From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 312: Opening Ceremony
At this annual back-to-school banquet, the bad weather in the Scottish Highlands spared no one.

The heavy rain continued to fall, and although the sun had not yet set, the thick black clouds in the sky had already blocked out all the light. The trio who got off the Thestral carriage had only walked a short distance when they were completely soaked by the rain.

Compared to their own situation, they are more worried about this year's freshmen.

The Black Lake had begun to flood, and it had overflowed many of the rocks on the shore. In this weather, there was a high probability that the boat would capsize and sink if it went to Hogwarts.

Harry described the scene of the first years and Hagrid scooping water out of the boat together, and couldn't help laughing with his two friends.

"They can't drown." Hermione said with a smile, "Have you forgotten the giant octopus in the Black Lake? Didn't Colin fall into it when he was enrolled?"

"Haha!" Ron shook the water off his hair, "Then they have to pray that the giant octopus has enough eight legs!"

As they were talking, the three of them had already climbed the stairs like many others who had rushed into the castle. The entrance hall of Hogwarts was very grand, and the marble floor reflected the warm light of the torches, slightly dispelling some of the chill.

"Snapped!"

A balloon filled with water exploded next to the trio. Harry, who had undergone two years of dueling training, was the first to react. He cast a spell and shouted at the second flying water balloon, "Retreat three feet!"

But he soon realized that using a repelling spell to attack the water ball was not a good choice. The water ball exploded in the air, and a light rain began to fall in the castle's foyer.

The students below were once again soaked to the skin. They were screaming and pushing each other, hoping to get away from this place of trouble as soon as possible.

The mischievous ghost Peeves would not give them this opportunity. The bells on his hat jingled and he kept throwing water balloon bombs in his hands.

"Peeves! Get down here now!" The angry voice attracted everyone's attention, including Peeves.

Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House, strode out of the Great Hall, but the entrance hall was too slippery and she almost fell to the ground. Thanks to Hermione's neck, she did not look embarrassed.

"Oh! I'm sorry--Miss Granger!"

"It's okay, Professor, it's inevitable." Hermione took a deep breath and rubbed her throat.

Professor McGonagall adjusted the wizard hat on her head and got angry at Peeves: "I'm warning you! Peeves——"

"I didn't do anything!" Peeves continued to throw the water balloons in his hand, scaring the people on the marble floor to hide here and there. "Anyway, they're already wet! Right? It's you, don't run!" Peeves was targeting a group of second-grade students who had just entered, and there was still clear confusion in their eyes.

"I'm going to find the headmaster! Peeves!" Professor McGonagall said loudly.

Peeves stuck out his tongue and made a few faces, then threw all the water balloons in his hands into the sky and left with a strange smile.

Harry and the other two immediately cast a levitation spell and caught the falling water ball steadily.

"Well done, the three of you. If school hadn't started yet, I would have given you all extra points." Professor McGonagall nodded with satisfaction, and then said to the wet rats in the hall, "Okay, let's go, the banquet is about to begin."

The three threw the water balls out the door and followed Professor McGonagall into the auditorium, sliding step by step.

The auditorium was still so magnificent and impressive, and the trio immediately felt much more comfortable. As if to welcome the new semester, the auditorium was redecorated, and the four-color college flags split the two sides of the wall, looking very noble.

The students below had already started chattering. The four long tables were all full of people, sharing with each other what had happened during the summer vacation.

Before sitting down, Harry deliberately glanced in the direction of the long faculty table where his mother was sitting.

"It's Mrs. White!" Hermione gasped. She was always the first person to observe the long staff table every year. "Could she be our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the new school year?"

"Who knows?" Harry smiled at his mother, and then found a seat on the long table where he could see the faculty table without having to look back.

"You must know the news!" Ron said to Harry seriously, "and you hid it from us!"

"Hmm!" Harry twisted the hem of his robes. "I only learned about this shortly before school started."

"How is Mrs. White's level?" Hermione had already begun to think about whether she had left any bad impression on her during the summer vacation. "We will have the OWLs exam next year. This year is a very critical year!"

"You will never be disappointed." Harry smiled and shook his head. Think about it, last year his godfather became the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and this year his mother became the Potions professor. The most important people in his life are with him!

