Days at Hogwarts

Chapter 769 The Opening Banquet of 1997

"Welcome! Welcome back to Hogwarts!"

Dumbledore stood in the main seat of the guest of honor, his silver beard and hair hanging down in front of him, his gaze behind his crescent-shaped glasses carrying a gentle smile.

"Before the banquet begins, I have a few things to say."

"If someone wants to secretly stuff some candy or snacks to fill their empty stomach, enjoy them; these things are far less important than filling your stomach."

"Of course, don't eat too much, the main course is yet to come..."

The old headmaster's speech was rambling and incoherent, and after being glared at by Professor McGonagall, he finally got to the point: "Alright, alright, first of all, there are those news reports that have already been published. I'm sure you've all heard the good news. Perhaps a few of you still have doubts or suspicions, but I can tell you for sure—"

"Voldemort has been completely destroyed and will never return."

A slight murmur arose between the long tables in the college, with people whispering among themselves, before quickly silencing themselves again.

"On behalf of all the professors of Hogwarts, I promise you that no force outside the school will be able to influence or interfere with the normal teaching order of the school."

Dumbledore paused, then looked down and revealed a determined look through his glasses: "My dear children, you can now focus on your studies."

He gave the students time to process the information, and the whispering continued for a while. Some were joyful and excited, while others had complicated expressions, until Dumbledore cleared his throat and the noise gradually faded away.

"There's more good news to share with everyone."

Dumbledore turned slightly to draw everyone's attention to Snape and Lupin beside him, and continued, "As you can see... I am pleased to announce the return of two old friends to our faculty this semester."

"First, there's Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Bagshot is getting on in years, and despite my frequent help revising his lesson plans, he's still feeling tired and weary. He wants to retire and prepare for his round-the-world trip, and I don't see any reason to stop him." Dumbledore paused for a moment. "Now let's welcome Professor Lupin, who has gladly agreed to return to his post in Defense Against the Dark Arts!"

Loren looked thoughtful, lowered his voice, and whispered in Hermione's ear, "Do you think the real reason Professor Bagshot resigned was because the headmaster was always interfering with teaching?"

Hermione: "..."

Loud and enthusiastic applause erupted in the auditorium.

There was no regret for Professor Bagshot's retirement. The young wizards in the audience who had taken Lupin's courses clapped with all their might, their hands turning red from clapping.

Although the professor stayed for less than two years, his gentle and patient attitude and unique teaching style left a deep impression on the students.

Lupin Remus, who was sitting to the side, stood up and bowed to the four long tables. Compared to his disheveled appearance three years ago, he had now changed out of his tattered clothes and was wearing a well-fitting robe. His smile was gentle and his eyes were full of warmth.

"Some people might be wondering why I suddenly left four years ago..."

Lupin paused briefly, his smile widening, his tone more composed and confident than before: "My dear children, you can tell your friends and family that your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is a werewolf who once fought to save werewolves from all over the world."

Some students gaped in surprise.

The auditorium was silent for a few seconds, then erupted in even louder screams and applause.

The Gryffindor students were so excited that their faces turned red, and they were shouting and screaming at the top of their lungs.

"Wow, that's cool!"

"Professor Lupin! The werewolf professor!"

Harry's ears rang from Seamus's scream. He rubbed his ears and whispered to Loren across from him, "Actually, Tonks is pregnant. He needs to find a stable job to take care of Tonks, so he's going back to Hogwarts to teach."

Hermione's eyes widened: "Tonks is pregnant?!"

"Yeah..." Harry muttered softly, "It was during my time in New York that they were always together, claiming it was to look after and protect me, but who knows what they were actually doing?"

"..."

Loren and Hermione remained silent.

"Cough cough..."

Dumbledore gestured to stop the applause and continued, "Next is Potions. Professor Slughorn has been invited by Evamorni to lecture at Greylock. Horace is always like that; he's always curious about new things, and I have no reason to stop him..."

"Now let us welcome Professor Snape back! He will continue to teach Potions and will also serve as Head of Slytherin and Vice-Headmaster of Hogwarts!"

Scattered, fragmented applause echoed in the auditorium.

The deserted scene was a stark contrast to what had happened before.

