I, Hogwarts Second Time Around.

Chapter 514 Christmas Banquet

Irving's eyes, flashing with an otherworldly light, swept over everyone present.

Ultimately, it settled on Koyatl.

"You're a good fit," he said. "You've fought and defeated Death Eaters, so your strength is not an issue. You previously lived in Port Isabella, where you maintained a Muggle lifestyle. Finally, 'you have a great appearance,' which perfectly fits the requirements."

"and--"

Given that she has Salazar Slytherin blood in her veins, she would be a role model.

"I don't think you want to go back to North America. If you want an easy job that you can stay here after graduation, being a wizarding consultant is a good option."

Despite Irving's confident assertions, Koyatl was thinking about other things.

She has no intention of getting involved in the conflict between Muggles and wizards; in fact, she is doing everything in her power to avoid any conflict at present.

She was exhausted; years of struggle with the gods had left her mentally and physically drained.

She hadn't dreamt of that churning, endless cloud and the terrifying phantom behind it for a long time.

ended.

That tower has collapsed, and the eyes of the Outer God above the dark sea of ​​stars have shifted their gaze, haven't they?

But why did she still genuinely feel the sensation of being watched?

Enduring and uninterrupted.

"Click."

The fireplace flames burned the moisture inside the wood, causing it to crack and produce a slight popping sound.

The sudden sound broke the silence.

Koyater suddenly snapped out of her daze. Not daring to look directly into those emerald green eyes, she turned her head away and said nervously, "Let me think about it."

"Of course, that's your prerogative," Irving replied.

But relatively speaking, she is indeed the most suitable.

She could even leave Hogwarts now, only needing to return next May to take the exams.

After that, Owen did not participate in the young wizards' conversation.

The warmth emanating from the fireplace finally dispelled the chill in the House of Requirement.

They asked Miss Granger many questions.

The main targets were the Battle of London.

It was from her that everyone learned that the outside world had already been in an uproar because of this incident.

Prime Minister Haque met with leaders from almost every country in Europe during November.

They all came to Britain to learn 'advanced' experience.

Of course, most countries did not intend to attack wizards, but having no sword and not using a sword are not the same thing, and besides, it was just an emergency plan for wizards.

In addition, the International Federation of Wizards reacted strongly.

Undeniably, in this war, Muggles objectively helped them clean up a large number of social remnants in the magical world, and in the future, they attracted the most firepower. However, the brutality of the war and the defeat of the Death Eaters still terrified them.

The Federation could hardly imagine what it would be like for a Muggle army to deal with a group of wizards who couldn't even use the Ironclad Charm.

Although they were extremely reluctant, the only word that seemed to come to mind was "massacre."

Any reasonably normal wizard could have come up with this result.

This is also why the Ministry of Magic did not provide extensive coverage of the Battle of London. Even magazines like The Quibbler, which contradicted mainstream newspapers, did not delve too much into the specifics of the war, mentioning it only briefly.

No matter how unconventional Mr. Xenor Lovegood may be, he is first and foremost a wizard, and he must consider the wizarding commotion that would result from truthful reporting.

Silence is a choice made out of necessity.

Hermione's proposed wizarding advisory program was not unique to the British government; in fact, almost every major European country had implemented similar programs.

The federation is also pleased to see this.

Because they had to send people deep into the governments of various countries, they needed to understand why this enemy, who could so easily defeat them, was so powerful.

In the post-Secrecy Act era, the two races began to merge rapidly due to a war.

Although Jurchen is commonly known as Christmas, for a long period of time it was actually an ancient Norse winter solstice festival, a celebration of Odin.

In the Muggle world, the two holidays are often combined.

But the wizarding world has maintained its purity.

Although most wizards have long forgotten Odin and other gods, as well as the sacrificial truth behind the festival.

But everyone knows in their hearts that this festival is much older than what is recorded in historical inscriptions, much older than Bethlehem, Babylon, Memphis, and even humankind itself.

The week before the holiday.

Hagrid had already moved all twelve Christmas trees that were a staple of the Great Hall every year, wrapped holly and metal foil around the stair railings, and had ever-burning candles flickering in the helmets of the armor. Large bunches of mistletoe were hung in the corridors at intervals.

