The crowd dispersed, and a group headed toward the boundary between the Black Lake and the Forbidden Forest.
It was Will and his friends.
Before long, someone else began following them. Naturally, it was Malfoy.
Will walked behind Harry and the others, his gaze sweeping over Harry's back. Under "Strange's" guidance, Harry had improved at an astonishing pace and could scarcely find a match among students in his year.
Even Moody had begun to marvel at how quickly Harry was growing.
In essence, this "Strange" was actually the Sorting Hat working behind the scenes. Combining Will's idea with some of Dumbledore's knowledge, the Sorting Hat could perfectly impersonate the "old mentor in the glasses."
Having spent years sitting in the Headmaster's Office with nothing to do, the Sorting Hat was more than happy to take on the job. It had even said something nice about Will for once.
Everyone in Will's group had won their practical combat exercises. They chatted and laughed as they walked, soon arriving at the High Tower.
As they approached the High Tower, they found an old man with white hair, white robes, and a white beard waiting for them—Dumbledore, of course.
"Professor Dumbledore." They greeted him. In truth, none of those present were strangers to Dumbledore; all of them had spoken with him a few times, at least.
Connections mattered in the wizarding world, too.
Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "You did well in your Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson just now. Neville in particular has made great progress."
Only then did they realize that Dumbledore had watched their practical combat training in Defence Against the Dark Arts.
Neville's face immediately turned red. "It was just... just good luck..."
"Without all the time you spent diligently practicing the Summoning Charm, how could you have