The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 295 The Triumph of the Three Kingdoms

The start of the banquet also marked the beginning of a new school year at Hogwarts.

Everything seemed to be on track.

The Gryffindor table.

As various delicious foods appeared, Ron immediately began to feast. After sitting on the train for most of the day, his stomach was growling with hunger.

Holding a huge chicken leg in his left hand and a soup spoon in his right, he scooped out spoonfuls of mashed potatoes seasoned with parsley and garlic leaves.

Judging by the way he ate, you'd really think the Weasleys had mistreated him.

As a resident Gryffindor ghost, the nearly headless Nico wandered around, watching Ron's ambidextrous attacks, and couldn't help but feel a little envious.

But as a ghost, he couldn't eat the food of the living, so he could only watch helplessly.

"Hey! If you ask me, you guys are really lucky. You know, the dinner party was almost canceled tonight."

Nico, who was almost headless, started speaking with a sour tone.

Ron was eating heartily, seemingly not paying much attention; but Harry decisively took over the conversation, asking curiously:

"Oh? Tell me what happened."

"There was a huge mess in the kitchen earlier. I don't know what went wrong, but the little devil spent the whole afternoon causing trouble and throwing a tantrum."

Almost Headless Nico let out a heavy sigh, but it seemed his movement was a little too forceful, making his skin-bound neck look somewhat unstable.

"And then? There must be a reason for this, right?" Ron smacked his lips, joining the conversation.

Ron also knew that a lot of information about the castle was obtained unintentionally, and it was absolutely essential to listen to as little as possible, otherwise there wouldn't be enough to talk about.

"And then? The reason?" Almost headless, Nicole floated in mid-air and changed direction.

"Leviathan was naturally driven away by Blood Man Barrow. As for the reason, it was nothing more than bringing up old grievances again. Leviathan had always wanted to attend the banquet, and we thought he would settle down after being well-behaved for decades, but he started again. The kitchen was a complete mess back then..."

"That's really bad!" Ron replied half-heartedly.

There weren't any exciting topics, and he wasn't too keen on chatting with the ghost anymore.

……

The opening banquet continued amidst the casual conversation and lively atmosphere.

About an hour later, Dumbledore stood up again.

"Alright, I think you've all eaten and drunk your fill!"

As soon as the principal finished speaking, the remaining food, half-finished drinks, and tableware on the table vanished in an instant, and the long tables of the four colleges were once again spotless.

"Two whole hours, it was like feeding Tebo warthogs!" Draco muttered in complaint.

Ino heard the complaints, but didn't say anything. Looking at things from different angles leads to completely different results.

What may seem like a sumptuous and delicious meal is a feast for some families, but for others it is just an ordinary dish.

But one thing is certain: even in Slytherin, families with house-elves are a minority.

This is perhaps why the dinner lasted for two hours.

At the head table.

Dumbledore repeated his old admonition, mainly reminding the new students not to go into the Forbidden Forest and to prohibit the use of some dangerous toys in the castle, with the specific details provided by the castle steward, Filch.

As he said this, Dumbledore glanced discreetly at the Gryffindor table, focusing particularly on the pair of twins on it.

Seemingly sensing each other's thoughts, George and Fred exchanged a glance and simultaneously adopted expressions of complete innocence.

Dumbledore, his eyes crinkling with amusement, shifted his gaze back to the young wizard in the castle.

"In addition! I regret to inform you that Hogwarts will not be hosting the Quidditch Cup this year..."

boom!

This news was like a bombshell, catching everyone present completely off guard.

"What right does he have!" Draco, disregarding all etiquette, slammed his fist on the table in agitation.

Perhaps he joined the Quidditch Cadet Team to gain people's approval. But in the past two years, he has gradually adapted to Quidditch and come to love the sport.

Upon hearing the cancellation, Draco was immediately displeased.

If Slytherin is like this, then the other three houses are even more so.

If it weren't for Dumbledore's prestige over the years, the young wizards might have staged a temporary uprising on the spot.

Even though most of the young wizards remained reasonably rational, the protests in the Great Hall nearly lifted the ceiling, and many looked anxiously at Dumbledore, waiting for him to explain.

Faced with this situation, Dumbledore raised his hands and pretended to press them down, which immediately reduced the noise.

"Quidditch is being suspended because a large event is scheduled to begin in October and continue throughout the school year. Therefore, we have to make the necessary adjustments..."

"But I believe you will all have a lot of fun, and I am very honored to announce to you that this year's Hogwarts..."

Dumbledore's voice echoed throughout the Great Hall, but just as everyone was anticipating it, a series of rapid impacts interrupted his speech.

Similarly, it also attracted the attention of the young wizards in the Great Hall.

Unlike the others who were curious, Ino was slightly surprised. Unlike the original story where Lupin was driven away, the werewolf professor was sitting perfectly fine at the faculty desk.

With a loud bang, the hall door was pushed open under everyone's gaze, and an elderly male wizard stood in the doorway, leaning on a specially made cane.

As if to demonstrate the usefulness of the cane, the wizard outside the door slammed the cane hard on the ground with a thud, and then limped into the hall.

In the bright candlelight, everyone could see the intruding male wizard clearly: sparse, gray hair and a face covered in scars...

However, what's most eye-catching is their pair of eyes, one big and one small, which always looks somewhat eerie and strange.

The normal brown eyes stared straight ahead, while the other, eerie blue eye darted around constantly, scanning everything in its vicinity.

"Mad-Eye Man..."

"How could it be him..."

Inside the auditorium, some older students began to discuss quietly.

However, Moody ignored these discussions. As England's top Auror, he was well aware of his reputation and was used to being talked about.

But the more he was talked about, the more arrogant Moody became, brazenly surveying the entire arena with his demonic eye.

But soon, Moody was surprised to find that someone actually dared to look him in the eye.

At the same time.

When Ino saw that the demonic eye had stopped moving, she smiled politely and naturally looked away.

After a brief eye contact, he felt that the Moody in front of him was probably real.

Although there is no effective evidence, a wizard's intuition can sometimes be very good evidence.

Now that everything was confirmed to be alright, Ino didn't intend to engage in a provocative stare-down. Although this old Auror was strong, his strength was limited.

Now, what intrigues him is Dumbledore's plan.

Although Hogwarts is very large, there are only enough positions available for all the staff. With no vacancies, where will the headmaster assign Moody?

(End of this chapter)