From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 93 Victor

It was dinner time, and students from all the Hogwarts schools were sitting around their long tables, enjoying stewed beans and grilled sausages, while eating with all kinds of gossip they had heard.

"What are we going to do after dinner? Harry, do you have Quidditch practice today?" Ron sat at the Gryffindor table, with a shiny grilled sausage on the fork in front of his mouth, and he stuffed some garlic bread into his mouth.

"I don't have to train today. Since we're basically out of the Quidditch Cup this school year, Wood has relaxed his requirements on us. When everyone heard about the break today, they all thought Wood had hit his head." Harry also swallowed the mashed potatoes with gravy. For little wizards like them, playing was more attractive than dinner.

"Great! Maybe we can play wizard chess in the common room!" Ron suggested enthusiastically.

However, Harry hesitated for only a second before politely declining. He was well aware of the gap between himself and Ron in wizard chess, and had no interest in engaging in a battle that was doomed to fail. "Let's go see Hagrid! Remember? Last time he borrowed a lot of books about dragons from the library."

"But didn't he say it was just for academic research?" Ron tried to recall, "It seems to be related to a professor named Keltborn."

"That doesn't matter. It's quite interesting to listen to Hagrid's stories about dragons." Harry picked up a lamb chop. "He's good at dealing with magical creatures, like the Hippogriff last time!"

"Okay." Ron nodded in agreement, and then immediately thought of the rock cake that almost broke his teeth, "But we'd better eat a full meal before going, so that we have an excuse to refuse the rock cake."

Harry agreed wholeheartedly and hurriedly put a lot of food into his mouth.

"You are not allowed to go anywhere!"

As soon as they heard the voice, they knew something bad was going to happen. It was Hermione.

Even though spring wasn't over yet, Hermione was already thinking about the final exams at the end of June. Ron was to blame for this. Once he was complaining to Harry about his brother in the common room, and Hermione happened to hear him mentioning Percy.

Ron said that Percy had made a revision plan for the fifth-year OWLs exam early, and his daily schedule was very full, but even so he did not forget to deduct points from his brothers. Fred and George were punished for bringing mud into the hall, and Ron himself almost got deducted points for playing with the leftover Christmas cannons in the common room.

Hermione, who was just passing by, probably didn't notice Ron's complaint at all. Instead, she praised Ron for his foresight, and then pulled the confused Harry and Ron to make a detailed and thorough review plan.

So in the next few days, Harry and Ron tried to find opportunities to avoid Hermione, but as a bird mother, how could Hermione not find them?

Seeing that escape was hopeless, Ron and Harry tried to distract Hermione with words.

"You know what? Hermione? Professor Quirrell is missing!" This was a rumor that had been circulating in the castle all afternoon. "He skipped all the classes this afternoon! Those students who signed up for the Defense Against the Dark Arts advanced class are almost crying." "How could that be?" Hermione frowned. "I haven't shown him the review plan yet!"

"I think it doesn't matter whether I show it to him or not. He's just reading from the textbook anyway." Harry used the onion soup on the table to swallow the bread in his mouth, and then he was fully prepared to run away. Which student would like to be caught reviewing on a Friday night?
"Do you think it's possible that Quirrell was killed by Snape?" Ron suddenly had an idea. "After all, they all want the Philosopher's Stone."

The three of them had already reached a consensus that both Quirrell and Snape were not good people. The former released a troll on Halloween, and the latter was like a ghost, always haunting Gryffindor and was also bitten on the leg by a three-headed dog.

"That's none of our business!" Hermione was still as fierce as ever. "The Philosopher's Stone is protected by Professor Dumbledore. It's not our turn as three first-year students to worry about it!"

"Look! It's Dumbledore!" Harry couldn't help but applaud Ron's wit. He had already seen Hermione turn her head away. Now was a good opportunity to escape. Hagrid would definitely take in two poor little wizards who wanted to temporarily escape from their heavy studies.

"Ron!" Harry tugged at Ron's sleeve, signaling him to leave quietly, but Ron remained unmoved, staring at the direction of the faculty table.

"Who's that person next to Dumbledore? I haven't seen him in the castle!" Harry heard Ron say this, so he looked up too.

He was a well-dressed, well-groomed middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard. His hooked nose and deep eye sockets made him look difficult to get along with. If Harry didn't know that Hogwarts was a school of magic, he would have thought that he was a guy with a high status in Muggle society.

"Attention!" Without Dumbledore making any move, his voice spread throughout the entire hall. The sound of knives and forks colliding with plates on the long table and the voices of students all disappeared. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at where Dumbledore was.

"I believe many students have noticed that Professor Quirrell did not show up at school this afternoon. I have to regretfully inform you that he has left us forever." Dumbledore ignored the sudden noise in the hall and continued calmly, "But don't worry, everyone. I have found another substitute teacher for you. He will be the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts for the rest of this semester."

"Allow me to introduce you to Professor Victor!" Dumbledore said and led the applause. The students and teachers in the hall looked at each other, not understanding what was going on, but sparse applause still broke out one after another.

Harry noticed that the man called Victor by Dumbledore had a gloomy face all the time and seemed reluctant to take over the education business of Hogwarts. He just responded to the applause with a slight nod.

"Whatever his teaching is, it won't be worse than Quirrell," said Ron. "At least he won't smell of garlic."

"He's a professor hired by Dumbledore himself!" Hermione seemed very dissatisfied with Ron's remarks. She glared at him fiercely and said, "Well, no matter what the level of our new professor is, both of you should follow me to the common room. We need to seize the advantageous position as soon as possible and start reviewing!"

Harry felt that he would be brutally killed once more today by the knowledge Hermione brought him.

(End of this chapter)