Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 271, Section 270: The Opening Dinner and the Two New Professors

At least we can't let wizards still look like they're almost a world behind.

Wizards also need their own internet.

No! The Magic Network!
However, these changes will likely take a long time to come. After all, wizards are quite stubborn, and various incidents and disputes may occur between the two sides in this clash. The laws governing both sides will also need to be revised over time until a version that is acceptable to most people is produced.

This process could take ten or twenty years, or even longer.

No one knows what the future will look like after the two worlds begin to come into contact. Adults always have endless things to worry about, but for students, there is only one most important thing right now—summer vacation is over.

Harry's plan to surprise his friends ultimately failed. Now, which student council member doesn't know about the Triwizard Tournament?

An ancient competition that has lasted for hundreds of years, the participants are the best in each school, the true warriors. For these teenagers, this competition offers both generous prize money and great honor, and there is simply nothing better.

Not to mention that this time, the participants in the Triwizard Tournament are not only students, but also professors from the three schools, making it much more exciting than previous competitions.

There are three extremely prestigious magic schools in Europe. As the oldest of them, Hogwarts has always looked down on the other two schools as the top school. This mentality has not changed even in recent decades when Hogwarts has fallen behind the other two schools in the rankings of various schools.

Therefore, this match is an excellent opportunity for Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to prove in an undeniable manner that they have surpassed Hogwarts.

Everyone was giving it their all.

Harry wasn't idle either. He finally understood what it was like to be Dumbledore in the past. As one of the first batch of new students he welcomed after becoming headmaster, Professor McGonagall seemed even more nervous than him for some reason, constantly telling him what to pay attention to.

Harry was specifically reminded not to be too easygoing, because unlike Dumbledore, Harry's physical age was a factor, and if he were too easygoing, he would lose his authority, and those audacious students would dare to ride roughshod over him.

A principal should act like a principal.

Despite experiencing numerous upheavals in the past two years, including the near destruction of half the castle and most of its decorations by demons last year, the castle showed no signs of post-war ruin when the school year began this year. Instead, it remained as magnificent and imposing as ever.

Hmm... Perhaps to prove that Hogwarts is still safe even after such an attack, this year's New Term Party is decorated more lavishly than ever before. Professor Flitwick used magic to conjure up many beautiful, translucent blue birds that flew around in the high sky of the hall, and the ceiling was transformed into a snowy scene, with white snowflakes constantly falling from the ceiling. When people tried to reach out and catch them, they found that they had disappeared without a trace.

With the exception of a few professors who are rather aloof, almost every professor contributed their own efforts to this year's new semester party, each showcasing their unique talents.

Hundreds of candles floated above each table, illuminating the gold plates and goblets. The upperclassmen were already seated in their respective houses, either chattering with friends about their holiday experiences or discussing the Triwizard Tournament—and of course, some would occasionally look up at Harry and smile.

Everyone found this feeling novel, especially when they looked up at the main guest seat and found that the person who used to sit in the middle had changed from an old man with white hair to a young man with black hair. This feeling became even more wonderful.

The ghosts from the school all arrived—and here's something really strange: the wizard ghosts can change their clothes after they die, instead of being limited to the clothes they wore at the time of their death.

Take Nick the ghost from Gryffindor, for example. Today he's wearing his usual tight-fitting top, but the difference is that he's wearing a particularly large ruffled collar, also called a ruffled collar, which is quite elegant.

Harry couldn't do something like calling back James and Lily with the ancestral totem, because they were always wearing the clothes they were wearing when they died.

Nick is now happily performing his newly learned acrobatic trick—balancing a hockey ball on his head—for the students of Gryffindor.

This is a new trick he learned after happily joining the Headless Hunters Club, and you can tell that Nick is really happy now.

The students were trying their best to observe Harry in a way they thought wouldn't be noticed, while Harry was also observing the students below with great interest. If they were sitting at a long table, it would indeed be difficult to notice, but sitting at the front, higher up in the main seat, Harry had to admit that the students' little actions were very easy to spot.

It's really impressive that Professor McGonagall always pretends not to see the students' little antics.

This feeling was incredibly interesting, a novel experience Harry had never had in his nearly forty-plus years of life—the headmaster of a school, with his students sitting below him not as his soldiers or members of his adventure party.

"Is there anything I can help you with, ma'am?"

Just as Harry was observing the students below with great interest, Ravenclaw's ghost suddenly landed in front of him, blocking his view.

"I want to talk to you," Mrs. Grey said, her eyes fixed on Harry, completely ignoring the other professors in the main seat.

"Talk?" Harry paused for a moment, then said, "Of course, how about after the party? The new students are arriving soon, and as the headmaster, I can't be absent."

"of course can."

Although she seemed a little anxious, Ms. Grey agreed and floated back to the Ravenclaw table.

“She’s been looking for you for almost the entire summer, but unfortunately you’re not at school most of the time, Harry,” Professor Flitwick explained in a low voice. “I must say you’re much busier than Dumbledore.”

“Yes, so he left without hesitation whenever he had a chance to rest,” Harry said quietly. “If I had known that becoming the headmaster would involve so much work, I probably wouldn’t have agreed.”

Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout, who was listening nearby, chuckled together.

