The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 285 Welcome to Gryffindor
The train headed back to the Scottish Highlands, but for the rest of the journey, the train, which used to be cheerful, was unusually quiet today. The rain outside the window kept falling, as if the sky had done a great injustice.

Ada also returned to her box and reunited with the twins. Although the twins' patronus drove away the Dementors in time, this evil creature still left everyone with a lingering fear.

Finally, the train stopped at Hogsmeade station and everyone got off in chaos.

The rain today was heavier than the day Yiping went to her father to ask for money. Fortunately, Ada and her friends were already in fifth grade and no longer needed to row across the lake. They had a carriage with a canopy.

You don't have to worry about getting soaked, the water level of the lake rising, or falling into the freezing cold water.

When the Thestrals drove the carriage through two magnificent wrought iron gates, Ida saw the Dementors again. The hooded, eerie Dementors stood guard at the door, one on each side.

The unbearable chill surged up again. It was not until I passed through the majestic oak door and entered the castle that the chill from the bottom of my heart slowly dissipated.

Ada, Fred and George followed the crowd towards the auditorium. As if to match the violent storm outside, the enchanted ceiling was also a dark, cloudy sky.

As soon as she entered the auditorium, Ada saw Professor McGonagall waving at her, and she hurried over.

"Are you okay?" Professor McGonagall asked with concern. She already knew what happened on the train.

After making sure that Ada was okay, Professor McGonagall continued, "Professor Lupin sent an owl to send the letter back in advance. You did a good job and fulfilled your duties as a prefect."

"Professor, I also saw Dementors at the door. How long will they stay here?" Ada said. She really didn't like this kind of creature. Dementors always reminded Ada of a terrible disease - depression.

Professor McGonagall frowned, and it was obvious that she was also unhappy about the Dementors stationed around the school.

She said: "This is the decision of the Ministry of Magic. The Dementors will not leave until Black is caught. However, the Dementors will not enter the school."

More and more students entered the hall. Harry, Ron and Hermione were also caught in the crowd and poured into the spacious hall.

"Potter! Granger! I want to see both of you!" Professor McGonagall shouted, walking towards Harry as she spoke.

Before leaving, Professor McGonagall reminded her again: "Ada, remember that you are now a prefect, and don't go looking for trouble with the Dementors."

The warm castle finally made the students feel safe, and everyone regained their energy. Their faces were illuminated by the thousands of candles floating above the tables.

Unlike last year, this year's sorting ceremony was presided over by Professor Flitwick, and Professor McGonagall took Harry and Hermione away and never came back.

Neither the Sorting Hat's annual solo concert nor the sorting of freshmen attracted the students' attention. Everyone was talking quietly about what happened on the train, talking about Black and Dementors.

With Romilda Vane, a little girl with black hair and black eyes, being sorted into Gryffindor, the sorting ceremony of 1993 officially ended. It was also at this time that Professor McGonagall returned with Harry and Hermione.

Headmaster Dumbledore stood up, faced all the students with a smile, and began his speech for the new school year.

"Welcome!" said Dumbledore, the candlelight gleaming in his beard. "Welcome back to Hogwarts! I have several things to say to all of you, one of which is so important that I thought it best to get it out before your heads get muddled over your delicious dinner..."

Dumbledore first explained why the Dementors searched the train and why they appeared around the school. Then he explained to everyone the evil and cruelty of the Dementors.

Dementors inherently do not understand forgiveness, nor can they distinguish between prey and other human beings. Dumbledore reminds every student that he hopes they will not give Dementors a reason to hurt them.

"…But joy is everywhere, even in the darkest moments," said Dumbledore, "if we keep the light of our hearts burning."

Dementors feed on human happy memories, but happiness is also a weapon against this evil creature. The prerequisite for casting the Patronus Charm is happiness. Concentrate on thinking about the happiest things in your heart, and the Patronus will obey your call.

"On a more cheerful note," Dumbledore continued, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our staff this term."

"First, there was Professor Lupin, who readily agreed to fill the Defense Against the Dark Arts vacancy."

There was a sparse applause in the auditorium. The new professor was wearing a patched wizard robe, which was not very good-looking. He looked even more shabby among other professors.

"Why does he look so weak?" Fred asked.

He didn't trust the new professor very much, or rather, the people who worked in this high-risk profession left a shadow on him, making him full of distrust towards the person who held this position.

It wasn't just Fred, all the students in the hall were like this. First it was Quirrell, then Lockhart, and this happened for two consecutive years, making it difficult for students to trust the ragged Remus Lupin.

"He's very powerful. He used the Patronus Charm to drive away the Dementors in one go and gave Harry a big piece of chocolate." Hermione said. She and Harry returned to the Great Hall just after the Sorting ceremony.

Snape still didn't get what he wanted this year, and the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was still a position he could never reach. But this year Snape's reaction was a bit extreme, and the expression on his face was not only disappointment and anger, but also hatred.

As for the second new professor, no, this professor cannot be described as new, after all, Hagrid has been in school longer than any of the students present.

The applause at the Gryffindor table was particularly enthusiastic; the little lions had a good impression of Hagrid, who was also from Gryffindor.

