Chapter 984: Alchemy Class at Hogwarts
Chapter 984: Alchemy Class at Hogwarts
Despite Kyle's reluctance to travel by train, the journey was not entirely dull, thanks to Conna's constant chatter and occasional conversations with Professor Saxia.
As evening approached, the train arrived punctually at the Hogsmeade platform.
Hagrid approached with a lantern, calling out to the first-year students to gather around him.
As per tradition, he was responsible for escorting the new students across the river to the castle.
"Long time no see, Hagrid!" Kyle leaned out of the train window and greeted him.
"Long time no see," Hagrid responded with a cheerful wave.
"I've been waiting for you all day. I didn't expect you to choose to come to school by train. Didn't you always say that trains were too slow and boring?"
"I meant that traveling by train alone is boring," Kyle corrected.
At that moment, Conna leaned out of the window and waved at Hagrid.
"Oh, Conna," Hagrid said happily. "Minerva told me. Congratulations on becoming an assistant professor at Hogwarts."
"Thank you," Conna smiled.
"By the way, Hagrid, you mentioned waiting for me all day. Is there something you wanted to tell me?" Kyle asked, looking at him. "Why don't you use the parchment I gave you? You can just write on it, and I'll be able to see it."
"It's nothing. I just wanted to share some good news with you," Hagrid said, his smile widening. He leaned in and whispered, "But now that you're here, it's better to let Minerva tell you herself. I'm sure you'll be jumping for joy."
"Jumping for joy..." Kyle raised an eyebrow. "What? Is the school giving me a raise?"
"No," Hagrid shook his head. "All professors receive the same salary. Only when you become a Head of House might there be a chance for a raise."
"So, I'm becoming a Head of House?"
"..." Hagrid fell silent for a moment. "Kyle, if you need Galleons, I can lend you some."
"Galleons? I don't need them."
"Then why did you only think of a raise?"
"Because that's the only thing that would make me jump for joy."
Hagrid fell silent again, and so did Professor Saxia in the carriage.
But the truth was, a raise in salary would indeed bring joy.
"Never mind. You'll find out soon enough. By the way, Bathsheba sent you a gift. I put it in your trunk," Hagrid said before leaving. He needed to hurry to get the new students onto the boats.
Kyle, Conna, and Professor Saxia, along with most of the students, boarded the carriages and made their way to Hogwarts.
Conna seemed curious about the good news Hagrid had mentioned and kept guessing what it could be.
Now that it was confirmed that it wasn't a raise, and there were no rumors of a promotion to Head of House...
Although Professor Snape, the Head of Slytherin, had been briefly dismissed for a while, after the two hearings, Professor McGonagall, as the Headmistress of Hogwarts, immediately rehired him.
He remained the Head of Slytherin and the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
It couldn't be that Professor McGonagall, upon becoming the Headmistress, would appoint Kyle as the new Head of Gryffindor.
But he wasn't even a Gryffindor graduate.
"You really should have asked Hagrid more questions," Conna couldn't help but say. "If you had asked further, he might have let something slip."
It seemed that many people now knew how to extract secrets from Hagrid.
"It's fine," Kyle smiled. "Actually, he already told us."
"What?" Conna was taken aback. "How come I didn't know?"
"Didn't he tell us that Professor Babbling was back?"
At that moment, the carriage came to a sudden stop.
They had arrived. Ahead of them was the grand entrance to Hogwarts, with its doors wide open. Professor McGonagall stood at the forefront, followed by Professor Sprout, Professor Snape, Professor Slughorn, and Professor Flitwick, who was partially hidden behind someone's legs, with only a few strands of hair visible.
Kyle, who was still in the carriage, didn't continue the conversation. He was the first to jump off the carriage and then helped Conna and Professor Saxia down.
The three of them walked up the stone steps.
"Welcome, Professor Saxia," Professor McGonagall said happily as she approached and embraced Professor Saxia.
Professors Snape, Flitwick, and Sprout also appeared excited.
Although Hogwarts ranked near the bottom among all magic schools, it had an abundance of exceptional professors.
The newly appointed Potions professor alone was enough to make the remaining magic school headmasters sour with envy.
Professor Slughorn was also excited, his belly jiggling with each step as he approached.
"Professor Horace Slughorn, it's an honor to work alongside you."
"I know, Armando mentioned to me that he found an excellent Potions professor."
Now, Professor Slughorn's face began to tremble as well.
While they conversed, Kyle and Conna did not choose to stay, instead walking into the Great Hall together.
"You haven't told me what the good news is yet."
"Didn't I?" Kyle looked around the Great Hall, as if searching for something.
"Did you forget? You were about to tell me when the carriage stopped."
"Well..." After scanning the room, Kyle withdrew his gaze. "But these are just my guesses for now, and I'm not sure. Let's wait for the headmaster's announcement at the start-of-term feast."
Conna muttered to herself, pondering seriously. "Why is Professor Babbling returning to Hogwarts good news?"
After all, isn't Kyle the Ancient Runes professor now? And wouldn't one professor be enough for this subject?
Conna didn't dwell on it for long. A few minutes later, Professor Saxia and Professor McGonagall entered the Great Hall together, taking their seats in the middle of the staff table.
Following them were Professor Flitwick and two rows of first-years.
Kyle sat there, observing with interest.
Speaking of which, this year marked the first time he would truly participate in the start-of-term feast as a professor.
Last year didn't count, as he was sitting at the staff table as Dumbledore.
The Sorting Hat's song, as always, left the new students wide-eyed and gave Muggle-born students their first tangible experience of magic.
Professor Flitwick then presided over the Sorting ceremony.
"Where did you go during the holidays?" Hagrid entered from the side door and sat next to Kyle.
"Bill mentioned that he hasn't seen you in a while."
