Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil

Chapter 152 Hermione Granger

Marcos gazed at the long, jet-black, wondrous horse standing before him on the platform and couldn't help but exclaim, "Thestrals! They're really handsome!"

Any wizard familiar with magical creatures knows that Thestrals are extremely special beings; only those who have witnessed death can see them with the naked eye.

Marcos sighed: "I've witnessed several deaths this holiday."

One by one, the group boarded the magical carriages waiting by the platform. The jet-black Thestrals pulled the carriages, steadily heading towards Hogwarts Castle.

During a break in the smooth journey, Marcos slowly recounted his entire holiday experience.

This summer, he spent his time studying potions under his uncle, a potions master.

Just as the Ministry of Magic was in turmoil, his uncle was invited to work at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Injuries, where he was responsible for preparing various complex healing potions. Marcos accompanied him and stayed at the hospital to study diligently.

During this period, the British wizarding community experienced a series of attacks by dark wizards.

Diagon Alley was able to maintain its stability and order without any casualties thanks to the Auror team's 24/7 encrypted patrols, but other remote wizarding settlements were not spared from this turmoil.

"Most of those who caused this disturbance were black wizards who had infiltrated from abroad. They were fierce in combat, and many Aurors on duty were injured as a result."

Marcos shrugged slightly, full of helplessness. "My uncle is busy all day long concocting all kinds of antidotes and healing potions to break the corruption of dark magic, but even so, there are still many injured people who cannot be saved. I have witnessed many deaths with my own eyes."

In fact, Gringotts had already been subjected to several attempts to invade before the holiday, which is why the Ministry of Magic urgently upgraded the security system of Diagon Alley, and the defensive arrays and guards inside Gringotts were increased several times over.

Even if Voldemort wanted to sneak into the vault again to search for items, he would find it difficult to find an opportunity.

Moreover, the Philosopher's Stone, which was of great importance, had already been safely transported to Hogwarts by Hagrid, thus extinguishing any hope the other party might have.

Qiu and Katie listened intently to these dangerous experiences, their faces filled with astonishment and lingering fear.

In their minds, attacks by dark wizards were always distant legends, and they never imagined that they would actually happen in the current magical world, so close to their lives.

Worried that the heavy topic would affect everyone's mood, Puni immediately gave Marcos a subtle wink.

Marcos instantly understood and naturally switched to a more relaxed topic.

"By the way, I heard quite a few interesting stories from people during my holiday."

Marcos turned to Puni, a playful smile playing on his lips, lively yet slightly teasing. "I heard you've been taking care of Harry Potter all holiday? As the savior who defeated that mysterious man, does he possess any unique or extraordinary qualities compared to ordinary children?"

Because of Voldemort's power, the wizarding world dared not call him by his name. Over time, "Mysterious Man" became the exclusive nickname for him.

This title has persisted throughout the war years and continues to this day. Almost all young wizards use it to refer to the Dark Lord, which also indirectly confirms the profound shadow and deterrent effect Voldemort left on the wizarding world.

Faced with Marcos's curious questions, Penny did not comment on Harry's personality in detail, nor did he mention his past mistreatment at his Muggle aunt's house. He simply gave a simple and objective description.

He said that Harry had lived in the Muggle world for a long time and was experiencing the full magical life for the first time. He was full of curiosity about all kinds of new things in Diagon Alley, but he had little interest in studying books.

Upon hearing this, Katie's face lit up with a smile, and she said expectantly, "Harry's parents are both pure Gryffindors! If that's the case, and he's naturally outgoing, then he'll most likely be sorted into Gryffindor this year, right?"

"The probability is definitely over 90%."

Thestrals are incredibly strong and fast; even when carrying a spacious magical carriage, they still speed along like the wind.

A moment later, the group arrived safely at the foot of the magnificent Hogwarts Castle.

Puni suddenly remembered that the first Dark Lord Grindelwald had trained a group of high-quality Thestrals to pull an invisible flying chariot for secret travel, and a sense of envy arose in his heart.

Freshmen need to cross Black Lake by boat to enter the school, a complicated process. However, second-year and above students do not need to participate and have ample time to return to their respective dormitories, pack their luggage, change into the uniform robes of their respective colleges, and then go to the auditorium together to watch the freshmen's college assignment ceremony.

