Chapter 522: The Long-Awaited School Song
Chapter 522: The Long-Awaited School Song
Time ticked by, and the Great Hall was filled with the sweet aroma of food.
Felix set down his knife and fork with satisfaction, waiting for the dessert to follow the main course. The other students in the Great Hall were still eating enthusiastically, chatting noisily, completely oblivious to the ghosts floating above their heads.
At the Gryffindor table, Harry had nearly finished eating and began to pay attention to the conversations around him. He was not particularly pleased to discover that one of the topics being whispered about was him. The voice of Nearly Headless Nick, from a few seats away, drifted into his ears.
"Yes, that's Harry Potter, he's right there. You'll have plenty of chances to see him..."
Harry did not turn around, but he guessed that Nearly Headless Nick was talking to the new Hogwarts students. He was certain they came from Wizard families, as they would have known his name before starting school, unless the student was like Hermione, a bookworm.
Dean and Seamus were loudly discussing the news from Diagon Alley. Harry perked up his ears; he had not had the chance to go there this year. The textbooks, stationery, and potion ingredients he needed were all bought by Mrs. Weasley. He had originally planned to visit the Future World 1 store in Diagon Alley to check out any new products, but that plan had to be abandoned.
I wonder if the Weasley Twins have released their anti-curse products...
"The shops were packed, more people than usual... No help for it, the book list was issued so late this year that everyone rushed there at the same time. Not many people were interested in stopping to chat. I saw several familiar faces, but they vanished in a flash, as if something was chasing them..."
"Runic Script booklets were in high demand. Mum wanted to buy a few to send to her relatives abroad..."
Seamus spoke enthusiastically, and when he met Harry's gaze, he grinned and spoke even louder.
"There were a lot of new street vendors on the sides of the road, just laying out a cloth on the ground. What were they selling? Various protective charms, of course. Mum told me they were all rubbish, and that you'd have better luck finding genuine items in Knockturn Alley... She was joking, of course."
"That place hasn't been shut down by the Aurors yet", Ron said with his mouth full, but Harry could still understand him.
Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley were adjacent, but their reputations were vastly different. Diagon Alley was a vast area, the center of magical commerce for British wizards, while Knockturn Alley was a secluded alley where the shops sold less-than-legitimate goods.
At that moment, a voice spoke in his ear, "Excuse me, can you move over a bit?"
Harry was startled and turned to see a tall girl with long braids leaning over him, her face less than a foot away. It was Angelina Johnson, who poked Harry and Ron with her fingers and managed to squeeze into the seat between them.
"So, how was your summer?" she asked lightly.
"Good", Harry replied, not quite sure what her purpose was.
"Right, well", Angelina smoothed her hair, "I've been chosen as the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team."
"Quidditch team captain", Harry repeated, then widened his eyes and exclaimed, "Quidditch?"
Angelina had a "I knew it" expression. "Fred told me you had forgotten about Quidditch, but I didn't quite believe it..."
"Not at all", Harry stammered, "I played with Cedric over the summer." He looked around and spotted the handsome face at the Hufflepuff house long table.
"Really? So you won't quit the team?" Angelina asked, her large eyes fixed on Harry, making him feel the pressure.
"Absolutely not, I'm still aiming for another trophy", he promised.
"Good", Angelina sighed with relief. "I don't want to sound overly sensitive, but I just took over the team, and I feel a great responsibility. I understand now why Oliver was so talkative..."
"Don't be like him", Harry quickly said.
Angelina laughed.
"Well, I'll be off. By the way, since Oliver is gone, we need a new Keeper. I plan to hold the tryouts this Friday at five o'clock. I hope everyone can be there. That way, we can let the new player try out with the team."
"No problem. Do you have someone in mind?" Harry asked, while Ron, who was eating, perked up his ears.
"Not yet", she sighed. "I'll post the application forms on the wall when I get back." She bent down and left.