"I've been trying out a new spell," Kyle replied.
"I see. But I think during your next holiday, you should visit the garden more often to see the fire..."
His voice suddenly disappeared... or rather, Kyle had timely cast the Ear-Closing Charm.
Although Hagrid had tried to lower his voice as much as possible, he forgot about his half-giant heritage. Even when he tried to speak quietly, his voice was still loud to others.
Kyle didn't want too many people to know that the fire dragon that suddenly appeared the other day was his.
Even if some people had already guessed the truth, as long as he didn't confirm it, it would remain a speculation.
Of course, if someone was overly curious and wanted to sneak into the garden to take a look, Kyle wouldn't stop them.
As long as they could handle the temperamental Hungarian Horntail, that is.
Kyle turned his head instinctively and looked across the table, just in time to see Snape turn his face away.
"I read in a book that raising fire dragons requires frequent interaction with them, or else they'll quickly forget about you."
Hagrid, sitting next to him, didn't seem to notice what Kyle was doing and continued talking.
"Fire dragons are smart but can be foolish at times. You need to appear before them several times to avoid being treated as an enemy."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Kyle assured, just as a golden plate with a piece of golden fried pork appeared.
While he was talking with Hagrid, the Sorting ceremony had already concluded, and it was now time for the feast.
The first-year feast was one of the grandest events at Hogwarts, and every year at this time, the house-elves in the kitchen would pull out all the stops to prepare this sumptuous feast.
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This year, there seemed to be some additional French dishes.
Kyle spotted Wizard Fish Stew and Red Wine Beef, which, although not as authentic as the ones he had tasted in Beauxbatons, were still quite impressive.
Soon, the desserts on the plates also disappeared, and everyone put down their cutlery.
Professor McGonagall stood up from behind the table, and the laughter echoing in the Great Hall immediately quieted down.
"Welcome, new students, to Hogwarts. Of course, I also welcome every senior student. Before the feast ends, I have something to announce..."
"First, Caretaker Filch asked me to inform you that no items purchased from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes are allowed in school.
"And then there's the Quidditch tryouts..."
Compared to Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall's speech was more concise, much like her no-nonsense personality.
After the announcement, she introduced the newly appointed Potions professor, Professor Saxia, and the assistant professor, Conna.
Kyle watched Conna stand up, her fists clenched tightly and her entire body tense, as if she were gripping the castle through her shoes.
He felt like laughing, but held it in, fearing repercussions later.
The students below reacted in two different ways upon hearing Professor Saxia's name. Some politely clapped calmly, while others gaped in surprise, craning their necks to get a better view of the teacher's platform.
Clearly, those who clapped were unfamiliar with Professor Saxia.
This wasn't surprising, as Professor Saxia wasn't as well-known as Dumbledore, especially in recent decades. She rarely appeared outside of St. Mungo's, so it was natural that many hadn't heard of her.
Professor Saxia remained calm, waving her hand before taking her seat. Conna, upon seeing this, quickly followed suit.
Then she fixed her gaze on Professor McGonagall.
There was something else on her mind, a piece of good news she had guessed along the way.
If there was anything unusual, Professor McGonagall would surely announce it at the crowded opening banquet.
"Meanwhile, I have another piece of good news to share," Professor McGonagall's voice quieted the buzzing hall once more.
"This year, Hogwarts will be adding a new class... Alchemy!"
"Alchemy?"
"Alchemy?"
The word echoed throughout the hall, leaving everyone wondering if they had misheard.
Hogwarts' class schedule had remained unchanged for centuries, so why add a new class suddenly?
Contrary to expectations, the students didn't seem delighted. Instead, most furrowed their brows.
"But Headmistress, how will our exams be affected if a new class is added?" a fifth-year Ravenclaw asked loudly.
He was due to take the O.W.L. exams this year, and the addition of a new class might impact his performance.
"You need not worry about that," Professor McGonagall replied, raising her voice to drown out the buzzing below, "The exam subjects will remain unchanged. In fact, Alchemy will only be offered to third-year students."
Hearing this, the fifth and seventh-year students breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as it didn't affect their exams, it was fine.
"But Headmistress, who will be our new professor?" Ginny couldn't help but ask.
She had scanned the teacher's platform and only saw Professor Saxia and Conna, both of whom taught Potions. One for fifth and seventh years, and the other for first and second years.
Who, then, would be the professor for Alchemy?
Unlike the curious Ginny, Conna had an idea the moment she heard the word 'Alchemy.' She immediately looked at Kyle.
"The professor for Alchemy is right here..." Professor McGonagall smiled.
Kyle stood up, as if he had known all along, just as Professor McGonagall extended her hand.
He had already guessed when Professor Babbling returned with Hagrid.
Professor Babbling would continue teaching Ancient Runes, and that subject didn't require two professors.
Adding to that, Hagrid's mention of good news, the answer became clear.
He would remain a professor, but switch to teaching the newly added class, Alchemy.
However, Kyle was puzzled because he hadn't received any letters from Hogwarts.
Such a significant change as switching subjects required advance preparation and confirmation of new textbooks. Surely, Hogwarts would notify the professor beforehand.
Kyle was certain he hadn't received any letters from Hogwarts during the break.
Even though he had been busy with the Horcrux Spell, he hadn't locked himself away. He was still able to receive letters.
But there was only one letter from Hogwarts, the one inviting him and Professor Saxia to travel by train, and no others.
Given Professor McGonagall's character, she shouldn't have made such a basic mistake.
This was why Kyle hadn't shared these thoughts with Conna earlier.
The hall erupted in thunderous applause, even louder than when Professor Saxia was introduced.
Perhaps this was also due to most students knowing Kyle, as he was the only recently graduated professor hired, familiar to almost all students from third year onwards.
...
(End of Chapter)
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