Professor McGonagall's words completely stunned Sherlock.
He never imagined that the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor would actually fall to him.
Let's set aside the question of whether a candidate has been selected for this year's professorship.
Even if it's not finalised, given the original owner's immature personality, there's no way he would have been chosen!
He himself is full of flaws, so how can he teach good students?
Sherlock's shock went unnoticed by Professor McGonagall.
She actually thought that Sherlock should have that expression on his face.
After all, he had applied for this position for three years, and Dumbledore had not yet agreed to it.
Even though he went to Hogwarts again three months ago, he still didn't get a satisfactory result.
It would be strange if he wasn't surprised that she suddenly brought him this offer letter.
"I know you find this very incredible," Professor McGonagall explained to him. "Three months ago, when you heard about Quirrell's accident this year and went to Dumbledore to apply for the position, Dumbledore did indeed have someone in mind for the new Defence Professor, and he had already agreed to it."
Sherlock stared intently at Professor McGonagall and asked tentatively.
"So, the professor for the defence course that was already scheduled for this semester had an accident?"
Professor McGonagall nodded and explained.
"That's right, the originally scheduled professor for the defence course was Gilderoy Lockhart."
"A month ago, he was exposed as a fraudster who used the Memory Charm to steal the experiences of other wizard adventurers, claiming them as his own stories, and profiting from them by writing them into biographies. He even became a star author in the wizarding world because of this."
"But recently, a victim exposed his disguise, and he is now under the control of the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic. In two days, the Wizengamot will hold a trial against him."
"Although the official results have not yet been released, all the evidence is sufficient to prove that he will spend the rest of his life in Azkaban."
"With less than two months until the start of the new semester, Dumbledore believes that only you are qualified for this position."
Sherlock could certainly tell from this euphemistic statement that Dumbledore's decision to appoint him as the Defence Professor for the new semester was entirely out of necessity.
Since the start of the semester is approaching, and the professor we had previously chosen has been arrested, we can't just skip the classes, can we?
So he had to choose the best among the few candidates, selecting Sherlock, who had long coveted the position.
After all, although the original owner had personality flaws, his magical knowledge was indeed solid.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so easily accepted by the Aurors, the department with the strictest recruitment criteria in the Ministry of Magic.
This left Sherlock, who had just transmigrated, completely bewildered.
Putting aside the fact that he doesn't know any magic at all, it's practically impossible for him to teach students in his current state.
The very position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor is problematic.
Is that a position that a normal person would dare to take?
Even Sherlock, a complete novice who has never read the complete original books or watched the movies, knows that there were seven different defence professors in the seven books. Those who were dismissed either died, were maimed, or were disgraced.
But if he were to refuse, what reason could he give?
The original owner's eagerness to return to Hogwarts to teach, and his annual visits to harass Dumbledore, had completely blocked his escape route.
Sherlock really couldn't find an excuse to refuse the offer.
Professor McGonagall hadn't considered that Sherlock intended to refuse the position.
She handed him the letter of appointment and a train ticket, and then gave him some instructions.
"You need to decide on the textbooks you want to use for class as soon as possible, and be sure to send me the list by owl before August. If you plan to take the Hogwarts Express to school, you can board on the first day of school with this ticket."
After saying this, Professor McGonagall stood up and drew her wand.
Before leaving, she smiled and said to Sherlock,
"May Sally be with you, Sherlock. Goodbye, Hogwarts."
As soon as she finished speaking, she disappeared from the living room.
After she left, Sherlock stared silently at the letter of appointment in his hand, the words "Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor" on it so conspicuous.
After a long while, he slowly uttered two words.
"Damn it !"
...
During the summer vacation, the students had long since left Hogwarts, leaving the usually noisy corridors deserted.
Professor McGonagall, who had just returned to the school, went straight into Dumbledore's office.
With a white beard and wearing dark blue pajamas, Dumbledore was hunched over a table, processing official documents.
Upon seeing Professor McGonagall enter, he straightened up and wearily removed his crescent-shaped glasses.
"Mr Cavendish has already received the offer letter?"
"I personally handed it over to him." Professor McGonagall paused, as if she wanted to say something more.
Dumbledore saw through her thoughts and smiled as he spoke.
"Don't hesitate Minerva, feel free to speak your mind."
"Do you really think Sherlock is suited for the position?" Professor McGonagall frowned slightly.
Because of her connection with Sherlock's mother, she was genuinely happy that he was able to fulfill his dream of becoming a professor at Hogwarts.
But given Sherlock's highly problematic personality, having him serve as a professor at a school like Hogwarts would be irresponsible towards the students.
Dumbledore said calmly.
"He will eventually realize that he is no longer the lonely child who had no one to accompany him. The recognition he needs has never come from me, but from himself."
"Teaching students with his own knowledge, seeing their efforts, and receiving their gratitude will help him understand this point more quickly."
"Besides, his defensive magic is indeed stronger than that of many wizards, isn't it?"
He stood up from his chair, put his hands behind his back, and walked to the wall covered with portraits of past principals.
It was unclear whether Dumbledore was speaking to the headmasters who were humming softly or to Professor McGonagall.
"His talent is exceptional, just like his mother's. His character flaws should not be an obstacle to his future. We need reliable allies, so hopefully this experience teaching at Hogwarts will help him mature as quickly as possible."