King of the Pot

Belvina returned to Hogwarts the following morning.

She didn't cancel her sick leave, but instead continued to take sick leave without a care in the world.

The only difference was that the location for taking sick leave changed from the lounge to the library, or more precisely, the restricted section of the library.

The library is also located on the fifth floor of the castle, with a direct access route to the second floor. The library has thousands of bookshelves and tens of thousands of books, which students can read or borrow for their studies or simply for leisure.

The library is also divided into sections based on book type and content, the most famous of which are the hidden book section and the forbidden book section. Students need a professor's signature to read books in the forbidden book section.

As a professor, Belvina didn't need to do that, although she didn't mind signing autographs for herself.

At this moment, Belvina was sitting near the window, holding a thick book called "The Most Poisonous Magic".

I borrowed this book not to gain a deeper understanding of dark magic, but to find the magic Voldemort used to create the locket.

Belvina had a vague recollection of this dark magic concerning life, but she couldn't quite put it into words, let alone express it fully in English. She had no choice but to turn to the forbidden book section for help.

Bassheda sat to one side, a wizard biography open in front of her, cautiously stuffing snacks into her mouth while keeping a watchful eye on Mrs. Pince, the librarian.

The way he sneaked food was just like a greedy student in class; his guilty look was obvious even from a distance.

After a while, perhaps because the snacks were all gone, or perhaps because the quiet of the library made her feel a little out of place, Bassheda finally started talking.

"Do you know how the rumors about your illness are circulating at school?" Bassheda asked in a low voice, her shifty eyes fixed on Mrs. Pins not far away.

"I don't know," Belvina replied perfunctorily. During her time in bed, she had practically never left the house and was completely out of touch with the world.

Although Bassheda had been taking care of the sick patient, she still had to teach her students. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was well-informed. She said mysteriously, "Many students think you're not sick, but rather that you've been poisoned."

Recently, two professors at the school have taken sick leave at the same time: Belvina and Quirrell.

There's not much to say about Quirinus Quirrell; he was definitely defeated by the curse and became yet another victim of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Only first-year students would be surprised by this; upperclassmen are already used to it, especially seventh-graders who are about to graduate, who will just silently add 1 to their hearts.

Compared to Quirrell's deserted and neglected situation, Belvina's sick leave attracted much more attention, with students who enjoyed conspiracy theories even sensing a conspiracy in it.

Initially, everyone discussed the matter rationally. The young professor was full of energy one day, but the next day she couldn't get up. Her illness seemed to have come on rather suddenly.

Coupled with the gloating attitude of some Slytherin students, a conspiracy theory that was both plausible and unreliable was born and quickly became the focus of public opinion at Hogwarts.

Belvina Black, the Muggle Studies professor, wasn't sick at all; she was murdered because of her comments about Muggles. She was definitely poisoned!

This behavior is absolutely despicable and vile. Many people are filled with righteous indignation and have expressed their determination to bring the poisoner to justice and restore a peaceful and just Hogwarts!

Some young men, just beginning to experience romantic feelings, even wished they could become protectors of these beautiful flowers, shielding them from the storms of life.

After listening to Bassheda's story, Belvina was both amused and exasperated. She didn't care about being forced into the role of a sickly, delicate wife, as long as no powerful magic book was published, it wasn't a big deal.

Moreover, Belvina has witnessed firsthand what true heresy is; that person is the epitome of a sickly, delicate wife. If the students have the mental fortitude, she wouldn't mind promoting the astonishingly talented Vodka in the school.

"I must say, they were thinking the same thing as Connelly," Belvina said. "Connelly also thought I had been attacked and advised me to be more cautious until I had complete control of the situation."

Although Belvina's undercover operation was a prime example of a failed attempt at success, she maintained correspondence with Cornelius Fudge. She couldn't provide information about Dumbledore's whereabouts, but she had to maintain a proper work attitude.

From Fudge, she also learned about the movements of some pure-blood wizard families.

Covering up the truth, concealing the facts, and pressuring those involved are all common tactics they employ. Only when these tactics fail will they resort to more radical methods.

For example, Nobby Ritchie, the Muggle-born Minister of Magic, had to resign due to a mysterious illness.

"Didn't you tell Fudge about the Philosopher's Stone?" Bassheda asked again. "Or did you and Professor Dumbledore conspire to keep it from him?"

"I did tell him, but not completely," Belvina said. "Please don't question my professionalism as an undercover agent. Fudge knew about the Philosopher's Stone; Professor Dumbledore must have given us prior notice, but both Professor Dumbledore and I kept it from him."

What Fudge was hiding from him was the real culprit behind the theft of the Philosopher's Stone. Even if he had told the Minister that it was Voldemort who wanted to steal the Philosopher's Stone, Fudge might not have believed him.

Poor Cornelius, he was still dreaming of turning the Ministry of Magic into his own private domain in London, completely unaware that the spy he sent to Hogwarts had become a double agent and defected to Dumbledore's side.

"Let's not talk about Fudge anymore, let's talk about what's happening at school." Bassheda said, unable to suppress a chuckle. "Do you know who the students suspect? It's that despicable bastard who poisoned you."

"It couldn't be Snape, could it?"

"Correct answer, but unfortunately no points for Slytherin!" Bassheda continued. "Many students agree with this assessment. Look, he's a Slytherin, a Potions Professor, and you have a terrible relationship with him. Who else would take the blame for the poisoner if not him!"

You know what, it actually makes a little bit of sense. If Belvina hadn't actually been poisoned, she almost would have believed it.

However, if Snape really wanted to poison her, given his terrible relationship with Belvina, Belvina wouldn't have had a chance to see the sun rise the next day.

"This story is told with great detail, and some people are even blatantly lying, claiming they witnessed Professor Snape poisoning the body!"

Hearing this, Belvina couldn't help but feel sorry for Snape; the Potions Professor was just too pitiful.

The students suspected Snape of poisoning them and regarded him as a dark and despicable person; Harry Potter regarded him as a villain who plotted to kill him and steal the Philosopher's Stone. It was a truly tragic situation.

However, the students still didn't know enough about Snape. If he really poisoned Belvina, it would have been impossible for the students to see it, let alone witness the whole thing.

Given Snape's meticulous mind, he would have planned everything very carefully, making it difficult for anyone to catch him out.

This might be a case of mutual respect born from long-standing enmity!

"And then there's the Quidditch match. Potter caught the Golden Snitch in five minutes, and Professor Snape's face was absolutely awful," Bassheda continued rambling. "I advise you to avoid him for a while; he's incredibly irritable right now."

Belvina nodded in deep agreement. She didn't want to go head-to-head with Snape at this time. A wise man doesn't fight a losing battle, and besides, she wasn't a wise man.

Belvina snapped the book "The Poisonous Magic" shut; she hadn't found what she was looking for in the book written by Godrot.

Her only takeaway was a lukewarm introduction: "The Horcruxes, this most evil magical invention, will not be discussed or explained here."

Belvina couldn't be sure for the time being whether the vague, evil magic she remembered was a Horcrux. She needed more information to corroborate this guess, but she was confident she could find it.

There's no reason why she can't do what Regulus could do a decade or two ago.

"Let's go, I'm hungry," Belvina said. "Hopefully we won't run into Snape at dinner."

"Hopefully he won't grab you and jump off the highest point of the school, taking you both with him," Bassheda chimed in.

“Absolutely not,” Belvina said. “He would just kick me off and enjoy watching me fall to the ground in a pathetic state.”