Chapter 611 Hogwarts 1996

The student seats were chattering incessantly. Loren muttered something to fool Rolf while pushing him back to the Hufflepuff table. After his ears became quiet, he sighed and looked towards the professors at the guest seat. .

The burly Hagrid sat on the left side of the guest of honor seat, smiling and lowering his head to talk to Professor McGonagall, who only reached his elbow. He seemed to feel the eyes of the audience, raised his head and followed the eyes, and waved to him with a smile. .

Professor Trelawney of Divination sat on the other side. Ever since Umbridge suffered a calamity for not listening to her prophecies, the students no longer dared to despise her as they did before. Occasionally, when they met and greeted her in the castle, they spoke with each other. There was a little more respect, and Trelawny was very happy with that.

She was still dressed as weirdly as before, wearing all kinds of shiny chains and beads, wrapped in a fluffy shawl, and her eyes were magnified by the lenses to make them more prominent...

Dumbledore sat in the middle of the guest chair. His silver hair and beard were mixed together and hung down on his chest, which was several feet long. Half-moon glasses were placed on his crooked nose. He smiled gently and tilted his head slightly. Grindelwald beside him spoke softly.

The old principal never liked to talk for a long time before dinner started, so when the bell rang on time, the porcelain plates and goblets in front of them immediately appeared full of food and drinks, and the hot aroma made the little wizard Their appetites were whetted, and they began to feast regardless of their image.

"When will the trial at the Ministry of Magic end?" Slughorn cut the steak with a silver table knife, put the strips of meat into his mouth, and complained inarticulately, "I originally wanted to invite a few outstanding students. Students had lunch together in train carriages, but there was no way the Slug Club could be re-opened in this situation.”

"Why?" Professor Sprout asked doubtfully. She couldn't figure out how the students who had not yet graduated were involved in the situation.

"Oh!" Slughorn explained, "Several Slytherin parents are in prison and are not in the mood to attend my dinner parties, and I'm worried about them making requests at the table, even though I do have some influence. , but cases involving dark wizards...you know, the situation is very complicated."

Professor McGonagall knitted her eyebrows together and pursed her lips: "It shouldn't take long for the results to come out. Some die-hards will be imprisoned in new prisons, and others will have the opportunity to be released on bail."

"As long as you pay a sufficient deposit, right?" Slughorn raised his eyebrows, "I received some news that many pure-blood families are raising money to open up relationships, and even approached the newly appointed Minister Scrimgeour. , it’s a pity that he is a hardliner..."

"If you ask me, Death Eaters should break their wands and be imprisoned for life!" Professor Bubbaji said.

"..."

The sound of laughter and clinking of knives and forks echoed around the desk of the dean. The purest joy was stirred up by fats and carbohydrates, which eliminated the fatigue caused by the hard work of carriage and horses.

After only a few pieces of pumpkin pie were left on the white porcelain shallow plate, a crisp sound suddenly came from the guest of honor seat.

"Ding Ding!!"

Dumbledore held the spoon and tapped the goblet, suppressing the noise in the auditorium. The old and powerful voice began to echo in the hall: "Welcome! Welcome back to Hogwarts!"

The little wizards looked up at the professor at the guest table, holding desserts in their hands, and the sweetness spread on their tongues.

“If there’s one thing I always look forward to during the Christmas holidays, it’s your bright, bright smiles!”

Dumbledore's eyes were gentle and he continued: "No one expected that so many things would happen during the short Christmas holiday. I believe you have read the news in the newspaper. Here, I also have a few things to tell you. Said... Death Eater attacks occurred in the Department of Mysteries and Knockturn Alley. Many Aurors and Ministry of Magic staff are still lying in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries and Injuries. The mandrake cultivated by Professor Sprout has once again Being completely acquired, the Animagus teaching class may have to be postponed again.”

All the young wizards who had not yet completed the Animagus ritual began to sigh. They did not expect that the Death Eaters would affect them from such a tricky angle.

"Damn Death Eaters!"

"How despicable!"

George and Fred took the lead in rebuking the dark wizards, which attracted many young wizards to echo.

