With extraordinary comprehension, I built a floating city at Hogwarts.

"Really, Levin?" Ginny couldn't believe it and instinctively asked Levin for confirmation.

In her mind, Levin was basically right.

Seeing Levin nod, the girl panicked even more: "Then why can't I see it?"

She almost felt like she was going crazy.

“You’re not crazy, your mind is just as clear as mine.” Luna then turned to stare at her companion, her expression becoming dazed again.

But this was clearly misunderstood by Ginny.

Although the two were good friends, Ginny was well aware of her friend's reputation.

It's not good that she's as clear-headed as Luna, the crazy girl.

“That animal is a Thestral, a type of Pegasus. Only those who have directly witnessed death can see it.” Levin chuckled at Ginny’s conflicted expression, then, thinking of Luna who could see Thestrals, he felt a pang of apology. “I’m sorry… you…”

“Don’t mind it, it’s my mom,” Luna answered before Levin could even ask the question.

Levin nodded, secretly amazed by her insight into people's hearts.

Although the crazy girl was eccentric, she was more than just eccentric.

As the carriage jolted along, Ginny soon forgot all about the Thestrals.

She had to hold on tightly to the carriage handrail, struggling to maintain her balance. Although falling into Levin's arms would be romantic, it would also be too embarrassing.

The little girl is still shy.

But Luna didn't care at all. She and Ciri took turns bumping into Levin because of the shaking, as if they were playing a fun game.

As the carriage drew closer to Hogwarts, a gasp of surprise rippled through the young wizards ahead.

The carriage drove toward two imposing wrought-iron gates, flanked by stone pillars topped with winged warthogs.

Two sinister, hooded Dementors stood guard at the door, one on each side. Suddenly, a chilling, unsettling feeling washed over them again.

Startled, Ginny quickly shrank into the uneven seat, abandoning all pretense of modesty, and nestled into Levin's arms, closing her eyes.

Levin did not stop the little girl from rubbing against him for warmth. He frowned as he looked at the two Dementors guarding the gate.

You know what, these Dementors are really something. They claim to be guarding Hogwarts, but they're really just here to collect admission fees.

What exactly is the ticket for... well, it's the kind that lets you get a puff of air as soon as you walk in!

Many young wizards ahead were forced to pay tolls.

Just as it was about to be their turn, Levin held down Cirira's hand as she tried to draw her sword and cast a spell himself.

"[Expanded Anti-Evil Magic Array]!"

During his summer spellcasting session with Jaina, Levin learned two supermagic techniques from the level 2.9 Laran mage: [Spell Enhancement] and [Spell Expansion].

Now, thanks to the amplification effect of the spell, Levin cast a massive Anti-Evil Array, large enough to cover a large area near the Hogwarts gates.

The two Dementors guarding the gate were about to open for business when they immediately flew around wildly as if they had burned their feet (if they did), flying high into the air until they were outside the anti-evil magic circle.

By this time, they had been consumed and were only one-third of their original size.

Well, all the toll fees collected for the whole day were for nothing, and we even lost money. It's a huge loss.

The enraged Dementor could only linger above the Anti-Evil Array, hesitant to descend.

Levin was certain they wouldn't have another chance.

Even without actively maintaining it, his [Anti-Evil Magic Circle] can last for at least one or two hours, enough for all the young wizards to enter the school.

He could hear many of the young wizards behind him clapping for him.

%

Chapter 181 The Threat of the Dementors

After leaving the gate, the carriage sped all the way to the castle before finally coming to a screeching stop.

Following the flow of people, Levin, Cirihong, Luna, and Ginny walked towards the castle gate.

There was a commotion ahead; it sounded like Harry and Malfoy were arguing.

Ginny hesitated for a moment, looking at Levin and then at Harry, before quickly running over when she realized Ron was also involved.

“She used to idolize Harry Potter, I never knew she idolized you too.” Luna’s ethereal, singing voice rang in Levin’s ears. “I didn’t know that before.”

She had barely finished speaking, and before Levin could even reply, Ciri's teasing began:

"I didn't realize that our Casanova has such a knack for attracting young girls."

"This kind of thing...isn't something I can control," Levin couldn't help but smile wryly.

But deep down, I was still a little proud.

He didn't do anything himself, yet he made the famously love-obsessed character in the original work start to struggle, which shows his charm.

Just then, Malfoy's smug voice came from ahead: "Did you pass out too, Weasley? That terrifying Dementor scared you too, didn't it, Weasley?"

Levin ignored the mess, knowing Hermione could handle it.

