A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

A chill ran through them, and Lupin quickly retreated. "Go back, Harry!"

But Harry didn't hear it. His entire vision was occupied by something wearing a black cloak and a hood, floating in mid-air. A rotten, decaying, gray hand emerged from the cloak, followed by an intense chill. He felt his lungs freeze and he couldn't breathe at all.

A distant female voice came, a terrifying, frightened, and pleading voice.

"I want to help her!"

He didn't know why he had this thought, but it was so strong that even on the verge of losing consciousness, he reacted instinctively.

A dazzling red light illuminated the entire train.

Chapter 184 The Banquet

"Harry! Harry! Are you alright?" Someone was patting his face.

Harry opened his eyes. Everything was back to normal—the train continued moving, the lights were on, and he sat up, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, staring blankly at the scene inside the train.

Ron and Hermione were closest to him, Neville was looking at him with a worried expression, and Ginny was huddled in a corner.

Lupin took a bar of chocolates out of his pocket, broke it open, and distributed it to everyone.

“This is yours, Harry. Also, a very good Disarming Charm.”

Harry took the large piece of chocolate and suddenly asked, "Did I pass out...? No, that woman—was she rescued?"

"Who?" Lupin asked casually.

"When that strange thing with the hood came out, there was a woman, judging from her voice, she was an adult, she..." Harry suddenly stopped talking. There was only one adult woman on the train, the witch pushing the food cart.

But he didn't hear that sound.

Lupin's hand froze on the spot. He muttered, "I'm going to talk to the driver. I'm sorry..." and then hurriedly left.

The door slammed shut.

“Harry?” Hermione looked at him with concern.

He forced himself to calm down, sat back down, took a bite of chocolate, and felt a warm current spread through his body, making him feel happy again.

"Can anyone tell me what just happened?" Harry asked.

“We felt the cold, like we’d fallen into an ice cave. Then we saw your spell, a dazzling red light… The cold subsided a bit, and then you fell to the ground. Professor Lupin said to someone, ‘Sirius Black isn’t hiding here.’ He raised his wand, which emitted a silvery-white light, and then the cold completely dissipated, and the train continued moving.” Hermione described what she had seen.

Harry silently chewed his chocolate. He didn't really care about these things; he just wanted to get some clues about the woman's voice from other people, but the result disappointed him.

Everyone looked grim. Ginny was sobbing softly, and Neville murmured beside her, "It's awful. It reminds me of the worst memories."

“It’s like all the happiness has left you,” Ron chimed in, but he gave Harry a playful punch. “Your spells are really good, Harry! We can teach Malfoy a lesson. Just thinking about him rolling away makes me happy again.”

“It wasn’t my doing…” Harry shook his head, then rallied. “What’s that cloaked monster?”

“I guess it’s a Dementor. I’ve seen similar things in comic books, like boneless pieces of rags,” Ron described.

Harry looked at Hermione. Of the three, Ron was the most familiar with the wizarding world, but his knowledge was superficial, while Hermione's knowledge, though mostly from books, provided more accurate information.

Hermione explained, "Dementors are the guards of Azkaban. They feed on positive human emotions—especially happiness. Regular spells have no effect on them, and the only known useful magic is the Patronus Charm."

“Patron Saints? Professor Hyp’s Swifts and Professor McGonagall’s cat?” Harry asked.

"Yes."

"Yes."

Hermione and Ron each said that Hermione had seen the Patronus Swift, Ron had seen the Patronus Cat, and Harry was familiar with both.

After that, no one spoke. After about ten minutes, the train stopped.

But they didn't see Professor Lupin. "Let's go, he'll remember to take his luggage."

hall.

Hagrid was dressed formally in a large suit, his hair and beard meticulously groomed: "How do I look, Felix?"

“…That’s fantastic.”

Tears welled in Hagrid's eyes. He switched the umbrella to his left, pulled a dirty handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped his eyes. "It's so good... I've been looking forward to this day."

Today, he will not only be appointed as a professor of the Magical Creatures Protection class, but he will also clear his name—Dumbledore has submitted a complete chain of evidence, from the monster in the Chamber of Secrets, the murderer, and the testimony of Myrtle herself. The Ministry of Magic has no reason to stop him and has to lift the ban imposed fifty years ago.

Hagrid was punished twice for being a "suspected murderer of Myrtle": he was expelled and his wand was broken. Some even suggested sending him to Azkaban, but he was spared thanks to Dumbledore's intervention.

Now that the ban has been lifted, he can use the wand openly.

Felix looked at the large red umbrella in his hand. "Your wand is hidden here? I've been wanting to say that for a while now. A brilliant idea for concealment."

Hagrid raised his hand. "Dumbledore fixed it for me. I've always had some reservations, you know... Theoretically speaking, my wand has been broken by the Ministry of Magic."

Felix looked at him with a strange expression, and said softly, "Dumbledore fixed your wand? The one that was broken?"

“He’s a real all-rounder, isn’t he?” Hagrid said happily.

