"Honest" "Revelation"

Over the next few days, Isaac went back and forth between the offices of several Heads of House, including Professor Snape.

Even Professor Snape.

At any other time, Isaac would never have found so many opportunities for one-on-one lessons from master teachers. Not only were they free, but each of them taught only the subject they excelled at most.

The other three Heads of House went without saying. Who could refuse an intelligent student who was diligent and eager to learn?

In truth, Professor Snape would not refuse either.

The most important thing for a student was to learn to treat everyone equally.

That was exactly how Isaac approached his questions. He made sure to visit all four Heads of House and spread his requests evenly among them.

Although Professor Snape had been far colder than the other professors in the Great Hall.

He did not owe Isaac anything, after all.

Seeking knowledge, seeking knowledge—Isaac had only managed the "learning" part in his previous life. The true emphasis of those words lay in the seeking.

Professor Snape still maintained his usual indifferent attitude toward Isaac's questions.

But he did not skimp on anything he ought to teach.

As one of the acknowledged Potions masters of the age, Snape's guidance would spare Isaac countless detours in the field of Potions.

In the Wizarding World, there was a threshold to learning knowledge.

These subjects were not things one could understand simply by following a textbook, especially Potions and Herbology. There were far too many details and trivial bits of knowledge involved.

To the powerful wizards who wrote textbooks, such tiny details were practically instinctive.

Yet for Isaac, a newcomer to the Wizarding World, they were precisely the things that required special attention.

Isaac could steal-learn these things through prophecy, but it was still far less efficient than bringing a notebook and asking in person.

What else was a mouth for, if not talking?

In short, after a few days, Isaac had made himself a familiar face among the Heads of House.

At the moment, Isaac was in Professor McGonagall's office, making the final revisions to his Transfiguration essay.

"What did you just say? Quirrell?" Professor McGonagall had murmured something under her breath, and Isaac had vaguely caught Quirrell's name.

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Yes. Professor Quirrell will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the coming school year."

Professor McGonagall sighed inwardly. A perfectly good Defense Against the Dark Arts professor position had become an annual replacement post at Hogwarts.

The problem was that, with the rumor having circulated for so long, even Professor McGonagall could not say whether the claim that Voldemort had placed a curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position was rumor or truth.

Back then, she could have confidently told everyone that it was merely a rumor.

But now, Professor McGonagall no longer had the confidence to say so.

Because after Dumbledore refused Voldemort's request to teach, something happened to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor every year. She had experienced it herself.

Fortunately, there were already some candidates for this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. The question was who they would find next year.

Isaac was amazed by that old man Dumbledore. His lips were truly sealed tight. He had even dared to keep something like this from Professor McGonagall?

Just yesterday, Isaac had seen Dumbledore sneaking desserts in the Headmaster's Office.

As expected of Hogwarts' Headmaster. He really did not have a shred of pressure.

Dumbledore might not tell Professor McGonagall, but Isaac could not "know and fail to report it." Old Dumbledore was the Headmaster; he was not.

Professor McGonagall had treated him with complete sincerity. How could Isaac let Dumbledore hide away and relax by himself?

"What Professor Quirrell?" Isaac's eyes shifted. "Hogwarts' newly appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is already gone."

"Hm?" Professor McGonagall's heart tightened.

If any other young wizard had said that, Professor McGonagall would have assumed the child was being mischievous and would need a stern lesson.

But she had no choice but to take Isaac's words seriously.

For one thing, his relationship with Dumbledore was impossible to define. It was entirely possible that he had heard some inside information from Dumbledore.

For another, Professor McGonagall had already confirmed with Dumbledore that Isaac truly possessed prophecy.

And it was highly targeted prophecy in Grindelwald's style, not the fraud-like prophecies of Hogwarts' Divination professor, Trelawney.

That meant if Isaac said the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was gone, then he might truly be gone.

No!

Professor McGonagall hurriedly sought confirmation from Isaac.

"Mr. Waldore, what exactly do you mean by 'gone'...?"

"Professor Quirrell took a trip to a forest in Albania, then brought Voldemort, who was hiding on the back of his head, back with him.

I happened to see the Voldemort on the back of his head, so I told Professor Dumbledore."

Isaac pointed at his mismatched eyes, telling Professor McGonagall that the "seeing" he spoke of had not been physical sight.

Rather, he had seen it through prophecy.

"Some time ago, Professor Dumbledore paid a visit and destroyed Voldemort's wandering spirit at Quirrell's home.

But Voldemort and Professor Quirrell were bound too deeply together. After his wandering spirit was destroyed, Professor Quirrell went with him."

"So, Professor McGonagall, our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for this year is gone."

"Oh, and I personally witnessed Professor Dumbledore destroy Voldemort's wandering spirit. He let me use the Pensieve."

Isaac even supplied Professor McGonagall with irrefutable "ironclad evidence."

Professor McGonagall: ??!

Since meeting Professor McGonagall at Hogwarts, this was truly the first time Isaac had seen such a dramatic change in her expression.

It was also the first time he had seen a trace of panic on Professor McGonagall's face.

That panic was not because Voldemort had died.

With Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of the age, personally blocking his door, it would have been strange if Voldemort had not died.

If he could have survived, he would not have hidden from Dumbledore and dared not meet him back then.

Professor McGonagall was worried about what they would do about Defense Against the Dark Arts for the coming school year.

There was barely over a month until term began, and only now had she received this earth-shattering bad news.

The professor was gone. What were they supposed to do???

"Mr. Waldore, your essay has been revised to perfection. Here is the submission address for Transfiguration Today. You can have an owl deliver your essay to them.

I need to see Professor Dumbledore. We'll end today's tutoring here!"

Professor McGonagall hurried away, leaving her office and heading straight for the Headmaster's Office.

As Deputy Headmistress, she had to know Dumbledore's arrangements for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the coming school year.

If Dumbledore did not have a suitable candidate either, Professor McGonagall would have to quickly use her connections to find someone to fill in.

They could not possibly leave the young wizards to teach themselves for the next year, could they?

Hogwarts had seven years, after all, and fifth-years and seventh-years still had to face the two most important examinations of their lives.

Without a reliable professor, would that not ruin the children's futures?

Professor McGonagall would never do such a thing!