Hiss! Beside him, Malfoy had already drawn in a conspicuously sharp breath.
It was not just him. Almost every young wizard in the Great Hall was expressing their surprise in one way or another.
Those who were not particularly sensitive to such matters merely thought the headmaster was being incredibly cool.
But pure-bloods with a family background like Malfoy's could dimly sense the turbulent undercurrents.
At the staff table, Professor McGonagall had knocked over her soup bowl, and Professor Flitwick had fallen off the Auspicious Cloud. The professors held their newspapers, looking even more shocked than the students.
"Zhang... what is Headmaster Dumbledore trying to do?"
Malfoy asked quietly, his face rather pale. Ever since he had met Zhang, his allegiance had gradually shifted toward Dumbledore.
And one of the main reasons Lucius and his wife had agreed to let Malfoy continue attending school was Dumbledore's presence.
As long as Dumbledore was there, Voldemort would not dare touch the students of Hogwarts. Everyone agreed on that.
In practice, that was more or less true.
When Zhang said nothing, Malfoy could no longer contain his anxiety. He edged closer to Zhang Xiao and whispered:
"Zhang, calling for his removal isn't the problem. The problem is that it failed.
"It'll make everyone think Dumbledore has lost the influence he once had. They'll wonder whether he's grown old and useless.
"Zhang, do you understand?
"The old king's power began to slip away the first time he failed to execute a minister."
Zhang Xiao put down his newspaper and nodded. Of course he understood what Malfoy meant. If one side did not overpower the other, the other would overpower it.
It was a question of which way the wind was blowing.
In the original story, Dumbledore had continually backed down. His greatest act of