Harry returns from Hogwarts Legacy

Chapter 260 The Era of Ruthless Living is Dead (6000 words)
Whether they break up or not, Ron doesn't really care anymore.

After all, he's no longer that fresh-faced Gryffindor student who was completely dominated by Team Glory when he first entered school; he's long since become a seasoned veteran.

As long as he doesn't lose points, whether he gets extra or not doesn't really matter much.

They walked through the foyer into the Great Hall of Hogwarts.

At the start of each new school term, everyone gathers together in the Great Hall for a major event that has been held since the founding of Hogwarts—the Sorting Ceremony.

The auditorium was still as magnificent and grand as ever, and it had been specially decorated for the banquet held by the new students.

Hundreds of candles floated above the table, making the gold saucers and goblets sparkle.

Four long college tables were already filled with chattering students, who were shaking their wet hair as they shared their holiday experiences with those around them.

From the snippets of their conversation, they seemed still immersed in the afterglow of the World Cup.

That's understandable, considering how exciting this Quidditch World Cup final was. It's not common to catch the Golden Snitch first and then lose the game in the final.

At the top of the auditorium was a fifth table, where faculty members sat one on each side, facing their students.

Harry and his friends walked past the students from Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff, while Cassandra went first to the Slytherin long bench.

Then Harry and his friends sat at the table at the far end of the Great Hall with the other Gryffindor students.

It's much warmer here, perhaps because it's close to the fireplace, or for some other reason.

Beside them was the ghost of Gryffindor—Nick, who was almost headless.

Nick was translucent, with a pearly white hue. Tonight he was wearing his usual tight-fitting top, but with an unusually large, ruffled collar.

He wore the ruffled collar for two reasons: first, to make it look more festive, and second, to prevent his head from shaking too much on his half-severed neck.

"Good evening," he said to them with a smile.

“Good evening, Sir Nicholas,” Harry greeted him. “You seem to be in a good mood today?”

"Welcoming new students to school is certainly something to be happy about," Nick said with a hearty laugh, before drifting away.

“I really doubt what he said,” Ron whispered to Harry and Hermione. “I’m afraid he wasn’t trying to welcome the new students, but rather for his own twisted sense of humor—to scare them, right?”

“It’s not very polite to say it like that,” Harry said in a low voice as well.

"I was almost scared when I was in first year anyway." Ron shrugged and looked at Hermione. "What about you? Were you scared when you saw ghosts in first year?"

"It's alright," Hermione replied ambiguously.

At that moment, the faculty and staff seats gradually filled with professors.

All four deans except Professor McGonagall were present. Professor McGonagall still needed to assign the freshmen to their respective schools, so she did not take her seat immediately.

Harry spotted Snape immediately; after all, Snape was like a firefly in the night, hard not to attract attention.

It's clear that Snape still doesn't pay much attention to his personal image; even after Lily pointed it out, he still had that slicked-back look.

His fashion sense is also impeccable; he always wears a black cloak, the darkness serving as his camouflage.

“When is dinner?” Ron muttered. “I’m starving—if Charlie and I go back to Romania, I think I could eat a whole Hungarian wood bee.”

The Hungarian wood bee is a type of fire dragon, and it's clear that Ron is really hungry.

“That depends on when the Sorting Ceremony is over,” Harry said to Ron.

After he finished speaking, he continued to look around at the faculty and staff seating area.

Seated in the main seat was Dumbledore.

His flowing silver-white hair and beard shimmered in the candlelight, and his magnificent robe was embroidered with many stars and moons.

Harry was a little curious as to why Dumbledore would still wear this robe, which he knew had been enchanted by Vivi...

Was it because Gellert gave it to him?
Noticing Harry's gaze, Dumbledore winked at him.

Harry: ...

Pah! You're such an old man, do you think you're cute?
After blinking, Dumbledore touched the tips of his two long, slender hands together, rested his chin on them, and gazed at the ceiling through his half-moon-shaped lenses, as if lost in thought.

Harry also looked up at the ceiling, which was enchanted and looked just like the sky outside. Harry had never seen it so stormy.

