days at Hogwarts

Chapter 634 Sixth Grade Begins

"Do you want to play the Quibbler?"

"Do you want to play the Quibbler?"

In the aisle of the Hogwarts Express, the ethereal voice of the blonde newspaper girl could be heard from time to time. Luna stepped aside to make way for pedestrians, walked a few steps forward to Ginny, and looked at the pygmy puff on her shoulder with shining eyes: "It's so cute!"

Ginny smiled and greeted her friends, "Products from Weasley's Hocus Pocus. Did you know that they also sing on Boxing Day?"

Luna stared at the little guy and thought for a moment, then shook her head and took out a magazine: "Want some Quibblers? It's free."

"Of course." Ginny took it and noticed the strange-looking glasses on the cover. She asked casually, "Monster-proof glasses...what are these?"

"A special pair of glasses..."

The ethereal and light voice of hawking passed through one carriage after another, occasionally drifting out of the carriage through the gaps in the windows, then being covered by the clanging sound of the turning wheels, and then blown away by the strong wind howling in the wilderness.

In the compartment at the end of the train, Loren was flipping through the summer special issue of "The Quibbler" with great interest, while Harry's low voice was heard in his ears.

"What exactly did Voldemort do at Ilvermorny?"

"How many Horcruxes did he make?"

"Don't you think he's in Ilvermorny to make Horcruxes?" Harry leaned forward slightly, his tone a little anxious, "Think about that strange snake wood, this fits his style..."

"Stop talking, Harry..." Hermione held down the course selection booklet in her hand. "I know what you want to say. Principal Fontana and the Magical Congress of the United States have both investigated the snake tree and found nothing unusual."

"Wait, I don't quite understand what you are talking about?" Ron looked confused.

"There is a magical tree in Ilvermorny, which is said to be derived from the wand left by Slytherin. Harry suspects that Voldemort may have made a wand from that tree..." Loren paused and said thoughtfully, "The snakewood is indeed worthy of suspicion. At least there must be something wrong in Ilvermorny, otherwise the werewolf and Voldemort would not have stayed there for such a long time."

"But the Magical Congress is still investigating, and there are no clues at the moment." Hermione lowered her head to look at the manual again.

"Ah..." Harry glanced at the circled courses in the handbook and felt a little heartbroken. "I hope I can get Professor Slughorn's memory this semester and get some useful clues from it."

Hearing this, Ron turned to look at him with a puzzled expression, "But didn't we agree that we won't take the advanced Potions class this semester? And your grades are only good, so you can't enter the advanced class."

Harry was stunned.

Loren looked up at him with an inexplicable smile on his face: "This is how it was when Professor Snape taught this course. Professor Slughorn was happy to accept students with "good" grades into the advanced class. What you need to worry about is another problem...Have you purchased the textbooks for this semester?"

Harry wasn't sure if it was his own illusion, but he always felt that his smile was very strange: "Maybe I can write to Flourish and Blotts and order new textbooks by mail..."

"Since you don't have enough time, I suggest you look in the storage cabinet behind the Potions classroom. There are some old textbooks in there, and you may find something useful."

"Let's talk about it then..."

……

Slytherin's prefect Draco finished his patrol, said a few words to Pansy Parkinson and casually hid in an empty cubicle. After closing the door and turning around, he found that there was someone inside.

Theodore Nott, who was looking out the window, heard the voice, turned his head, thought for a moment, and smiled politely: "Greetings, respected Prefect Malfoy!"

"Since when does the cold-hearted Nott start joking?"

Draco sat down opposite him, expressionless.

The two of them kept in touch during the summer vacation. Knowing that the Nott family was not in a good situation, the visiting inspection at their home became more strict. I only saw old Nott once during the two-month summer vacation, and some family branches had already fled.

"Anyone would be depressed if they were stuck in a Death Eater prisoner's house for two months, especially since there was no homework for the summer. My mother even advised me to drop out of school and take care of the house."

"That's fine, why don't you agree?"