It seems that girls gather under the mistletoe at all times, causing traffic jams, perhaps waiting for the invited boys to take them to the Christmas dinner.

Irving really didn't think the dinner party was anything special, even though he wasn't invited after all.

Harry can go; he should get on good terms with Slughorn. Lately, he's been busy with Quidditch training and has drifted away from Slughorn.

In a Transfiguration class, Professor McGonagall was teaching them about human transformation, the most difficult topic in the field of Transfiguration. In this lesson, the professor asked them to change the color of their eyebrows in front of a mirror.

Irving could do it easily; even a rainbow-colored one was a piece of cake for him.

The others were in a bit of trouble; Ron had shaped his eyebrows into a mustache, which looked very strange.

Harry turned his eyebrows into an ugly green.

The worst off was Seamus. Perhaps only Merlin knew why Transfiguration had the ability to ignite things. He burned off his eyebrows and the hair on his forehead. Now, not only could he not change color, but he didn't even have eyebrows anymore.

Amidst laughter, the bell rang, signaling the end of get out of class. Just as they were about to leave, Professor McGonagall stopped them.

"After dinner, the young wizards who will be attending the Christmas party will gather in the Great Hall."

The professor said something inexplicable, and then left the classroom.

Everyone was a bit confused.

After lunch, Owen and Miss Granger, with whom he had recently started having conflicts, went to an alchemy class.

Victor is now a famous and highly sought-after figure in the magical world.

Honors followed one after another.

However, he himself did not value these material possessions.

"Magic is for the benefit of all." This belief permeated his life. Rather than the turmoil of the outside world, he preferred to stay in his office, studying the divinely ordained inscriptions of the Tower of Triumph that had been passed down since ancient times, and fantasizing about finding a way to completely tame ancient magic from those intricate ancient runes.

After class, the two of them went to the library for a while.

They didn't go to the auditorium until just before dinner.

After a sumptuous dinner.

Professor McGonagall appeared at the head table right on time.

She waved her wand and removed the tables and chairs from the space, leaving the auditorium empty.

There were about thirty young wizards present.

The number may increase later, as many people have not yet found a partner.

Owen was among those thirty-odd people, although Hermione had not formally invited him to be her partner.

Professor McGonagall, seated at the head table, glanced around at the young wizards below the stage, then pulled a thick book from her bosom.

She calmly opened the book and began to read aloud its contents.

It was then that the young wizards realized that the book was a book about etiquette, covering everything from physical appearance to manners and even the tone of voice—basically a rudimentary outline for taming "civilized people."

In a daze, the little wizard seemed to have returned to two years ago.

There was a similar period before the championship.

Professor McGonagall was in charge of teaching them various etiquette and dances.

But that time it was because of international friends.

This is just a private dinner for Horace Slughorn, is it really necessary to make such a fuss?

He can even get the EU Secretary-General to come?

Or perhaps, many foreign wizards are attending this Christmas dinner. To avoid exposing Hogwarts' reputation for supporting a bunch of brutes, they need to intensify their training?

Irving couldn't quite understand it.

Others were even more confused.

But Professor McGonagall's etiquette course is mandatory; they must attend unless they forgo attending the banquet.

Knowing he couldn't resist, the young wizard could only grit his teeth and endure the etiquette class, which was even more boring than Professor Binns's History of Magic class, for a whole week.

Until Christmas Day.

On this day, most of the young wizards in the castle broke free from their holiday laziness early, got up, tidied their clothes, and went to the Great Hall for dinner.

Because the little wizards who go home at ten o'clock should leave school.

The Hogwarts Express departs promptly at 11:00 AM.

Most of the young wizards who remained were participants in the banquet.

There were about forty or fifty people in total.

It includes almost all the most outstanding young wizards in the fifth, sixth, and seventh grades.

In the auditorium, at the head table, Professor McGonagall stood silently, wearing a long red plaid robe with a unique thistle wreath adorning the brim of her hat.

She crossed her arms at her waist, gazing elegantly at the group of young wizards below.

It was completely different from usual.

Even compared to two years ago when she met with other magic schools, Professor McGonagall presented a serious side with elegance as an embellishment; this time, it was the opposite.

Beside her stood a solitary oak door.

The gate consists only of a frame and a door panel, standing there in mid-air.

