......

"Hey, listen, Tonks, now isn't the time to talk about this, Dumbledore is dead......"

"But ......"

Before Tonks could flip the table in annoyance, the door to the school doctor's room suddenly opened.

Hagrid walked in with heavy steps, and it was clear that this incident had hit Hagrid hard.

Hagrid had been working for Dumbledore all along, so to speak, a stupid giant, and a little silly and cute, and no one would have allowed Hagrid to get a decent job, even as a professor of magical beast protection at a world-famous school like Hogwarts.

If Dumbledore had been willing, he could have found someone better to take on the responsibility, rather than a giant who would have taught these underage wizards in the way of giants.

This shows how much encouragement Dumbledore gave Hagrid to acknowledge Hagrid's knowledge, even if it may not be applicable.

But for sure, Hagrid was definitely Dumbledore's most loyal subordinate, and he could die for Dumbledore, or even do something that Hagrid didn't want to do.

Hagrid entered, and the very small part of his face that wasn't covered by his hair and beard was wet and swollen. His body trembled with crying, and he held a huge tear-stained handkerchief in his hand.

"I ...... I'm done, Professor," he said in a choked voice, "shift...... Remove him. Professor Sputlaw had already put the children to bed. Also, Professor Villiver was still lying on his stomach, though he said he would soon be fine, and Professor Slavhorn said he had informed the Ministry of Magic.

"Thank you, Hagrid. Professor McGonagall stood up, turned her head to look at the crowd around Bill's bedside, and continued, "I'm going to meet the Ministries as soon as they get here." Hagrid, please inform the director of each house...... Professor Slavhorn can replace Slytherin...... I want them to come to my office and see me right away. ”

Hagrid nodded, turned around and walked out of the room.

Professor McGonagall looked down at Vanlin and Harry.

"I hope you two will come too, and of course I want to say a few words to you before they come. If you're willing to come with me......"

"See ......you later, then," Van Lin shook his head, and followed Professor McGonagall out of the room.

The stairs outside were empty. The only sound that could be heard was the elegy of the phoenix in the distance.

Harry was a little distraught, and that was too much of a blow to Harry, in fact, they didn't go to Professor McGonagall's office, but to Dumbledore.

It took Harry seconds to realize that, of course, Professor McGonagall had been the interim Headmaster...... Apparently she is now the principal...... So the Gargoyle queen's office is now hers......

"Van Lin?" Professor McGonagall paused.

Van Lin stepped forward, and with a wave of his hand, the door to Dumbledore's office opened.

In fact, after receiving the core that Fawkes brought him, even Dumbledore could not enter the office without permission, of course, Dumbledore may have other ways, but in reality, Van Lin is now in charge of all of Hogwarts.

"Thank you, Albus told me, but I didn't expect to get to where I am today. Then, Professor McGonagall stopped talking.

In silence, they walked up the moving spiral staircase and into the circular office.

For a moment, Harry was a little terrified, he didn't know what he expected to see: the room might be covered with a black cloth now, maybe even Dumbledore's body was lying in it.

In fact, the room was exactly the same as it had been when Harry and Dumbledore had left a few hours earlier: gleaming silver instruments fluttering and whirring on the elongated table, Gryffindor's sword reflecting the silver moonlight in a glass case, and the Sorting Hat resting on the bookshelf behind the desk.

Nothing seemed to have changed, and Harry looked at it with a blank look, and suddenly, Harry's eyes shrank.

A new portrait has been added to the ranks of the late Headmaster of Hogwarts...... Dumbledore fell asleep in the golden frame on the table, his half-moon glasses hanging from the bridge of his curved nose, looking calm and serene. After staring at the portrait for a while, Professor McGonagall made a strange gesture as if to wrap herself in a coat of steel, and then she looked around the table at Harry, her face stretched wide.

"Harry," she said, "I want to know what you and Professor Dumbledore have done tonight since they left the school, and of course, you Verlin, you and Dumbledore have been carrying all the things behind our backs, including the Order of the Phoenix......"

