Chapter 186: The Dinner
Chapter 186: The Dinner
"Harry! Harry! Are you okay?" Someone was slapping his face.
Harry opened his eyes. Everything had returned to normal—the train was moving again, the lights were on, and he sat up from his seat, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, dazedly looking around the compartment.
Ron and Hermione were closest to him, Neville was looking at him with concern, and Ginny was huddled in the corner.
Lupin pulled out a bar of chocolate from his pocket, broke it, and distributed pieces to everyone.
"This is for you, Harry. By the way, that was an excellent Disarming Charm."
Harry took a large piece of chocolate and suddenly asked, "Did I pass out? No, that woman... did she get saved?"
"Who?" Lupin asked casually.
"When that hooded thing appeared, there was a woman. Her voice sounded like an adult, she..." Harry suddenly faltered. There was only one adult woman on the train, the witch pushing the food cart.
But the voice he heard was clearly not hers.
Lupin's hand froze in place, and he mumbled, "I'll go talk to the driver. Excuse me..." and hurriedly left.
The door slammed shut.
"Harry?" Hermione looked at him with worry.
He forced himself to calm down, sat back in his seat, and took a bite of the chocolate. A warm sensation spread through his body, making him feel happy again.
"Can someone tell me what just happened?" Harry asked.
"We felt a cold, as if we had fallen into an ice pit. Then we saw your spell, a blinding red light... the cold lessened, and you fell to the ground. Professor Lupin told someone that Sirius Black wasn't hiding here. He raised his wand and emitted a silvery light, and the cold wave completely dissipated. The train started moving again", Hermione described what she had seen.
Harry chewed the chocolate silently. He wasn't really concerned about all that; he just wanted to hear any clue about the woman's voice from the others, but the result was disappointing.
Everyone looked uneasy. Ginny was sobbing softly, and Neville muttered, "It was terrifying. It brought back my worst memories."
"It felt like all happiness was being drained from you", Ron added, but then he gave Harry a punch on the shoulder. "Your spell was amazing, Harry! We could teach Malfoy a lesson. Just thinking about him tumbling away makes me feel happy again."
"It wasn't my doing..." Harry shook his head and tried to pull himself together. "What was that hooded thing?"
"I think it was a Dementor. I've seen something similar in a comic book. They look like boneless rags", Ron described.
Harry looked at Hermione. Among the three, Ron was the most familiar with the magical world, but his knowledge was superficial. Hermione's knowledge, though mostly from books, was more accurate.
Hermione recalled what she had read: "Dementors are the guards of Azkaban. They feed on positive human emotions, especially happiness. Regular spells have no effect on them. The only known effective spell is the Patronus Charm."
"Patronus? Like Professor Flitwick's otter and Professor Mcgonagall's cat?" Harry asked.
"Exactly."
"Exactly."
Hermione and Ron both said, Hermione having seen the otter Patronus and Ron the cat Patronus. Harry was familiar with both.
No one spoke for a while. After about ten minutes, the train stopped.
But they didn't wait for Professor Lupin. "Let's go, he must have gotten off first."
The Great Hall.
Hagrid was dressed formally in a large suit, his hair and beard meticulously groomed. "How do I look, Felix?"
"...Great."
Tears welled up in Hagrid's eyes. He switched the umbrella in his hand to his left side and pulled out a dirty handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the corners of his eyes. "It's wonderful... I've always dreamed of this day."
Today, he would not only be appointed as the Care of Magical Creatures professor but also have his name cleared. Dumbledore had submitted a complete chain of evidence, including testimony from the Chamber incident's monster, the murderer, and Moaning Myrtle herself. The Ministry of Magic had no reason to object and had to lift the fifty-year-old ban.
Hagrid had been punished with two penalties for being suspected of killing Moaning Myrtle: expulsion and the breaking of his wand. Some even suggested sending him to Azkaban, but Dumbledore's intervention saved him from that fate.
Now, with the ban lifted, he could use his wand openly again.
Felix looked at the large red umbrella in his hand. "Is your wand hidden in there? I've been meaning to say, it's a brilliant hiding spot."
Hagrid raised his hand. "Dumbledore fixed it for me. I've always been cautious, you know... theoretically, my wand was broken by the Ministry of Magic."