"Look at Snape!" Ron had a look of despair on his face, "I didn't know he had any smile other than a sneer!"

"Oh——" Hermione understood at a glance, "He likes her!"

"What?" Ron was still as clueless as Harry about this. "Who likes who?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, then turned to Harry and asked worriedly, "Does Mr. White know, Harry?"

Harry thought for only a second before deciding to tell the truth: "In fact, before I came to school, my dad - I mean, Mr. White told me to try not to let them have the opportunity to be alone."

"That's too difficult." Hermione had the class schedules of all the professors, which allowed her to ask questions when the professors were free, so she knew very well that it would be impossible to prevent the two professors from meeting with just a few students.

Harry felt the same way, but he had already promised his father and Sirius, so he would definitely try his best to fulfill it.

"Wait, wait!" Ron said anxiously, "Did I miss something? Why can't I understand a word?"

"Don't worry, Ron~" Hermione tried her best to imitate Mrs. Weasley's tone. Since Ron was also Ivy's friend, Mrs. Weasley believed that the family could go to the VIP box to watch the game thanks to Ron. Therefore, during almost the entire Quidditch World Cup, she called Ron by this nickname that could give people goose bumps. "As long as you know how to follow Harry, everything will be fine!"

"I would have done it even if you didn't tell me!" Ron looked at Hermione angrily, "I'm his best friend!"

"Absolutely!" Harry laughed breathlessly, and Hermione joined him.

Although Ron still felt puzzled, this smile was contagious. So he asked while laughing: "What are we laughing at?"

No one could answer this question, not even Neville, who was sitting opposite them and laughing along.

There was a loud thunder outside, and a forked bolt of lightning flashed across the ceiling of the auditorium. Because it was enchanted, it could actually reflect the weather outside, so the students of Hogwarts only needed to look up while eating to know whether they needed to bring an umbrella today.

As the roar of thunder gradually subsided, the door of the auditorium opened again, and Professor McGonagall came in with a row of first-year students.

If these senior students were considered to be soaked, then these first-year students were simply swimming in from the Black Lake. It was just unknown how many of them accomplished this feat with the help of the giant octopus at the bottom of the lake.

Professor McGonagall placed a three-legged stool in front of the staff table, just below the podium where Dumbledore usually spoke, and placed a dirty wizard's hat on top of it.

Under the surprised gaze of the first-year students, a crack near the brim of the hat opened like a mouth and sang loudly.

The Sorting Hat has a whole year to come up with the lyrics, so it's always a hit.

This time, the song tells the story of how four founders from different places decided to establish Hogwarts, and of course their standards for accepting students.

The Sorting Hat bowed to the applause of everyone, then sat on the three-legged stool and remained motionless.

The sorting went on as planned, and as usual, Professor McGonagall called their names one by one in the order of the first letter of their surnames in the alphabet.

These wet little wizards became students of the four major colleges, and no one was left out.

Only one person caused a stir among the students in the hall, Ariana Dumbledore. Professor McGonagall deliberately put her name at the end because she was the oldest and was not in the first year.

"Is there something wrong with my ears?" Ron, who was waiting for dinner with a knife in one hand and a fork in the other, looked confused. "I seemed to hear Dumbledore's name?" "It's Ariana Dumbledore." Hermione didn't look back. She was concentrating on the girl wearing the Sorting Hat sitting on the three-legged stool. "She doesn't look like a first-year student... She is about the same age as us, and Professor McGonagall didn't read her name in order."

Harry then remembered that Dumbledore also resurrected his sister, but he didn't know about Ariana, or how Dumbledore arranged it, so he didn't dare to say anything at this time, so he had to pretend to be a blind guess: "Maybe she is a relative of Professor Dumbledore or something."

Ariana sat on the three-legged stool for a long time, and the Sorting Hat did not call out the name of the house.

At first, everyone in the hall was waiting with bated breath to see where this "Dumbledore" would be assigned, but as time went on, everyone could no longer hold back and the discussions gradually became louder and louder.

"GRYFFINDOR!" yelled the Sorting Hat.

The Gryffindor students all breathed a sigh of relief at the same time, and then clapped their hands vigorously. That was "Dumbledore", the family that produced the greatest white wizard of the 20th century.

