"Professor Dracula, perhaps you haven't noticed..."
Dumbledore came to Dracula at some point and smiled gently, "During the four years of teaching at Hogwarts, you finally formed some bonds."
"Perhaps these bonds seem insignificant to you, but they are all the sincere wishes of these students and their purest wishes."
"So this is your original purpose, Albus?" Dracula frowned slightly and asked softly, "Four years ago, that old guy Nico asked me to come here with this idea, right?"
Dumbledore smiled but said nothing.
Under the expectant gazes of many young wizards, Dracula sighed imperceptibly, took a step forward, and looked around at all the students in the audience. The faces of these students were all very familiar, as they had all sat upright facing his podium before...
"I'm not a competent professor," Dracula said slowly after a long silence.
"You know what? I don't teach seriously, I'm not responsible for teaching, I don't even bother to mark homework, I'm too lazy to do exams; as for the highly acclaimed duel club, it's just to watch you make a fool of yourself on the duel stage..."
"I don't understand, what on earth do I have that's worth you keeping me like this?"
Dracula looked around at the young wizards present, wanting to hear an answer from them.
"Professor, perhaps I can answer this question."
Percy Weiss, who came here to serve as a judge in place of Mr. Crouch, walked over from the side of the lawn and raised his hand as if he was a student, just like answering Dracula's questions in class.
Dracula looked at him with a curious look.
"Professor, maybe you just teach as you please and do what you enjoy doing," Percy said, "but in fact, you don't realize how popular your teaching is!"
Dracula looked at the many young wizards around him, and seeing that they all had expressions of approval on their faces, he couldn't help but feel more curious.
Could it be that these little wizards all have some masochistic attributes? Whether it's the dueling club or the usual classes, as long as he's in charge, none of them are easy, right? How could this be popular
"Professor, you don't have to be so curious." Percy saw Dracula's doubts and continued to explain, "No matter how tiring the duel club is, it can really help us learn knowledge, and it is also an experience we have never had in other classes..."
"Do you still remember? In order to help us practice casting spells accurately, you led the students to jump out of windows one by one on a snowy day and practice magic in the snow... Professor McGonagall was really mad at that time."
Percy glanced at Professor McGonagall who was not far away. Professor McGonagall stared at him with a stern face, but then she couldn't hold back her expression and finally smiled with some nostalgia.
"Professor Dracula, your course is actually more than just a lesson for us. In many cases, it is more like a novel adventure and an interesting experience." Percy said with a smile.
"One more thing!" Fred and George sneaked up to Percy and raised their hands like Percy did just now. "We really like your teaching style. For example, you never assign boring homework, and you let us study on our own from time to time..."
"… Including choosing dance partners for us in class, so that everyone has the opportunity to participate in the Christmas ball!" Harry also smiled and looked at Ginny, and took over the conversation.
"And Professor Dracula's class is very pleasing to the eyes!" the little witch said excitedly.
Then, one by one, the little wizards began chattering about what they liked about Dracula's teaching style, and they enjoyed the discussion.
Dumbledore stood beside Dracula, looking at the little wizards in front of him with a smile.
"How is it, Professor Dracula?" Dumbledore's face was beaming, and the unhappiness he had just felt over the fight between Fudge and Dracula seemed to have completely disappeared. "Did you never expect that you would have so many fans without realizing it?"
"I really didn't expect it." Dracula said softly, "These little guys make me feel a little reluctant to leave."
"Then stay. Hogwarts still needs you, Professor Dracula," said Dumbledore.
Dracula was silent for a long time, and finally shook his head.
“No, I have to go.” He sighed, “Not just because of the reasons I just mentioned… In fact, I have more important things to accomplish, and the consequences of that matter are no worse than Voldemort’s impact on the wizarding world.”
"Is it the thing you mentioned before, about The Tales of Beedle the Bard?" Dumbledore's face turned serious.
"That's right," Dracula nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "I have offended that guy badly. He probably wants to get rid of me now. I have to find a way to deal with him."
As he said this, he turned and looked at Dumbledore, "You should also pay attention to your side. This matter is definitely more troublesome than just Voldemort."
"I understand." Dumbledore nodded slowly.
Then, Dracula looked at the densely packed students on the field again, raised one hand, and slowly floated up into the air.
"Bang—"
He snapped his fingers lightly, but the sound reached everyone's ears.
The place gradually became quiet, and everyone turned their eyes to Dracula in mid-air, watching his gradually rising figure.
"I appreciate your kindness, but we will have to say goodbye one day, whether it's today or tomorrow." Dracula's voice floated under the night sky, ringing in everyone's ears, "Even if I stay here, you will graduate one day."
"This is the last lesson I will teach you - learn to accept separation, learn to control your emotions, and don't invest your time and emotions in useless separation..."
"In the next few years, the wizarding world may no longer be peaceful, but rather turbulent. You will also need a more suitable professor to teach you this Defense Against the Dark Arts course systematically, rather than teaching you casually like I do."
The students opened their eyes wide and gradually realized that Professor Dracula would not stay.
Some little wizards were crying loudly, and even the introverted little wizards had red eyes.
"Cheer up, don't let me laugh at your weakness." Looking at the little wizards crying below, Dracula chuckled and said, "I hope that the way you remember me is not to cry here, but to think of the defense knowledge I taught you when facing danger..."
