#70 - Chapter 70 The Old Man Who Stole Phoenix

After leaving Snape's house, Sebastian went to Hogwarts to meet with Dumbledore as agreed.

Hogwarts during the holidays seemed exceptionally quiet, completely different from the lively atmosphere during the school term.

The corridors were no longer filled with the students' noisy chatter, only a few ghosts drifted by, leaving behind a slight chill.

The marble staircase stood silently, no longer echoing with hurried footsteps.

The Great Hall seemed particularly empty, and the ceiling was devoid of flocks of owls circling overhead with letters and packages.

Sebastian pushed open the Headmaster's office door, and the scene before him made him couldn't help but laugh.

Headmaster Dumbledore was holding a colorful quill, using it to tease his phoenix—Fawkes.

Fawkes stood motionless on his perch, annoyed by the teasing, he would roll his eyes, then restlessly flutter his wings, letting out a few dissatisfied squawks, as if complaining that the old man was utterly boring!

Oh!

That damn feeling of familiarity.

Isn't this exactly the same as the way Muggle old men like to walk their birds?

It's just that Old Dumbledore plays it at a higher level, walking a phoenix.

Playing it really high-class!

Seeing Sebastian walk in, Dumbledore returned to his seat, put down the quill in his hand, and revealed a kind smile.

"Oh, Sebastian, I heard that a special little guest has come to your house? Please, sit down."

Sebastian nodded with a smile and sat down in the chair opposite Dumbledore.

"Yes, Headmaster Dumbledore, your news is truly well-informed, Harry is now living in my house."

"I took him to London for a good stroll, and I also took him to Diagon Alley."

"The little guy is very curious about the magical world and full of enthusiasm for learning spells."

"Coincidentally, I am quite good at this aspect, and after a year of teaching, I am also quite experienced in teaching students."

"So, I taught him a few simple spells, and he practices them diligently every day."

"In addition, Harry has also developed a great interest in learning potions, so I found him a good teacher—Severus."

"He's having a very fulfilling time every day!"

A trace of helplessness flashed in Dumbledore's eyes: "Then you must be exhausted, but Harry is still young, you must not tire him out."

To be honest, Dumbledore immediately sensed Sebastian's ambition to fully cultivate Harry.

He was a little worried that Harry might already know about his background.

He didn't want Harry to grow into an extremist who lived for revenge.

But he couldn't say this directly, otherwise, there would inevitably be a rift between himself and Sebastian.

So, he could only euphemistically change his wording.

"His childhood was not happy, so I hope he can relax a little and be happy."

"When he gets to Hogwarts, he will have plenty of time to study."

Sebastian sighed inwardly.

Other young wizards can do that, but can Harry be the same?

He is Voldemort's thorn in the side and a pain in the neck.

Voldemort will be back in a few years.

If we don't seize the time to improve Harry's strength, are we just going to keep him living under our wings?

"For young wizards, happiness is the most important thing, don't you think, Sebastian?"

Again with this talk of happy education...

Sebastian was very resistant in his heart.

Old Dumbledore doesn't even look at how much the strength of the British magical world has regressed.

When I graduated, due to the pressure of war, graduates basically knew the Shield Charm.

Looking at the present, very few Hogwarts graduates can use the Shield Charm.

Even Auror trainees can't use this defensive spell.

Because of this, Scrimgeour, the head of the Auror Office, has been very angry.

In the past two years, fewer and fewer students have been able to become Auror trainees upon graduation.

Even Mia has told me that it is becoming increasingly difficult for St. Mungo's Hospital to recruit satisfactory healers.

What about other aspects?

How long has it been since Hogwarts participated in a major international competition?

In worldwide competitions such as the Magical School Potions Championship, how long has it been since Hogwarts students have been seen?

They don't communicate with the outside world all day long, and they don't know how high the level of students in other countries is.

Anyway, according to news from the American branch of Swan Alchemy, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry graduates look down on British wizards.

In their mouths, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has become Hogwarts School of Magical Technology.

Sebastian invisibly curled his lips, he completely disagreed with Dumbledore's statement.

However, he didn't want to continue arguing with Dumbledore on this issue.

After all, he didn't come to see Dumbledore today to argue about these things.

"I will seriously consider your ideas," Sebastian said with a slight smile, changing the subject, "I came today to talk to you about the reform plan for the next school year."

"Reform plan?" Dumbledore became interested.

At the beginning of the last school year, Sebastian made bold statements.

After Dumbledore's observation, the Quidditch team members were able to get along very well together in the later stages.

Moreover, doesn't the final result prove everything?

Even more surprising is that many cross-House friendships have emerged on campus, especially among third-year students.

And they all have one thing in common, that is, they all took Muggle Studies.

Now it seems that this young man has indeed made some progress in initially breaking down House barriers.

Of course, this road is still very long.

Now, Dumbledore wants to hear what other whimsical ideas this young man has.

"My plan is called work-study, and it mainly unfolds in two aspects."

"First, for students with excellent grades, they can apply to become teaching assistants for various professors."

"Let me give you an example. In Charms class, some young wizards can learn new spells at once, but more young wizards learn at a slower pace."

"This phenomenon is also very obvious in Transfiguration and Potions classes."

"And because there are many students, professors cannot take care of every young wizard in time."

"At this time, teaching assistants can work with professors to provide help to those little guys."

"Young wizards who become teaching assistants can not only earn some living expenses, but also consolidate their knowledge again when teaching other young wizards."

"This has a resounding name in the Muggle world, called the Feynman Learning Technique."

Sebastian spoke eloquently, introducing the benefits to Dumbledore.

"Second, we must also take into account those students who are not so good at learning."

"Some of them come from Muggle families, and some come from wizarding families with ordinary backgrounds."

"We can provide some jobs, such as taking care of the herbs in the greenhouse, or preparing potion ingredients for Potions class."

"In this way, they can earn a living for themselves through their own efforts."

"I believe they will study hard spontaneously to make themselves capable of taking on the work provided by the school."

After speaking, Sebastian took out a thick plan and handed it to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore was extremely interested in this work-study program, he quickly opened the plan and read it carefully.

This time, he read it very slowly and thought about it for a long time.

Finally, he raised his head and looked at Sebastian with embarrassment.

"This plan is very good."

"However, there is a very serious problem."

"The school's funds... are not enough..."