Chapter 495: Gang Influence

After Bai Lang pulled off that big stunt, things calmed down. During class, Umbridge tested Bai Lang several times, and upon discovering that he raised absolutely no objections to her education style—which strictly enforced the Ministry of Magic's requirements—she began to grow bolder. The woman was actually quite clever; she quickly figured out which things Bai Lang would not permit.

Of course, it was a completely open "unreasonableness." As long as it was purely about the education and punishments mandated by the Ministry of Magic, Bai Lang simply would not stand up for his classmates. Several times, when there were conflicts over educational policies or Umbridge's punishments, Bai Lang would just listen and watch with a smile, not saying a word.

Holding his classmates back was advantageous for him. Bai Lang knew he would definitely commit offenses, and among these classmates, there were certainly those attempting to join the Aurors. If it weren't for the fact that the people he killed were Death Eaters and that there was no solid "evidence" for what he said afterward, the Ministry's Aurors would likely have come knocking long ago.

Moreover, Bai Lang was very cooperative. He didn't go around shouting that Voldemort had resurrected, nor did he try to get everyone to pay attention by serializing it in the *Daily Prophet* for ten days or half a month. Since he didn't cause trouble for the Ministry, the Ministry naturally didn't want to cause trouble for him. Everyone knew full well that what this young wizard had done was true, and they knew this person was absolutely not to be trifled with.

Bai Lang didn't form a gang; the one forming a gang was his little follower, Zabini. And Zabini recruited very few people; he generally didn't want those who actively offered to join. He only selected a few people from Slytherin and Ravenclaw, and he didn't allow these people to continue recruiting—adding trouble for the boss was not good.

If they wanted to recruit, they could wait until after they left, but at school, Bai Lang had already told Zabini not to have too many subordinates, especially subordinates of subordinates. A small number of people could be called a small group, but recruiting too many would turn it into the Death Eaters or Dumbledore's Army.

Speaking of Dumbledore's Army, after Bai Lang fully demonstrated that he had no interest in intervening against the Ministry of Magic, amidst the undercurrents, Harry Potter seemed to be pushed to the forefront. Some people brought news that many students were trying to get Harry Potter to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"They're so keen on learning Defense Against the Dark Arts? Oh, that's a good thing. Just let Harry do it—if that can make him less 'angry'." Bai Lang felt that Harry must be in a rebellious, adolescent phase, and it wouldn't be bad for his impulses and anger to find a place to vent.

Neville was also a member who joined Harry Potter's club, and it was he who revealed the name "D. A." "It's no different from directly poking the Ministry of Magic's hornet's nest." Bai Lang's comment on the name was just one thing: "Dumbledore's Army... Hahahaha."

The club Zabini established had a plain name—"Sports Club." Of course, the club had a total of five members, not including Bai Lang. Bai Lang, at least on the surface, was just one person; he hadn't joined any gang. According to the new regulations, these things all had to be approved by Umbridge, and this fat witch approved it immediately, without saying a single extra word.

Perhaps she was also worried about whether her wand would become a trophy...

"That's slander! How could I possibly kill a professor at Hogwarts? A Ministry of Magic official?" When Zabini brought this up as a fun topic in the club, Bai Lang—although he wasn't a club member—still said with some indignation that he would absolutely never do such a thing.

Bai Lang wasn't a fool; he wouldn't do that. Umbridge didn't dare provoke him now, and naturally, he had no need to deal with Umbridge—this woman was very perceptive; even when she saw him openly active in the Forbidden Forest playing with a magical beast like Dio, she didn't interfere. Dio's existence was already an open secret, and it was common knowledge that it was Bai Lang's magical pet, but no one gossiped about it.

After Bai Lang proved himself, there were almost no people left who were willing to make him an enemy—Dumbledore was the same. When Bai Lang went to Dumbledore's office that time, the Headmaster was already waiting for him. The former headmasters in the portraits were whispering to each other as they watched Bai Lang, but they looked very serious.

And Dumbledore was quite serious too. If he was kind to Harry, then to Bai Lang, he was as solemn as if he were an adult wizard. "Mr. Bai Lang, is it convenient for you to tell me what you did this holiday?" The old man rested his chin on his crossed hands, his white beard dragging directly on the desk, his eyes looking at Bai Lang through his spectacles.

"No problem, Headmaster. This holiday..." There was nothing that couldn't be said about such things. Anyway, Dumbledore wasn't on good terms with the Ministry of Magic now, so he could naturally tell the truth. Bai Lang said he went to Albania to attack those Death Eaters and Voldemort, but unfortunately, he wasn't strong enough to kill Voldemort and only killed a few Death Eaters before leaving.

Then Dumbledore asked him about the werewolves, so Bai Lang had no choice but to take Dumbledore to his house—it must be said that the Phoenix's Apparition was truly amazing; it could easily bring Bai Lang and Dumbledore to Bai Lang's house in London. He let Dumbledore listen to his story of attacking the werewolves while admiring the werewolf specimens—such as Greyback's head.

"You not only killed Greyback and his subordinates, but you also killed giants? I have to say, you surprised me—Hogwarts has never had a student like you, Mr. Bai Lang." Dumbledore took off his glasses, took out a cloth, and wiped them; a complex smile played on the corners of his mouth. Bai Lang had a Crayon Shin-chan smile, *hehehe*... "I'm not that good."

Bai Lang touched the werewolf specimen. "It's just that hunting them makes me feel pleasure, that's all." Dumbledore looked at Bai Lang. "Regarding the hunt for darkness and evil... I think some people are still worth saving." It sounded like Dumbledore was trying to persuade Bai Lang not to kill blindly. "Otherwise, wouldn't the Wizengamot court be meaningless?"

Bai Lang looked at his headmaster. "I don't think Death Eaters deserve sympathy, and neither do these dark creatures. Since they chose the path of harming others from the beginning, they should accept the result of being killed by others. I think this is very good, and as for the Wizengamot... Headmaster, you and I both know that in this court, family tradition, face, and Galleons are more useful."

Bai Lang shrugged his shoulders. "So I won't give them the chance to go to court." At this moment, he completely "forgot" the fact that he had blackmailed the Malfoys for Galleons. The slick Malfoy family probably hadn't specifically killed anyone, which was why Bai Lang only blackmailed them.

Dumbledore looked at Bai Lang for a long time. "I won't quote Nietzsche." He blinked his eyes. "Don't think of all wizards as old antiques; of course, I've read Nietzsche. Don't fall into the abyss, Mr. Bai Lang. I would rather you do nothing..." Bai Lang just smiled.

"In any case, Greyback's death is a good thing after all." Dumbledore finally said. "Alright, we should go back. Mr. Bai Lang, you still have class tomorrow." ===== CHAPTER 496 =====