"How can I do that? I'm still thinking about taking the Potions Certificate, and it's easier to go back to school. I'll go crazy if I stay at home any longer." Nott leaned lazily in his seat, a little inelegantly, without caring about the attitude of a pure-blood family. "How is your family?"

"It's similar to your house."

Draco's answer was somewhat vague.

I couldn't tell him that Voldemort stayed at Malfoy Manor for a few more days and that Professor Snape was performing a resurrection ceremony in his backyard.

Nott nodded and did not continue to ask. He always had a good sense of propriety when dealing with his classmates. "Think positively. At least the laws of the Ministry of Magic are more lenient than those of the Magical Congress. Those old guys will not be sent to the death chamber immediately."

"..."

"What subjects are you going to take this semester?"

"Transfiguration, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts..."

"..."

The train was shrouded in a strange atmosphere. After a summer vacation, even the most obtuse Muggle-born students had heard about the horrific attacks in Diagon Alley. The students had learned of the Dark Lord's public comeback, and some had even seen with their own eyes the gathering of Dementors causing the gray fog to spread.

Even the most lively Gryffindor lowered his voice unconsciously when talking about those people.

The express train rumbled across the wilderness and hills. It was still sunny when it set out in the morning. After lunch and passing through a tunnel, the sky gradually darkened and the clouds became thicker and thicker. When it approached Hogsmeade Station, it began to rain.

The young wizards swarmed down in a mess, with mud and rain splashing everywhere. The figure of the gamekeeper Hagrid was drowned in the misty rain, and no order could be maintained even by shouting at the top of their lungs. The sobbing of girls could be faintly heard from the group of first-year students.

Seeing this, Neville immediately handed the umbrella to Hannah and stepped out to maintain order. The prefects of other colleges followed suit, except for Slytherin's female prefect Pansy, who was a little dissatisfied, but calmed down after being scolded by Draco.

The team was reorganized, and the freshmen stumbled to the lake to board the boat. From time to time, two unlucky ones fell into the lake and were picked up by Hagrid. Other grades boarded the carriages and entered the school in an orderly manner. More people could see the Thestrals.

Running into the hall in the rain, the bright firelight and warm breath greeted them. As usual, the students once again embraced the shelter of Hogwarts.

……

"A long time ago I had a new hat

Hogwarts wasn't built yet.

The four founders of Noble Academy

Thought they would never part ways
......"

The worn-out Sorting Hat sang last year's lyrics in a strumming voice. The tune was still familiar, but there were two more patches on the crack. The students looked at the Sorting Hat, the professors in the guest of honor seat, and the old headmaster who was humming the harmony softly, and felt a sense of peace in their hearts. "Liam Bulstrode."

"Slytherin!"

"..."

While the freshmen were undergoing the sorting ceremony, students were whispering with the people sitting next to them around the long house table. Loren and Hermione listened to their chat while applauding the freshmen who were sorted into Gryffindor.

"See? There's a centaur sitting in the head guest seat, right next to Professor Hagrid!" whispered a second-year wizard, and the people around him immediately responded to the discussion.

"Hey, how did he sit down?"

"He is so handsome. Look, his eyes are as beautiful as jacaranda flowers, his hair is white gold, and even his mane is light gold..." The little witches around nodded in agreement.

Hearing a girl of the same age praising another male, Gryffindor Euan Abercrombie curled his lips and said, "Maybe it's a teaching aid for the Care of Magical Creatures class?"

At the Hufflepuff table, Rolf's forehead twitched. He wondered if he would be so angry if he revealed this to Firenze. "Centaurs are not considered magical creatures. They were classified as humans as early as the Second Wizarding Council... This is Firenze. His tribe is in the Forbidden Forest and rarely communicates with the outside world. He must have been invited to Hogwarts."

"Is that so? I thought only those who look like humans are considered human." A little wizard sighed.

"What is he here for?"

"..."

The opening banquet was the same as in previous years, but it also seemed different. Amid the noisy discussions, there was no sound of the twins and Lee Jordan shouting and making noises. It felt like Gryffindor was not as lively as before. There were fewer familiar figures around the long table, including Angelina, Cedric, and the annoying Marcus...