Sure enough, when he caught up with Harry and the others, he saw Malfoy standing there dumbfounded, his mouth stuffed with his own clothes.

The argument was just a minor incident before the start of the school term.

Soon, everyone arrived at the Great Hall—except for Harry and Ron, who had been called away by Professor McGonagall.

As in previous years, thousands of burning candles floated in the air above the Great Hall of Hogwarts.

The firelight they emitted warmed every student present.

This year, however, the young wizards below were not as noisy as in previous years, and the Great Hall seemed much quieter.

This is not surprising. First, they were robbed by bandits, and then they were charged admission fees. The young wizards suffered greatly at the hands of the Dementors.

Not to mention there's still a bunch of Dementors floating above the auditorium.

Through the magical ceiling, everyone could clearly see them hovering among the clouds, greedily eyeing the Hogwarts students, as if they were about to swoop down and feast on them at any moment.

This made the students all look gloomy and lose all interest.

Throughout the entire selection ceremony, everyone remained silent, without even a single pat on the back.

This oppressive atmosphere made this year's freshmen so afraid to even breathe.

After the sorting of the houses, as was customary, Headmaster Dumbledore would take the stage to give a speech.

Looking down at the worried young wizards, Dumbledore sighed. The Dementors were really going too far.

He clapped his hands.

Suddenly, a large red bird appeared behind him, flew around the auditorium, and sang a cheerful song as it flew.

Upon hearing the birdsong, the students immediately felt a warm power rising from their hearts, nourishing their pale souls.

“That’s a phoenix!” Levin heard Hermione’s explanation coming from the Gryffindor table. “Their song has magic: it is generally believed to give courage to the pure-hearted and release fear from the filthy.”

Welcome back to Hogwarts!

Seeing that the students below the stage had relaxed considerably, Dumbledore then spoke.

"I have a few very important things to tell you all. First of all, our school has recently welcomed several Dementors from Azkaban. They were sent by the Ministry of Magic on official business, as you all probably already know, because they searched the Hogwarts Express."

At this point, the audience immediately stirred.

The students swore and cursed, many of them cried in frustration, and some even threatened to file a complaint against the Ministry of Magic.

This is easy to understand.

Imagine this: you're carrying your schoolbag, leaving home, riding a train, eating hotpot (not really) and singing, when suddenly you're kidnapped by a Dementor.

Is there any royal law for this?

Is there still law for this?

All days without Dementors are good days.

Dumbledore didn't stop them from doing so, since the students needed to vent, and their complaints would help him put pressure on the Ministry of Magic.

Once everyone had quieted down, he said, "Indeed, the Dementors did bad things during the search, but I am proud that our school's young wizards were able to successfully resist and even drive them away."

Even without Dumbledore saying much, most people, even if they hadn't heard of him, could guess who this person was—Levin had done far more important things than simply expelling Dementors.

The young wizards in the hall all peeked out from their seats, looking at Levin.

The Ravenclaws, no longer indifferent to others as they had in previous years, now seemed to share in the glory, each sitting upright.

"but!"

Dumbledore's turning point is here.

"This does not mean that all of our young wizards can provoke them."

"They are stationed at all the entrances to the school grounds," Dumbledore continued. "While they are here, I must make it clear that no one may leave the school without permission. Dementors should not be fooled by tricks or disguises—not even an invisibility cloak."

Levin smiled, clearly speaking to Harry.

The principle behind Dementors' ability to see through disguises is simple: their vision is different from that of ordinary people.

They cannot see anything normal; they can only see emotions originating from the soul.

This visual mode is even more powerful than infrared detection devices.

Therefore, all living things are conspicuous to them, and a mere invisibility cloak cannot hide them.

In this respect, they are much stricter than security guards who check QR codes.

"Dementors don't understand what a request or an excuse is. Therefore, I warn each and every one of you: do not give them any excuse to harm you. I expect the prefects, as well as our newly appointed male and female student council presidents, to ensure that no student will have a conflict with a Dementor."

“What is particularly gratifying,” Dumbledore continued, “is that I am delighted to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year.”

"First is the class on the protection of magical creatures. Since Professor Kettleburn has retired, we have chosen Hagrid to take his place."

As soon as he finished speaking, a loud round of applause came from the direction of Gryffindor.

Hai723's face flushed red, his eyes lowered as he looked at his large hands, a big smile hidden behind his tangled, unruly black beard.

"Next up is Professor Lupin, who will fill the vacancy for the Defense Against the Dark Arts course."

Only a few scattered applause rang out in the auditorium.

After experiencing two unreliable professors, Quirinus Quirrell and Gilderoy Lockhart, the young wizards learned a lesson.