A magical journey that begins in Azkaban.

Chapter 488 Embarrassment and Bitterness

In his opinion, the problem was not Hagrid's giant ancestry, but Hagrid's inability to realize the difference between himself and ordinary wizards. He uses his own standards to judge the dangers of magical creatures.

But those creatures that he regarded as friendly and harmless, such as Acromantulas, giant dragons, etc., could directly kill students. But as a ranger, Hagrid is quite competent.

As usual, the old students were sitting on the carriage pulled by the night horse. Most students thought this was due to magic, and only a few students could see these mysterious animals because they had experienced death.

Harry looked at the front of the car from time to time, observing the Thestral's dark and thin skin tightly wrapped around its bones. He made innuendoes, asking Ron if he could see anything strange. However, Ron shook his head in denial.

Luna, who could have told Harry about Thestrals, was in another car, reading the latest issue of The Quibbler published by her father backwards. This special way of reading is not Luna's "opposition".

The halls of Hogwarts were still brightly lit, with countless candles floating in groups in the air. Looking up, the starry sky in the dome looked particularly bright, and it was not covered by dark clouds because of Voldemort's return.

On the high wooden bench, the Sorting Hat took the lead in singing a new song. Rogge sat on the long Slytherin table, staring at the patched hat with suspicion. There was curiosity in his eyes, but also a hint of vigilance.

Under his influence, Cornelius Fudge stepped down two years early, and was directly killed by Barty Jr. last year. Although Amelia had conflicts with Dumbledore, she also worked diligently to complete what the minister should do.

As for Umbridge, who likes to wear pink clothes, she was kicked out of the Ministry of Magic by the minister early and now works at St. Mungo's Hospital.

Albus had never cared about anyone in his family since he left home. All his thoughts are on himself, or on his "lover".

Because he knew that his sister was Mo Ran. His nephew once also exploded, thus mastering the power of the Obscurus. He didn't believe that Grindelwald was indifferent to Obscurus.

In the end, it was his brother Aberforth who took charge of the family. He gave up the opportunity to go to school and learned magic by himself, making a living in the magic world while taking care of himself. And Albus never helped once from beginning to end.

Regulus, Voldemort, Harry Potter and a series of other things made him forget that important letter. What he had thought was a joke was now real in front of him, which shocked Dumbledore and seemed unreal.

Ariana stared at him indifferently, then turned away, unwilling to look at him again. Her blue eyes showed disgust and disgust.

At this moment, he forgot about his speech and about Voldemort. His only thought was to talk to his sister.

Rogge glanced at the middle of the teacher's chair. He suspected... no, he firmly believed that Dumbledore had influenced the Sorting Hat's thinking to some extent. Perhaps a further guess is that he has implanted his own thoughts into it.

A father who died young and a melancholy mother. The selfish big brother, the young her.

"Euan Abercrombie." Professor McGonagall called the first name.

"...I have spoken to you bluntly, I have sounded the alarm for you..."

A panicked little boy stumbled out. The large rim of the Sorting Hat was like a giant mouth, swallowing half of his head at once. Thanks to his incredibly big ears, otherwise he would have been nicknamed "Headless Man" on the first day of school.

Dumbledore smiled nervously, tasting the old wine brewed by embarrassment and bitterness in his heart. He put on his glasses in a panic, trying to see Ariana more clearly.

The little lions applauded warmly to welcome the new students.

Dumbledore completely forgot to applaud. He stared closely at the tall girl in the back row of freshmen, his eyes filled with disbelief.

When the admission notice was issued this year, he was arguing with Amelia in the Ministry of Magic, but the quill in the headmaster's office wrote his name skillfully as in previous years.

Professor McGonagall looked at the second name and hesitated. She looked back at the Headmaster, trying to understand Ariana's relationship with Albus. At this moment, Dumbledore was still in a daze.

"Gryffindor." The Sorting Hat opened its mouth and announced loudly.

He didn't understand why Voldemort and Death Eaters, who were raging across the ocean, could make the Sorting Hat sing unfortunate songs.