“Yes, that’s right,” Felix agreed.

After a while, Hagrid came out of the auditorium to greet the new students, while the professors made their final preparations. Professor McGonagall was discussing the dinner arrangements with a house-elf in the kitchen.

"Everything is ready, Professor."

"Very good, thank you for your hard work."

Before long, all the young wizards from second to seventh grade poured in, and the Great Hall was filled with noise. Felix felt as if hundreds of baboons were excitedly clamoring.

But his gaze fell upon a male wizard—

He wore a tattered robe, its edges patched all over, a testament to his poverty; he looked exhausted, perhaps having just escaped a troublesome affair; his face was still young, but his brown hair was already streaked with gray…

Professor McGonagall walked over to the wizard, warmly welcomed him, and led him to the teachers' table.

A fierce, hateful gaze fell upon the wizard, and Felix caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye that the silver fork in Snape's hand was bent in half.

Professor McGonagall introduced the other professors to the wizard, but she deliberately avoided mentioning Snape.

She quickly arrived in front of Felix.

“Felix, this is Remus Lupin, a former student of mine. He’s a very friendly and gentle person. You two will get along well,” Professor McGonagall said.

Felix and Lupin looked at each other, a hint of inquiry flashing in their eyes.

Felix smiled and extended his hand: "Hello, Professor Lupin. I've heard Professor McGonagall mention you before. You must be her best student?"

Lupin also extended his hand, "I'm just the most inconspicuous one. But on the train, I heard many rumors about Professor Hep..."

"Hopefully it's not some weird or strange statement."

"No, how could that be? I'm even a little jealous of their praise for you."

The two held hands until Lupin took the initiative to let go.

Soon, Hagrid arrived with the first-year students who were soaked to the bone. To Felix's surprise, Professor McGonagall was not presiding over the Sorting Ceremony, and he looked around but couldn't see her anywhere.

Professor Flitwick held the Sorting Hat and a roll of parchment, with a small round stool floating behind him.

He passed by the new students one by one, and with a wave of his wand, the students found their wet clothes became dry and comfortable, as if they had been baked by the midday sun.

"Line up and follow me."

One by one, the young wizards stepped forward in order of their surnames, waiting to be sorted into their houses. But what greeted them first was a song carefully crafted by the Sorting Hat, and the young freshmen stared in disbelief as the Sorting Hat sang it with great emotion.

This is perhaps the most profound impression Hogwarts has left on them so far.

The branching program has begun—

"Newman Balker".

"Gryffindor!"

Oliver Dana.

Hufflepuff!

“Grantham Foley”.

"Ravenclaw!"

"Astria Greengrass".

Slytherin!

"Dennis Crevy."

"Gryffindor!"

……

At the end of the Sorting Ceremony, Felix noticed Harry and Hermione slipping from a corner to their Gryffindor seats, and Professor McGonagall appeared later as well.

Then Headmaster Dumbledore rose to give a speech, his welcoming remarks as concise as ever.

Once he got down to business, he solemnly explained the existence of Dementors: "They will be stationed at all the entrances to the school to carry out the duties of the Ministry of Magic, and no one may leave the school without permission while they are there."

“Dementors do not accept any tricks or deception—including invisibility cloaks. They also cannot distinguish between legitimate reasons and excuses, so do not give them the opportunity to harm you. Prefects and the two student council presidents, you must ensure that no student engages in conflict with the Dementors.”

After the young wizards had processed the information, Dumbledore cheerfully introduced the two new professors, saying—

The former is "Professor Lupin, who generously filled the vacancy of Defense Against the Dark Arts," and the latter is "Rupert Hagrid, who, in addition to fulfilling his duties as the Keeper of the Forbidden Forest, also served as the professor of Magical Creatures."

At the same time, Dumbledore expressed his sympathy and apology for Hagrid's unjust accusation, saying, "For half a century we have ignored this, and it is time to correct this mistake."

Hagrid stood up and waved excitedly, sending a burst of red sparks flying from his red umbrella. The students responded enthusiastically, with the applause from the Gryffindor seats being particularly loud.

“We should have known!” Ron roared, slamming his fist on the table. “Who else would let us get our hands on a book that bites?”

After the banquet, the students filed out of the auditorium, accompanied by lively discussions.

Chapter 185 New Semester

The next day, while Felix was having lunch in the Great Hall, he could still hear the young wizards gossiping about various things.

"Harry fought the Dementors and kept them out of the carriage. I could see the overwhelming red light from two aisles away."

"Yes, it's simply unbelievable!"

Ernie McMillan, a Hufflepuff student, peeked out and said, "There's nothing strange about it. You know, Potter defeated Vader when he was a baby. When I first enrolled, I didn't understand. The so-called 'savior' was no different from me—short, looking malnourished, and his grades were just so-so..."

He started by listing a bunch of flaws, then paused dramatically for a moment, staring at his two companions: "And now look! He's finally exposed!"