"I'm sorry, Professor, but I don't think it's important, but it's still confidential. Harry shook his head, to witness Voldemort's greatness, to see how powerful Voldemort really was.

Harry didn't want to say something like that, and it would cast a shadow over everyone.

Even the Ministry of Magic kept its mouth shut.

Aside from Scrimgeour and a few important officials, only he and Dumbledore knew about it, and everyone else had their memories washed away......

"I think that's probably a big ......"

"I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall!" Van Lin interrupted Professor McGonagall with a shake of his head, "whether it's based on Dumbledore himself, or other rules of secrecy, I think ......"

"You know, El, because of Professor Dumbledore's death, I think you should be aware that things have changed......"

"I don't think so," Harry said with a shrug, "Dumbledore never said that if he died, I could stop obeying his orders. ”

"Harry, you should learn to ......judge," Professor McGonagall frowned, a rare hint of weakness rising on Professor McGonagall's face in a serious manner.

"I respect Harry's judgment as much as I respect you. "I can only tell you that everything we do can be made public at the right time, but that's not now, Professor." ”

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, and just as she was about to retort, Harry answered.

"But...... One thing you must know before the Ministry of Magic comes is that Lady Rosmerta is in control, and she's helping Malfoy and the Death Eaters, and that's how that necklace and poisoned liquor ......"

"Rosmerta?" Professor McGonagall repeated skeptically, but was interrupted by a knock on the door before she could continue. Professors Sputlaw, Willifer, and Slavhorn entered, and Hagrid followed, still weeping bitterly, his massive skeleton trembling with grief.

"Snape!" Slavhorn called out suddenly, up to the most battered, pale, agitated man. "Snape, I taught him, I think I know him!"

But before the others could answer him, a shrill voice came from a high wall: a gray-faced wizard with a short black beard had just stepped into his empty canvas. "Minerva, the Ministry of Magic could be here at any time, they've left the Ministry. ”

"Thank you, Phineas. Professor McGonagall said she quickly turned to the professors. "I wanted to tell you a little bit about what happened at Hogwarts before they came, and she said quickly, "It seems to me that I'm not sure the school will be open next year. The death of the headmaster at the hands of one of our colleagues is a stain on the history of Hogwarts. It's horrible. ”

"I'm sure Dumbledore would want the school to remain open," Professor Sputlaw said, "and I think the school should remain open for students as long as one student wants to come." ”

"But will we still have a student?" said Slavhorn as he wiped his sweaty brow with a silk handkerchief. "Parents prefer their children to stay at home. ”

"I can't blame them for that. In my opinion, I don't think Hogwarts is more dangerous than anywhere else, but you can't force other mothers to think the same. ”

"It's normal for them to want their families together. ”

"I agree," said Professor McGonagall, "in any case, it would be wrong to say that Dumbledore never thought about facing the dissolution of Hogwarts. When the Chamber of Secrets was opened again, he had thought of closing the school...... I must say that Professor Dumbledore's killing was trickier than the Slytherin monsters roaming the unknowable places of the school castle...... It was a catastrophe that had never happened like this in the history of Hogwarts, even in the darkest of times. ”

"However, we must consult with the Ministry of Magic," Professor Velliver said in his short, high-pitched voice; He had a large bruise on his forehead, but it looked like his fall in Snape's office was fine. "We have to follow the procedure and not make hasty decisions. ”

"Hagrid, you haven't said anything," Professor McGonagall said, "what's your opinion?

During their conversation, Hagrid had been wiping his eyes with his tear-stained handkerchief.

Now Hagrid lifted his swollen eyes and said hoarsely, "I don't know, Professor...... It should be up to the Dean of the College and the Vice-Chancellor to decide......"

"Professor Dumbledore has always valued your opinion," Professor McGonagall said mildly, "and so do I." ”

"Well, I'm going to stay," Hagrid said, and large tears slowly trickled from the corners of his eyes and into his tangled beard. "This is my home, it's been my home since I was 13 years old. If there are children who want me to teach them, I will do it. ”

Hagrid endured his grief, but in fact, it was too difficult for Hagrid.