"She looks pretty stressed. I almost forgot about Quidditch", Hermione said.
"Maybe it's just the way new captains feel? Cedric had a hard time adjusting at first..." Harry only responded to the first part.
"Still have time, right? This year is the O.W.L.s year, and don't forget, you promised Neville to reorganize the dueling club", Hermione reminded him.
"I know", Harry mumbled.
The food on the table vanished, and a few seconds later, various desserts appeared on the plates.
Harry picked up a jam-filled doughnut and chewed it noisily, glancing towards the teachers' table. His eyes first fell on Dumbledore, who was seated in a golden high-backed chair at the center of the long tables. Dumbledore was wearing a deep purple robe adorned with silver stars, a matching hat, and gloves, looking like a band's lead singer who had wandered into the wrong venue. On his left and right were Professor Mcgonagall and Snape. Professor Mcgonagall was trying a strawberry with a sauce drizzle, but her expression suggested it wasn't to her liking. Snape, on the other hand, was squinting and giving brief, almost silent responses to Dumbledore's questions. Across from them, Sirius Black and Professor Horace Slughorn were seated. Strangely, Sirius had given up on eating early and was idly poking the fruits on a blueberry cake with his fork.
As for Professor Slughorn—Felix gazed at the ceiling, which, like the outside environment, was much more subdued than in previous years. He and Sirius had arrived at the school earlier than the Hogwarts students, but Madam Pomfrey had spent a considerable amount of time examining Sirius.
According to Madam Pomfrey, Felix's methods were quite "rough" and "unprofessional", and if not treated promptly, the wound might have become infected and abscessed. While she was re-cleaning the wound, Felix had a conversation with Dumbledore, who had arrived.
"The one who passed the message to you was Severus", Felix said with certainty.
"I knew you would guess", Dumbledore smiled.
"I also know", Felix continued slowly, "that the one who revealed the Bones' whereabouts to Voldemort was Severus. Sirius mentioned it during a meeting, and I overheard."
Dumbledore fell silent for a moment. "You are correct."
"Is it really necessary? I can't guarantee their safety 100%, and in fact, Voldemort's most loyal servant, Barty Crouch Jr., died right in front of him", Felix said, his tone growing more serious. "By my hand."
"To gain Voldemort's trust as a competent spy, one must demonstrate unique value, something no one else can offer. Only then will Voldemort see them in a different light", Dumbledore said matter-of-factly.
"That's not the answer I wanted, Albus. I don't think you would be so cold", Felix said.
"Thank you for saying that, Felix", Dumbledore smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes relaxing.
"If I could, I would do more. Would I trade my life for Voldemort's? It would be a fair deal, and I wouldn't hesitate if given the chance... But in my position, too many people are counting on me, and I can't take such risks lightly..."
"I understand Voldemort, perhaps better than he does himself. Without experiencing a failure, he won't reflect. Amelia will remain in danger. We must make Voldemort realize that capturing her won't be easy, and she can call for help at any time. This time, it was only you, but next time, it might not be. This will make Voldemort shift his focus."
"The only innocent one in all this is Sirius, but even he isn't truly innocent. Every member of the Order of the Phoenix is prepared. Just like the agents you have within the Death Eaters—"
Felix raised an eyebrow, indicating he was all ears.
"Lucius, is it?" Dumbledore asked softly. "Or perhaps more—"
"How did you guess?" Felix interrupted.
"Ah, Lucius has always tried to cause me trouble. I never believed that removing him from the board of governors would end our conflict. And it didn't. But I noticed that complaints against me have decreased significantly over the past year, as if a key figure had lost motivation or was dealing with more pressing issues."
"So", Felix said slowly, "since you know about Lucius, why—"
"Let Severus take the risk?" Dumbledore asked, smiling and twirling his thumbs.
Felix nodded.
