Chapter 186: The Feast

"Harry! Harry! Are you okay?" Someone was slapping his face.

Harry opened his eyes. Everything was back to normal—the train was still moving, the lights were on. He sat up from his seat, wiping the cold sweat off his forehead, looking around the train in confusion.

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

Hagrid took a chocolate bar from his pocket and broke it to share with everyone.

"This one's for you, Harry. And excellent Disarming Charm, by the way."

Harry took a large piece of chocolate and suddenly asked, "Did I pass out? No, that woman... did she get saved?"

"Who?" Hagrid asked casually.

"The woman, the one who came out with the hooded thing. From the sound of her voice, she should've been an adult. She..." Harry suddenly stumbled over his words. There was only one adult woman on the train, the witch pushing the food trolley.

But what he heard was clearly not that voice.

Hagrid's hand froze in place, and he mumbled, leaving a sentence behind: "I'll go have a word with the driver, sorry..." and hurriedly left.

The door slammed shut.

"Harry?" Hermione looked at him anxiously.

He forced himself to calm down, sat back in his seat, took a bite of chocolate. A warm sensation spread through his body, making him feel happy again.

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

"We felt a chill, like falling into an ice hole. Then we saw your spell, the bright red light... the cold eased a bit, and then you fell to the ground. Professor Lupin said to whoever it was, 'Sirius Black isn't here,' and he raised his wand, a silvery light shot out, and the cold disappeared completely, and the train continued." Hermione described what she saw.

Harry chewed the chocolate in silence. He didn't really care about all this; he just wanted to glean any clues about the woman's voice from the others. But the result disappointed him.

Everyone's expressions weren't good. Ginny was sobbing softly, Neville muttered on the side, "It's so frightening, it reminded me of the worst memories."

"It's like all the happiness has been drained from you," Ron continued, though he punched Harry lightly. "Your spell was really impressive, Harry! We gave Malfoy a good lesson. Just thinking about him rolling out and flying away makes me feel happy again."

"It wasn't my doing..." Harry shook his head, rallying himself. "What was that cloaked thing?"

"I think it's a Dementor. I've seen something similar in comic books, like a rag without bones." Ron described.

Harry looked at Hermione. Among the three of them, Ron was the most familiar with the magical world, but his knowledge was quite shallow. Hermione, on the other hand, had gained most of her knowledge from books, so she could provide more accurate information.

Hermione recalled the information she had read, "Dementors guard Azkaban. They feed on human emotions, especially happiness. Regular spells don't work on them, only the Patronus Charm."

"The Patronus? Like Professor Lupin's Patronus, and Professor McGonagall's?" Harry asked.

"Exactly."

"Exactly."

Hermione and Ron said respectively. Hermione had seen Lupin's Patronus, while Ron had seen McGonagall's, and Harry was familiar with both.

After that, everyone fell silent. After a dozen minutes, the train came to a stop.

But they didn't wait for Professor Lupin. "Let's go, he should've disembarked already."This chapter was first shared on the N??v€l?1n platform.

The Great Hall.

Hagrid was dressed very formally, in a suit, with his hair and beard neatly groomed. "How do I look, Felix?"

One by one, the young wizards approached based on their surnames, awaiting their Sorting. But first, they were greeted with a song carefully crafted by the Sorting Hat. The young newcomers watched in astonishment as the Sorting Hat emotionally sang its verses.

Perhaps, thus far, it was the most profound impression that Hogwarts had left on them.

The Sorting began.

"Newman Balk."

"Gryffindor!"

"Oliver Dana."

"Hufflepuff!"

"Greenthorne Fawley."

"Ravenclaw!"

"Astoria Greengrass."

"Slytherin!"

"Romilda Vane."

"Gryffindor!"

...

At the end of the Sorting Ceremony, Felix noticed Harry and Hermione slipping from the corner to their seats at Gryffindor table. Professor McGonagall appeared shortly after.

Subsequently, Headmaster Dumbledore stood up to speak. His welcome speech was as succinct as ever.

Getting to the point, he somberly mentioned the presence of Dementors. "They will be stationed at all entrances of the school to fulfill the Ministry's duties. During their stay, no one is allowed to leave the school without permission."

"Dementors don't accept any tricks or deception, including invisibility cloaks. They can't distinguish between legitimate reasons and excuses. So, don't give them any chance to harm you. Heads of Houses and the two student prefects, ensure that no student gets into conflict with Dementors."

Once the young wizards had absorbed this information, Dumbledore introduced the two new professors with enthusiasm, using his words—

The former was the "generous substitute for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Lupin." The latter was "Rubeus Hagrid, who takes on the position of Care of Magical Creatures Professor while fulfilling his duties as the Keeper of Keys and Grounds."

At the same time, Dumbledore expressed sympathy and apologies for the unjust treatment Hagrid had endured. "We've overlooked this for half a century. It's time to correct this mistake."

Hagrid stood up excitedly, waving his hand. A series of red sparks shot out from the tip of his umbrella. The students responded with warm applause, particularly fervent from the Gryffindor table.

"We should've known!" Ron shouted, pounding the table, "Who else would make us get a book that bites?"

After the feast, the students filed out of the Great Hall, accompanied by lively discussions.

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