Chapter 474: New Business Opportunities
Chapter 474: New Business Opportunities
To be honest, Kyle didn't really want to be a Head Prefect if given a choice. On the train to Hogwarts, he would rather stay in the compartment, chatting or playing Wizard's Chess, instead of patrolling outside.
Fortunately, the students were cooperative, except for Fred and George, who were always up to no good. The rest were relatively quiet.
Finally, as evening approached, the Hogwarts Express slowed down and stopped at the dark Hogsmeade Station.
The doors opened, and thunder rumbled in the air, accompanied by heavy rain that poured down like buckets of ice-cold water constantly drenching them.
Kyle put on his waterproof badge, and others followed suit. Those without badges created umbrellas for themselves.
In short, everyone had their own ways to deal with the rain... except for the first-years.
They had to follow Hagrid and take a boat across the Black Lake. As soon as they got off the train, they were led away.
"Oh, taking a boat in this weather isn't a good idea," Cedric shivered, "I hope their first impression of Hogwarts won't be too bad."
They moved slowly with the crowd towards the carriages, and Kyle casually chose the nearest one and got in, followed by the others.
After a moment, the carriage started with a jolt and headed towards the castle along a small path, splashing water as it went.
Soon, the carriage stopped in front of two large oak doors. The students in front quickly jumped off and ran into the castle, climbing the stone steps.
The entrance hall was lit by torches, creating a warm atmosphere.
As Kyle entered, he saw a water-filled balloon falling from the ceiling and exploding on Ron's head, soaking him.
One after another, balloons were thrown down, scaring the people around and causing them to scream and push each other to get away.
"Peeves!" a furious voice shouted, "Get down here right now!"
Professor McGonagall rushed out from the Great Hall. The floor was wet, and she slipped, almost falling...
But as they say, cats have quick reflexes. Professor McGonagall quickly reached out and grabbed the neck of a nearby person, stabilizing herself just in time.
"Ouch... Sorry, Miss Granger..."
"Cough... It's okay, Professor..." Hermione gasped, rubbing her throat.
For a moment, she thought she saw her grandmother...
"Peeves, get down here this instant!" Professor McGonagall shouted.
"I didn't do anything," Peeves chuckled, throwing a few water bombs at some second-year students who had just entered, "They're already wet anyway, right? Hey, little one, don't run!"
"I'm warning you, Peeves!" Professor McGonagall said sternly, her face growing more serious...
Peeves stuck out his tongue, threw the last few water bombs into the air, then quickly climbed the marble stairs, cackling as he ran away.
"Alright, come in quickly," Professor McGonagall opened the Great Hall doors, gesturing for the drenched students to hurry inside while muttering under her breath:
"I wonder where Peeves got so many balloons, and why he didn't finish throwing them all during the holidays..."
Kyle coughed lightly and walked past Professor McGonagall without saying a word.
The Great Hall was as magnificent as ever, decorated for the new semester's banquet. The enchanted ceiling flashed with lightning and thunder, frightening some of the younger students into constant screams.
Kyle and his friends took their seats at the Hufflepuff table.
Soon, the other tables were also filled with students, and everyone gathered together, chatting excitedly about their holiday adventures.
The most talked-about topic was the Quidditch World Cup, and those who didn't attend the match eagerly asked about what happened, wondering if it was as exciting as the newspapers described.
"I wonder who the new Dark Arts professor will be this year." Cedric glanced at the front row of teachers, not a single new face among them.
"Maybe they couldn't find anyone." Michael said, also looking at the teachers.
"Everyone knows that this position is cursed, and so far, no professor has lasted an entire school year..."
Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"Did you notice? It seems that Professor Snape is not here either."
He said excitedly, "Could it be that, in addition to the Dark Arts, we'll also have a new Potions professor this year?"
"Oh, that would be great!"
"Maybe he's just busy..." Kyle said, trying to calm him down.
Snape was probably still busy dealing with Regulus's matters and didn't have time to attend the opening feast.
"Oh, can't you let me be happy for a moment?" Michael said softly.
As soon as he finished speaking, the doors to the Great Hall opened, and everyone immediately quieted down.
Professor McGonagall led a group of first-year students into the Hall.
"They look really miserable." Cedric whispered.
The new students were soaked through, and from their appearance, it seemed like they had not only traveled by boat but had swum directly from the lake.
Kyle touched his chin, thinking that he could talk to Dumbledore and see if he could take on the job of engraving the boats with magic runes.
As long as the magic runes were composed of specific symbols and engraved on the small boats, it would be possible to add an invisible canopy to the boats, thus achieving the effect of blocking rainwater.
This way, the current situation would not happen again.
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The new students looked really miserable. They didn't even dare to make eye contact with those around them; they just kept their heads down and walked forward silently.
When the Sorting Hat started singing, he immediately shared his thoughts with Cona.
"This probably won't work..." Cona whispered, "Professor Babbling can do this job, but so far, the boats are still in their original state, and nothing has changed."
"Let's give it a try. Maybe Professor Babbling is just too lazy to do it... She even wants to combine classes." Kyle said.
Cona thought about it; it seemed that this was indeed the case. Professor Babbling would find the headmaster every year, wanting to combine the fifth-year classes so that she would have more time to travel.
No matter how you look at it, she didn't seem like the type to waste time engraving magic runes on the boats.
"And we have the Board of Directors." Kyle continued, "It's not like Professor Dumbledore has to pay for it himself; he has no reason to refuse."
Cona was convinced. She nodded, "Then when are we going to find Professor Dumbledore?"
"There's no rush." Kyle thought for a moment, "The new students have already arrived, so it can be done before the end of the term."
"How about Christmas or Easter? We'll have two weeks of vacation then."
"Good!" Cona said.
At this moment, the Sorting Hat's song also came to an end.
"I've never been wrong."
"The Sorting Hat will decide which house you belong to."
As the last word fell, the Great Hall erupted in applause.
Although Kyle didn't listen to a single word, he also clapped.
Professor McGonagall unrolled a large scroll of parchment.
"When I call your name, put on the hat and sit on the stool." She said to the first-year students.
"Stuart Ackley!"
A boy stepped forward, visibly shaking from head to toe, whether from nervousness or the cold.
"Ravenclaw!" The Sorting Hat shouted after a brief pause of only two seconds.
The Ravenclaw table immediately burst into applause.
...
(End of Chapter)
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