Leaving School and Growing the Task Progress

With this in mind, Ivan suddenly realised that there was a lot to do this summer.

However, before he went home, he had to go to the Black family home and destroy the Horcrux!

Yvonne felt uneasy about leaving something so important lying around. What if she lost it?

Even if it was left untouched, it was likely to confuse Harry and the others, who were planning to visit the Black family home.

Therefore, a few days ago, Ivan sent a letter to Alicia, saying that he would go to his friend's house first this summer and bring back some precious books so that he would not have to come to Kingdom Cross Station to pick him up.

When he got Slytherin's Locket, he would simply use Transfiguration to return to his Dark Arts shop…

"Wait a minute… did the progress of this mission increase?" After reading the school year summary, Ivan glanced at the mission column and found that the progress of the mission to become the King of Knockturn Alley seemed to have increased by one percent.

Yvonne wondered if she'd misremembered…

…

The carriage made its way down the soft stone road, rattling and rattling, until it reached Hogwarts Station.

The Redskins had pulled up to the platform, white steam rising from their large exhausts, and Ivan could hear the Hogwarts train's loud whistle from far away…

"Come here, children, line up and get in!"

In the crowd, Hagrid was trying to maintain order as he directed the young wizards to board the train.

It had to be said that he was well suited to the task, his large frame clearly visible in the crowd.

"Harry, over here!" Hagrid called out happily when he saw Ivan and the others.

Harry happily hugged Hagrid goodbye and boarded the train home, watching Hogwarts Castle disappear into the distance as the train chugged away…

Ivan and the others chatted as they searched for an empty carriage.

However, to their surprise, their Defence Against the Dark Arts professor was sitting in a corner by the window, staring into the distance.

"Professor Lupin, why are you here?" Ivan asked, surprised.

Professors at Hogwarts usually stayed at the castle during the summer holidays, as food and lodging were provided, especially for professors like Lupin, who did not own a house.

"Is it because of where you're going this summer, Professor?" Hermione asked, her mind working quickly as she considered the possibilities.

Hermione, however, miscalculated, and Lupin shook his head.

"No! I had no such intention. It's just that I handed in my resignation to Headmaster Dumbledore a few days ago, and as such, I am not permitted to remain at Hogwarts, as per the rules…"

"What? Professor Lupin is resigning? Why?" Ron looked at Lupin in shock and could not help but question him.

"It had to be Malfoy, didn't it!" Harry said angrily, thinking of Malfoy. "He must have told the Ministry about you in secret, and I'm going to beat him up!"

Harry pulled out his wand, intending to confront Malfoy, but was stopped by Lupin.

"It wasn't like that, Harry! It had nothing to do with Malfoy! Or anyone else. I made the choice!" Lupin said with a bitter smile.

He was not lying, and no one complained about his cover being blown.

However, Lupin also knew that this would not last long, as Umbridge, who had been rebuffed at school, would most likely be trying to identify him.

More importantly, Snape's malice towards him was growing day by day, and there was no telling when it would explode, so rather than having his identity revealed next year and tarnishing the school's reputation, he might as well just leave.

Harry did not understand this, and was unable to accept the fact that Lupin had left, so he tried to dissuade him.

"What about next year's Defence Against the Dark Arts class if you leave? We can't do without you!"

"Yes, you're the best Defence Against the Dark Arts professor there is! I don't want Headmaster Dumbledore hiring a Lockhart, or a Chino, for that matter!" Ron tried to persuade him otherwise.

"Don't worry, it won't! The next Defence Against the Dark Arts professor is a very good man! You'll learn a lot from him…" Lupin smiled, comforting Harry and the others before continuing.

"And Malfoy was right about the last time. It was irresponsible of me to teach at Hogwarts under the guise of a werewolf."

Despite Lupin's words, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were not happy.

Yvonne raised her eyebrows in surprise. The next Defence Against the Dark Arts professor had been decided so early?

Mad-Eye Moody? thought Ivan.

However, it made sense. Normally, every Defence Against the Dark Arts professor would have a problem at the end of the term, so it was normal to pick someone in advance…

"By the way, Professor Lupin, have you thought about what you're going to do in the future?" Yvonne asked.

"Not at the moment…" Lupin shook his head hesitantly, then smiled freely. "Of course, you don't have to worry about me. It's not like it used to be. Sirius offered to take me in, and I can stay with him until I find a job!"

"You'll be staying with Sirius? That's great, we'll be able to see each other more often during the summer holidays!" Harry was pleasantly surprised, and was less averse to the idea of Lupin leaving.

Because he was planning to spend half his summer holidays at the Black family home…

Ivan, on the other hand, was hesitant to take the opportunity to get Lupin to work for him.

As one of the core members of the Order of the Phoenix, Lupin's combat prowess was unsurpassed, and he had no problem handling other people's affairs.

However, because of his status as a core member of the Lupin Order of the Phoenix, Ivan hesitated, as he did not want his every move to be revealed to Dumbledore.

Lupin's thinking was also too orthodox, and he might not get along with Alicia, Dougett, or any of the others.

Despite his thoughts, Ivan seemed to be enjoying the conversation with Lupin, Harry, and the others.

It was only a few hours later, when the Redskins train pulled up to the London Wizarding Platform with a clear roar, that they reluctantly packed their bags and left the train.

(PS: End of Volume III…)