The Admiral of Hogwarts

"Your sentiments are commendable," Umbridge said with a perfunctory bow after Dumbledore finished speaking, then added.

"We will all miss your—oh—unconventional way of handling things, Albus, but you are getting on in years and should take a good rest."

Then, the pink toad saw Dumbledore all the way to the school gates before leaving, looking as if she were worried Dumbledore might return.

By order of the Ministry of Magic, Dolores Jane Umbridge (Senior Undersecretary to the Minister) is appointed to replace Albus Dumbledore as Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

This decree is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-eight.

Signed: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic.

This notice was plastered all over the school overnight, and coupled with the commotion of Dumbledore's departure that day, caused an uproar throughout the school.

The campus was filled with an atmosphere of panic; with a large number of Death Eaters having escaped from Azkaban, Dumbledore's departure made the entire castle feel extremely vulnerable.

For the better part of the previous half-century, Hogwarts had been known as the safest place in Britain not because of its powerful castle and ancient magic, but because Dumbledore, known as the foremost wizard in the wizarding world, was the headmaster here.

Now that the headmaster had left, everyone had to admit that the castle suddenly felt less safe than it used to be.

Another piece of news circulating along with this was that Umbridge wanted to enter the headmaster's office, but she couldn't get past the gargoyles.

The headmaster's office had automatically sealed itself, and she couldn't get in.

After all, as the castle left behind by the four founders of Hogwarts, the entire castle contained a great deal of magic, such as the headmaster's office refusing wizards who didn't meet the standards of a headmaster.

For this kind of resistance from the castle itself, top wizards like Dumbledore, Grindelwald, or Voldemort could spend some time to resolve it.

But for Umbridge, this defense system was simply an insurmountable chasm, and the Ministry of Magic couldn't provide her with assistance on such trivial matters.

In addition to these open pieces of information, Hugo also obtained more detailed insider information from the Weasley twins while brewing potions, including Harry's connection to this incident.

"Headmaster Dumbledore specifically asked Harry to shut down the DA before he left," Fred said to Hugo, crushing some dried nettles, recounting the story behind yesterday's events.

According to them, because Harry's DA had recruited too many people, participants with parents working in the Ministry of Magic had leaked all the details of Harry's organization.

Therefore, before this, Umbridge had not only persuaded the school governors, but also directly used this matter as a handle to threaten them, and Dumbledore had no choice but to leave the school to protect Harry.

As for why Umbridge didn't blow things up, the reason was simple: she only got the information and didn't directly grab the evidence like in the original story, so rather than gamble and wait, it was better to drive Dumbledore away as soon as possible to avoid complications.

"What's going on?" When they went downstairs for dinner, they were surprised to find that the hourglasses embedded in the alcoves, which recorded the scores of each house, had undergone huge changes.

This morning, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were neck and neck in the lead, but now, right before their eyes, gems were flying upwards from time to time.

The number of gems in the lower half of the hourglass was getting smaller and smaller.

In fact, of the four hourglasses placed here representing each house, it seemed that only the Slytherin hourglass, filled with emeralds, hadn't changed.

"Don't you guys know?" Michael Corner walked over and said, "Umbridge has established the Inquisitorial Squad, recruited a group of students from Slytherin who support the Ministry of Magic, and given them the power to deduct points."

"Does Umbridge really have a problem with her brain?" Hermione said with a surprised expression, "Giving those Slytherins the power to deduct points at will—this is too absurd, how can she change these school rules that have been going on for hundreds of years right from the start."

"But that's the reality," Hugo said, pointing to the gems in the hourglass that were constantly flying upwards.

"They can even drive away the headmaster, what wouldn't they dare to do?"

For the next period of time, the atmosphere throughout the school was very oppressive, as everyone endured the devastation of the so-called Inquisitorial Squad while worrying about the safety of the school without Dumbledore.

And the most depressed were the fifth and seventh-year students, because they also had to worry about the important exams they faced, especially with the Defense Against the Dark Arts class basically being abolished this year.

"Hugo, we have something we'd like to get your advice on," Fred suddenly walked in from outside while Hugo and the others were studying in the library, looking like he wanted to say something to him.

"What's the matter?" After greeting Hermione and Vineto, Hugo followed Fred out of the library and into an empty corridor, where George was also waiting.

"It's like this," Fred shrugged.

"I think we're completely adults now and don't need to continue full-time education."

"Originally, we were still planning to pass the N.E.W.T. exams and get our certificates according to Mom's wishes, but now we can't stand this oppressive atmosphere anymore," George blinked.

"Especially when we were working with you before, we fully realized our abilities, and I think I should be able to open a successful joke shop in Diagon Alley."

"So—" Fred continued George's words, "As our shop's most important technology provider and one of the three shareholders, we thought we should consult you for your opinion on this matter."

"If you really need me to say something, I can only say that your idea is really a bit ill-considered," Hugo said, carefully choosing his words.

"You have to know that if you do this, you will terminate your studies."

"We know," Fred said quickly.

"No, you don't know," Hugo shook his head.

"You may think it's cool and can embody your spirit of resistance and give Umbridge a lesson."

"But the problem is, you have to know that the professors in the school aren't just that one Umbridge, have you considered the thoughts of the other professors by doing this?"

"Not to mention that your mother has become more gentle about your current situation and no longer requires you to go to the Ministry of Magic, but is able to accept your dream of opening a shop."

"So I think you should also fulfill one of your mother's wishes for you, because I think Mrs. Weasley is really good to you, and you shouldn't let her down."

"But the current atmosphere—" George said somewhat dejectedly.

"We just want to change the school."

"Your naive approach will only change yourselves," Hugo revealed the truth mercilessly.

"After all, everyone is a student, and most people don't have much choice in this situation."

"So you're just seeking a moment of pleasure, and it's not possible to play some important leading role in the school like you imagine."