Chapter 519: The New Professor
Chapter 519: The New Professor
That evening, there was, of course, another celebration in the Hufflepuff common room.
Piled high on the tables were cookies and cakes, along with jugs of pumpkin juice and butterbeer.
However, this time, not many people paid attention to these delicious snacks. Everyone gathered around a table, carefully examining the three red stones that were placed on it.
"What on earth are these?"
"I don't know," Kyle shook his head. "Bagman said that the clue for the second task is hidden within, but he didn't say how to use them. We have to figure it out ourselves."
"Maybe we need to roast them over a fire," Mickel suggested. "Burn off the outer shell and the clue will be revealed."
"No," Hannah Abbott shook her head immediately. "What if we damage the real clue? It's too risky. I think it's better to use a Revealing Charm."
"I'll give it a try." Cedric took out his wand and tapped the stones forcefully.
"Revelio!"
However, the stones showed no response.
"Looks like the Revealing Charm doesn't work," he sighed.
"It's okay, it's only the first day," Connor said to Kyle. "You still have three months. You'll definitely figure out the clue."
Kyle smiled but remained silent.
In fact, Kyle wasn't too concerned about whether or not he could find out the clue for the second task in advance.
It would be nice to know, but it didn't really matter... after all, they would be told on the day of the task anyway.
It was only after Kyle had put away the stones that everyone remembered the cookies and cakes that had been neglected for so long.
The issue of the second task was temporarily forgotten as they began to celebrate Kyle's excellent performance, and the atmosphere in the common room soon became lively again.
...
By the time Kyle finally returned to the dormitory with Ryan and Mickel, it was already two or three in the morning. Thankfully, they didn't force-feed him butterbeer this time.
Mickel and Ryan seemed to have endless energy, and even at this late hour, they showed no signs of sleepiness.
Mickel found a wooden stick and fixed it to the door, using it as a makeshift broomstick. They took turns pretending to be Kyle and imitated the difficult grabbing movement he had used in the last challenge.
Kyle lay on his bed and watched as Ryan fell off the stick, and they both burst into laughter.
It was quite interesting to watch from this perspective.
...
After the festivities, Hogwarts entered the month of December.
The weather turned colder, with frequent gusts of wind, rain, and sleet. The usually bustling shores of the Black Lake were now deserted, except for the Durmstrang ship that remained anchored in the center, rocking violently in the gale.
"It must be freezing in there," Mickel commented.
They had just finished their Care of Magical Creatures class and were on their way back to the castle, although most of their faces were reddened and their steps unsteady.
This was because Hagrid had been feeding the Hippogriffs pure malt whiskey every day, resulting in a strong alcoholic odor permeating the enclosure.
It was manageable before, but now, with the wind, the whiskey scent blew towards their classroom, and the strong liquor made most of the students feel uncomfortable.
"I think there must be magic inside that ship," Ryan said, rubbing his face. "Otherwise, it would be unbearable to stay in the lake in such cold weather."
"I suppose so," Mickel agreed. "And I've heard that Durmstrang is much colder than Hogwarts. Their school uniform even includes fur cloaks."
The damp, cold wind from the Black Lake blew on them all the way back to the castle, and by the time they arrived, the dizzy feeling had disappeared.
Kyle put away his books in the dormitory just as Cedric walked in.
"Kyle, I was just about to look for you.
"All of us are going to have dinner in the Great Hall?" Kyle asked in confusion. "Did something happen?"
"I don't know." Cedric shrugged. "Maybe the headmaster has something to announce."
"Alright." Kyle nodded.
When dinnertime came, Dumbledore indeed arrived, looking very pleased as he chatted with Professor Moody beside him.
"What do you think he's going to say?" Connor asked curiously. "Could it be about the second task?"
"Probably not." Kyle thought for a moment and said, "If it's related to the Triwizard Tournament, all three headmasters should be present."
Only two headmasters came to the Great Hall for dinner—Dumbledore and Maxime. As for Karkaroff... he hadn't shown up in the Great Hall since the first task ended.
Soon, dinnertime came to an end.
After the food on the plates disappeared, Dumbledore stood up.
All eyes turned to him.
"You must be wondering why I asked everyone to have dinner in the Great Hall."
Dumbledore surveyed the room and said with a smile, "That's because I have an announcement to make. Well then, let him in."
He stretched out his hand and pointed to the side door of the Great Hall.
A man was walking in from there.
"Oh!"
"My goodness, is that..."
Exclamations rang out in the Great Hall, and Harry even stood up excitedly at the Gryffindor table.
"Yes, I believe many of you have seen him in the newspaper." Dumbledore said with a smile, "But I still need to introduce him to you all... Sirius Black."
Applause filled the Great Hall.
"Quiet, quiet, I think it's too early for you to cheer..." Dumbledore raised his hand, "I am honored to announce that starting today, Sirius Black will be our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor!"
After a brief silence, thunderous applause and enthusiastic cheers erupted.
"Professor, what about Professor Moody..." someone asked loudly.
While Sirius Black was great, Professor Moody was also well-liked, and many students enjoyed his class.
"Rest assured, Moody will still be staying here." Dumbledore explained, "But to be honest, he has complained to me many times, blaming me for assigning all seven years' worth of classes to a retired old man.
So, Professor Black has kindly agreed to lighten Professor Moody's load and will be taking over Defense Against the Dark Arts classes for first to fourth years."
Another round of applause followed.
"Oh, why!" Mickel lamented, "Why can't we be in his class?"
"Professor Moody is good too." said Cedric.
"I know." Mickel shook his head, "I mean, it's Sirius Black, the legend of the year. Aren't you curious?"
"Well... yes, I am curious." Cedric said, "But what can we do? It's not like we can decide which professor teaches our year."
"So envious..."
As they spoke, Kyle looked towards the left side of the staff table where Snape was seated.
Snape had no intention of clapping. He gripped a fork tightly and stared at Sirius Black, who was waving to the crowd.
The fork was squeezed so hard that it had bent out of shape.
His expression was as unpleasant as it could be, as if Professor Dumbledore had just announced that he must drink a potion brewed by Mickel.
(End of Chapter)
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