"But...... I do not know...... Hogwarts without Dumbledore......" He forced himself to sob, wiped his eyes with his handkerchief again, and fell silent. I want to see if someone from the Ministry of Magic has arrived.

"Then I agree with Professor Williver that the right thing to do is to consult with the government and leave the decision to them. Now, as for sending the students home...... There is an argument that they should be sent away as soon as possible. If necessary, we can arrange for the Hogwarts to come tomorrow......

"What about Dumbledore's funeral?" Harry finally asked.

"Hmm......" Professor McGonagall's voice trembled, her strength seemed to have been lost.

"I ...... I think Dumbledore's last wish was to be buried here, at Hogwarts......"

"Then we'll do that, right?" Harry asked hurriedly.

"If the Ministry of Magic thinks it's an act of private privilege," Professor McGonagall said, never before before had a headmaster been a ......"

"Never before has a principal contributed more to the school than he has," Hagrid growled.

"Hogwarts is supposed to be Dumbledore's eternal resting place. Professor Williver said.

"Absolutely. Professor Sputlaw said.

"In that case," said Van Lin hesitantly, "the students should be allowed to go home after Dumbledore's funeral." ”

"Yes, that's right!" Harry chimed in, "they all want to say ...... to him"

The last word choked in his throat, but Professor Sputlaw helped him finish it.

"Goodbye. ”

"Well said," Professor Velliver snapped. "That's a good point! Our students should pay tribute to Dumbledore, it's appropriate. We can arrange for them to go home after that. ”

"Yes. ”

"I want to ...... Okay......" Slavhorn said in an excited voice. Hagrid let out a muffled whimper in agreement.

"They're coming. Professor McGonagall stared at the square and suddenly said, the Minister for Magic ...... It seems that he brought a delegation ......"

"That'...... Can we leave, Professor?" asked Harry immediately. He didn't want to see Scrimgeour tonight at all, or to be interrogated by him about what was going on.

"You two can go. Professor McGonagall said, "Hurry up. ”

She strode over to the door and opened it for Harry and the two of them.

"Please wait a minute, Professor......" Van Lin said, stretching out his hand, and a rune similar to a flame appeared in Van Lin's palm, but now the light of the flame was very small.

"It's ......"

"Core Control ......" Van Lin shook his head, "Dumbledore gave Fawkes to me, and then, I found this, I thought, you need this even more, though...... Although they were no longer useful, the Death Eaters had been setting them up for a long time, and they had destroyed almost all of the nodes. ”

"Good!"

Van Lin nodded, and quickly ran down the spiral staircase with Harry, walking through the uninhabited hallway.

Harry dropped his invisibility robe on the top of the tower, but it didn't matter; At least, Harry didn't have the heart to do so.

The two men walked down the hallway, and they didn't meet a single person, not even Filch and his cat, not even Peeves.

Before he walked into the passage leading to Gryffindor's common room, they didn't meet a single person or ghost.

Everyone went into hiding, and the Death Eaters breached the castle, at least, so far.

Wasn't Dumbledore also at the hands of the Death Eaters?

"Is this true?" whispered the fat lady as she saw the two approaching, "Is this true?" Dumbledore...... Dead?"

"Yes. Harry said. She let out a wail. Without waiting for the two of them to say the order, they flipped forward and let them pass.

As Harry had guessed, the common room was packed with people. As he passed through the hole behind the portrait, silence attacked the room.

He saw Dean and Seamus sitting together: it meant that his dorm room was now empty, or almost empty, except for Hedwig......

Fawkes is still mourning in the square.

Without speaking to anyone, without making eye contact with anyone, Harry and Van Lin walked straight through the room into the boys' dormitory.

Ron was waiting for the two of them, he was sitting in his own bed, not yet changing his pajamas.

For a moment, no one spoke, Van Lin just walked over to collect Fawkes's residence, and before long, he was going to leave here with all his belongings, fortunately, nothing was left behind.

"They are talking about closing this school. Harry said.

"Lupin said they would do it......"