Only Gryffindor's Lee Jordan scratched his head. How could he remember that these two guys had collected a batch of mandrakes?

Dumbledore stood quietly at the guest of honor seat, and waited for them to gradually quiet down before continuing: "You may have seen relevant reports about Harry Potter in the newspapers, and I also recognize his role in the battle against the Death Eaters. Heroic performance. But sorry...external activities do not count towards college grades."

The little wizards in the audience and the professors on the stage all showed dumbfounded expressions.

The Slytherin students breathed out a sigh of relief, and some observant students remained silent, their eyes scanning back and forth at the guest of honor seat.

Dumbledore coughed twice and cleared his throat, focusing everyone's attention again: "I need to emphasize that the current situation is only temporarily under control. Although the Death Eaters are basically arrested, Voldemort is still absconding... …”

There was a tense and heart-wrenching silence in the auditorium.

"Look Professor Slughorn..." the little witch said in a low voice.

Loren looked up and saw Slughorn's expression was heavy and his eyes were dark.

"Don't panic and stay sensible. The castle's magical defenses were strengthened during Christmas and we have new and more effective protection. I can assure you that Hogwarts can ensure the safety of every teacher and student. But I still hope that everyone will remain cautious, not take it lightly, and remind family and friends around you to always pay attention to your own safety. Therefore, I ask you to strictly abide by every safety rule set by the professor and do not leave the castle after turning off the lights... pay attention to your surroundings at all times. environment, report any abnormality to the professor immediately... try to stay away from remote alleys in Hogsmeade..."

Dumbledore preached the precautions one by one, his blue eyes scanning all the students, and his gentle but calm gaze made people feel reassuring.

"Is Professor Snape also a Death Eater?" A seventh-grade Slytherin student asked loudly. His voice echoed in the auditorium. Many students realized that there was a professor missing from the guest of honor seat. The relaxed breath suddenly became heavy.

Dumbledore shook his head: "I regret to tell you that our Potions teacher, Professor Snape, has temporarily resigned, but he is not in the temporary prison set up by the Ministry of Magic at the moment, nor is he in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Wounded Soldiers" , he has temporarily left us to pursue more advanced knowledge of Potions. However, I am pleased to announce that his vacancy will be filled by a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his position as Professor of Potions."

"Welcome, Professor Horace Slughorn!"

Slughorn stood up, his bald head shining in the light, and his waistcoat-clad belly swaying: "Good evening, children, I'm glad to be back here..."

There was a round of welcoming applause from the audience.

It must be admitted that Slughorn's image of a fat old man is very relatable.

Loren looked at the old principal and felt emotional. Dumbledore was still good at talking. He maintained the image of Professor Snape with just a few words, but when he thought about it carefully, he really didn't lie.

"As for our second new teacher..." Dumbledore waited for the applause in the auditorium to quiet down before continuing, "Professor Beowulf Bagshot! He has happily agreed to fill the Defense Against the Dark Arts vacancy!"

Grindelwald stood up with a gentle smile and nodded to the young wizards.

"Beowulf, a hero in the European epic..." Hermione whispered into Loren's ear, her soft breath making her ears itchy, "He killed a man named Grendel. demon."

Grindelwald, Grendel...

Influenced by Flamel, Loren also had some understanding of these stories. Grendel was described as the devil from hell, powerful and violent, hating beauty, and bringing darkness wherever he went.

I don’t know if Grindelwald’s choice of this name has any symbolic meaning.

"Okay, your beds are waiting..." Dumbledore said cheerfully, "I know what you need most now is to have a good rest and prepare for class tomorrow, so let's say good night..."

As usual, the benches were pushed behind them, making a harsh friction sound, and hundreds of students began to leave the auditorium and walked towards the dormitory under the leadership of the prefects.

…

"Tomorrow is full of classes on Monday. Don't stay up late. Go back and go to bed early."

"The same to you."

"Good night."

"Good night."

Back in the common room, Loren and Hermione stood hugging each other at the foot of the wooden stairs. After saying good night to each other, they rubbed the tips of each other's noses and went up the stairs to their dormitories. The expression of intimacy is not limited to kissing, these natural and casual movements are more comfortable and free.