Ariana returned the Sorting Hat to Professor McGonagall, then skipped over to the Gryffindor table and sat opposite Harry and the others, between Neville and Seamus.

"Hi, Harry!" Ariana greeted generously.

"Hey -" Harry felt two gazes coming from the left. His two good friends didn't know that he knew such a Dumbledore, and then there were more Gryffindors' gazes. In fact, they couldn't be considered acquaintances. Harry had only met Ariana in the spirit world, and there were only a few dregs of memory left. Otherwise, Harry would not have forgotten such a big thing as his headmaster resurrecting his sister.

Harry felt the atmosphere was extremely awkward, so he quickly took the initiative to bring up the topic: "What took you so long? I thought you must be a Gryffindor?"

"Why?" Ariana snorted. "Because Albus was once a Gryffindor?"

But judging by the expressions of the people around him, they obviously thought so.

"The Sorting Hat was torn between Slytherin and Gryffindor for a long time," Ariana continued. "If that guy wasn't in Slytherin, I would have gone to the other side. But Gryffindor is not bad either..."

Before Ariana could finish her words, Dumbledore, dressed in luxurious green robes, stood up.

"I believe you have discovered that there are now two Dumbledores in the castle. Ariana is my family. She has been absent from school due to illness. Now I am very happy to see her joining Hogwarts as a fourth-year student."

At this time, all the students in the hall applauded. Dumbledore quickly pressed his hands down to temporarily stop the applause: "Don't be busy! Don't be busy! I believe everyone has noticed that a new professor has joined our faculty. She is Mrs. Lily White! She will become our Potions professor in the new school year! Of course, I also want to announce another personnel change. Professor Snape will take up the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts!"

Mrs. White and Snape both stood up from the staff table so that everyone could get a closer look at them.

Looking at the gentle and beautiful Mrs. White, everyone in the auditorium applauded vigorously. As for how much of the applause was for Snape, no one could tell.

When the applause died down, Dumbledore opened his arms and made a welcoming gesture: "Well, don't let these trivial matters take up everyone's time. I have two last words to say - eat!"

During the meal breaks, the Gryffindor students couldn't help but have a lot of discussions about Ariana, but no one sitting around her spoke because they all sensed that this girl didn't seem to have a good relationship with Dumbledore.

Facing everyone's urging gazes, Harry had to bite the bullet and ask Ariana: "Ariana - you... seem to have a lot of dissatisfaction with Dumbledore?"

The Gryffindor girls who had been staring at Harry all showed satisfied expressions. They had long been eager to listen to some gossip about the Dumbledore family.

"Of course." Ariana sighed and said with a vicissitudes of life, "If you were also locked up in the room for two whole months just to make up for those lessons, you would definitely accumulate a lot of dissatisfaction like me. In fact, I don’t hate him that much..."

"Summer vacation! Two whole months! With textbooks as companions?" Ron swallowed the potato in his mouth and asked with great sympathy, "If it were me, I would have gone crazy long ago."

"It's not just the textbooks!" Ariana complained, "There are also so many weird exercises! I don't know where that guy got all those things from!"

"Exercises?" Hermione also grasped the key words, "Can I borrow them to take a look?"

Ariana stared at her and even forgot to swallow the baked pudding in her mouth. She couldn't understand why anyone would voluntarily ask to see those horrible things.

But Hermione obviously misunderstood: "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Hermione Granger, and the one who just spoke was Ron Weasley. We are both friends of Harry."

"Nice to meet you, Hermione." Ariana shook hands with Hermione across the fried fish on the golden plate. "Just call me Ariana. Don't call me Dumbledore. That sounds like some old man with a white beard. I can give you all my exercises and materials. To be honest, I can't wait to get rid of them!"

One had a need and the other could satisfy it, so the two girls immediately reached an agreement.

Soon the students in the auditorium had eaten and drunk their fill. They were all wet and wanted to go back to change their clothes.

So the tiny crumbs left on the plates quickly disappeared like magic, and the golden plates became shiny and bright again.

As the headmaster, Dumbledore stood up again and began his routine bedtime speech.

"Good." Dumbledore said with a smile. It can be seen that he was in a very good mood. "Now that we are all full and satisfied, I just happen to have a few announcements to make everyone aware of."