He wanted to know how Ariana survived and how she came to be a hundred years later at the age of fifteen. He was a little worried whether Grindelwald had cast an evil spell on her in an attempt to realize his plot.

Professor McGonagall took the admission list, cleared her throat, and signaled everyone to stay quiet. The parchment in her hand was as long as in previous years, with the names of new students written on it. However, there are special students this year.

"Ariana..." He moved his lips slightly and silently read his sister's name.

"Ariana Dumbledore."

"call……"

As Professor McGonagall's voice fell, a burst of exclamations suddenly sounded in the auditorium. Almost everyone's eyes were looking at this "outstanding" girl at the same moment. Many people think that she is a freak who only awakened her magical power from a squib at the age of 15.

Compared to these unfriendly speculations, Ariana's own surname deserves more speculation and attention.

"Her last name is Dumbledore!"

"A member of the Dumbledore family. Apart from our headmaster, I have never heard of anyone else."

"He seems to have a younger brother..."

"Who? The principal? Is it true or false?"

"Probably, I heard my grandma mention it. However, in the magic world, there is no magic family with a principal."

"Do you think it could be a coincidence? She was originally a Muggle, but she awakened her magic power and became a Mudblood this year. Or is she a transfer student from abroad?"

"Shh, keep your voice down. It would be terrible if she is really a relative of the principal."

"How is it possible? It must be Dumbledore of Muggles. The principal is the most powerful white wizard in this century. How can a descendant of the family be so weak?" Discussions in the auditorium continued, and people were full of curiosity and curiosity about Ariana's identity and background. guess. Her appearance undoubtedly added a special topic to this year's sorting ceremony.

Professor McGonagall had to use a "loud voice" to keep everyone quiet.

Ariana walked forward lightly, and her eyes were attracted by the Sorting Hat covered with traces of time. She carefully picked it up and then slowly put it on her head, her heart beating faster.

"Little witch, your last name is really interesting." The Sorting Hat grinned and communicated with her in a deep and teasing voice.

A trace of surprise flashed in Ariana's eyes. She looked up and asked softly: "Can you speak?"

Regarding the problems that arise every year, the Sorting Hat took the trouble to explain: "In this magical world, nothing is impossible. The four founders injected their thoughts into my knitting thread... Now, let me discover Which college do you belong to?"

The Sorting Hat pondered for a moment, and his voice became deep and mysterious: "You have two completely different magical powers. The first one, I have sensed in the current principal. The hot magic, full of warmth."

"The second one... is dark, full of fear... somewhat similar to a certain student, but completely different."

"You have extraordinary magic power, outstanding talents, and you are pure blood." The Sorting Hat's voice became louder and louder, as if it was about to announce its decision. At the last moment, however, it fell suddenly into silence, before announcing in a firm tone: "Gryffindor!"

"Thank you." Ariana was satisfied with the result. She did not notice the Sorting Hat's hesitation and readily accepted the decision.

Compared with the first-year students, she is more mature mentally and has no special tendency towards the four colleges. But considering the Obscurus in his body, and the need to stay with Hermione to suppress it. She had no choice but to go to Gryffindor.

The Gryffindor little lions gave warm applause, and the Weasley twins quickly made room and invited her to come and sit.

However, Ariana's eyes were firm and she completely ignored their invitation. She walked right past them and sat down next to Hermione.

The sorting ceremony was still going on, and the freshmen stepped forward one by one, nervously and expectantly waiting for the Sorting Hat's decision. Slytherin has welcomed many new blood, and without exception they are all children of pure-blood families.

Rogge looked at the Sorting Hat with a hint of contempt in his eyes. He kept preaching unity, but his actions invisibly deepened the rift between the four houses.

Dumbledore finally stood up, his eyes gentle and tolerant, looking around the entire auditorium, looking in the direction of Gryffindor from time to time, as if looking for a specific face.

Harry Potter noticed the headmaster's gaze, and he felt both nervous and a little happy. Throughout the summer vacation, and even longer, he felt that the principal was deliberately keeping a distance from him, and this alienation made him feel confused and lost.

