harry potter book of crimes

To be honest, the weather today is really good. The midday sun shines straight down from the center of the sky, illuminating the windows on the back wall of the auditorium brightly.

The leaves outside the window were green, reflecting dazzling golden light in the sunlight. The mottled tree shadows were projected diagonally on the stage behind the guest of honor seat, shrouding everyone on the stage in a layer of scattered light and shadow.

Just as it was bright and quiet outside, there was a lot of noise in the auditorium at this moment.

The guests in the hall sat separately on the four long tables under the stage, talking softly to each other.

In terms of origin, these guests can be roughly divided into two groups: one group is mostly from pure-blood families, while the other group is mostly from mixed-blood or Muggle origins;

And if divided by power, they can be roughly divided into three factions: one faction stands on the side of the anti-Dark wizards who share the same stance as Dumbledore, and the other faction is secretly attracted by Voldemort, but the largest group is the faction that wisely remains neutral.

But it can be said that those who can attend this private luncheon hosted by Dumbledore himself today, no matter which faction, are wizards with good reputations in the entire magical world.

Among them are officials who hold positions in the Ministry of Magic, businessmen who have a huge influence on the economic flow of the magical world, and scholars who have achieved achievements in various fields...

And these people, no matter how close their friendship is, are all wizards who have interacted with Dumbledore.

At this time, Dumbledore was standing on the stage behind the guest of honor, greeting these familiar or unfamiliar "friends" before the start of the luncheon.

Although Dumbledore was speaking insignificant words at the moment, none of the wizards in the audience were anxious or dissatisfied at all, because they all understood that it was impossible for the greatest white wizard in the world to hold this event for no reason.

For a luncheon.

They don't have to worry, Dumbledore will tell them sooner or later.

"...Some things have been quite lively recently, such as the previous 'Personal Audiovisual Session'. In fact, I didn't have time to experience it that day, which was a pity! I heard..."

Maka sat on the far right side of the guest of honor seat. He straightened his back and calmly scanned the scene below. The meanings contained in the eyes that glanced towards him from time to time were simply complicated.

Among the people sitting with him at the guest of honor, the youngest one also had mottled hair on his head. He was undoubtedly the most eye-catching one in the room.

But if I must say it, the wizard sitting next to Maka actually attracted quite a lot of attention.

This wizard looked tall and thin, with short white hair, a goatee with curled ends on his thin chin, and a pair of sharp eyes that seemed to hide some uneasy restlessness.

"Karkarov, I didn't expect you to dare to come here." Maka said softly to the "acquaintance" beside her while observing the guests calmly.

After leaving France that day, Maca went straight to Durmstrang in order to use her new identity to trick Karkaroff into completing a major task for him.

Although he was ready to accept Karkaroff's escape due to fear of Voldemort, it was obvious that under his guidance, Karkaroff still did not choose the obvious route this time.

"McLean!" Karkaroff gritted his teeth, "Don't forget what you promised me!"

Maka chuckled and shook her head, and said pointedly: "Don't you think that the choice I made for you is actually not bad?"

"Huh!" Karkaroff snorted, then turned his head slightly and stopped talking to him.

"...So, it's my honor for you all to take the time to come and attend this luncheon today! Well, I believe you are all hungry too..."

On the stage, Dumbledore ended his casual chat. He took out his wand and waved lightly, and the long table under the stage was immediately filled with countless delicacies.

"Today's luncheon has officially begun. Please relax and enjoy your meal!"

Having said that, Dumbledore walked back to the seat in the middle of the guest of honor seat with relaxed steps. After greeting the wizards at the table cordially, he raised his glass and signaled to the audience.

Maka also raised the wine glass, then smiled and took a sip.

The dishes at this luncheon are naturally rich and luxurious. On this occasion, Dumbledore has no reason to save money. But of course, everyone's attention will never be on the exquisite and delicious food.

.

While maintaining proper dining etiquette, the wizards were chatting seemingly casually with other people sitting nearby. The sound of the clinking of wine glasses and the hushed voices were intertwined, which was not too different from any upper-class banquet.

big difference.

As the meal time passed little by little, everyone gradually put down their tableware and entered into post-dinner communication.

At any time, the main function of this type of banquet is to provide a reasonable place for "communication" - almost no one really comes here to fill their stomachs.

