Chapter 291 Honors in the Auditorium

To be honest, the weather today is really good. The noon sun shines straight down from the center of the sky, illuminating the windows on the back wall of the auditorium transparently.

The leaves outside the window were green, reflecting the dazzling golden light in the sunlight, and the mottled tree shadows slantedly projected on the stage behind the guest of honor, covering the people on the stage in a layer of scattered light and shadow.

Just as the outside is bright and quiet, the auditorium at this moment is full of people's voices.

The guests in the hall sat on the four long tables under the stage, talking softly with each other.

If you want to talk about their origins, these guests can be roughly divided into two groups: one group is mostly pure-blood families, while the other group is mostly mixed-blood or Muggle-born;

And if they were to be divided by power, they could roughly be divided into three factions: one faction was on the side of the anti-dark wizards who had the same stand as Dumbledore, and the other faction was secretly attracted by Voldemort, but the most numerous faction was wise and neutral.

But to say that those who can attend today, at this private luncheon hosted by Dumbledore himself, no matter which faction they are, are all wizards with a good reputation in the entire wizarding world.

Among them are officials who hold positions in the Ministry of Magic, businessmen who have a great influence on the economic flow of the magic world, and scholars who have achieved achievements in various fields...

And these people, regardless of the depth of friendship, are all wizards who have intersected with Dumbledore.

At this time, Dumbledore was standing on the stage behind the guest seat, greeting these "friends" who were familiar or unfamiliar before the luncheon.

Although Dumbledore's words are all innocuous, none of the wizards in the audience felt anxious or dissatisfied, because they all understood that it was impossible for the greatest white wizard in the world to hold this event for no reason. for a luncheon.

They don't need to worry, they should know, Dumbledore will say it sooner or later.

"...Some things are quite lively recently, such as the 'personal audio-visual meeting' before. In fact, I didn't have time to experience it that day. I'm quite sorry! I heard..."

Maca was sitting on the far right of the guest seat. He straightened his back and calmly scanned the scenes off the court. The meanings contained in the sights that passed by his side from time to time were simply intricate.

The youngest person sitting at the guest table with him was already covered in privacy spots, and he was undoubtedly the most eye-catching one in the audience.

But if I have to say it, in fact, the wizard sitting next to Maca has attracted a lot of attention.

The wizard looked tall and thin, with short white hair, a goatee with curly ends on his thin chin, and a pair of sharp eyes that seemed to hide some restlessness.

"Kakarov, I didn't expect that you would dare to come here." Maca said softly to the "acquaintance" beside him while calmly observing the guests off the court.

After leaving France that day, Maca went straight to Durmstrang, all she wanted was to use her new identity to lure Karkaroff to accomplish a great event for him.

Although he was also prepared to accept the situation that Karkaroff ran away because he was afraid of Voldemort, it was clear that under his guidance, Karkaroff still did not choose the obvious way of thinking this time.

"McLean!" Karkaroff gritted his teeth, "Don't forget what you promised me!"

Maca shook her head with a light smile, and said pointedly: "Don't you think that the choice I made for you is actually not bad?"

"Hmph!" Karkaroff snorted coldly, then turned his head slightly, and stopped talking to him.

"...So, it is my honor for you all to find time to come to this luncheon today! Well, I believe everyone is hungry..."

On the stage, Dumbledore ended his casual chat. He took out his wand and waved it lightly. The long table under the stage was immediately filled with countless gourmet delicacies.

"Today's luncheon has officially started, please relax and enjoy your meal!"

After all,

Dumbledore returned to the seat in the middle of the guest table with easy steps, and after greeting several wizards in the table cordially, he raised his wine glass to signal to the audience.

Maca also raised his wine glass, and then took a sip with a smile.

The dishes for this luncheon were naturally rich and luxurious, and on this occasion, Dumbledore had no reason to save money. But of course, everyone's attention will never be on those delicate and delicious food.

While maintaining proper dining etiquette, the wizards chatted seemingly casually with other people in nearby seats. The clinking of wine glasses and muffled voices were intertwined, not too unlike any high-class banquet. big difference.

As the meal time passed, everyone gradually put down the tableware and entered into the post-dinner communication.

At any time, the main function of this type of banquet is to provide a reasonable place for "communication"-almost no one really comes to fill their stomachs.