"Welcome our new students." Dumbledore's voice was loud and passionate. He opened his arms with a happy and bright smile on his face. "Welcome our old students as well. Welcome back to this place full of magic and miracles! "

His words were full of warmth and joy that seemed to melt the hardest hearts in the world. However, when he looked at Ariana, her reaction was cold and disdainful.

"Before the banquet officially begins, there are a few things that need to be explained in particular." He still looked at Ariana, even though the other party snorted and turned away to completely ignore him.

"Ah..." Dumbledore's voice was trembling. He took a deep breath and continued in a firm tone: "Miss Ariana only joined our Hogwarts family this year for some special reasons. She She will enter fifth grade directly, and our professors will help her catch up on her previous studies.”

He felt Ariana's eyes full of hostility and hatred, and touched his nose awkwardly, but Dumbledore still maintained the majesty and demeanor of the principal and continued his speech: "I firmly believe that Miss Ariana can successfully complete her studies and take OWLs exams with her classmates.”

When the OWLs exam was mentioned, there was a commotion in the auditorium. The students in the sixth and seventh grades began to show off their excellent results and exaggeratedly described the difficulty of the exam, while the students in the lower grades curiously asked about the details of the OWLs exam and expressed their amazement at the achievements of their seniors.

There are only fifth grade students, who are anxiously thinking about how to pass this critical assessment. If you cannot get the certificate, you cannot continue to study advanced courses. In other words, they will graduate early and become unemployed wizards.

Dumbledore coughed a few times, and the noise in the auditorium gradually subsided. The students became quiet, looking forward to the principal's next announcement.

"The second thing," his voice sounded again, "besides Ariana, we have another freshman."

He paused, turned his eyes to the door of the auditorium, and continued: "Mr. Argus Filch."

"Who? Did I hear you correctly?" George Weasley shouted, thinking it was just a simple double name.

Like the other students, he followed Dumbledore's gaze and saw Mr. Filch. Filch hugged Mrs. Norris tightly, his face filled with excitement and pride.

After countless nights of carving runes, his mental power finally grew enough, turning him from a squib into a "wizard."

Although the magic power in his body is so weak, it is not even comparable to that of a 10-year-old freshman. But as the first person in the wizarding world to successfully awaken magic, Dumbledore gave him the qualification to learn.

"Ahem." Dumbledore smiled and continued to introduce: "As the administrator of Hogwarts Castle, Mr. Filch has been relentlessly pursuing the path of magic. He successfully awakened his magic power and possessed Get your own wand.”

"Given Mr. Filch's age and his job responsibilities (mainly due to his relatively weak magical powers), he will be attending part of the course as an auditor."

He paused, then added: "Besides, Mr. Filch will not be taking our exams."

"Wow..." Countless frogs croaked instantly in the auditorium, and the students looked at Filch with envy.

Especially the two brothers Fred and George were so jealous that their eyes lit up. They thought how great it would be if they could switch identities with Filch and play pranks freely in Hogwarts as auditors, without having to worry about their studies and listening to their mother's nagging after holidays.

Dumbledore finally warned everyone to stay away from the Forbidden Forest. In his cheerful voice, the banquet officially began. The students looked at the food on the table and started eating quickly.

However, the principal completely lost interest in the sumptuous food in front of him. His eyes narrowed slightly, forming the shape of a crescent moon, and his eyes never left Ariana. He felt that he must inform Aberforth of the good news about his sister's return...

Suddenly, Dumbledore thought of something and his expression became serious. He thought to himself: "Aberforth must have known for a long time that his sister was coming back, but he deliberately hid it from me. Even Ariana was unwilling to acknowledge me as his brother."

There was a trace of disappointment in his expression, but soon he cheered up again and the smile reappeared on his face. While he shared this joy with the professors, he mentally planned to find an opportunity to have a good talk with Ariana, hoping to bridge the gap between them and rebuild the long-lost family relationship.

(End of this chapter)