Chapter 48: Cheers to Hogwarts! Cheers to Hufflepuff!
At that moment, Professor McGonagall gave Douglas a rather peculiar smile.
Then she turned to Professor Sprout beside her.
"Pomona, aren't you curious how Douglas managed to produce more than ten thousand Galleons so easily?"
"Don't forget—he's Muggle-born. And during the three years after graduation, he barely appeared in the wizarding world."
Her remark immediately sparked curiosity among the other professors.
None of them were the sort to pry into a colleague's private life. But after working with Professor McGonagall for so many years, they knew she was not someone who would raise such a subject lightly.
Professor Sprout reacted first—like an offended badger.
"Minerva!" she snapped angrily. "I don't care how this boy obtained that money. If he chose not to tell us, he must have his reasons."
"But I believe Hufflepuff students would never become dark wizards!"
"You should trust your students as well!"
Professor Flitwick quickly reached up—stretching quite a bit—to pat her shoulder.
"Pomona, calm down. Minerva didn't mean that."
"How could Douglas possibly be a dark wizard?"
"I still remember the Lumos Charm in his hands. When he cast it, it could even repel Dark magic. A student capable of such magic could never walk that path."
Douglas understood immediately: although Flitwick was trying to calm Professor Sprout, he was also subtly reminding McGonagall of Douglas's character.
Just as Douglas was considering how to respond, McGonagall's expression grew serious.
Ignoring the reactions of the others, she spoke directly to him.
"Douglas, although Albus always says he respects your decisions, there are things you should know."
"In the past week, Headmaster Dumbledore has received numerous complaints from students' parents."
"Quite a few people are even saying that he's grown old and confused—choosing you instead of the famous Gilderoy Lockhart."
She glanced apologetically toward Flitwick.
"Oh—sorry, Filius. I didn't mean to imply Mr. Lockhart isn't… accomplished."
Then she continued.
"People outside the school are questioning your teaching ability."
"Previous Defence Against the Dark Arts professors may not have been the best—but each of them had at least some reputation in the wizarding world."
"That reputation reassured parents."
"But you… have left almost no trace in the wizarding world since graduation."
"I never understood why Albus selected you for the position."
She paused briefly.
"Until the day before yesterday—when I noticed a certain book in the Headmaster's office."
The other professors had clearly heard similar rumors.
At the mention of a book, all eyes turned toward Douglas.
Douglas remained silent, staring steadily at McGonagall.
She returned the stare without flinching.
At that moment, Douglas suddenly asked himself a question.
Why had he hidden his identity in the first place?
During his school years, he avoided drawing attention to his wealth for safety reasons. He wanted to prevent dark wizards from targeting him after graduation.
Later, he worried about attracting Voldemort's attention when the war inevitably returned.
Back then, he had no system and no powerful allies. Caution had been the only sensible path.
But now…
He had the system.
What was there left to fear?
If Voldemort truly noticed him, the Dark Lord would probably think killing a Muggle-born Defence professor with an Avada Kedavra would be an easy victory anyway.
After thinking it through, Douglas suddenly laughed.
He raised his glass.
"Professor, please don't make the atmosphere so serious."
"Tell me—what exactly do you plan to do about this matter?"
Professor McGonagall lifted her glass calmly.
"I don't understand what you're worried about."
"During your time as a student, you broke more school rules than most students ever dream of."
"Hogwarts even had to introduce several new rules because of you."
"Don't laugh, Mr. Holmes—I'm not praising you."
But the other professors couldn't help laughing.
Even McGonagall herself eventually joined them.
Just then Madam Rosmerta arrived with a tray of snacks.
She interrupted the conversation cheerfully.
"Speaking of rule-breaking, I still remember a snowy day."
"Mr. Holmes and his friends were having a picnic near the Shrieking Shack behind the hill."
"The strange part was—they brought a cauldron with them."
"Then Professor Snape somehow discovered them and chased them halfway across Hogsmeade."
"They hid the cauldron in my shop, blended into the crowd, and slipped into Honeydukes to escape him."