At this moment, Dumbledore stood up suddenly, and looked at all the guests off the court with a smile.

"I don't know if everyone is satisfied with today's meal, at least I personally think it's not bad, isn't it?"

When Dumbledore spoke, everyone stopped talking to each other, because they all knew that the topic of today's luncheon was finally about to begin.

"Although today is just a private banquet held in my own name, the purpose is nothing more than to give everyone a chance to get together, but there are still a few more important things that will be announced here today—"

While Dumbledore was talking, he suddenly left his seat and walked to the stage behind.

"First thing first..." He stood still on the stage, then suddenly reached out and gestured towards the right side of the guest seat, "Let me introduce to you, this is the one who studied in our school and then transferred A young wizard from the Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry—Mr. Maca McLean!"

Upon hearing this, Maca stood up, first nodded slightly to the wizards at the guest table, and then gave a little salute to all the wizards off the court.

When everyone was wondering about Dumbledore's introduction, they heard him go on.

"Yes, in recent years, Mr. McLean's reputation in the magical world has begun to emerge...whether it's being imprisoned in Azkaban, or breaking out of prison to disturb the Quidditch World Cup final scene, or even the recent personal audio-visual conference hosted by him, Both are extraordinary and eye-catching.”

"But what I want to say is that when he was still studying at Hogwarts, I was amazed by his intelligence and his growth."

"Unfortunately, because of some—" Dumbledore deliberately paused, and then continued, "...for some reason, Mr. McLean left Hogwarts and transferred to Durmstrang to study— This is indeed a big regret for the school.”

"So today, under the witness of everyone, I hope to reissue two awards to Mr. McLean!" Speaking of this, Dumbledore said, "Mr. Maca McLean, please come to the stage!"

Maca briefly looked around at the wizards in the audience, then left his seat, walked steadily to the center of the stage, and stood with Dumbledore.

"For friendship with classmates, respect for professors, adherence to etiquette, and excellent conduct, on behalf of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Witchcraft, I award you the 'Excellent Character Medal'!"

There was an understatement of applause from the audience. Obviously, everyone did not have much interest in this kind of medal.

Maca took the medal from Dumbledore, and after bowing slightly to thank him, he pinned it on his chest.

Then Dumbledore spoke again.

"For the first grade, to expel Voldemort possessed by the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts in our school—Quirinus Quirrell—"

Immediately there was a buzzing sound from the field.

"For the second year, assisting Professor Gilderoy Lockhart to destroy the remnant of Voldemort, kill the basilisk, and seal the Slytherin Chamber of Secrets—"

The uproar outside the court gradually became louder, and everyone exchanged their opinions in low voices, with various expressions on their faces.

"On behalf of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Witchcraft, I confer on you the 'Special Contribution Award to the School', thank you for protecting all the teachers and students, and thank you for protecting Hogwarts!"

Maca took another trophy and bowed to Dumbledore in gratitude.

However, at any rate, there was perfunctory applause that time before, but this time there was only buzzing and whispering in the audience.

Those present were all wizards with status, status, and self-cultivation. They would not be like ordinary wizards, who would get into a mess when they heard the word "Voldemort".

But at this moment, they obviously couldn't maintain a stable state of mind.

However, Dumbledore didn't seem to want to let them go, he raised his voice and said: "The next thing is the second thing today, please invite the Director of the Review Department of the International Federation of Wizards - Babajid Akinbad Get on stage!"

As the gazes of the wizards moved, an African black old wizard walked out of the crowd and walked to Maca's side with steady steps.

He and Dumbledore nodded to each other, and then Dumbledore stretched out his hand, indicating that Aginbad would make the next announcement.

Aginbad coughed lightly, and then raised his voice: "In order to take the initiative to go to Azkaban and undercover Voldemort's side for investigation; Wizards are spared from disaster, the International Federation of Wizards has solemnly decided to award Mr. Maca Maclean the Order of Merlin, Second Class Medal!"

It was a purple-gold shield-shaped medal. The Merlin wizard hat and two crossed wands on it were extremely delicate, and there were two sparkling silver stars on the top, which were still extremely eye-catching in the sunlight.

As the halos flowed, strands of bright light seemed to flash across the surface of the medal, making it even more mysterious.