"I've said it before, Severus is unique. He is Voldemort's greatest creation, a thorn in the heart of the Order of the Phoenix, providing intelligence to everyone, including you and me—"
Felix suddenly understood. "You value how to convey information to Voldemort more than receiving information from him?"
Dumbledore blinked.
"Rather than let Voldemort act freely, I prefer that he act according to the time and manner I expect, even if there are risks, I can control them within a reasonable range."
...
"Really? On the day before school starts?" Hermione asked in surprise.
"Yes, we did", Harry said.
"I never thought we'd succeed after so many failures. What is it, Harry?"
"What are you talking about?" Ron looked puzzled at the two of them.
"Don't interrupt", Hermione said, her eyes still focused on Harry.
"Headmaster Dumbledore got a memory from Mr. Slughorn", Harry looked around to make sure no one else could hear, and whispered to them, "I think it has something to do with Voldemort. At least, Headmaster was quite excited after getting the memory."
"Maybe it's a way to defeat Voldemort", Hermione speculated, "According to what you said, the old man was a colleague of Headmaster Dumbledore, which means he also taught the Dark Lord, right? He must know something."
"I thought the same thing", Harry shrugged and continued eating quickly, "Compared to Headmaster Dumbledore, Mr. Slughorn's mood wasn't so great. He kicked us out and didn't even respond to Headmaster's suggestion that he move."
"Move?"
"Headmaster Dumbledore wants him to live at Hogwarts and continue his potion research. Hogsmeade works too—near Honeydukes. It seemed like he was a bit tempted." Harry said casually.
Hermione slowed down her chewing, "What could it be? Since it's a memory, it must be something from the past..."
At that moment, Dumbledore stood up, tapped his glass, and the Great Hall fell silent.
"Welcome back. I know you're eager to get to your warm and comfortable beds, but please bear with me for a few more minutes to hear a few words... This year, we have two changes in our teaching staff. First, for Care of Magical Creatures, our gamekeeper needs to attend to some personal matters and will be absent for a few weeks... During this time, Professor Grubbly-Plank has agreed to fill the gap. Let's give her a warm welcome."
Professor Grubbly-Plank stood up, nodded at the students with her prominent chin, and then sat back down. The Great Hall erupted in polite applause.
"Next, we introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Black has extensive experience in combating dark magic and has been serving as an advisor to the Minister of Magic for the past two months. He will be joining our teaching staff this year."
Sirius Black stood up, waved to everyone, and couldn't resist blowing a loud whistle. The atmosphere in the Great Hall instantly became more lively, and Fred and George Weasley responded with their own whistles.
Dumbledore waited for the applause to subside before continuing:
"This year, the school will be trying some small and interesting experiments, and some of you may have already heard about them. There are two matters that directly affect you."
"First, the Ancient Runes exam will be divided into a theoretical and a practical section. Professor Slughorn will provide you with the specific criteria in class."
Felix lazily waved his hand, and the students began to murmur among themselves.
"Second, the school will include certain spells in the annual assessment. In principle, every student is required to pass, but special requests can be made in advance. Of course, I won't accept 'allergic to specific words' as a reason... We will post the spells for each year group during the first week of school."
"Before you retire, let's sing the school song together", Dumbledore announced loudly.
The Great Hall buzzed with excitement. Felix's smile seemed to freeze. Hogwarts didn't sing the school song every year; sometimes they had a student orchestra perform, but it was clear that Dumbledore was in the mood to be a conductor this year.
A long golden ribbon floated out of his wand, twisting into words.
Headmaster Dumbledore, wearing matching star gloves with his robes and hat, waved his wand grandly, like a conductor, and Felix hummed along with the crowd.
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hogwarts, teach us whatever we must, whether we're bald or frizzy-haired, whether we're old or young, our minds can absorb some interesting things..."
The scattered chorus ended, and Dumbledore wiped his eyes sentimentally.
"Music always moves the soul. Well, now you may return to your dormitories. Please, prefects, lead the first-years out."
(End of Chapter)
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