At this moment, Dumbledore suddenly stood up and looked at all the guests with a smile.

"I don't know if everyone is satisfied with today's meal. At least I personally think it's not bad, right?"

When Dumbledore spoke, everyone stopped talking to each other, because they all knew that the main topic of today's luncheon was finally about to begin.

"Although today this is just a private banquet held in my own name, and the purpose is simply to give everyone a chance to get together, there are still a few more important things that will be announced here today -"

As Dumbledore was speaking, he suddenly left his seat and walked to the stage at the back.

"First of all, the first thing..." He stood still on the stage, and then suddenly reached out his hand to gesture to the right side of the guest of honor seat, "Let me introduce to you, this person studied in our school and later transferred to our school.

A young wizard who attends Durmstrang School of Witchcraft and Wizardry—Mr. Maka McClain!"

After hearing this, Maka stood up, first nodded slightly to the wizards at the guest table, and then bowed slightly to all the wizards in the audience.

Just when everyone was confused by Dumbledore's introduction, they heard him go on.

"Yes, in recent years, Mr. McClane has become famous in the wizarding world... Whether he was imprisoned in Azkaban for being unjust, or breaking out of prison to disrupt the Quidditch World Cup finals, or even the recent personal audio-visual conference hosted by him,

All of them are extraordinary and eye-catching.”

"But what I want to say is that when he was still studying at Hogwarts, his intelligence and his growth already amazed me."

"It's a pity that because of some--" Dumbledore paused deliberately, then continued, "...for some reasons, Mr. MacLean left Hogwarts and went to Durmstrang to study-"

This is indeed a big regret for this school.”

"So today, I hope that under the witness of everyone, I can give two more awards to Mr. MacLean!" At this point, Dumbledore said loudly, "Mr. MacLean, please come on stage!"

Maca briefly looked around at the wizards in the audience, then left her seat, walked to the center of the stage with steady steps, and stood with Dumbledore.

"For being friendly to classmates, respecting professors, adhering to etiquette, and having excellent conduct, I award you the 'Excellent Moral Medal' on behalf of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

There was a burst of understatement applause from the audience, obviously no one was very interested in this kind of medal.

Maka took the medal from Dumbledore, bowed slightly to thank her, and then pinned it on her chest.

Then, Dumbledore continued to speak.

"In order to expel Voldemort who possessed Quirinus Quirrell, our school's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor during his first year period—"

There was a buzzing sound immediately from the audience.

"In order to assist Professor Gilderoy Lockhart in the second year to eliminate the remnant soul of Voldemort, kill the basilisk, and seal the Slytherin Chamber——"

The noise in the audience gradually became louder, and everyone exchanged their opinions in low voices with various expressions on their faces.

"On behalf of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I award you the 'Special Contribution to the School Award'. Thank you for protecting all teachers and students, and thank you for protecting Hogwarts!"

Maka took another trophy and bowed to Dumbledore to thank her.

However, there was perfunctory applause the previous time, but this time there was only a buzzing of whispers.

The people present are all wizards with status, status and culture. They will not be like ordinary wizards who get into chaos when they hear the word "Voldemort".

But at this moment, it was obvious that they could no longer maintain a stable mentality.

However, Dumbledore didn't seem to want to let them go, and he raised his voice again and said: "The next thing is the second thing today. I invite the Director of the Censorship Department of the International Federation of Wizards - Babajide Akinbad.

Come on stage!”

As the wizards' eyes moved, an old African black wizard stood out from the crowd and walked to Maka's side with steady steps.

He and Dumbledore nodded to each other, and then Dumbledore stretched out his hand, indicating that Akinbad would make the next announcement.

Akinbad coughed slightly, then raised his voice and said: "In order to take the initiative to imprison Azkaban and go undercover to investigate Voldemort; in order to fight off the return of Voldemort with Gilderoy Lockhart, let everyone present

Wizards are protected from disaster, and the International Federation of Wizards solemnly decides to award Mr. Maka McClain with the Order of Merlin Level 2!"

It was a purple-gold shield-shaped medal. The wizard Merlin's hat and two crossed wands on it were extremely delicate. There were two shining silver stars on the top, which were still very eye-catching in the sunlight.

As the halo circulated, wisps of bright light seemed to flash across the surface of the medal, making it look even more mysterious.