After returning to the Ravenclaw common room, Penny finally saw Eddie, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Hey Eddie, I haven't seen you anywhere. Where did you go?" Puni greeted him with a smile.

Eddie, sporting heavy dark circles under his eyes, said with a hint of resentment, "How dare you say that? I've seen you several times along the way, and you didn't even notice me!"

These words made Puni feel guilty, realizing that he had been so engrossed in chatting with his companions that he had neglected his friend.

He quickly tidied up his suitcase, planning to organize it more carefully later, then changed into a clean Ravenclaw blue college robe and turned to leave the dormitory.

He arrived at the girls' dormitory building ahead of time to wait. Not long after, Qiu, who had changed into a long robe, slowly walked out.

Seeing Puni waiting for her, Qiu's eyes were filled with warmth. She quickly stepped forward and placed her small hand in his palm.

She silently made excuses for herself, deliberately avoiding the real flutter in her heart, constantly comforting herself that she was only holding hands because she was worried that the crowds entering the school would separate them, and that she was not greedy for this gentle touch.

Without realizing it, she also learned Puni's little way of comforting herself.

Eddie, who had just stepped out of his dorm room, witnessed this scene, and his heart was once again struck a blow, filled with bitterness.

Seeing his friends pairing up one after another while he remained single, he secretly vowed to himself that he would find his own partner this semester!

Inside the Great Hall of Hogwarts, the new freshmen stood in neat rows in front of four long tables, each belonging to one of the four great houses.

Everyone's expression was filled with barely concealed tension, their bodies slightly tense, quietly waiting for the sorting ceremony to officially begin.

Sitting in the senior students' seats, Puni took in the various expressions of the freshmen and couldn't help but smile.

Harry's condition isn't much better.

His gaze wandered, sweeping across the hall as if he were surveying his surroundings, but in reality he was desperately trying to recall the magical knowledge he had memorized.

He had spent the entire holiday experiencing new things in Diagon Alley and had never seriously studied spells. At this moment, his mind was blank, and no spell could come to mind.

In contrast, Harry was still able to keep his balance, but Ron beside him could no longer hold on.

His legs trembled uncontrollably, his body swayed slightly, and he could hardly stand steadily.

The lie the twins had fabricated about sorting into schools and having to fight a giant had already been deeply etched into his mind, and now countless tense speculations surged into his heart.

To be able to stand firm under such heavy pressure is already a testament to considerable courage.

Penny noticed that Harry and Ron had been talking in hushed tones ever since they entered the Great Hall. The two boys quickly closed the distance between them and were very tacit, which made him secretly marvel at how well they got along.

Among all the new students, Hermione was the only one who was exceptionally calm and composed.

She closed her eyes gently, her lips moving softly as she recited various magical incantations and knowledge points.

With her superior hearing, Puni could vaguely make out that most of them were basic attack and defense spells. However, with her current level of magic, she could not reliably cast half of the spells. She could only memorize them in advance for peace of mind.

Puni greatly appreciates this habit of preparing in advance.

Just as the freshmen were feeling uneasy and anxious, Professor McGonagall walked straight to the front of the stage and, without any attempt to ease the atmosphere, solemnly took out an old hat.

The Sorting Hat, a tradition that has been passed down through generations at Hogwarts.

She always acted decisively and efficiently, without any unnecessary or amusing elements, leaving Puni, who had been secretly looking forward to the elaborate ceremony, feeling utterly helpless.

The next second, the Sorting Hat slowly opened its mouth and began to sing its own Sorting Song.

The simple and honest singing echoed throughout the auditorium, and miraculously, the freshmen, who were originally in a state of confusion and nervousness, gradually calmed down.

The song was straightforward and simple, telling everyone that they only needed to wear the hat to complete the division of the house.

All the thrilling tests and bizarre rituals that the freshmen had imagined turned out to be nothing. When they learned that it was just a hat-wearing test, everyone let their guard down.

Professor McGonagall on the stage unfolded a long parchment register, officially initiating the sorting process, and the names were read aloud throughout the auditorium.

"Hannah Abbott!"

The first student called out appeared as scheduled.

With a slightly impulsive personality, Hannah quickly stepped forward, put on the Sorting Hat, and was soon assigned to Hufflepuff House.

Puni was not surprised by what he saw.