Loren looked at Professor Trelawney who was sitting in the corner of the guest seat. She looked as strange as before, with sparkling beads around her neck, a long fur cape, and her eyes were frighteningly wide and big.

His grades in divination were excellent, and he could take an advanced divination class, but it seemed unnecessary.

Trelawney, who was drinking, seemed to have received instructions from the Heavenly Eye and looked over here. Loren quickly looked away and looked at Firenze who was whispering to Hagrid.

There was a black hoof-shaped bruise on his chest, as if it had been kicked in the chest by an angry centaur.

It seems that this open-minded centaur chose to come to Hogwarts and must have endured a lot of criticism in the tribe. Probably only a very few centaurs could understand that the centaurs' life in a corner could not last too long, and they had to find a new way out.

In the short term, the wizard war started by the Dark Lord may affect the centaur tribe at any time. In the long term, as the scope of human activities gradually expands, the primeval forest is no longer safe.

It is not known whether Firenze chose to leave the tribe on his own initiative or was invited by the principal.

On the right side of the guest of honor seat, Grindelwald looked at the centaur beside him and raised his glass to greet him: "Mr. Firenze, if I'm not mistaken, you should have been exiled by other centaurs..."

“They think that I am betraying my fellow man by working for humans.” Firenze lowered his eyes to hide the gloom that flashed across his eyes.

"What brings you out of the forest and into the strange human world?"

"The stars are telling us what to do," Firenze said calmly. "Jupiter has been hit, a solar storm is coming, and the world is in unprecedented change."

Grindelwald nodded, with a thoughtful expression: "Seeing into the future, peeking into the truth, your astrology, no, your astrology is very powerful."

"I can't interpret such complex astrology. The elder asked me to do this before he passed away. He discussed this with Headmaster Dumbledore."

“Your elders are very wise.”

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Bagshot."

……

After the sorting ceremony, the students had a hearty meal and, while singing the funeral march in memory of George and Fred, their doubts about the centaur were also answered.

"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell everyone that this year, students are strictly prohibited from bringing in the following items... including any joke items purchased from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes...

"Considering the absence of key players from each academy due to graduation, this year's Quidditch competition has been postponed. Each team will focus on recruiting players and team training in the first two months. Students who want to join the academy's Quidditch team should report their names to the dean as usual...

"In addition, we are still looking for a new Quidditch commentator. Anyone interested can sign up with the dean."

After talking about these insignificant things, Dumbledore cleared his throat, looked around the hall, and announced loudly: "... Professor Firenze and Professor Trelawney will jointly teach the Divination class this year!"

The little witches chattered, "I'm suddenly interested in taking the Divination class!"

"Me too!"

"..."

No one noticed that Trelawney, who was sitting in the corner of the guest of honor seat, silently raised his glass and let the cold sherry pour into his throat, his heart aching slightly.

Dumbledore listened to the students' discussion with a smile. He did not mention the teaching position again, but waited for a few seconds to make sure everyone was completely quiet before continuing to speak.

"One last thing. I think you all know that Voldemort and his followers are causing trouble again, and their power is growing... Every day, every hour, every second, the dark forces are trying to invade Hogwarts... The current situation is very dangerous. Everyone needs to be extremely cautious and not take it lightly...

"Many people place their hopes on an old man like me, but I am absolutely certain that the most powerful weapon of this school is you!"

Dumbledore's blue eyes scanned all the students, and then his smile returned to his face.

"I hope you guys think about it carefully...Okay, go to bed obediently! Toot!"

As usual, benches were pushed behind them, making a harsh friction sound, and hundreds of students began to file out of the auditorium and walk towards the dormitories.

……

Seamus, who was asking around for information, squeezed through the crowd and came to Harry's side: "Are we still holding a secret meeting this year, Harry?"

"Professor Bagshot is fine. There's no need to do that now, is there?"

"Come on, we really enjoyed the rally! I learned a lot from you! And it was cool!"

"Uh... maybe we could have a gathering once a month."

"I'll go tell them right now!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)