Chapter 1279: Percy’s Morning

In the morning, Percy, as usual, dressed impeccably before walking toward the hall.

His badge was pinned to the most conspicuous spot, his shoes polished to a sheen, and his heels clicked on the stone floor with a steady rhythm.

The students he encountered on the way either ran away from afar or stepped aside to give way, greeting him nervously:

“Good morning, Mr. Weasley.”

“Good morning, Mr. Weasley.”

Percy wore a smile at the corner of his mouth, nodding reservedly and saying, “Good morning.”

On non-holidays, the variety of breakfast in the hall wasn’t very extensive, and there wasn’t much difference between what the professors and students ate.

Today’s breakfast was steaming oatmeal, toast, fried eggs and bacon, and pickled herring that Percy didn’t particularly like.

At the long tables in the hall, senior students were eating and reviewing, some flipping through this morning’s Prophet Daily. The atmosphere between Gryffindor and Slytherin students was a bit delicate, though that was quite common.

Percy walked toward the teacher’s table without looking to the sides, sat down, picked up a slice of bread, and began spreading butter.

At the few long tables below, some students noticed Percy entering the hall. Some raised their eyebrows at the classmates opposite them, some curled their lips, while others shook or nodded their heads gently, or silently gestured with their fingers.

“What are you doing?” Ravenclaw’s Marietta asked Cho Chang in confusion.

She saw Cho Chang wink at Gryffindor student Alicia Spinnet who was passing by and asked in surprise:

“You two, since when have you become so close?”

Cho Chang pursed her lips into a smile: “That’s a secret… But you should find out soon.”

At the teacher’s table, Percy noticed someone sitting down beside him and turned to see it was Hufflepuff’s Head, Professor Sprout.

He cleared his throat, showing a smile he considered very amiable:

“Good morning, Professor Sprout. The spring sowing should have started, right? Yesterday afternoon, I saw students over by the greenhouse were…”

“Sorry, Mr. Weasley.” Professor Sprout interrupted him, saying, “Considering the content might involve leaking student personal information, I can’t say much.”

Percy’s smile stiffened a bit: “Just casual chat… we’re all in the school, shouldn’t we…”

“When following laws and regulations—”

Professor Sprout looked into his eyes and said:

“There is no such thing as ‘should’ or ‘perhaps’ flexibilities.”

“As a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic, Mr. Weasley, you should be more aware of this than I am.”

Her tone neither light nor heavy, blocked Percy’s words, and she didn’t bother to look at what kind of expression was on the “high-ranking official’s” face.

Then, Professor Sprout picked up her tray, stood up, and said politely but coldly:

“Please, enjoy your meal.”

Percy watched her back disappear through the small side door of the teacher’s table, pressing his lips into a straight line.

Looking around, he realized that all the professors were at least one seat away from him, and perhaps Professor Sprout hadn’t noticed he was there just now, hence she sat down casually.

As he looked around, Professor Trelawney was selecting ingredients for her oatmeal, and their gazes unintentionally met.

So Percy saw Professor Trelawney, whose hair was untidy, stiffen all over, then silently turned her gaze away, and then reached to grasp a strand of beads hanging around her neck, chanting softly.

Percy twitched the corner of his mouth.

He clearly remembered, in past classes, Professor Trelawney had mysteriously said:

“This is a barrier. When I feel…something approaching, I grasp them, like this…”

“They absorb those jinxes… those things that were supposed to entangle me… You know, for those with the Celestial Eye open, they are always more likely to attract those unseen existences…”

“Oh…you don’t need to worry about this, Mr. Wood. You’re like someone with their eyes blindfolded, never able to sense the existence of that world…”

Mr. Wood breathed a sigh of relief: “Oh, that’s great. I was worried those existences suddenly appearing might affect my match state!”

The students in the classroom all burst into laughter:

“Hahahahaha…”

The laughter seemed to still echo in his ears, and Percy, who was regarded as “jinxed,” picked up the buttered bread, took a bite, and found it utterly tasteless.

—This is my job.

He told himself.

Even if no one understands, it is necessary.

The Ministry of Magic sent him here because they trusted he could do well, not to please people in this school.

Percy finished the pumpkin juice in his cup, wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, and got up.

With a kind of emotion he couldn’t quite explain, Percy walked out of the hall with a serious expression, and no sooner had he come to the foyer than he heard a somewhat timid voice:

“Mr. Weasley!”

Percy turned around and saw a small, frail gray-haired boy running over, a camera slung around his neck.

Percy remembered this boy.

“Hello, Mr. Creevey.” Percy asked, “Do you need something from me?”

“It’s like this.” Colin Creevey ran up to him, out of breath, and raised a letter in his hand, saying: “I received a letter from home, by regulations, doesn’t it have to be registered?”

Percy’s steps halted.

This was the first student to take the initiative to cooperate with him.

He looked down at the nervous boy and the brand-new letter in his hand and suddenly felt something lightly stirring in his chest.

Percy let out a gentle breath.

“Very good.” He said in a very gentle tone, “Very good, Mr. Creevey. Your initiative to register shows a very responsible attitude towards the safety of Hogwarts… Come with me.”

They crossed the foyer, walked up the stairs, and headed towards Percy’s office.

Percy held his back very straight, his steps somewhat faster than usual, and when he noticed Colin Creevey having a bit of trouble keeping up, he quietly slowed down his pace.

The displeasure from breakfast dissipated like morning mist.

—See, someone understands, someone supports, someone knows it’s all for their good!

Sometime, everyone will understand!

When he turned the last corner, Percy couldn’t help but halt.

In the corridor, there was already a short queue.

About four or five students stood outside his office door, some leaning against the wall, others sitting on the ground reading books, and still others huddled together speaking quietly.

Seeing Percy appear, they immediately fell silent, standing straight.

“Good morning, Mr. Weasley.”

“Mr. Weasley, I don’t know if it’s convenient for you now? I… I have something to report to you…”

“Me too! Although it might be my overthinking, I think you should know…”

The students all said respectfully.