Felix looked at him with a peculiar expression and whispered, "Dumbledore fixed your wand? The one that was broken?"
"He's a genius, isn't he?" Hagrid said happily.
"Yes, indeed", Felix agreed.
After a while, Hagrid emerged from the Great Hall to greet the new students, while the professors made their final preparations. Professor Mcgonagall was discussing the dinner arrangements with a House-elf from the kitchen.
"Everything is ready, Professor."
"Excellent, thank you for your hard work."
Soon, the second to seventh-year young wizards flooded into the Great Hall, filling it with a cacophony of voices. Felix felt as though hundreds of baboons were excitedly chattering.
But his gaze fell on a particular wizard—
He wore a tattered robe, patched at the edges, hinting at his impoverished state. He looked exhausted, as if he had just escaped a troublesome situation. His face was still young, but his brown hair was streaked with gray...
Professor Mcgonagall approached the wizard, warmly welcoming him and leading him to the staff table.
A strong look of hatred fell upon the wizard, and Felix noticed out of the corner of his eye that Snape's silver fork had bent in half.
Professor Mcgonagall introduced the wizard to the other professors, deliberately avoiding Snape.
Soon, she came to Felix.
"Felix, this is Remus Lupin. He was once my student and is a very kind and gentle person. You will get along well together", Professor Mcgonagall said.
Felix and Lupin looked at each other, a hint of curiosity flashing in their eyes.
Felix smiled and extended his hand, "Hello, Professor Lupin. I've heard Professor Mcgonagall mention you before. You must be one of her best students?"
Lupin extended his hand as well, "I was the most unremarkable. On the train, I heard many stories about Professor Lupin..."
"I hope they weren't too strange."
"No, of course not. They spoke highly of you, and I must admit, I'm a bit envious."
Their hands clasped together, and Lupin was the first to let go.
Soon, Hagrid appeared with the first-year students, who looked as though they had been drenched in a rainstorm. Felix was puzzled to see that Professor Mcgonagall was not the one leading the Sorting Ceremony; he looked around but did not see her anywhere.
Professor Flitwick held the Sorting Hat and a roll of parchment, a small stool floating behind him.
He moved past the new students, waving his wand, and their wet clothes became dry and comfortable, as if they had been warmed by the midday sun.
"Line up and follow me."
The young wizards formed a line and waited for their Sorting, but first, they were treated to a song specially crafted by the Sorting Hat. The young students watched in amazement as the Sorting Hat sang with passion.
This was perhaps the most profound impression Hogwarts had left on them so far.
The Sorting began.
"Newman Bark."
"Gryffindor!"
"Oliver Dyer."
"Hufflepuff!"
"Grantham Folley."
"Ravenclaw!"
"Astoria Greengrass."
"Slytherin!"
"Romilda Vane."
"Gryffindor!"
...
At the end of the Sorting Ceremony, Felix noticed Harry and Hermione slipping into the Gryffindor seats from a corner, and Professor Mcgonagall appeared shortly after.
Then, Headmaster Dumbledore stood to give his welcoming speech, which was as concise as ever.
After the formalities, he spoke seriously about the Dementors, "They will be stationed at all entrances to the school to carry out the Ministry of Magic's duties. During their stay, no one is to leave the school without permission."
"Dementors do not accept any tricks or deceptions, not even invisibility cloaks. They cannot distinguish between valid reasons and excuses, so do not give them any opportunity to harm you. Prefects and the Head Boy and Head Girl, ensure that no student comes into conflict with the Dementors."
As the young wizards absorbed this information, Dumbledore cheerfully introduced the two new professors, saying—
"The first is Professor Lupin, who generously filled the Defense Against the Dark Arts position", and the second is "Rubeus Hagrid, who, in addition to his duties as the Keeper of the Forbidden Forest, will also be the Care of Magical Creatures professor."
Dumbledore also expressed sympathy and regret for the injustice Hagrid had suffered, "For half a century, we have overlooked this, and it is time to correct this mistake."
Hagrid stood up, waving excitedly, and a string of red sparks shot from the tip of his umbrella. The students responded with enthusiastic applause, especially from the Gryffindor table.
"We should have known!" Ron shouted, slamming his hand on the table. "Who else would make us handle a book that bites?"
After the feast, the students filed out of the Great Hall, their conversations buzzing with excitement.
(End of Chapter)
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