"First, Mr. Filch, the castle caretaker, wanted me to tell you that this year, there are a few more items that are prohibited from use in the castle. They are Screaming Yo-Yos, Spike Frisbees, and Combo Boomerangs. The entire list is approximately 437 items. Anyone interested can check it out."

It was obvious that Dumbledore was speechless about this list. His long white beard trembled for a moment, and then he continued, "As before, I want to remind everyone that students are not allowed to enter the Forbidden Forest unless you have a Care of Magical Creatures class there. And in Hogsmeade, no students below the third grade are allowed to visit."

"Also, I have something very regretful to tell you. The Quidditch House Cup will no longer be held this year."

Harry was stunned. He had only flown for one year, and he hadn't tasted victory enough! The other Gryffindor Quidditch players were also shocked. They couldn't accept it.

But the attitudes of other houses were much calmer. Harry could always win with the help of Nimbus 2077 anyway, so it made no difference whether he played Quidditch or not. Maybe he could even give Gryffindor a few extra points.

Dumbledore continued, "This is because a major event will begin in October and continue throughout the school year. It will take up a lot of the professors' time and energy, but I am sure that you will all have great fun. I am very pleased to announce to you all that there will be a Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts!"

"That has got to be a joke!" cried Fred and George, who had lost everything they owned in the Quidditch final.

Everyone in the hall laughed, even Dumbledore.

"That is not a joke, Mr. Weasley," said Dumbledore. "But since you mention jokes, I happen to know a very good one. It's about a hag, a leprechaun and a troll who walk into a pub together and the hag says -"

"Ahem!" Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly.

"Oh - it's not appropriate to talk about this now, of course it's not appropriate." Dumbledore had no embarrassed expression on his face and continued to explain the Triwizard Tournament. "The Triwizard Tournament started about seven hundred years ago. It was a friendly competition organized by the three largest magic schools in Europe. Each school would select a warrior, and then compete against each other in three magical projects. The Triwizard Tournament is held every five years, hosted by Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang in turn. But later, due to too many deaths, the Triwizard Tournament was discontinued."

"Before today, people have made many attempts to restore the Triwizard Tournament, but none of them have really succeeded." Dumbledore continued, "However, our Department of International Magical Cooperation and the Department of Magical Sports and Magical Games have done a lot of work to finally make this grand competition held in Hogwarts! Of course, we have also done a lot of work to ensure that every warrior will not be in danger of life."

"At the end of October, the principals of the other two schools will bring their selected warriors to Hogwarts, and on Halloween, the selection of warriors will officially begin! The winning warrior will not only win honor for his school, but he will also receive a bonus of one thousand gold Galleons!"

The sound of students' discussions rang out again in the auditorium.

"Of course, I know that you all want to win the honor of the Triwizard Tournament for Hogwarts," Dumbledore continued, "but the three wizarding schools and the Ministry of Magic all think that we must set an age limit for those who participate. That means only students who are seventeen years old or older are allowed to register!"

"This measure is very necessary, because the items in the Triwizard Tournament are very dangerous. No matter how many precautions we take, students below the sixth and seventh grades cannot deal with them. I will personally ensure that no underage student can deceive the referee of the Triwizard Tournament and become a champion of Hogwarts." Dumbledore's eyes swept over Ivy sitting at the Slytherin table, his blue eyes full of confidence. "So, if you are under the age of seventeen, I hope you don't waste time applying."

"The delegations from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons will not arrive until October. I believe that you will all try your best to show the gentlemanly and ladylike manners of Britain to our foreign friends, and will support the warriors of Hogwarts wholeheartedly."

"But it's getting late now, and it's very important not to affect tomorrow's classes, otherwise the professors will complain to me. Now go to bed!" Dumbledore said finally. There were noises of clatter and banging in the hall, and everyone packed up and left.

Along the way, students could be heard discussing the candidates for the Hogwarts Warrior. They listed many options, but only one name stood out - Ivy Doom.

　There's one more chapter! I can do this! Ahhhhhhhhhhh~~~
　　PS: I don’t know why when I write about Lily White, I always have visions of Bai Baihe…

　　
　
(End of this chapter)