Black and purple clouds rolled above, and as another round of thunder sounded outside, a forked streak of lightning streaked across the ceiling.

“Look,” Hermione said, pointing to the ceiling. “Isn’t it amazing?”

“Magic, it’s like this,” Ron said, raising an eyebrow. “Actually, we used to have this thing on our ceiling, but my mom thought it was too flashy and impractical, so we stopped using it.”

“I think it’s great,” Hermione said.

Just then, the auditorium doors opened again.

Professor McGonagall led a group of freshmen, who were soaked to the bone, into the room. They looked like shivering little drowned rats.

The tall Hagrid followed at the back of the group, his hair and beard soaked by the rain, and his mole-skin coat was gone.

But he didn't seem to be bothered by the dampness at all, or even feel cold.

When Hagrid met Harry's gaze, he even waved and mouthed to a new student in front of him, "This little guy!"

Oh.

Harry saw it; Hagrid was pointing at the freshman, wearing his mole-skin coat.

The coat was far too big for him, much larger than a robe.

This child looked completely different from his other freshmen classmates. While his classmates were trembling like quails, this child even had the nerve to wave at the Gryffindor longstand, suggesting he was someone's relative.

Harry read from the boy's lip movements—"I fell into the lake."

They are truly heartless.

It's not hard to understand why Hagrid was also soaking wet and gave the child his mole-skin coat.

Professor McGonagall also stood in front of the faculty seating area, holding the Sorting Cap. She placed the cap on the stool, and the cap began to sing a whimsical song again.

It's clear that the Sorting Hat comes up with different words every year, since he's always just sitting in the principal's office daydreaming and doesn't have much time to go out and participate in activities.

It's really stifling to wear a hat if you don't find some entertainment for yourself.

After the singing, the classic house sorting segment began.

After being assigned the class of freshmen who had fallen into the lake, everyone finally confirmed who he was.

He is Colin Crevey's younger brother, Dennis Crevey.

This guy is such a social butterfly. Ever since he walked into the Gryffindor long table, he hasn't stopped talking. He looks exactly like a carbon copy of Colin.

“He’s so lively,” Ron whispered to Harry. “I hope he’ll be just as happy after his first Potions class.”

Harry racked his brains, trying to imagine what Snape would do to turn the cheerful and lively Dennis into an autistic boy.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't have imagined it, since Dennis's brother Colin was still that sunny and cheerful big boy with no sense of boundaries.

After the sorting was completed, Professor McGonagall left, carrying her hat.

At the same time, Dumbledore also stood up.

"Looks like it's time to eat." Ron couldn't wait any longer. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and bring it out!"

However, Ron's idea was destined to be shattered, because Dumbledore's standing up was not to signal everyone to begin the meal.

“Welcome.” Dumbledore raised his hands in a standard French military salute. “In this new term, we welcome new students—before we begin our meal, please allow me to give you a brief introduction.”

“In the coming months, we will be honored to host a truly spectacular event – ​​one that hasn’t been held in over a century.”

"I am very pleased to announce that the Triwizard Tournament will be held at Hogwarts this year."

At this point, Dumbledore paused, seemingly waiting for cheers from the crowd.

Sparse applause broke out from the students' seats. What everyone was concerned about now was not some kind of competition, but when lunch would be served.

Dumbledore wasn't embarrassed at all. He continued to explain, "The Triwizard Tournament was established about seven hundred years ago. It's a friendly competition between the three largest magic schools in Europe: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. Each school selects one champion, and then the three champions compete in three different magical events."

"The Triwizard Tournament was held every five years, with the three schools taking turns hosting it. Everyone agreed that it was an excellent way for young wizards from different countries to build friendships—but later, the death toll became too high, and the Triwizard Tournament was discontinued."

The students in the auditorium didn't seem bothered by the word "death." They chatted excitedly, showing no interest in the unfortunate souls who had died over a hundred years ago.

"For centuries, there have been several attempts to revive the Winged Tournament," Dumbledore continued, "but none have been successful—however, our Department of International Magical Cooperation and the Department of Magical Sports at the Ministry of Magic believe the time is ripe for another attempt. This summer we have done much work to ensure that no champion is in mortal danger."

