Chapter 320 Conversation with Umbridge

Umbridge's office is basically composed of complicated decorations. All the furniture is covered with lace cloth, and even the chandeliers have decorative tassels and velvet bows hanging on them. A set of cat dishes hung on the wall, each cat so fat it looked like it could hold back three Mrs. Norris. The place where the big three-headed dog once lay is now occupied by a desk covered with a bright red tablecloth.

"Good afternoon, Professor Anthony." Umbridge said in a sickly sweet voice.

Anthony closed the door behind him: "Good afternoon, Ms. Umbridge. I received your letter."

"Yes, please sit down, please sit down." Umbridge nodded towards a chair opposite the desk, "I think a face-to-face, frank conversation would be good for both of us, what do you think? "

"Of course," Anthony said cautiously. He checked the investigation reports he received, and none of them were below an A. He couldn't think of anything Umbridge might want to say to him.

Umbridge watched Anthony sit down, smiling with some satisfaction.

"Tea, Professor Anthony?" she asked coyly, tapping a teapot on the shelf beside her with her stubby fingers.

There wasn't much space on her desk, mostly taken up by parchments and letters. Several books were stacked together, and Anthony glanced at them and saw names such as "Legimens Quickly" and "Pure Blood Directory". Umbridge noticed his sight, blocked them with a stack of parchment, and then placed a shabby black-covered book on the parchment, completely blocking Anthony's gaze.

"No for now, thank you." Anthony said, "Thank you for inviting me to come and talk, Ms. Umbridge. In order not to waste too much of your time, wouldn't it be best for us to start now?"

Umbridge said: "Of course, Professor Anthony, in fact the conversation has already started. I'm glad you came on time. Punctuality is a good habit and I appreciate it... Anyway, I think you should have received it." Those investigation reports, right?”

"Yes."

"Well, I think you should have noticed that although not all the survey results are satisfactory, they are already much better than your actual performance." Umbridge said, "I believe you do realize that Such tolerance, but unfortunately I don't see much progress on your part. You can take this conversation as a friendly warning, Professor Anthony."

Anthony asked: "What kind of improvement would you like to see in me, Ms. Umbridge?"

"Oh, you have your own answer." Umbridge said equivocally. "In order to help Hogwarts become a better school, we have to do something."

Anthony responded: "Okay... okay."

Umbridge stared at him with bulging eyes for a moment, then suddenly said: "You know you are receiving special treatment, Professor Anthony. Let me be clear: I know you are planning something, but that It's your own business. If I were you, I wouldn't mess with a senior investigator from the Ministry of Magic."

Anthony repeated: "What am I planning?"

Umbridge grinned like a toad with its mouth open: "Oh, Professor Anthony... don't forget, I know your details. However, correspondingly, you should already know your... companions , has long since disappeared into the past.”

Anthony didn't expect that she would take the initiative to mention that he was a necromancer. He looked at Umbridge sitting opposite, and he was even more confused about where this conversation was going. A large painted cat stared at him from behind Umbridge.

"There's a reason for that, Anthony, there is. Some people may mythologise what wizards can do - and that's okay, people like the sound of the words: The most powerful wizard, they say, the greatest headmaster ——But surely you don’t know what is more powerful?”

"Well……"

Umbridge didn't mean to wait for Anthony's answer at all, and continued talking on her own: "The Ministry of Magic. I want to remind you that the reason why you have the opportunity to sit here and talk to me is because the Ministry decided not to go there for the time being. Investigate your past mistakes." She narrowed her eyes slightly and smiled, "This is very magnanimous, Professor Anthony, but I suggest you remain respectful. Believe me, none of us want to see the editor of the Daily Prophet. I’m worried about the little secret of the research professor.”

Anthony suddenly felt that he understood what she was talking about. As Professor McGonagall said, the Ministry of Magic - or Fudge - viewed Peter Pettigrew's death as a threat to Dumbledore, and he, as a person who helped Dumbledore break into and out of Azkaban, directly The person who caused Pettigrew's death would no doubt be viewed with suspicion.

He felt that he needed to say something: "You misunderstood, Ms. Umbridge, I was not planning anything, nor did I make any active attempt to provoke the Ministry of Magic. As for the matter of Sirius and Peter Pettigrew... That's a pity, maybe there is a better way to handle it, I don't know, but the situation was so urgent at that time, Mr. Scrimgeour should have written the corresponding report."

Umbridge seemed to want to say something, so Anthony finished all his words before she could say anything: "Anyway, I just want to--" he thought for a moment, "- to live."

"Of course, Antony," Umbridge said, sounding completely unconvinced. "A well-prepared defense...but I'm not referring to Peter Pettigrew's case."

"no?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Professor Anthony."

"No, Ms. Umbridge," Anthony said confused. He really didn't understand what Umbridge was talking about now. She couldn't possibly be referring to her practice of undead magic, and she probably wasn't talking about her research on flesh and blood magic.

Couldn't this conversation be for him to provide Roger Snake with a Muggle recorder as an inspiration reference?

"Well, I'll tell you." Umbridge said condescendingly but with a smile, "I really don't want to remind you, but it seems that I often run into you near the girls' bathroom on the second floor, Professor Anthony. "

Anthony felt a wave of disbelief, almost nausea. Not wanting to think about what she was implying, he said politely, "Yes, Ms. Umbridge, if you noticed, that's my office door."

"Yes, an excellent choice of location." Umbridge grinned with satisfaction, as if she was happy to see him a little angry, "An almost completely abandoned bathroom, a corridor that is almost unvisited - relax, Professor Anthony - I am not referring to something disgraceful... Of course, the pursuit of unknown power may also be disgraceful in the eyes of some people, but I would say that being unable to recognize one's own position is even more Disgraceful thing.”

Anthony stared at her, considering the connection between this string of nonsense. Maybe he should lift the vase on the cushion and hit it on the head of the senior investigator to determine whether he was experiencing an inexplicable dream?

"The Ministry of Magic is more powerful than you think. We have some wizards in the Department of Magical Accidents and Disasters who are very proficient in memory magic." Umbridge said, "It is not advisable to roughly erase memories, Professor Anthony, even if no one has done it before. Be aware of the hidden secrets...consider this a last friendly reminder...that you have more options. Mr. Fudge and I sincerely hope to work more closely with you."

She picked up a printed teapot with a curved mouth and poured half a cup of tea into the matching teacup.

"Now, tea?"