you make a fool of yourself on the duel stage..."
"I don't understand, what on earth is worth keeping me for?"
Dracula looked around at the little wizards present, wanting to hear an answer from them.
"Professor, maybe I can answer this question."
Percy Weiss, who came here as a judge in place of Mr. Crouch, walked over from the side of the lawn and raised his hand like he did in his school days, just like answering Dracula's questions in class.
Dracula looked at him with a very curious look in his eyes.
"Professor, maybe you just teach as you please on weekdays, and do what you like to do." Percy said, "But in fact, you don't realize how popular your teaching is!"
Dracula looked at the many little wizards around him, and seeing that they all looked like they agreed, he couldn't help but feel more curious.
Could it be that these little wizards all have some masochistic attributes? Whether it's the duel club or the usual class, as long as he leads it, none of them can be considered easy, right? How could this be popular?
"Professor, you don't have to be so curious." Percy saw Dracula's doubts and then explained, "No matter how tiring the duel club is, it can really let us learn knowledge, and it is also an experience we have never had in other classes..."
"Do you remember? In order to let us practice the accuracy of casting spells, you led the students to jump down from windows next to each other on a snowy day and practice magic in the snow... Professor McGonagall was so angry at that time."
Percy glanced at Professor McGonagall not far away. Professor McGonagall stared at him with a stern face, but then she couldn't hold back her expression and finally laughed with some nostalgia.
"Professor Dracula, in fact, your course is not just a lesson for us. Many times it is more like a novel adventure and an interesting experience." Percy smiled.
"One more thing!" Fred and George sneaked up to Percy and raised their hands like Percy just did. "We really like your teaching style. For example, you never assign boring homework and let us study on our own from time to time..."
"...including choosing dance partners for us in class, so that everyone has the opportunity to participate in the Christmas dance!" Harry also smiled and looked at Ginny and took over the conversation.
"And Professor Dracula's class is very pleasing to the eyes!" Another little witch excitedly said.
Then, one by one, the little wizards began to chatter about their favorite teaching style of Dracula, and they never tired of discussing it.
Dumbledore stood beside Dracula, looking at the little wizards in front of him with a smile.
"How is it, Professor Dracula?" Dumbledore's face was flushed, and the unpleasantness of fighting for Fudge and Dracula just now seemed to have completely disappeared. "Didn't you expect that you would have so many fans without realizing it?"
"I really didn't expect it." Dracula said softly, "These little guys make me feel a little reluctant to leave."
"Then stay, Hogwarts still needs you, Professor Dracula." Dumbledore said.
Dracula was silent for a long time, and finally shook his head.
"No, I have to leave." He sighed, "Not just because of the reasons I just said... In fact, I have more important things to do, and the result of that thing is no worse than Voldemort's influence on the wizarding world."
"Is it the thing mentioned before, about "The Tales of Beedle the Bard"? "Dumbledore's face became serious.
"Yes," Dracula nodded slightly, and said in a low voice, "I have offended that guy badly. He probably wants to get rid of me now. I have to find a way to deal with him."
As he said, he turned around and looked at Dumbledore, "You should also pay attention to this side. This matter must be more troublesome than a mere Voldemort."
"I know." Dumbledore nodded slowly.
Then, Dracula looked at the densely packed students on the field again, raised one hand, and slowly floated up in the air.
"Bang——"
He snapped his fingers lightly, but the sound reached everyone's ears.
The field gradually quieted down, and everyone cast their eyes on Dracula in the air, watching his gradually rising figure.
"I appreciate your kindness, but we will have to say goodbye one day, whether it's today or tomorrow." Dracula's voice floated under the night sky, ringing in everyone's ears, "Even if I stay here, you will graduate one day."
"This is the last lesson I teach you - learn to accept separation, learn to control your emotions, and don't invest time and emotions in useless separation..."
"In the next few years, this magic world may no longer be peaceful, but turbulent. You also need a more suitable professor to teach you to learn this Defense Against the Dark Arts course systematically, instead of teaching you wherever you want like me."
The students opened their eyes wide and gradually realized that Professor Dracula would not stay.
Some little wizards cried loudly, even the introverted little wizards had red eyes.
"Cheer up, don't let me laugh at your weakness." Looking at the little wizards crying below, Dracula chuckled, "I hope that the way you remember me is not to cry here, but to think of the defense knowledge I taught you when facing danger..."
"In that way, my four years at Hogwarts will be meaningful."
After saying this, Dracula turned around and looked at the Hogwarts Castle that had stood on this high ground for a thousand years. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
It has not changed for a thousand years, but it seems to have given it some other meanings in just four years.
"Farewell."
Dracula said softly.
The next moment, a full moon quietly appeared behind him, brighter and colder than the crescent moon hanging in the sky.