Someone had already come back first. The door was ajar and he pushed it open to enter.

The temperature in the room was only slightly lower than the common room, very warm. The candlesticks in the corners and the chandelier in the center of the room were already lit. I took off my magic robe and hung it on the oak hanger behind the door. I stepped on my heels and took off my boots. Put on your slippers and walk inside.

Neville was wearing a pair of brand new plush pajamas and was standing by the bed packing his suitcase. Holding Leif, which was bigger than the Quaffle, in both hands, he bent down and gently put it into the box under the bed.

Loren lay on his bed, buried his head in the quilt and took a deep breath. The bed quilt had a slightly burnt smell after it was dried. It was said to be the dried corpses of mites. Anyway, it smelled quite good: "Neville, Haven't they come back yet?"

"ah?"

Neville's hand trembled, and then he heard Leif slamming into the box. The negligent owner closed the box and stood up hurriedly, "You said Harry and the others, they were left in the common room, Lee Jordan and the others Looking for news."

"These people are really not smart. They obviously have a classmate from an Auror family, but they turned to a few of them to get information."

"No!" Neville was a little flustered and waved his hand to refuse. "Don't ask them to come to me. My parents have specifically told me not to say anything until the trial is over."

"Hey, do you really know any inside information?"

"..." Neville shut his mouth and stopped talking.

Loren became interested now: "Oh, there are only two of us here. Do you have any news to share?"

"I'm going to wash up." Neville said in a dull voice.

Loren was immediately happy: "Hey, can you change the subject?"

"..."

"Is it true that no one can tell?"

"Um."

"Neither can I?"

"..." Neville's eyebrows knitted together tightly, his expression very difficult.

"hey-hey."

Loren continued to tease for a few more sentences, and stopped asking questions after satisfying his bad taste.

…

Late at night, in the Slytherin common room.

The round lampstand was tied with a chain and hung from the ceiling. The room was green, and a large number of skulls and snake sculptures were decorated with cold light. The fire in the fireplace had gone out, leaving only the red charcoal. The common room looked dark and cold.

Draco, the prefect of Slytherin, lay on his back in a chair, turning a copper Knut of a special shape in his hand, quietly watching the black lake outside the transparent window. The unknown light was dispersed into an irregularly arranged ring of light spots by the undercurrent under the water, slowly passing through the window and slowly passing through his expressionless face.

It was looming, flickering.

In a trance, Draco's mind seemed to sink to the bottom of the lake. As the lake water spread and flowed, the dead ice surface with thick darkness covered the whole world, almost making him breathless.

"Do you want something to eat?" A timid female voice sounded beside him, "I have beef pie here."

Draco knew who it was without turning around: "Take care of yourself first, your body is weaker than a malnourished rabbit. If you stay up late and get cold here, your roommate may have to carry you to the school infirmary tomorrow morning."

Astoria sat down quietly beside him, slowly waved her wand, raised a few blue flames, unwrapped the parchment wrapping the pie, suspended the beef pie above the flame and roasted it evenly. After a while, an attractive aroma floated out.

Draco couldn't help swallowing his saliva, a little embarrassed: "Did you hear what I said? You are annoying!"

"It's baked, eat it quickly!" Astoria handed the pie over, and the bright firelight was reflected in her blue eyes, sparkling.

Draco opened his mouth, unable to say no, silently took the pie, put it in his mouth and took a bite. The meat filling inside was still cold, but there was a strong warmth in his chest.

"I saw you didn't eat much in the hall, so I packed two pies. How about that? Am I smart?"

"..." Draco bowed his head and said nothing.

"I heard from my family that your mother should be fine and can be released on bail smoothly. Your father's actual crime is not serious, but there are too many people who identify him, so it may require a large amount of money..." Astoria was weak, so her voice was soft and weak, and her speech speed was very slow. She had to take a breath after finishing half a sentence, like a kitten of several months old. "I have saved a sum of money. I don't know how much I can help you. If it's not enough, I can borrow some from my father... borrow more."

The underground lounge was dimly lit, and the remaining fire in the fireplace was warm.