"The delegations of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang have arrived at Hogwarts. Now, please welcome them!" As Dumbledore finished speaking, the doors of the Great Hall opened again.

About twelve or thirteen male and female students walked in from outside the gate. They looked to be around eighteen or nineteen years old, and their attire was different from that of Hogwarts—they wore light blue robes that appeared to be made of fine silk, which looked quite expensive.

When they reached the faculty seating area, they stood aside.

Then, a tall woman walked in from outside.

Tall, literally. It was the first time Harry had ever seen a woman so tall—even the doors of Hogwarts Great Hall seemed like normal-sized doors to her.

Despite her large stature, she was actually very beautiful and had a dignified and elegant demeanor. Her luxurious attire perfectly showcased her status as a noblewoman—especially the huge, expensive opals that shone on her neck and fingers.

For a fleeting moment, Harry felt that Hagrid was about to experience his spring.

Indeed, Harry turned to look at Hagrid and found him staring intently at the tall woman.

Headmaster Dumbledore stepped down from the main seat and approached the woman.

The woman's face relaxed, revealing an elegant smile. She extended a hand and walked towards Dumbledore. Harry noticed that Dumbledore didn't need to bend over when giving a hand kiss.

It's not that Dumbledore is short, it's just that this woman is too tall.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, dear Mrs. Maxim." Dumbledore released Mrs. Maxim's hand.

“Mr. Dumbledore,” Mrs. Maxime said in a deep, resonant voice, “I hope you are well.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Mrs. Maxim walked to the head table and sat down next to Hagrid.

Hagrid suddenly became reserved, shifting his body awkwardly and uncomfortably, as if he were being bitten by lice.

Next, a group of male students entered the auditorium—a group without a single girl.

They looked very muscular, like miniature trolls—for some reason, that word just popped into Harry's head.

However, upon closer inspection, these people were not actually that muscular; they appeared large because they were wearing fur cloaks.

The leader's cloak was different from the others; it was silver-white, smooth and lustrous, and must have been the fur of some rare and magical animal.

"Dumbledore!" the man called out enthusiastically halfway there, "How are you, my dear old friend?"

"Excellent, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied.

Karkaroff's voice was melodious and sweet. When he came closer, they saw that he was as tall and thin as Dumbledore, but his white hair was short and his goatee with small curls at the ends did not completely cover his thin chin.

He walked up to Dumbledore and shook hands with him using both hands.

“Dear old friend Hogwarts,” he said, looking up at the castle with a smile—his teeth were yellow and stained with black.

Although he smiled, his eyes remained cold and sharp, devoid of any genuine joy. "It's so good to be here, so good... Viktor, come here, warm up... You don't mind, do you, Dumbledore? Viktor has caught a bit of a cold..."

Karkarov gestured for one of his students to come forward.

As the boy walked by, Harry caught a glimpse of a striking aquiline nose and two thick, dark eyebrows.

"Harry—it's Krum!"

Ron said excitedly from the side.

Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker who caught the Golden Snitch in the World Cup final, is also Ron's idol.

“I can tell,” Harry said rather casually, showing he didn’t have much of a fangirling attitude.

In the faculty and staff section, Dumbledore, who had long since returned to his seat, was chatting with two headmasters.

A moment later, he stood up.

“Well then,” Dumbledore said, “welcome to Beauxbatons and Durmstrang’s students. On behalf of all the teachers and students of Hogwarts, I extend a warm welcome to you.”

After saying that, he began to applaud.

When the students saw Dumbledore, they started clapping, and the others joined in.

After waiting a while, Dumbledore reached out and pressed down.

“In the days to come,” he looked around and continued, “students from both schools are free to choose any of the four houses of Hogwarts and dine with the prefects of your chosen house—and of course, you can also go into the house dormitories with them to rest; each house prefect will arrange all of this.”

"Hogwarts has four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own characteristics: Gryffindor is brave, Hufflepuff is loyal, Ravenclaw is intelligent, and Slytherin is shrewd. But this is not absolute. I believe you all know about the four houses before you arrived at Hogwarts. So... you can choose now."

