Mysterious Journey

Chapter 1281: A Whirlpool Beneath the Undercurrent

"So, were these your ideas, or Professor Dumbledore's?"

Professor McGonagall turned her head to look at the figure disappearing through the door. She couldn't help but raise her voice.

"Whatever I say, you already have your own answer, don't you?" Aileen's voice floated over the threshold. "A new era... has begun."

On the morning of the second weekend after Dumbledore's disappearance, a new notice finally appeared on the bulletin board in front of the Hogwarts Great Hall:

[Restart of Hogwarts Faculty Qualification Review]

"Starting next semester, all faculty and staff must obtain qualified credentials before being allowed to work."

"Current teaching staff and employees may temporarily continue teaching during the review period, but must attend teacher qualification training every weekend."

"The above regulations comply with the Twenty-eighth Education Decree and Article 5 of the Hogwarts Provisional Guidance."

Signed:

Supervising Headmaster - Rufus Scrimgeour

Senior Undersecretary to the Minister and Consultant - Dolores Jane Umbridge

...

And at the end of the signatures of all the professors, Ministry officials, and the temporary Headmaster, there was also a delicate and lovely little signature.

Aileen Kaslana.

This abrupt announcement quickly sparked various rumors among the students.

However, these announcements were just the beginning. Dolores Umbridge returned to the teaching post.

Due to Lockhart's temporary leave, the position of Hogwarts Grammar Professor had been vacant for too long. Nearly Headless Nick was obviously unable to serve as a professor for an extended period.

Through the mediation of Scrimgeour and the Ministry of Magic, Umbridge smoothly filled Lockhart's vacancy and became the Grammar Professor at Hogwarts.

"How could you let that woman take the job, Aileen! She doesn't understand what literature is!"

Hermione complained, her favorite Grammar class completely ruined.

In Umbridge's class, they didn't encounter any new and interesting stories, not even classical poetry.

Various tedious, uninteresting, and extremely rigid official document writing, copying of news announcements... The boring exercises made most young wizards groan.

People originally thought that Professor Binns' History of Magic was the most dull and hypnotic, but Umbridge's class was even worse.

"Well, Umbridge doesn't understand literature, but she is definitely top-notch in applied writing and official documents."

Aileen waved her hand dismissively, signing her name on a blank parchment.

"If you don't want to write, I can sign your homework for you..."

"Never mind, I'm just complaining a little... Her stuff is a bit useful."

Hermione hesitated and picked up her quill again to tackle the Grammar homework she hadn't finished.

"Okay - anyway, my privileges are always open to you."

Aileen shrugged, tapping the parchment in front of her thoughtfully.

It had to be said that Umbridge's slipperiness exceeded her imagination. The pink toad didn't give her any chance to make things difficult.

Ever since Dumbledore revealed her identity that night, Umbridge had almost completely ignored any of Aileen's violations or willfulness.

Aileen had originally thought that Dumbledore's departure and the Ministry of Magic's strong intervention in Hogwarts would make Umbridge swell up, and that she would be as crazy as she was in the original story.

However, these things seemed to make her paranoid. She seemed to realize something in advance. Not to mention running around in other classrooms, even in the Grammar class she behaved quite restrained. Besides the still annoying regimented teaching methods and the dull and boring teaching content, she seemed determined to be a good professor.

In fact, not to mention not handing in homework, as long as Aileen didn't openly disrupt the class, Umbridge wouldn't even shift her gaze for a second.

Now the professors at Hogwarts seemed like tightly wound springs, each teaching cautiously, understanding the teacher qualification review:

The Hogwarts review was not only posted at the school, but also appeared on the front page of *The Daily Prophet*.

And with the flood of applications and inquiries from owls the next day, all the professors suddenly realized a problem - there were too many wizards who wanted to teach at Hogwarts.

When "teacher qualification" became a clear, objective content that could be determined by examination, the wave of competition from the wizarding world was enough to overwhelm everyone.

Even Professor McGonagall had to start paying attention to the content of those "teacher qualification review exams" that popped up from nowhere.

"The Ministry of Magic and the school board have passed a decree that, within a reasonable scope, we must first pass the test."

She saw it very clearly. Compared to Umbridge's secret operations, the plan proposed by "Scrimgeour" at least appeared flawless on the surface.

Professor McGonagall could feel a witch manipulating and influencing the Hogwarts campus step by step:

The students' magic books, the professors' qualification review, the planning of three meals a day, the reform of the school curriculum... even ghosts, portraits, house-elves, and even the moving staircases.

And the only way Professor McGonagall could fight back was to figure out what "teacher qualification review" was as soon as possible, and question it as someone who had passed.

However, with the first teacher qualification review training session on the weekend, Professor McGonagall began to feel an extremely powerless sense of frustration.

The course content was not difficult at all. Strictly speaking, it didn't even count as a magical assessment.

Teacher's comprehensive quality, educational knowledge and ability, subject knowledge and teaching ability...

Professor McGonagall hoped that she could find loopholes in the course, but on the contrary, as the course deepened, she began to recognize it.

During Umbridge's previous visit, the investigation content was more based on the professors themselves and specific courses, or feedback from students and the Ministry of Magic.

But the teacher qualification review system currently being implemented at Hogwarts was more like a carefully woven net. Professor McGonagall could clearly see the methodology in it. Those mature and systematic textbooks and questions were definitely not something an underage witch could come up with, and even a seasoned professor like Dumbledore might not be able to write all the content completely. Those things seemed more like the result of teachers from several, or even dozens or hundreds of schools sitting together and discussing, but the wizarding world obviously didn't have such large-scale meetings.

Moreover, Umbridge's secret review work had also started again. She could occasionally see or hear that Umbridge was investigating everyone.

Hogwarts seemed to have become a whirlpool full of undercurrents, which could suddenly turn into a giant whirlpool and swallow them.

"Perhaps this is a good thing," Madam Pomfrey said after listening to McGonagall's worries. "Similar to healer certification, teacher standardization is not a bad thing."

"The Ministry of Magic is trying to use it to completely control the school," Professor McGonagall asserted. "This must be their purpose, because they can change the assessment content and learning standards at any time."

Professor McGonagall rubbed her forehead irritably. "I hope the results of the first round of investigation can come out soon. This feeling of secretly reviewing and waiting is really terrible..."

"Frankly speaking, I still don't understand why so many professors, and even Filch, would support it—"

"Because this is a good thing for them, especially for teachers and staff in some marginal disciplines."

Madam Pomfrey said, explaining with a helpless sigh.

"Argus Filch is preparing to apply to become a formal professor. This is almost a semi-public secret."

"A formal professor? But what can he teach—"

"Tomorrow, I heard that some new teaching positions will be updated tomorrow."

Madam Pomfrey looked at Professor McGonagall. As one of Aileen's allies, she couldn't bear to watch McGonagall running around in a daze.

"At the same time, there will also be a vote for acting headmaster to determine a wizard who can truly exercise the power of headmaster... They are expected to propose it at breakfast."

"What?!"

Professor McGonagall's pupils shrank.

She raised her head, looking at Madam Pomfrey with a serious expression.

"Then you know... the nominees—"

"Well," Madam Pomfrey glanced at Professor McGonagall with a strange expression. "I heard it was..."

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Cooing peek...