Several days had passed since Dumbledore's announcement, and still the basilisk was nowhere to be found—it hadn't been discovered, nor had it returned to the Chamber of Secrets. Adrian suspected it had made its nest in one of the abandoned pipes.
But Adrian had a vague feeling that things were far from that simple.
This wasn't just a matter of an "heir" releasing the basilisk to create panic at Hogwarts.
Behind it all, there might be even more complex circumstances.
Of course, since Adrian hadn't even caught the basilisk yet, he naturally didn't know what exactly had happened.
In the blink of an eye, the Easter holidays were half over.
That morning, Adrian was reviewing his notes on the feeding habits of Cornish Pixies when Professor McGonagall appeared at his office door.
Adrian blinked in genuine surprise hearing McGonagall's words, his quill pausing mid-word above his notes. "The Dueling Club? You're saying we should restart the Dueling Club, But Why Professor?"
Professor McGonagall nodded and said, "To give students some self-defense capabilities, and also to distract them and consume their energy. You know, because management has been much stricter recently, the students are all somewhat... grumbling."
Adrian nodded slowly, recognizing the logic in her reasoning.
Indeed, prolonged repression wasn't good for students' mental health.
Holding some appropriate activities could also help ease the anxious atmosphere within the school.
It was probably because the last Dueling Club had Adrian's participation and had a decent reputation among students that Professor McGonagall made this suggestion.
"I personally don't oppose this," Adrian said, then changed his tone, "but shouldn't we discuss this with Professor Lockhart first? The Dueling Club was his initiative, after all."
That's right, if they were going to restart it, they should first ask for Lockhart's opinion.
Of course, his opinion wasn't particularly valuable—it was just going through the motions.
"He agreed," Professor McGonagall pushed up her glasses and said something that surprised Adrian. "Actually, Professor Lockhart said he's recently had... a burst of inspiration and needs to focus on writing a new book. He specifically recommended that you take charge of the Dueling Club."
'Lockhart recommended him?'
Honestly, this was a very strange thing.
You see, although Lockhart was cordial to him on the surface, he knew that Lockhart didn't actually have a good relationship with him. After all, he had embarrassed Lockhart quite a few times, and Lockhart must harbor some resentment.
Like taking his wand during the Quidditch match, or stealing his spotlight during the first Dueling Club meeting.
He hadn't expected Lockhart to actually recommend him.
'Hmm, perhaps Lockhart was magnanimous after all.' Adrian couldn't help but view him in a new light.
If he were in Lockhart's position, he absolutely wouldn't recommend himself.
In the end, Adrian took on the Dueling Club responsibility.
In fact, he did have some ideas about the Dueling Club, especially since the small gatherings he had organized during the Christmas holidays had worked out quite well.
For the remaining Easter holidays, the Dueling Club met every other day.
The difference was that during several of these gatherings, many professors who hadn't come last time all participated, like Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout.
Adrian had always thought they weren't interested.
Even himself made several appearances to watch the show.
Lockhart also showed up a few times, but no longer behaved particularly prominently, acting like a normal person, just quietly watching from the sidelines.
In Flitwick's words, it was like "a showy peacock suddenly losing interest in displaying its feathers."
However, Adrian was happy with this arrangement.
In any case, all the Dueling Club meetings went very smoothly.
One evening, after the final meeting ended, Dumbledore stayed behind and said to Adrian: "Professor Westeros, please keep Wednesday evening after dinner free this week. We're going to meet someone."
"Someone from the Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore said as if it were nothing.
'The Ministry of Magic?' Adrian immediately understood.
This must be related to the recent petrification incidents.
"I see," Adrian said carefully. "Any particular reason you'd like me present for this meeting?"
In the original plot, the Ministry of Magic had taken Hagrid away because of this incident, and the Board of Governors had even dismissed Dumbledore from his position as headmaster—though it was only a surface dismissal.
However, Adrian wondered why Dumbledore was bringing him along.
He couldn't reverse the situation.
Soon, Wednesday evening arrived.
After some consideration, he selected a dark green suit he'd purchased years ago but rarely had occasion to wear. The color reminded him of deep forest shadows, and the cut was flattering without being ostentatious. He paired it with a matching top hat that added a touch of old-fashioned formality to his appearance.
When he met Dumbledore at the appointed time, his eyebrows rose in what might have been mild alarm.
"Adrian," Dumbledore said slowly, his eyes taking in the formal muggle attire, "what exactly are you wearing?"
Adrian adjusted his collar with what he hoped was casual confidence. "Too formal? I thought it appropriate for meeting with Ministry representatives. This is the most presentable outfit I could manage on short notice." He paused, then added with a slight grin, "Besides, green suits my aesthetic sensibilities."
Dumbledore's frown deepened.
"Actually," Adrian continued, noting Dumbledore's expression, "I'm not particularly attached to this. I could change into my formal robes if you prefer. To be honest, I'm more comfortable in traditional wizarding attire anyway—this suit makes me feel rather like I'm playing dress-up."
"Well, good taste," Dumbledore nodded slightly. "However, we'd better hurry. Our guest will arrive soon."
"Where are we going?" Adrian asked.
Dumbledore led Adrian all the way to the entrance of the Great Hall.
A stranger was standing there alone.
The man was short and stout, wearing a black suit with a top hat of the same color. His face showed some wrinkles, and he appeared to be about fifty years old.
Adrian had a slight impression of this face.
He seemed to have seen him somewhere before.
The man quickly noticed Dumbledore and Adrian approaching and immediately walked over.
"Ah, finally! Albus," the man removed his top hat and said with a smile, "You received the letter, didn't you?"
Then the man turned to Adrian with a somewhat puzzled tone,
"And this gentleman would be...?"
"Our Care of Magical Creatures professor," Dumbledore replied smoothly, "An excellent young man, Cornelius."
"Adrian Westeros." Adrian gave his name and extended his hand.
"Ah! Hello, Professor Westeros," the man enthusiastically grasped Adrian's hand. "I'm the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge."
Only then did Adrian remember why he felt the face was familiar.
He often saw photos of this Minister of Magic in the Daily Prophet.
Whenever there was a section about Cornelius Fudge in the paper, they would include a large photograph.
But in reality, this was his first time seeing him.
After all, previously there had been no opportunity for their paths to cross.
After they exchanged greetings:
"Albus, you know why I'm here, don't you? I already wrote about it in the letter. I came this time because..."
Fudge paused here, glancing at Adrian.
"You can speak freely," Dumbledore said calmly. "Professor Westeros is not an outsider."
Hearing this, Fudge relaxed slightly and looked at Adrian with some surprise.
Adrian also smiled at him.
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