"I later heard Hogwarts created a new rule because of that incident."
"No cauldrons allowed for hot pot."
At this, McGonagall and Sprout exchanged a suspicious glance toward Douglas.
Douglas instantly understood their thoughts.
They suspected he had discovered the secret passage beneath the Whomping Willow while he was a student.
Of course, no one mentioned it aloud.
Too many people knowing about that passage would endanger Hogwarts.
The truth was that they had been cooking hot pot in the Shrieking Shack.
Their goal had been to cook Occamy eggs.
Unfortunately, a meddling Slytherin had reported them for wandering the school grounds with a cauldron.
Snape had nearly cornered them inside the Shack.
At the last moment, Douglas had blown open part of the tunnel to delay him.
While Snape cleared the debris, Douglas had magically dug a hole just large enough for one person to crawl through.
It was the most humiliating escape of his life.
Later, he and Bill cursed both the Slytherin who reported them—and whoever built the Shrieking Shack.
What kind of abandoned house had no doors or windows?
And why so many protective spells?
If the wall had simply been normal stone, they could have blasted it open and left instead of digging their way out like dogs.
Of course, Douglas had never told Bill that the person responsible for building the Shrieking Shack might very well have been Albus Dumbledore himself.
Thinking about it now, Douglas glanced at Professor Kettleburn—still laughing loudly at the story.
Perhaps one day he should tell the old professor they had eaten Occamy eggs…
Professor McGonagall eventually regained her composure.
She spoke seriously again.
"Douglas, Hogwarts respects the choices of every professor."
"But as your former Transfiguration professor, I hope you will make your mark in the wizarding world."
"I've read your book."
"It contains many excellent theories."
"If it were written as an academic paper instead of a novel, it would easily be worthy of publication in journals such as Transfiguration Today, Innovations in Magical Spells, or Practical Potions Master."
Her final remark stunned everyone present.
Even Madam Rosmerta froze.
All eyes turned toward Douglas.
Professor Flitwick reacted first.
"You don't mean… the book we discussed earlier?"
McGonagall nodded.
Professor Sprout suddenly gasped.
"Good heavens… I should have realized!"
"That book—The Magic Kitchen God."
"The one written by that author who calls himself the 'Flat-Headed Banana Brother'… I always suspected the writer might be a Hufflepuff."
Then she suddenly froze.
"Wait… when that book was first published, you were still in your first year."
Her expression hardened.
Sprout could accept mediocre students.
But she could not tolerate dishonesty.
The greatest virtue of Hufflepuff was honesty.
Douglas smiled bitterly and explained.
"When I first entered the wizarding world, everything felt unfamiliar."
"The future seemed distant and uncertain."
"The magical world had just experienced a war. I quickly realized it was far less peaceful than it appeared."
"A person with no family and no support who wishes to live safely here must strengthen himself—financially and personally."
"Fortunately, Hogwarts is a welcoming place."
"Hufflepuff gave me the warmth of home."
"The library provided enormous help during the years I spent writing books… and earning money."
As Douglas spoke quietly, the atmosphere around the table softened.
Professor Sprout wiped her eyes.
She blamed herself softly.
She had always wanted every Hufflepuff student—especially those from the Muggle world—to feel at home.
Looking back, Douglas had broken school rules more than once during his student years.
But he had always admitted his mistakes honestly.
He had often built friendly relationships with professors.
He frequently cooked new dishes and invited teachers to try them.
During holidays when staff remained at Hogwarts, he volunteered to cook for the entire faculty.
Whenever he returned from vacations, he brought small but thoughtful gifts from the Muggle world.
Even Professor Snape—who disliked him the most—had once taught him Occlumency, something far outside the scope of Potions.
At first, some professors had disliked Douglas.
They thought he behaved more like a Slytherin than a Hufflepuff.
But over time they came to appreciate his sincerity.
Many even predicted he would become a brilliant social figure in the Ministry of Magic.
When they later heard that Douglas had avoided the Ministry and gradually disappeared from the wizarding world, they had privately lamented that a promising social star had faded away.
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