Hogwarts: My Yorozuya has no taboos!

Chapter 25 Am I...that good?

Both Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, and Fudge, the Minister of Magic, were deeply concerned about the catastrophic events that occurred this evening.

Although the two people had different worries.

But when the two of them stood outside the glass doors of the school hospital and looked into the gloomy public ward, their expressions involuntarily turned somewhat somber.

Any wizard with a conscience would be heartbroken by what he was seeing!

There are very few young wizards who actually suffer fractures or serious cuts; you can count them on two hands—about the same number as the young wizards who are completely unharmed.

Most of the young wizards had some part of their bodies wrapped in bandages, and the air inside the hospital was thick with the stench of blood.

Dumbledore's gaze swept over each bed, and only after he found that the young wizard's injuries had been mostly treated did the grimness on his aged face ease slightly.

"What brings you here, Minister?"

The bloodstains soaking into her white apron resembled blooming plum blossoms. Madam Pomfrey, trying to nip the chaos in the bud before the arriving "big shot" could cause, hurried away from the young wizard's sickbed to the school hospital entrance.

She opened the glass door, came out, and then quickly closed it again, as if worried that Fudge might take advantage of the situation.

"Oh, don't be so hostile towards me, Bobby, I just came here—"

Fudge clearly realized he was an unwelcome guest; he smiled and awkwardly scratched his nose.

"Visit the injured young wizard...you know, Bobby, I have to fulfill my duties as Minister for Magic."

"You have clearly done your job very well, Mr. Minister—"

Mrs. Pomfrey glared angrily at Fudge.

"Objectively speaking, Bobby, we can't hastily place the blame on the Ministry of Magic before the truth of the matter is fully investigated—"

Dumbledore stopped Madam Pomfrey and Fudge from clashing.

"At least I believe the reason for this train derailment is unlikely to be the Hogwarts Express's long-term disrepair."

"Thank you for speaking up for me, Dumbledore—"

Fudge breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his temples.

In a way, Dumbledore's words just now were seen as him "endorsing" him.

"Then go and visit him, Minister."

Out of respect for Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey softened her tone somewhat, but her face remained stern.

"But as you've clearly realized, Mr. Minister, the situation here is chaotic enough that it's not suitable for an inspiring speech!"

"Of course, of course—"

Fudge nodded repeatedly. He was even a little unsure whether to go into the school hospital—because he did notice that some of the healers who were comforting the injured young wizards stopped working and stood hesitantly at the foot of the beds after he arrived, as if waiting for his inspection.

In a different setting, Fouché would be happy to demonstrate the minister's demeanor and philanthropy by going over and saying a few words of encouragement.

But now—

Just like Bobby said, it wasn't a good time for him to "show off".

Fudge turned his head, preparing to consult Dumbledore's opinion, only to see him walk into the hospital on his own, and then walk straight up to a little boy.

Fudge's gaze naturally fell on the boy, scrutinizing him—

The boy had messy, black hair and was so thin he looked malnourished. He was getting out of bed, flustered by Dumbledore's presence, his delicate features emerging...

"Merlin's beard!"

When Fudge's gaze fell upon the conspicuous scar on the boy's forehead, he paused for a second, then forgot his earlier unease, quickly walked to Dumbledore's side, and showed a surprised expression.

"Dumbledore, could this be... you are Harry Potter?!"

"Yes, sir—"

Harry knew his scar had caused a stir once again. He nervously touched his hair to cover it, his greeting tinged with awkwardness.

"Hello, Professor Dumbledore, and... uh?"

"This is the current Minister for Magic—Cornelly Fudge, Harry."

Dumbledore spoke in a gentle tone, while the young wizards around them looked at the three of them with awe. Even Draco Malfoy stopped groaning about his injured nose and stared gloomily at the back of Harry's head.

Harry was surprised that he wasn't at all surprised that Dumbledore, a wizard famous in the magical world, spoke to him in such a kind tone, as if they were old acquaintances.

However, Dumbledore's introduction still made Harry nervous.

Minister of Magic!

Just thinking about it makes it clear that this was an extraordinary and important person!

"Hello, Minister Fouché!"

Harry greeted her stiffly, but his eyes were darting towards Ron in the next bed—Ron, raised in a magical family, knew far more about wizarding etiquette than he did... He hoped to get a hint from Ron about whether he should bow to the Minister.

After all, look at Ron's prefect brother Percy, how anxious he was when he heard that the minister was also waiting for him, it was just like Dudley finding out that Aunt Penny was preparing a chocolate cream cake for him that night!

"Hello, hello—"

But what happened next relieved Harry.

The chubby minister didn't ask him to bow; instead, he shook his hand with a warm smile and said very kindly,

"Welcome back to our world, Harry—"

Fudge asked with a smile,

"Were you a little startled? But I assure you, this is no ordinary event. In fact, this is the first accident since the Ministry of Magic built the Hogwarts Express."

The first accident?

Harry didn't know whether to feel relieved or lament his bad luck—he could only manage a stiff smile.

"I want to thank you, Harry—"

Next to speak was Professor Dumbledore, but what he said really surprised Harry.

Ron, Neville, and others also wore bewildered expressions—even the Minister of Magic.

"grateful?"

Harry blinked his emerald green eyes, letting Dumbledore press his shoulders to help him sit down. He looked up at Dumbledore's reassuring smile, gazing into those deep blue eyes that conveyed boundless compassion and kindness.

"You mean—thank you? But—uh, I didn't—oh, if you mean I made V—"

"It has nothing to do with him, Harry—"

Dumbledore interrupted Harry before he could say the name.

"It's because of what happened today, Harry."

Dumbledore looked at Harry with approval.

"Cornelly and I heard the whole story from Mr. Weasley, Harry. When everyone was in despair because the train was out of control, you encouraged everyone not to give up, didn't you?"

If there were an egg right now, Harry thought his flushed face from embarrassment might be able to cook it.

He even wished he could use magic to make a hole in the floor so he could crawl into it.

Unfortunately, he didn't have magic, and a hole didn't magically appear in the floor—on the contrary, he knew everyone's eyes were on him, and they were all waiting for him to say something.

These waits weren't all friendly, because Harry was certain he heard a cold snort in the silence.

"Oh—um, I—I am..., but actually—"

Under Dumbledore's encouraging gaze, Harry's disordered breathing gradually calmed down.

"Actually, I didn't do anything. I just shouted two sentences: 'Sir, it was Professor Delfino who stopped the train from going out of control and saved everyone.'"

"No one can overlook Professor Delfino's heroic act—"

Dumbledore said gently,

"But you shouldn't overlook the positive impact of your encouragement on everyone, Harry."

What you have demonstrated is a noble quality—courage. It's like a lighthouse at sea; it may not seem useful most of the time, but when the storm comes, it can guide those who have lost their way back to the right path.

this-

Fudge glanced furtively at Dumbledore, his small eyes blinking rapidly—Dumbledore's arguments about courage weren't entirely wrong, but judging from Harry Potter's two shouts on the train...

Am I... really that outstanding?

Harry himself was overwhelmed by the praise.

However, to be honest, Professor Dumbledore's praise made Harry very happy. He hadn't received praise very often when he was in school with Dudley.

"I—well, I just tried my best to do what I could."

Harry humbly said that he would try not to appear too smug to his future classmates.

"Doing your best in what you can do—that's also a great quality."

Dumbledore looked at Harry with a smile.

"I think you deserve extra points, Mr. Potter, but unfortunately, you haven't been sorted yet."

............