He was deeply impressed by the surname. The Abbot family was one of the twenty-eight pure-blood holy families. Hannah’s father was expelled from the family for marrying a Muggle-born wizard. This was a widely known story in the pure-blood community and was despised and rejected by pure-blood families who adhered to tradition for many years.

Puni thought about his own situation. If he were to officially marry Qiu in the future, he would most likely face criticism and exclusion from the pureblood circle.

He also thought of Hannah's later life; she eventually married Neville, took over the Leaky Cauldron, and survived the final magical war peacefully, ending her life well in a turbulent era, which was truly remarkable.

Starting with Hannah, the remaining freshmen stepped forward one by one to put on the sorting caps and complete the process of determining their college affiliation in an orderly manner.

Soon, the Ravenclaw seats also welcomed a new batch of students. The first person assigned to Ravenclaw was a boy, and Marcos warmly stood up to shake hands with him and welcome his new companion.

The Sorting Ceremony continued, and Professor McGonagall's voice rang out once more: "Seimor Finnigan!"

This freshman, who is known for his ability to electrify students, is quite different from the students who quickly completed their college selection process.

The Sorting Hat hovered over his head for a full minute, carefully considering his options before finally deciding on his placement in Gryffindor.

Seeing this, Marcos sighed in a low voice, "I thought this would be a case of a hat-wearing dilemma that would be difficult to resolve for a long time. What a pity."

"It's not that easy to come by," Puni replied casually.

"Hermione Granger!"

Upon hearing her name called, Hermione strode out of the freshman line, walked briskly up the steps, took the old Sorting Hat, and quickly put it on her head, covering her entire face.

Puni stared at the figure on the stage and casually shared his judgment with the people next to him.

"If we're talking about freshmen who might face a hat crisis this year, this girl is the most likely candidate."

This comment instantly attracted the attention of Cho, Marcos, Eddie, and Roger, and all four of them focused their gazes on Hermione.

Qiu recognized her at a glance; she was the clever girl who had come on the train to look for the toad. She then turned to look at Puni beside her, a subtle feeling rising in her heart.

A dozen seconds passed quietly, and the Sorting Hat remained silently on Hermione's head, without making any judgment sound.

Eddie, who had been waiting for a result for a long time, couldn't help but turn to Puni and ask a question.

"She doesn't look much different from the other freshmen, so how did you conclude beforehand that she might cause an embarrassing situation?"

After gathering his thoughts, Puni slowly shared his observations and judgments.

"I had a brief encounter with her on the train. She was a Muggle-born freshman who had only been in the magical world for a month, yet she possessed immense self-confidence and a thirst for exploring all unknown magical things. She was disciplined and meticulous in her work, but deep down she harbored the courage to break through the status quo and change her own circumstances."

He paused briefly, then offered an analogy: "Her qualities are very similar to those of the former Minister of Magic, Nobi Ritchie."

Everyone present was aware of Nobby Ritchie's past; he was the first Muggle-born Minister for Magic in British magical history, serving from 1962 to 1968.

He possessed great vision and governing talent, and during his tenure he devoted himself to promoting the integration and communication between Muggle civilization and the wizarding world, introducing a large number of new policies that were in line with the development of the times.

However, due to the rapid pace of reform and the overly radical measures, the inherent interests of many traditional pure-blood families were threatened, leading to widespread opposition and deliberate targeting.

Later, he suddenly developed an unexplained and difficult-to-diagnose illness, and his body was unable to support his work, so he was forced to resign.

As Voldemort rose to prominence, a rumor began to circulate in the wizarding world that Nobby Ritchie's strange illness was not accidental, but most likely a curse secretly cast by Voldemort before he had fully matured.

Upon closer examination, this rumor appears to be highly credible.

After listening to Puni's detailed analysis, Marcos and Eddie looked at each other in disbelief.

"You only met her once, and you can figure out so much?" Marcos looked puzzled. "This isn't just a one-time meeting; you two clearly talked for a long time, didn't you?"

Eddie nodded repeatedly, equally unable to comprehend how such a profound character judgment could be made based on a mere brief encounter.

Faced with their questions, Puni simply shrugged and declined to explain further.

"Just consider this a guess I made up on the spot."

As time ticked by, the silence of the Sorting Hat lasted longer and longer, far exceeding the judgment time of ordinary freshmen.