"That way, my four years at Hogwarts will be meaningful."
After saying this, Dracula turned around and looked at the Hogwarts Castle that had stood on this high ground for thousands of years.
Its appearance has not changed for a thousand years, but it seems to have been given some other meaning in just four years.
"Farewell."
Dracula said softly.
The next moment, a full moon quietly appeared behind him, brighter and cooler than the crescent moon hanging in the sky.
The silver-haired figure disappeared with the ethereal moonlight, leaving only a silent night like blue velvet in the sky, with stars dotted on the velvet.
The lights around the Quidditch pitch illuminated the faces of the students. They stared blankly at the night sky, looking in the direction where the moon disappeared, with all kinds of thoughts in their hearts.
Perhaps, in countless lives to come, they will often think of this summer night that was once illuminated by the moonlight...
…
"You...you seem a little different today?"
Walking on the wall of Bran Castle, Selina looked at Dracula's profile and hesitated for a long time before asking this.
"Is there anything different?" Dracula withdrew his gaze from the distant night sky and looked at Selina. "Come to think of it, I seem to have not changed for a very long time."
"But today is indeed different..." Selina whispered, "Or rather, during the four years you have been at Hogwarts, there seem to be new changes every year... but not as big as tonight."
"Tell me something?" Dracula turned around and leaned against the wall, interest in his eyes.
"I can still remember that you have experienced separation from others before." Selina said, "For example, more than two hundred years ago, you were invited by Ms. Dilys Devonte to serve as a guest therapist at St. Mungo's..."
"When he left St. Mungo's, he just left without saying goodbye. He didn't seem to take the attempts of Dalys and other healers to keep him seriously."
"And you also said that hundreds of years ago when you followed Nicolas Flamel to the Alchemist Guild for fun, you got bored and left there without any regrets..."
"I know what you want to say." Dracula chuckled. "You want to ask me when I started to become sentimental, right?"
"I didn't say that." Selina quickly distanced herself from the matter. "I'm just a little curious. After all, I've never seen you be moved by those wizards."
"Yeah, it seems like I haven't felt emotional fluctuations for a long, long time." Dracula looked at the starry night sky and said softly, "I have always relied on those fun things to find a little bit of insignificant happiness. As for other emotions, I haven't experienced them for a long time."
"The last time I felt such emotional fluctuations was a thousand years ago, when I saw the tomb that Salazar built for himself... I didn't realize it has been so many years."
"I see you have really changed a lot. You even start to reminisce about the past." Selena muttered secretly.
"What's wrong with reminiscing about the past?" Dracula asked with a smile, "At least it can make me feel that I'm still alive, which is much better than spending every day numbly and boringly like usual."
"I also know that people who know me often describe me as careless, ruthless, and pleasure-seeking. Only the vampires under my protection and the few old guys who can be considered my friends will care about me..."
"Now, there are more people who care about me... not just one or two, but hundreds."
"In that case, why don't you stay in Hogwarts?" Selena asked.
"Aren't you the one who wants me to go back to Dracula Castle to work the most?" Dracula looked at her with interest.
"I do want you to come back..." Selina bit her lip and whispered, "But if you are happier over there, there is no reason for me to deprive you of your rare good mood."
"I didn't expect you to be so good at making people happy right now." Dracula raised his lips, "Forget it, I do have other things to do. This matter is very dangerous, there's no need to drag down those little guys who care about me a little bit."
"Is there anything in this world that you find dangerous?" Selena asked in surprise.
"Just because it doesn't exist in this world doesn't mean it doesn't exist in another world either," Dracula said slowly.
Without waiting for Serena to continue asking, he changed the subject, "Has Riddle arranged a room for my assistant?"
"Tesla went to make arrangements. It should be almost done by now." Seeing that Dracula didn't want to say more, Selina had to suppress her doubts and replied, "Tesla said he would bring Riddle over after the arrangements were made."
Dracula nodded slightly, then looked to the end of the city wall, and sure enough, he saw two figures walking towards this side.
"The room has been arranged, Lord Dracula!" Tesla said respectfully.
"Thank you for your hard work, Tesla." Dracula nodded, then looked at Riddle beside Tesla, "Are you satisfied with the accommodation?"
Riddle was Dracula's assistant teacher in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class at Hogwarts. After Dracula left Hogwarts, he was brought back to Dracula's Castle by Riddle.
One of the reasons is that Riddle is Voldemort's Horcrux after all, and it would be risky for the young wizards to keep him at Hogwarts without Dracula's control;
In addition, Dracula's next plan also requires the assistance of Voldemort's "other half".
"I am very satisfied, Professor Dracula," said Riddle. "The accommodation here is much more spacious than the assistant's office in Hogwarts Castle."
"As long as you are satisfied." Dracula nodded calmly, staring into Riddle's eyes, "So... I want you to learn to repent. Can you do it now?"
Deep repentance is the only way to repair a divided soul.
Riddle also looked directly into Dracula's eyes, exhaled deeply, and said slowly:
"I already know how to repent... The soul fragments in the crown have been completely integrated by me."
A hint of surprise appeared in Dracula's eyes, and then he stared into Riddle's eyes, his expression gradually becoming meaningful.
"Very good, then we have a direction for our next actions."
He pulled an object out of his pocket and played with it gently in his hands.
That was Slytherin's locket from the Blakes.
…
…