Without keeping the people in the auditorium waiting for too long, Professor McGonagall soon led a group of new students through the main door.

The Sorting Ceremony. The Sorting Hat composed a new song, and perhaps because of the big events that happened at school last year, its singing was still not very good, but at least the lyrics were much more interesting than before.

It passionately celebrates the professors' efforts in protecting Hogwarts and also congratulates Harry, the newly appointed headmaster.

When the Sorting Hat's song stops, the Sorting Ceremony officially begins.

"Lando Samas".

"...Hufflepuff!"

"..."

The eleven-year-old freshmen nervously put on the Sorting Hats one by one, and then hurriedly ran to their respective long tables. It was clear that many of them had been badly deceived by their parents or friends, so much so that they all looked relieved when they put on the Sorting Hats—at least they didn't have to go through any dangerous magical trials or fight trolls.

"How are you feeling?" Professor Flitwick whispered in Harry's ear. "I asked Dumbledore that same question once."

"How did he answer?"

“He said that seeing these young lives always makes him feel good,” Professor Flitwick shrugged.

“It sounds like a vampire has found a blood pack,” Harry couldn’t help but laugh. Professor Flitwick also couldn’t help but laugh out loud, which made Professor McGonagall turn around and glare at them fiercely.

The Sorting Ceremony finally ended when the last new student went to the Gryffindor long table, and Professor McGonagall sat down next to Harry.

“Welcome, everyone, welcome!” Harry stood up and said, “To the returning students, welcome back to Hogwarts. Thank you for your trust and love for the school. And to the new students, welcome to Hogwarts. I hope you will gain precious friendships and valuable knowledge here.”

Naturally, no one would whisper while Harry was speaking, not even Fred and George.

“There are some things that are better said before you start eating, when your minds are still clear,” Harry continued. “I have a few important things to tell you that you need to take seriously.”

"The Three-Way Battle for Supremacy!!!"

Well, Fred couldn't help but shout it out, and many others also had excited expressions, not just the Gryffindor students.

“Let’s take it one step at a time,” Harry said with a smile. “I think you’ve probably noticed that there are two empty seats in the main seat. Professor Kettleburn, who should be here, isn’t.”

"Yes, I regret to inform you that Professor Kettleburn, the teacher of the Conservation of Magical Creatures class that you all know, has officially retired. In his own words, he needs more time to enjoy his old age."

"Although I haven't taken his classes, some of you must know very well what a professional and knowledgeable professor he is... The only problem might be that we need to pay attention to teaching safety."

Harry's words elicited a burst of laughter.

"In short, I am pleased to announce that the person who will be filling Professor Kettleburn's position is none other than Rubeus Hagrid, whom we all know very well. He has agreed to take on this teaching position in addition to his duties as gamekeeper," Harry said with a smile. "As a headmaster and as a friend, I can assure you that Hagrid's knowledge of magical creatures is no less than that of Professor Kettleburn."

Harry wanted to say more, but the students' enthusiastic applause drowned out his words. Hagrid was popular in at least three houses, well, except for Slytherin.

The applause around the Gryffindor table was exceptionally enthusiastic.

Amidst the enthusiastic applause, Hagrid pushed open the door and walked in. His face was flushed red. Despite being the largest man in the room, he seemed so nervous that he might want to crawl into a hole at any moment. A big smile was hidden behind his tangled, unruly black beard.

Harry had been thinking about whether to help Hagrid fix his hair and clothes, but he gave up before the dinner started—why would a professor who teaches about magical creatures need to wear perfume and dress up like he was going to a ball?
Those fragrances and decorations will only scare away magical creatures.

At least the two masters Harry has met so far who have made significant contributions to the protection of magical creatures, Newt and Kettleburn, both have an unkempt appearance—that's what you call professional!

Hagrid at least has more arms and legs than Professor Kettleburn!
“Of course, we will certainly have a second new professor!” Harry continued as Hagrid took his seat in the main seat and the applause began to subside. “You may have already seen the new course in the newspapers: Protection from Dangerous Magic.”

"Given that the Defense Against the Dark Arts course has failed to teach students more practical and accurate knowledge over the years, I have determined that the course is somewhat outdated and obsolete... so I have created a new course specifically for this purpose."

“We all know that the world outside is not very peaceful right now, and it is foreseeable that this unrest may continue for a long time. In this course, you will learn some basic, useful spells that will at least allow you to instinctively use them for protection in dangerous situations.”

“I specifically hired a professor with extensive practical experience and a deep understanding of some of the darker corners of the wizarding world,” Harry’s words made the students’ eyes light up. “He will teach you who is trustworthy, who you need to be wary of, and who you need to deal with or exploit patiently… not just dangerous dark magical creatures, but more importantly, how to deal with dangerous wizards.”

“My advice is—ask him more,” Harry said, raising his voice. “Please come in, our new professor!”

As soon as Harry finished speaking, Lupin pushed open the door and walked in. He looked much neater than Hagrid, but he gave off a more ordinary and easygoing vibe.

He was different from when we first met last year. Back then, Lupin looked like a Muggle vagrant—haggard, thin, and listless.

But after a year of eating and drinking his fill and taking care of his body with Sirius Black, and receiving sufficient respect and care in his spirit, Lupin now looks at least full of energy.

(End of this chapter)