Compared to the somewhat snobbish but always smiling Slughorn, the cold and serious Snape was not close to his students. Even the Slytherin students only applauded politely. Amidst the sparse applause, Loren and his friends from Gryffindor clapped loudly, which seemed rather out of place.

Snape didn't seem to care. He stood up expressionlessly, bowed slightly in greeting, and then sat down.

The pre-banquet speech should have ended there, but Dumbledore's wand remained pressed against his chin, his resounding voice echoing through the room:

"Well... as the headmaster of Hogwarts, I think it's necessary for me to reveal some of the professors' deeds to you. Two years ago, Professor Snape accepted a secret mission assigned to him by me, risking his life to infiltrate among the Death Eaters, saving the Ministry of Magic several times, and making outstanding contributions to the complete annihilation of Voldemort."

Harry seized the opportunity and shouted, "That's right! Professor Snape even helped me escape the Death Eaters!"

"!!"

A single sentence shocked the entire school. Students from other houses immediately looked at the Potions professor, initially incredulous, but as Harry's corroboration spread, admiration appeared in their eyes, and they uttered various exclamations and praises.

Is this our vicious dean?

The Slytherin students were stunned with surprise.

Snape remained expressionless, calmly picking up his glass and taking a sip.

"..."

Noticing that the students below the stage were still watching him, he took another sip.

The other professors in the main seat smiled. Dumbledore's gaze fell on Harry, his eyes gentle. He shouted that in front of the entire school, which was very much in the style of Gryffindor, and also very much in the style of Lily.

"Ding ding!"

Dumbledore tapped his wine glass, producing a clear, melodious sound. "Now, let us enjoy the feast!"

As soon as the words were spoken, golden platters and wine glasses overflowed with food and drinks. Golden fat flowed between the meat chunks, and the honey and fat, roasted together, released a wonderful Maillard aroma. The creamy soup was silky and sweet...

……

Nighttime, boys' dormitory.

Loren emerged from the bathroom, enveloped in steaming heat, stretched, and chatted with his roommates who were tidying up their closets:

"Long time no see, everyone."

"About two weeks."

Harry's gaze swept over the neatly packed wardrobe and bed: "Everything's packed. When did you get back early?"

"You mean this?"

Loren patted the neat and soft bed: "Xiaomai helped me pack it in advance. He stayed at our house for a summer study tour and came back a few days before school started, so I asked him to help move his luggage."

"An elf living in your home? How did you convince Hermione?"

Neville looked on with curiosity.

Upon hearing this, the other roommates also slowed down what they were doing and pricked up their ears to listen.

As we all know, Miss Granger is determined to liberate house-elves and has been working tirelessly for it. They have all volunteered to participate in related research activities, filled out countless questionnaires, and even encouraged their friends to fill them out.

However, since their names were listed in the magazine afterward, they didn't feel any dissatisfaction. If the article praised them a bit more, they would happily participate in the next event.

"They said it was a boarding school program, so he basically didn't do any housework. Grandpa Bates even took him around to play. Xiao Mai almost didn't want to go back to school."

Loren lay back on the pillow, rolled twice to mark his territory, and turned to Neville: "By the way, now that Voldemort is gone and the Death Eaters are dealt with, does your grandma still want you to be an Auror after graduation?"

"Well..."

Neville scratched his head: "When I took the advanced course last year, Professor McGonagall wrote a 'scream' letter to my grandmother, and after that she didn't interfere much with my course selection. When I went home for the holidays, she didn't mention making me an Auror in the future."

"And what about you? What do you think?" Harry crumpled his winter clothes, stuffed them into the closet, and sat down on the bed.

"Do you intend to pass on the title of the Auror family?"

Ron followed suit and quickly finished organizing, but the cabinet doors didn't close properly.

"I...I..."

Neville hesitated for a moment, a little embarrassed: "Actually, my mother doesn't want to continue being an Auror anymore. She said she hasn't been able to spend enough time with me before, and since I can stay at home for two more years after graduation, she wants to spend more time with me. However, Auror work hours are irregular, and sometimes they even rest directly at the department."

"So what do you want to do after you graduate?" Harry asked.