"We should have known this!" Ron pounded the table and shouted, "Who else would let us prepare a book that bites people?" It would have been fine if this hadn't been mentioned, but Ada got angry when this was mentioned. If it hadn't been for her quick eyes and hands, the book "The Monster Book of Monsters" would have bitten not only two skirts, but also a pair of shoes.

It is no exaggeration to say that this book subverted Ada's understanding of books.

"Well, that's all the important stuff," Dumbledore said loudly. "Let's have the feast!"

The golden plates and goblets on the table were suddenly filled with food and drinks. The hall was filled with the students' laughter and the clash of knives and forks became a beautiful music.

No one thought about the terrible Dementors anymore, and no one thought about Black who escaped from prison anymore. With delicious food in front of them, it would be a sin to think about anything else.

When the last pieces of pumpkin pie had disappeared from the golden platter, Dumbledore stood up again and announced that it was time for everyone to go to bed.

This time Ada did not forget her status as a class leader. She stood up and raised her hand high, just like Charlie had done before.

Ada shouted, "Gryffindor first years, gather around me!"

Soon, the first-grade students gathered around Ada, and Clark Gerard also came over. After Clark counted the number of people, he nodded to Ada, indicating that everyone was present and they could set off.

"Everyone, follow me closely and don't fall behind," Ada said. After that, she led the freshmen away from the long table and walked out of the auditorium.

Clark followed at the end of the team to prevent anyone from getting lost because of distraction. After all, the moving staircases at Hogwarts can be quite annoying.

The auditorium entrance was originally noisy and crowded, but because Ada walked over, the students who were blocking the way immediately made way for Ada and the little kids behind her to pass through.

After climbing a marble staircase, passing through two doors hidden behind sliding panels and hanging curtains, and many more "injurious" stairs, the little kids finally reached Gryffindor Tower.

The fat lady who works in the dormitory fell in love with beautiful singing at some point. At this moment, she is trying to use her heavenly voice to break the glass in her hand.

Although the Fat Lady has great resonance, she really isn't cut out for it, and her singing voice is like a car crash scene.

"Good luck, ma'am." Ada said the password, but the portrait did not show any entrance.

The Fat Lady in the portrait waved her hand, asking Ada not to disturb her. The Fat Lady thought for a while, and then an ugly, piercing, ghost-like howling noise rang out in Gryffindor Tower.

The freshmen had never seen such a scene before, and they all covered their ears. Even Clark couldn't stand it anymore. What about Dementors, Black, and the Fat Lady? Isn't her voice more lethal than theirs?

Ada hugged her shoulders and looked at the Fat Lady with interest. She just wanted to see if the dormitory manager could make the glass break.

The Fat Lady in the portrait was also secretly observing the students. Her small eyes swept over Ada, watching when Ada would turn her head.

But how could Ada, who was full of bad intentions, do what the Fat Lady wanted? She stared at the Fat Lady intently, wanting to see how the Fat Lady would ease the embarrassment in front of her.

I can’t shout anymore, or I’ll run out of oxygen (can portraits run out of oxygen, too?),” the Fat Lady thought.

The Fat Lady made up her mind and smashed the glass in her hand when no one except Ada was paying attention.

The noise stopped, and the freshmen looked towards the Fat Lady's portrait. She exclaimed at the shattered glass, "Perfect! My singing voice is so beautiful!"

Ada, who had witnessed the whole process, smiled but said nothing, and did not expose the Fat Lady's trick. She repeated the password: "Good luck, madam."

The portrait moved forward unsteadily, revealing a circular hole in the wall. Passing through the hole, the first-year students finally arrived at their destination, the Gryffindor common room.

In the circular common room, many senior students were chatting and laughing. They didn't have to row across the lake, so they were not as exhausted as the freshmen. Ada gathered the freshmen together, and she had a few words to say.

She said: "I'm sorry to take up a few minutes of your time. First of all, congratulations on joining Gryffindor House. I will never say 'Gryffindor is the best house', even though it is true."

The freshmen laughed in unison. On the train, Ada made herself familiar to the freshmen, and the young lions, who were not very experienced in the world, were full of affection for this senior.

Ida continued, "Gryffindor comes from the barren swamp. We are brave and fearless. Our courage, spirit and generosity will make us stand out. However, I hope you can distinguish between what is brave and what is reckless. I don't want to bring you back in disgrace from other prefects. That would be too shameful!"

"Don't embarrass your senior. Believe me, the consequences will be serious." Clark Jellal said in a joking tone, "This is my only advice."

"Thank you for the slander, Clark." Ada continued her speech, "If you have any difficulties in study or life, you can come to us, but I think it's better for you to go to Clark, because I am a person who is afraid of trouble."

Ada took out a parchment map and continued, "Also, please allow me to make an ad. If you are not familiar with the castle, you can come to me to buy a navigation map. Of course, you can also buy a second-hand one from other seniors."

The freshmen laughed again, and some seniors in the lounge joined in, praising the convenience of the map in Ada's hand.

"Finally, welcome, welcome to Gryffindor!"

(End of this chapter)