The silver-haired figure disappeared with the ethereal moonlight, leaving only a blue velvet-like silent night in the sky, and stars dotted on the velvet.
The lights around the Quidditch field illuminated the faces of the students. They stared blankly at the night sky, looking at the direction where the moon disappeared, with their thoughts rising and falling.
Perhaps, in the countless lives to come, they will often think of this summer night that was once illuminated by the moonlight...
...
"You...you seem to be different today than usual?"
Walking on the wall of Brown Castle, Selena looked at Dracula's profile and hesitated for a long time before asking.
"Is there anything different?" Dracula retracted his gaze from the distant night sky and looked at Selena, "Speaking of which, I seem to have not changed for a long, long time."
"But today is indeed different..." Selena whispered, "Or rather, you seem to have new changes every year in the four years you have been at Hogwarts...but the changes are not as big as tonight."
"Tell me about it?" Dracula turned and leaned against the wall, with interest in his eyes.
"I can still remember that you have experienced separation like today before." Selina said, "For example, more than two hundred years ago, you were invited by Ms. Delys Deventer to serve as a guest therapist at St. Mungo's..."
"When you left St. Mungo's, you just left without saying goodbye. Delys and other therapists' requests to stay didn't seem to matter."
"And you said that when you followed Nicolas Flamel to the Alchemist's Association for fun hundreds of years ago, you felt bored and left there without any regrets..."
"I know what you want to say." Dracula smiled softly, "You want to ask me when I started to become sentimental, right?"
" I didn't say that. "Selena quickly distanced herself from the matter, "I'm just a little curious. After all, I've never seen you being moved by those wizards."
"Yeah, it seems that I haven't felt emotional fluctuations for a long, long time." Dracula looked at the starry night sky and said softly, "I have always relied on those fun things to find a little bit of insignificant joy. As for other emotions, I haven't felt them for a long time."
"The last time I felt emotional fluctuations seemed to be a thousand years ago, when I saw the tomb that Salazar built for himself... It's been so many years without realizing it."
"I think you have really changed a lot. You even started to reminisce about the past." Selena whispered secretly.
"What's wrong with reminiscing about the past?" Dracula asked with a smile, "At least it makes me feel alive, which is much better than spending every day numbly and bored as usual."
"I also know that people who know me often describe me as casual, ruthless, and pleasure-seeking. Only the vampires under my protection and the few old guys who can be regarded as friends of mine will care about me a little bit..."
"Now, there are more people who care about me... Not just one or two, but hundreds."
"In that case, why don't you continue to stay in Hogwarts?" Selena asked.
"Aren't you the one who wants me to return to Dracula Castle to work the most?" Dracula looked at her with interest.
"I do want you to come back..." Selina bit her lip and whispered, "But if you are happier there, I have no reason to deprive you of your rare good mood."
"I didn't expect you to be so good at making people happy now." Dracula raised his mouth, "Forget it, I do have other things to do. This matter is very dangerous. There is no need to drag down those little guys who can care about me a little bit."
"Is there anything else in this world that makes you feel dangerous?" Selina asked in surprise.
"Just because there is nothing in this world doesn't mean there is nothing in another world." Dracula said slowly.
Without waiting for Selina to continue asking, he changed the subject, "Has Riddle arranged a room for my assistant?"
"Tesla went to arrange it. It should be almost arranged now." Seeing that Dracula didn't want to say more, Selina had to suppress her doubts and replied, "Tesla said he would bring Riddle here after the arrangement."
Dracula nodded slightly, then looked at the end of the city wall, and saw two figures walking towards this side.
"The room has been arranged, Lord Dracula!" Tesla said respectfully.
"Thank you for your hard work, Tesla." Dracula nodded, then looked at Riddle beside Tesla, "Are you satisfied with the accommodation?" As Dracula's assistant in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class at Hogwarts, Riddle was also taken back to Dracula's castle after Dracula left Hogwarts.
One of the reasons is that Riddle is Voldemort's Horcrux after all. If he continues to stay in Hogwarts without Dracula's control, it will be risky for the young wizards
In addition, Dracula's next plan also needs the assistance of Voldemort's "other half".
"I am very satisfied, Professor Dracula." Riddle said, "The accommodation here is much more spacious than the assistant's office in Hogwarts Castle."
"As long as you are satisfied." Dracula nodded calmly, staring into Riddle's eyes, "Then... I want you to learn to repent, can you do it now?"
Deep repentance is the only way to repair a split soul.
Riddle also looked directly at Dracula's eyes, exhaled deeply, and said slowly:
"I already know how to repent... The soul fragments in the crown have been completely integrated by me."
Dracula's eyes showed a hint of surprise, and then he stared at Riddle's eyes, his expression gradually became meaningful.
"Very good, then our next action will have a direction."
He took out an object from his pocket and played with it gently in his hands.
It was Slytherin's locket taken from the Blake family.