The mastermind behind Hogwarts

Chapter 198 The Banquet Begins

Marcus performed the task admirably, and the few people who were called upon quickly gathered around Moriarty.

"What's the plan this time, sir?" Charlie asked with a grin. His old Weasley family robes made him stand out, but Charlie didn't seem to care at all.

Your personal image is certainly important, as it largely determines how others perceive you.

Charlie was once insecure because of his family's poverty, and Quidditch was the one who helped him out of his shadow.

After Moriarty arrived, he deeply realized the benefits of having great strength.

If he also possesses real skills, what does his mere appearance and Galon amount to?

If Moriarty hadn't insisted that he come alone, Charlie would have loved to bring the Weasley twins along so they could learn a thing or two from Moriarty.

Tell them: Don't always create pranks for the sake of being funny, but learn from Moriarty and organize some meaningful and heartfelt activities.

Charlie would bet Moriarty has another brilliant idea.

Sure enough, Moriarty tapped the ground with his staff to muffle their voices, and then said, "Today is a memorable day, and I would like to hold an event to commemorate it."

This activity cannot be completed without the assistance of all students in the school. I will tell you the steps and details, and you are responsible for conveying them to other students.

Moriarty's deep eyes swept over Charlie and the others. They were all highly respected students from the four major colleges, and Moriarty believed they would complete the mission successfully.

Perhaps besides male and female chairpersons?

Moriarty noticed that there was something off between Leon and the Ravenclaw girls' chair; one had a cold smile on his lips, while the other held her head high with arrogance.

There was no one else around; it seemed like they were simply putting on an act for each other's benefit.

Tonks noticed this too, and a smile flashed in his dark eyes.

"The banquet and ball will start promptly at seven o'clock. As is customary, the banquet will begin first, followed by the ball."

Moriarty began assigning tasks, earnestly instructing them: "We'll take place at the ball, starting with Slytherin, followed by Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff."

When Slytherin takes action, Gryffindor will...

When Gryffindor takes action, Ravenclaw will...

That's the plan. Do you understand?

"Yes, sir, we understand," Charlie and the others replied in unison, their eyes shining.

"Excellent," Moriarty casually remarked. "Go on, get to work. If you encounter any difficulties, ask Marcus."

Just as Charlie and the others were about to leave, Moriarty shouted, "Wait!"

Moriarty added to the group who had turned back, "Remember one thing: keep it a secret. No one is allowed to tell anyone until the ball begins!"

The men looked serious. "Yes, sir."

"Go."

After watching them leave, Moriarty withdrew his gaze and turned around to admire Tonks's figure, only to find his senior staring at him intently.

"Junior, I've noticed you're getting more and more like someone in a superior position. Every move you make exudes domineering presence," Tonks said admiringly.

"Thank you for reminding me. I will continue to keep a low profile." Moriarty remembered his ultimate mission and withdrew his imposing manner.

"Have you noticed that you Slytherin are about to have another couple?" Tonks said mysteriously.

"Is there?" Moriarty thought for a moment, but he hadn't found any signs of it.

"What a dense boy." Tonks shrugged, looked away, and muttered under his breath, "Last year he and William were locked in a love-hate relationship. I thought they were going to come out, but this year he's already hooking up with another girl..."

"What did you say?" Moriarty's eyes were intriguing.

Her voice grew softer and softer until it was barely audible, with only the words "William" and "coming out" audible.

Tsk tsk tsk, Nymph, so this is the kind of girl you are...

"No! I didn't! I didn't say anything!" Tonks hurriedly lowered his head, but his face turned bright red.

Seven o'clock arrived quietly amidst the two's playful banter. When Dumbledore and Ludo walked into the Great Hall, chatting and laughing, the students stood up, and everyone knew that the banquet had begun!

"Sit, sit, children." Dumbledore waved to the students as he walked toward the head table, with Ludo and the professors following behind him.

"Gara gara!"

The sound of chairs moving filled the air as the teachers and students sat down. Dumbledore stretched out his hand toward the entrance hall, "Let's give a warm round of applause to the members of the England national team and thank them for coming."

Applause erupted as Roman and the other players ran out of the lobby, smiling and waving to the crowd.

Ludo seated them at a row of small round tables near the main seating area. After settling the guests, Dumbledore continued, "There is a team whose history is no more than fifteen days old, whose players' average age is no more than 14, and whose honors number no more than one!"

The students laughed; everyone knew the team's name.

"But this is the team," Dumbledore's tone shifted, his voice unusually forceful, "that defeated a World Cup quarter-finalist! Some may not understand what that means, but believe me—wherever you go in the future, you can proudly tell those around you that you were classmates of professional players!"

"Oh, oh, oh!"

The students stood up excitedly, their cheers and applause almost lifting the ceiling off.

