Over the next few days, Aiden attended Professor Snape's Defense Against the Dark Arts class and Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures course.
To be fair, Professor Snape's Defense Against the Dark Arts level was quite superb—if only he didn't cover the walls with pictures of witches under the Cruciatus Curse, men kissed by Dementors, and wizards bitten by Inferi.
Of course, his teaching students nonverbal spellcasting techniques in class was all very practical.
Notably, Harry argued with Snape in his class, and Snape instinctively wanted to make Harry scrub cauldrons.
However, he was no longer the Potions professor. After holding it in for ages, Professor Snape punished Harry by making him clean the boys' bathroom instead.
Aiden carefully recalled his entire career attending classes at Hogwarts and discovered only three Defense Against the Dark Arts professors who actually taught properly.
Two of them were Death Eaters. Perhaps in the future, this course should just have dark wizards as professors for optimal results.
I'm teaching you how to defend against myself, essentially.
On the other side was Hagrid. After entering sixth year, the magical creatures he brought became increasingly dangerous.
He often brought XXXX-rated animals to class. Not satisfied with that, he even caught an Acromantula from the Forbidden Forest.
Unfortunately, before this thing could be brought to students, Professor McGonagall killed it with Transfiguration, leaving him upset for quite a while.
However, Aiden discerned Hagrid's thoughts. He was sad purely because not one of the trio had chosen his advanced course.
Though sixth-year courses decreased significantly, with increased coursework and difficulty, it actually wasn't much easier than before.
Hermione and Ron had mixed feelings about Harry getting top marks in every Potions class. They were torn between not wanting him to struggle and not wanting him to outshine everyone.
Seeing them like this, Harry couldn't help telling Hermione about the notes.
However, having experienced second year, Hermione suspected the book had problems and cast over a dozen detection spells on it, but with no effect whatsoever.
Helplessly returning the notes to Harry, Harry proposed sharing these notes in the next class. Hermione refused.
Ron happily accepted, but he couldn't understand the notes and annotations inside.
While all the wizards were busy and overwhelmed, the first week quietly ended.
On Saturday, the sun rarely came out. Facing such good weather, Aiden had originally planned to fly to the stratosphere.
However, his ability's warning made him aware someone was looking for him.
Following his ability's guidance to a tower corner, Harry rushed out from the corridor and crashed into Aiden.
"Whoa, what's the hurry?"
Aiden extended his hand and pulled Harry up from the ground.
"Aiden, great! Professor Dumbledore asked me to find you. I went to Ravenclaw Tower and the castle roof but didn't see you. Edmund even told me you went to the stratosphere. That was a joke, right?"
Harry finished speaking rapidly.
Aiden, who was about to go to the stratosphere: "..."
"Then let's go see what urgent matter Dumbledore has."
Smoothly changing the subject, Aiden followed Harry to the headmaster's office.
Using his ability to control the gargoyle at the entrance, the two arrived at the headmaster's office.
"Good afternoon, Professor," Aiden said, greeting Dumbledore.
Dumbledore closed his book, put it in the drawer, slipped a ring into the pages, then closed the drawer.
"I shall be giving Harry some private lessons this term. And I recall your letter mentioned that gathering secrets might strengthen you."
Dumbledore extended his right hand, which bore the unmistakable scars of Dark Magic, in front of Harry.
"Professor, is your hand all right?" Harry asked worriedly after seeing it.
"Quite all right, merely a mishap whilst conducting certain magical research. Madam Pomfrey has tended to it most capably. The damage should heal within a few days."
Dumbledore stood up and led the two to a cabinet containing vials of memories.
Harry had started to reach out, seeing Dumbledore's injured hand, but Dumbledore opened the case effortlessly with magic.
Harry realized he was the Muggle here.
"Let's begin today's lesson. Oh, Harry, I pushed your detention with Professor Snape to next Saturday."
Dumbledore's single sentence plunged Harry, who had been in good spirits, back into despair.
Then he pulled out the Pensieve and placed the memory inside.
The water in the Pensieve opened like a Venus flytrap and swallowed all three.
When light came again, the three found themselves standing before a gloomy house.
On the house's door was a snake carving, and many dead snakes were nailed outside.
"The owner of this memory is named Bob Ogden, captain of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol. Not long after I obtained this memory from him, he passed away."
Dumbledore spoke and stepped aside. Aiden sensed something and also moved back.
Only Harry stood at the door, then was passed through by a somewhat balding man.
Harry cast an accusing look at them, but they ignored Harry and walked straight in, following Bob into the house.
Bob entered the sinister house and met the house's owner, receiving a cold welcome.
"You filthy half-bloods. If not for your skin color, do you think I'd let you in?" Marvolo cursed.
"My apologies for the intrusion, Mr. Gaunt. I represent the Ministry investigating the attack on a Muggle that occurred nearby," Bob stated his purpose calmly.
"And according to our investigation, the perpetrator appears to be your son, Morfin Gaunt."
"Is that so?" Marvolo Gaunt's pipe stopped midair, looking at his son.
"Yes... because of Merope. She keeps staring at that Mudblood outside. I cast a spell to teach him a lesson!" Morfin Gaunt suddenly became agitated.
"What, you're mooning over a Mudblood!"
Marvolo angrily stood up, but his anger was directed at Merope. He reached out and grabbed his daughter's throat.
"Stop, what are you doing!" Bob moved to intervene.
"Reducto!" Morfin Gaunt immediately pulled out his wand and attacked Bob.
Bob deflected the Reductor Curse with a Shield Charm and Disapparated.
Next, the trio watched Bob return to the Ministry with backup and storm into the Gaunt shack to arrest Marvolo and Morfin.
They were each sentenced to six months and three years respectively for assaulting Ministry officials and torturing Muggles.
At the end of Bob's memory, Merope began a lonely existence alone in the shack.dering life.
The surrounding environment began melting like ink. Harry took a deep breath and found himself back in the headmaster's office.
Aiden and Dumbledore had already made tea, and the empty seat beside them was for him.