As soon as the words were spoken, the students from both schools began to choose their seats in the long seats of their respective colleges.

Most of the Beauxbatons sat in the Ravenclaw long seat, a few chose Hufflepuff, and no one chose Gryffindor or Slytherin.

All the Durmstrangers chose Slytherin.

After they were seated, Dumbledore said, "Alright—I won't say anything to spoil your fun. Now, I declare the banquet open!"

The table in front of them was suddenly piled high with food. Ron cheered and muttered, "Looks like Dumbledore remembers we need to replenish our food supplies."

"He won't forget this. Actually, I was starving too."

As Harry spoke, he reached out and forked a thick piece of steak from the table, placing it on his plate.

You must have a good bite or two.

They ate for a few minutes when Nick, who was almost headless, suddenly popped his head out from the freshmen's side.

The children from wizarding families were fine, but the children from Muggle families were quite frightened.

But Dennis Crevey was clearly surprised; he recognized the nearly headless Nick at a glance.

“You’re Almost Headless Nick!” Dennis pointed at Nick and shouted, “I know you. My brother always tells me that every year when freshmen come to school, Almost Headless Nick brings ghosts to welcome them. Looks like he wasn’t lying to me after all—haha, hello there.”

"Hello," Nick said, removing half of his head. "But I still prefer to be called Sir Nicholas."

“Okay, almost headless Nick.” Dennis nodded repeatedly, still clutching a slice of pizza in his hand.

Nick: ...

“You must be a member of Colin Crevey’s family, right?” Nick confirmed immediately. “Besides the Crevey kid, I don’t think anyone else would be this bold.”

"That's so cool!" Dennis exclaimed excitedly. "You actually recognized me, my God..."

“We don’t say God here,” Nick explained carefully. “We all say Merlin—if you want to express exclamation, you can try using Merlin instead of God, what do you think?”

“When you enter Rome, you must be in harmony with the Romans.” Dennis shrugged, indicating that he accepted Sir Nicholas’s advice.

The appearance of the ghost caused a stir, including among students from the other two schools.

There are indeed ghosts among Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, but this is the first time I've seen ghosts with such a twisted sense of humor—like Sir Nicholas and Bloody Barrow, each with their own ruthless tricks.

But it's clear that the era of ruthless living is over.

The torrential rain continued to pound against the dark windows, and another clap of thunder boomed, rattling the glass. A bolt of lightning flashed across the gloomy ceiling, illuminating the golden plate.

The remaining first course on the plate disappeared, and in the blink of an eye, it was filled with desserts again.

“I still have to give a thumbs up to the house-elves for their efficiency.” Ron reached for a plate of crème brûlée and turned back to say, “To be able to bring food to the table without revealing themselves, that’s really…”

“Silly boy,” Nick, who was almost headless, shook his head and said, “the mark of a good house-elf is that you have no idea he exists.”

Hermione looked up at Nick, but ultimately said nothing.

After all, the lesson Kreacher taught her was so profound that she still harbors considerable trauma from it.

How do you say that?

Even more useful than Hogwarts' education.jpg

She has now learned to respect the fate of others and to give up the urge to help them.

“I still prefer syrup tarts,” Ron said, grabbing several plates. “And chocolate cake, ah… sweets really are the only food in this world that can redeem me…”

"What about the chicken leg?" Hermione suddenly asked.

“Oh, chicken leg, chicken leg…” Ron was caught in a dilemma, but he quickly recovered from his internal struggle: “It’s different. Chicken leg is a main course, while dessert is dessert, not a main course. It’s for after-dinner entertainment…”

"Okay!" Dumbledore looked at everyone with a smile and said, "Now that we have eaten and drank enough, I must ask everyone's attention again. I want to make a few announcements."

"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to inform you that this year, a few more items have been added to the list of prohibited items within the castle. These are Screaming Yo-Yos, Frisbees with Teeth, and Boomerangs. The full list consists of approximately 437 items. It can be seen in Mr. Filch's office. Anyone interested can check it out."

"In addition," Dumbledore added, "we will be holding a selection process for warriors next week, and everyone is encouraged to participate."

(Start with 6000 today, to get used to the pace)
(End of this chapter)