https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-606-The-Late-Arriving-Weasley-Family/13011783/
Chapter 607: The Start-of-Term Feast
Chapter 607: The Start-of-Term Feast
Throughout the journey, aside from the necessary rounds to check on the carriages, everyone's attention remained on Moody and the Death Eaters.
They were eager to know if there would be a change in the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year or if Sirius would be solely responsible.
If the latter were true, they wondered if Sirius would also be targeted.
The train continued its northbound journey, and the weather remained unpredictable, with rain starting to fall outside, tapping intermittently on the windows, lulling passengers into a sleepy state.
Suddenly, the lights in the carriage came on.
"We should probably change into our robes," Autumn said, glancing out the window. "We must be close."
Fred and George began donning their robes, and Cedric had already opened the compartment door in preparation.
Finally, the train gradually slowed down, and a cacophony of voices filled the air as everyone crowded into the aisle, ready to disembark.
As head boy, Kyle and his group were the last to leave the carriage.
A person holding a lantern shouted for the first-year students to come forward, but the lantern was held noticeably lower than in previous years.
"Look, isn't that Hagrid?" Fred noticed something amiss and asked, "Do you know who she is?"
It was a witch, unlike the unkempt Hagrid; her hair was neatly styled, and her appearance was impeccable.
At that moment, she was shouting for the first-year students to gather in front of her.
However, no one seemed to recognize this person.
"She's Wilamina Graplan," Kyle suddenly spoke up. "She's a somewhat renowned Magizoologist who has published numerous articles on unicorns."
"Magizoology..." George couldn't help but mutter, "I wonder if the school is replacing Hagrid."
"I don't think so," Kyle shook his head. "I believe Hagrid has a temporary matter to attend to, so he asked her to help welcome the new students."
If his guess was correct, Hagrid and Madam Maxime should still be in the giants' territory, persuading them to join the Order of the Phoenix instead of the Death Eaters.
However, this task was not an easy one.
Giants were inherently violent, and the Death Eaters' ideology seemed more aligned with their nature... Of course, it all depended on whether Hagrid could convince them.
Without further attention to Graplan, Kyle and the others followed the crowd toward the carriages.
Along the way, Kyle noticed that Conna kept glancing at him.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing," Conna shook her head. "It's just that you seem to be in a good mood. Is there something you're happy about?"
"I guess so... But is it that obvious?" Kyle touched his face.
"Not too obvious, but I can tell," Conna said with a smile. "And on the train, you didn't slack off... Previously, you would always pass the head boy duties to Cedric."
"She's right," Cedric confirmed from the side.
"Don't worry, it won't happen again," Kyle chuckled.
"Of course not," Cedric said, "I'm in my seventh year, and next year I'll be graduating. I can't possibly come back specifically to help you maintain order."
"That's for sure," Cedric added.
"That's a good idea," Kyle smiled.
His good mood today was indeed due to the previous night's events.
After Kyle fully recounted the scene of encountering Voldemort and the subsequent trouble caused by the Death Eaters, Newt eventually put away the parchment and did not bring up writing a letter to Dumbledore again.
Of course, Kyle had also promised Newt that he would not take anything out of the box when not facing Death Eaters.
To be honest, this was exactly what Kyle had intended, so he agreed readily.
Now he had three trump cards, ensuring his safety and allowing him to engage Voldemort in a duel if necessary, and then escape calmly.
Under these circumstances, it was natural for him to feel happy.
Although he had tried to restrain himself, he hadn't expected Conna to notice.
However, Conna didn't pursue the topic further. The group boarded an empty carriage and slowly made their way toward the castle.
After about ten minutes, the carriage stopped at the stone steps leading to the oak front doors. Fred was the first to jump off.
He looked into the distance toward the field.
"There's no light in Hagrid's hut."
"That's for sure," Autumn also got off, "If he were here, there would be no need for Madam Graplan to help with the new students."
"Let's go inside quickly, it's freezing out here."
"Oh, okay." Fred followed the crowd up the steps.
They passed through the warm entrance hall and headed for the door on the right leading to the Great Hall, preparing for the upcoming start-of-term feast.
"Look, I knew they'd make it," Kyle said as they entered the Great Hall, pointing to the Gryffindor table.
There, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were waving enthusiastically.
They were seated at the front, clearly the first to arrive.
If Kyle's guess was correct, Mrs. Weasley had likely used Apparition to bring them to Hogsmeade and then returned to school, the fastest method.
Fred and George immediately went over to ask about the issue that had been bothering them the whole journey, and Autumn went to the Ravenclaw table.
Kyle, Conna, and Cedric made their way to the Hufflepuff table and found a row of seats on the side.