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"It's not certain yet." Neville shook his head. The future that once seemed so far away was now so close, making him feel a little dazed. "Uncle Algier and my mother are preparing to start a business. They are currently raising funds. I might help them manage the business after I graduate."

Ron immediately became interested: "Business? What kind of business?"

"The Department of International Affairs and Cooperation is preparing to lift the sales ban on a batch of goods, such as Arabian flying carpets, Indian magic oils, and Eastern magic talismans. There are no competitors here yet, and Uncle Agil and my mother believe that we can at least make a profit in the early stages."

"Insider information trading, abuse of power for personal gain!"

Ron's expression brightened: "The Ministry of Magic has been cracking down on people like you lately!"

"..."

Neville said weakly, "So my mom has already quit her job, and my dad might quit his too."

"Tsk tsk."

Loren shook his head; the Ministry of Magic's laws and regulations were still riddled with holes.

"And what about you? What do you plan to do after graduation?"

"I want to be an Auror!"

"I want to make a lot of money!"

"I want to change the world!"

"??"

Upon hearing the strange answer, the roommates all turned around and looked at Loren, who had already crawled into bed, their heads full of question marks.

Loren pulled the blanket over himself and peacefully closed his eyes.

The roommates exchanged glances, still puzzled.

My roommate, who had been bedridden for six years, suddenly perked up, which was quite unsettling.

……

The second day of school, in the morning.

Many students suffered from holiday syndrome and walked into the classroom as the school bell rang.

Loren originally wanted to get infected intentionally, but Miss Granger came from a family of doctors and had very thorough preventative measures, which resulted in the two of them arriving at their seats half an hour early.

Hermione was sitting in the front row, carefully flipping through the textbooks on the table.

This lesson is Professor Flitwick's Charms class. Now that we're in seventh grade, we've pretty much covered the material. There's not much new material in the final year, mainly to allow ample time to prepare for NEWT.

If the OWL at the end of fifth grade is the first degree, then the NEWT in seventh grade is the second degree. Some industries value the second degree, while some companies discriminate against the first degree.

Fortunately, Loren doesn't need to worry about this.

He had already mastered the new knowledge for seventh grade long ago; now he was simply learning it again in written form.

However, experienced professors like Flitwick can always combine theoretical knowledge with practical experience, allowing students who study on their own in advance to deepen their understanding of the principles of spells by comparing them with the professor's experience.

Loren and Hermione listened attentively.

The bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class.

The seventh-grade students filed out of the classroom. Loren and Hermione walked side by side down the corridor, then separated at the corner of the stairs, one going up and the other down.

"Rune, I'll come find you in the auditorium after class."

"understood."

Loren nuzzled her cheek, the movement very natural.

After going downstairs, I found the sun was shining brightly, so instead of going to the auditorium right away, I decided to go to the courtyard to bask in the sun for a while.

Groups of two or three people were scattered in the courtyard, where many students who didn't have class in the second period had gathered. Loren noticed a few familiar faces; just behind the bushes on the right side of the courtyard, Draco and Theodore Nott were huddled together talking to some seventh-graders.

Goyle, Selwin, Pansy Parkinson... they were all Slytherin.

Loren paused, then turned away from them.

"There's no time for you to hesitate. Join or leave..."

Draco gave a sermon in a secluded corner behind the bushes.

Caught a glimpse of Loren out of the corner of his eye, he stopped his conversation, waved for the others to leave, stood still and waited for them to go far away, then turned around and pulled Nott towards him, moving as nimbly as a Gryffindor.

"What are you doing...?"

"Loren! We have something to tell you!"

"Can I not listen?"

"..."

Draco paused for a moment, but fortunately, he had learned from his father during this time, and he managed to reply: "You can listen before you refuse."

"Then please keep it brief, I have other things to do." Loren glanced at the sky.

The morning sun is quite comfortable, but it will get too hot in a little while.

Draco glanced at Nott beside him. Nott paused for a moment, then slowly walked to stand directly in front of Loren, his expression serious and his tone solemn:

"I have gathered a group of pure-blooded families that are declining and dying, and I wish to seek... your protection."

(End of this chapter)