Chapter 701: Snape Got His Wish (Edited)

All the students, except for the first-years, returned to Hogwarts in the carriage pulled by thestrals. They sat at the long tables of their respective Houses, greeting each other after a long time apart.

After teasing Professor McGonagall for a while, Fish also returned to the Gryffindor table, but his eyes were fixed on Dumbledore at the teachers' table...

It had been a while since he last saw him, but his vitality had weakened a bit, and his condition had become unstable again.

Dumbledore caught Fish's gaze, smiled, nodded, and then placed his left index finger to his lips in a silent gesture.

Fish shook his ears and looked away.

The process wasn't much different from previous years, as Professor McGonagall led the nervous first-year students to the Great Hall and then placed the old Sorting Hat on their heads, assigning them to different Houses.

After the ceremony, the house-elves served a sumptuous dinner, which was enjoyed by everyone as they engaged in conversations with those around them on various topics.

After finishing the last dessert, the food was cleared from the tables, and Dumbledore stood up from his seat.

"Good evening, everyone!" he said with a kind smile, extending his arms as if he wanted to embrace everyone in the Great Hall.

"What's wrong with his hands?" exclaimed Parvati Patil, who was standing next to Fish, astonished.

She wasn't the only one who noticed. Dumbledore's right index finger still appeared black and dry, lifeless. Murmurs spread through the Great Hall.

Dumbledore knew what everyone was talking about, but he simply smiled, shaking his purple and gold sleeve to cover his injured hand.

"Don't worry," he said softly. "Well... new students, welcome to the school; returning students, welcome back! A new year of magical education awaits you..."

"And isn't there anything you can do about it, Fish?" All the Gryffindor students looked at Fish curiously.

"When Albus started, his entire hand was black, nya!" Luna exclaimed.

Fish crossed his arms and said with a serious expression, "It took [Serenity] for Fish to contain his wounds to just one finger!"

"What I'm curious about is... how exactly did his hand get injured?" Dean Thomas seemed concerned. "There shouldn't be many people in this world who can harm Dumbledore, right? Could it be... You-Know-Who?"

"Fish doesn't know either, nya," Fish said, shaking his head.

Of course, Fish knew the truth, but he had to help Dumbledore keep the secret.

So, with partial truth, he explained, "But Albus said he was attacked by a very ancient dark magic object, and Fish tried all healing spells, but still couldn't heal one of his fingers, nya... By the way, that thing is a ring, and Albus put the ring on the finger that couldn't be healed."

"That finger looks dead." Hermione spoke with a determined look on her face because she already knew about Dumbledore's condition. "There are some wounds that can never be healed... ancient spells... and some magical potions without an antidote..."

That was the conclusion she had reached during her summer break, through the knowledge from Professor McGonagall's book collection.

"...Caretaker Filch has asked me to tell you that students are absolutely forbidden to bring any Weasley's Wizard Wheezes merchandise this year."

Dumbledore ignored the whispers from the students and continued speaking. After informing them that the school was looking for a new Quidditch commentator (the original commentator, Lee Jordan, had graduated), he finally introduced the new teacher for this year.

"This year, we are pleased to welcome a new member of the faculty: Professor Slughorn." Slughorn stood up, his bald head shining in the candlelight, and his large vest-clad belly casting a shadow on the table. "He is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to return to his former position as Potions professor."

Except for a few students like Harry, who knew that Professor Slughorn's next position was as the Potions professor, most of the students were surprised to hear it for the first time.

"Potions?"

The word resonated throughout the Great Hall, and everyone wondered if they had misheard it.

"Meanwhile, Professor Snape," Dumbledore raised his voice, drowning out the commotion, "will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Snape, sitting to the right of Dumbledore, didn't stand up when his name was mentioned, he merely lazily raised a hand, acknowledging the cheers from the Slytherin table, while the students from the other three Houses seemed more subdued.

"Do you think... Snape will leave Hogwarts after this year's classes?" Harry and Ron gathered with a few others and voiced their speculations, or wishes. "That position is cursed by Voldemort. No one stays for more than a year... and they all get a beating from Fish..."

Harry looked hopefully at Fish, who was not far away.

With his hearing, Fish had heard Harry's "wish"...

Then Fish gave Harry an exasperated look, as he believed he was being made fun of.

Severus and I are good friends, how could I hit him?

(`н´)

Fish puffed up his cheeks and turned his head to avoid looking at Harry, who always tried to sow discord between him, Snape, and Malfoy.

"At the end of the term, he'll probably go back to teaching Potions," Ron said wisely, "That Slughorn guy probably won't want to stay here for long, Moody will... although that Moody fellow was a fraud in the first place."

Harry and the others weren't the only ones talking down there; the Great Hall was abuzz with people upon hearing the news that Snape had finally gotten what he wanted.

Dumbledore didn't seem to realize how sensational his announcement had been. He didn't say anything more about the teaching position; instead, he cleared his throat, waited for everyone to quiet down, and then emphasized the current situation as usual.

Except this year, the students were less nervous than the previous year...

After all, nothing had happened in the English magical community last year, except for the troubles caused by the former Minister Fudge, so everyone felt a bit relieved.

In fact, most of the Hogwarts students would have thought from the beginning that Harry and Dumbledore were talking nonsense if it weren't for their trust in Fish.

Dumbledore's blue eyes scanned all the students, very aware of their current mood, but instead of saying anything else, he smiled again.

"Well, your beds are waiting for you, as warm and comfortable as can be expected, and I know your priority now is to get some rest and prepare for tomorrow's classes. So, good night!"

Dumbledore concluded once again inexplicably, and then left the Great Hall with the professors.

Fish wanted to go after them immediately, but Hermione held him back.

"We still have to take the new students to their dormitories," she whispered in Fish's ear, "Professor Dumbledore's finger hasn't changed, and it doesn't seem like Professor Snape's medicine is taking effect, so you don't have to hurry."

Fish froze for a moment, remembering his earlier comment about tricking Hermione, so he abruptly stopped and shook his head wearily.

"Can Fish return the Prefect badge, nya?"

(?ω?)

"If you're not afraid of Minerva getting angry."

"...then forget it..."

ε=(ο｀*)