"Moriarty Slytherin of the Hogwarts Dream Team," Dumbledore's voice suddenly rose, drowning out the students' celebrations, "and in the Quidditch arena alone, I, Albus Percival Woolfrick Bryan Dumbledore, proclaim you the strongest!"

Everyone was captivated by the name Dumbledore—this was the first time Dumbledore had spoken his full name in front of his students. Dumbledore then raised the wine glass on the table, gently swirled it, and red wine appeared in the glass.

Dumbledore stood up, smiled at Moriarty, and Moriarty also stood up, picked up his wine glass, swirled it, and a little bit of red wine appeared in the glass.

The two nodded to each other in greeting and then drank their red wine.

Everyone watched intently as the red wine in the glass slowly disappeared, the scene seemingly frozen in that moment.

After the two finished drinking, it sounded like an explosion in the auditorium!

The students jumped up, clapped, and shouted wildly.

"Kids, I know you must be very excited, but I ask you to give the two teams a final round of applause to thank them for putting on such a great game for us!" Dumbledore said, and then sat down.

The applause lasted for a long time, until everyone's palms turned red.

"Very well, very well then, let the banquet begin!" As soon as Dumbledore finished speaking, a menu appeared on each table.

"Without a doubt, it's the highest grade again." Jericho looked smug as he picked up the menu and clearly read, "Roast goose!"

A roast goose appeared instantly in front of Jericho and Helena.

"Come and have a taste, my darling. Let me feed you," Jericho said with a wicked grin.

The man with the afro witnessed everything and taught Roman how to use the menu: "Grilled steak!"

A large plate of grilled steak appeared on their table.

"Look, it's here! Isn't that interesting?" The man with the afro got excited. He seemed to have found a fun toy. He opened and closed his mouth and ordered a lot of dishes.

Roman shook his head helplessly; there was too much food for them to eat.

But in order not to embarrass myself in front of Hogwarts, I'd better eat it clean.

Roman felt a jolt in his stomach.

He then saw Moriarty and Tonks not far away, with a table set with dishes he had never seen before.

Roman puffed out his nose and sniffed. Mmm, it smells so good!

Looking at the British food that the guy with the afro had ordered—a dish he was tired of eating—Roman immediately lost his appetite.

"Ahem, Moriarty?" Roman walked over shamelessly. "Um, the dishes here seem a little different from ours?"

Moriarty pointed to the plates on the table and counted, "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Dragon and Phoenix, Almond Buddha's Hand, Braised Pork Tenderloin with Melon with the Character 'Fortune' on it, Eight-Treasure Wild Duck, and Roasted Pheasant. Hmm, you have a good eye, no wonder you're a Seeker!"

"Don't tease me," Roman said, blushing slightly. "Um, cough cough, I came to ask why these dishes aren't on my menu?"

"Because nobody's going to cook for you." Tonks glanced at Roman with a smile, then picked up a spoon and scooped up a spoonful of pork tenderloin, saying softly, "Junior, your senior is feeding you, ah~"

Roman stared in disbelief as Moriarty opened his mouth and ate the tenderloin; he felt instantly full.

"Ugh, how annoying!"

Roman returned to his seat dejectedly. He wanted to have a drink, so he imitated Dumbledore and Moriarty, picked up his wine glass and swirled it, and a little bit of red wine appeared in the glass.

Roman gulped it down, but it wasn't enough, so he swirled the glass again, but this time, no red wine appeared.

"Why?" Roman slammed his glass down on the table. "No one's offering me wine again? Hogwarts has so many house-elves!"

"Captain Roman." Ludo walked over, looking ecstatic—his bets had been incredibly successful.

"Captain Roman, I forgot to tell you, Dumbledore put a spell on these glasses to ensure that everyone can only shake out a tiny bit of red wine. After all, this is a school, you know, there are too many students here."

"So that's how it is." Roman chuckled a few times, then sighed.

Ludo patted him on the shoulder: "I'm not trying to criticize you, but you need to change your mindset. Learn to be more flexible."

Roman followed Ludo's gaze and saw many students walking towards Moriarty with their glasses in hand, hoping to offer him a toast. This made Tonks pout in dissatisfaction.

"Okay, um, okay," Roman muttered to himself, "Perhaps he's the best choice for captain, all for the sake of England's victory."

"What did you say?" the guy with the afro asked loudly. "Order a 'Great Victory'? Okay, I'll order it! I'm also curious about what this thing is made of, let's see what kind of meat it's made of."

Roman raised an eyebrow, looked at his teammate who was engrossed in eating, and smiled knowingly. Well, with teammates like this, his mood wasn't so bad.

Around eight o'clock, everyone had almost finished eating. Moriarty and Charlie and the others exchanged glances, and then the students made varying degrees of self-adjustment, trying their best to dress themselves neatly.

An inexplicable atmosphere enveloped the auditorium, as if something was about to happen!

(End of this chapter)