The surface of the oak was engraved with intricate ancient runes, and at the center was a strange device resembling a clock made of mithril. With just one glance, Owen immediately thought of the Anywhere Door invented by the alchemist Nicolas Flamel.

Victor also invented a similar magical item, which he named Warp Throw.

It is an upgrade and improvement of NIC technology.

Correspondingly, Warp is much simpler to activate. It can be activated anywhere by carrying the device and waving a wand, and its effects are transcontinental.

This must be Nick's original invention.

"Strange. Isn't the banquet being held at Hogwarts?"

Whether it was Owen, Harry, or even Neville, they all realized the true purpose of that door.

Because Kyrie Irving has demonstrated this before.

"It looks like it's still quite far," Ron said, knowing that the door would allow them to reach the European continent directly.

"Hermione." Ginny looked at Hermione beside her.

She wore a red robe, and her long red hair was styled into an elegant updo at the back of her head.

She was already very pretty, the kind of beauty that attracts boys, and her pink face was indescribably cute.

The others, Harry and Ron, were wearing a suit that Owen had given them as a Christmas gift two years ago.

Two years have passed, and the young wizards have all grown taller, but they can still fit into the dresses. This is because it is not an ordinary garment, but more like a magical artifact that can change size according to the user's body shape to ensure a perfect fit forever.

Otherwise, how could a Kyrie Irving shirt cost seventy or eighty Galleons?

He spent a total of one thousand Galleons on more than a dozen formal dresses.

Even now, thinking back on it still breaks my heart.

"You'll find out soon enough," Hermione said, without giving a direct answer.

Instead, he turned his head to look at Irving beside him.

Under the influence of ancient magic, the boy beside her had changed drastically from two years ago, and it was almost impossible to see any trace of his past self in him.

If she hadn't witnessed his transformation, she would have definitely thought he was a completely different person.

As everyone was wondering, Professor McGonagall, who was in the main seat, suddenly frowned.

Then, his elegant demeanor immediately vanished, and he became serious again.

"Miss Lovegood, could you tell me what you're wearing?"

Everyone looked over at the sound and saw Luna wearing a robe adorned with silver sequins, with lace trim on the sleeves and legs.

She wore a strange rabbit ear headdress made of a single horn tail hair.

She wore radish-shaped earrings.

The necklace around the neck is the most normal one, a gemstone necklace in the Egyptian style.

"Professor, this is my dress," Luna said seriously.

Neville was with her.

Justin told me that Neville invited Hannah, but Ernie beat him to it.

"A dress?" Professor McGonagall's voice rose sharply, her eyes filled with disbelief.

She rubbed her head, trying to keep up with Luna's thoughts.

However, Professor McGonagall gave up after only half a second.

"Change it." She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and said in a slightly tactful tone, "What about the dress you wore to the competition ball? Change into that one, and then take off all the messy things on your head and ears."

"I think they're perfectly normal," Luna said, looking down at her long dress. "While it's not as pretty as that one, it's very unique."

"The banquet doesn't need to be special; what we want to showcase is the essence of the wizard," Professor McGonagall emphasized.

Luna did not deny Professor McGonagall's request; she turned and left the auditorium. She would probably be back in a while.

In this process.

Professor McGonagall once again emphasized to them the importance of observing etiquette during the banquet and the prohibition against casting spells without permission.

Just when everyone's ears were practically calloused from hearing it so much...

Luna finally reappeared in the auditorium.

"Alright." Professor McGonagall withdrew her gaze. "Line up and enter, displaying the glorious image of Hogwarts wizards."

With that, she drew her wand and tapped the mithril mechanism on the door standing beside her.

The next second, the device merged into the door like water.

The ancient runes on the oak door seemed to come alive, wriggling and intertwining as if they were alive, piecing together exquisite patterns.

Then, the professor opened the door.

Finally, the world behind the door was laid bare before everyone's eyes.

From a distance, it was a four-story, square, gray building with the royal coat of arms hanging at the main entrance. The palace was surrounded by railings, and the square in front of it was wide and solemn, with various statues and monuments standing on it.

At this moment, a large number of people have gathered in the square.

The professors that the young wizards are familiar with.

"Where is that?" Harry asked, puzzled.

Irving's answer was instantly: "Buckingham Palace."

(End of this chapter)