As soon as Cedric sat down, he eagerly looked towards the teacher's desk.
"Oh, that's good."
Sirius was still sitting in his original seat, which meant that this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor hadn't changed.
It's not easy to find a reliable Defense Against the Dark Arts professor these days. Although Sirius isn't as good as Professor Moody, he's still pretty good, at least better than Quirrell and Lockhart.
The only question now is how long he can continue teaching.
Cedric hoped he could make it through this semester, after all, he'll graduate next year, and whoever the new professor is then won't matter to him.
That's Kyle's problem to worry about.
Thinking of this, he suddenly noticed Kyle staring blankly at the teacher's desk.
"What are you looking at?"
Kyle shook his head.
He was just a little surprised not to see Umbridge, but soon he realized that this was normal.
This work is organized and uploaded by Liujiu Book Bar~~
Due to his own reasons, the other party should be busy dealing with the people of Wizengamot at this time, after all, the formal application had already been sent to Amelia Bones of the Law Enforcement Department via owl a few days ago.
Calculating the time, Wizengamot should also have taken action by now. As a person who was specifically mentioned, Umbridge didn't have time to come to Hogwarts.
Great, no need to face that idiot with a missing brain.
Kyle's mood improved a lot, and even the Sorting Hat's song sounded pleasant.
To be honest, the song created by the Sorting Hat this year wasn't very good. It seemed that some extra things were inserted into the well-crafted foundation, which was a reminder to all students, urging them to unite.
Most students were buzzing with discussion, except for those who knew the truth, they understood this was the Sorting Hat's reminder.
After the Sorting Hat's song ended, Professor McGonagall came out with a list of new students in her hand. She glared sternly at the students who were whispering to each other, and everyone immediately quieted down.
Professor McGonagall glanced at the list in her hand and loudly announced the first person's name.
"Owen Abercrombie."
A nervous boy stumbled forward and was eventually sorted into Gryffindor.
A round of enthusiastic applause filled the Great Hall.
Slowly, the long line of new students gradually shortened until half an hour later, the last person was sorted into Hufflepuff.
Kyle and the others clapped.
The feast officially began, and various delicious dishes appeared on the tables out of thin air. The few who had only managed a couple of bites on the train couldn't wait to discuss other matters and immediately indulged in the feast.
Kyle chose a beef rib for himself and also served a piece to Conna; this was a specialty of the house-elf, and he had tried it once last year when he added it to his meal, and it tasted quite good.
As per tradition, after the main course, it was time for desserts.
Kyle tried the pudding recommended by Conna, which had orange marmalade, sweet and sour, perfect for a finale.
Once everyone had their fill, the plates were cleared, and Dumbledore stood up, and the Great Hall fell silent again.
"Well, while we digest this delicious feast, I ask you to remain quiet for a while and listen to me as I go over the new term's notices, as usual."
Dumbledore said, "First-year students are not allowed to enter the Forbidden Forest, and the same goes for upper-year students."
"Also, this year, we have two changes in our teaching staff. Firstly, Professor Moody, due to some special reasons, is unable to continue teaching, but our Professor Black has agreed to take over the remaining three years of classes."
A round of applause filled the Great Hall, except for the Slytherin table, which remained quiet.
They didn't want Sirius to continue teaching at the school, just as Gryffindor eagerly hoped Snape would be expelled.
Dumbledore continued, "Additionally, I'm delighted to introduce Professor Graplan, who will teach you Care of Magical Creatures until our gamekeeper returns."
Professor Graplan stood up and nodded to everyone.
The Great Hall echoed with polite applause.
"Finally, this year's Quidditch selection will take place in the second week after the start of term."
"That's great," Cedric waved his hand.
He had been waiting for this.
Last year, due to the Triwizard Tournament, the Quidditch matches were canceled, and he had waited an entire school year, and now he finally heard this news again.
"Kyle, we must win the Quidditch Cup this year, right?" Cedric asked excitedly.
"Yes, of course," Kyle said, "The championship is definitely yours, as a graduation gift for you."
"That's fantastic," Cedric said with a smile.
"Since you're so happy..." Kyle patted his shoulder, "Then the new students are up to you, no problem, right?"
"No problem," Cedric replied without a second thought.
But soon, he realized that the sounds of chairs and tables colliding and buzzing discussions were constantly spreading around him.
Just now, Dumbledore had already announced the dismissal, and everyone was preparing to return to their dorms.
And at this time, the prefects of each house were responsible for guiding the new students and taking them to their dorms.
Obviously, Kyle had passed his task to him, and he had agreed without fully understanding.
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
