harry potter book of crimes

"First-year students? First-year students come here and line up..."

The night air seems a little chilly, which makes people finally feel that summer is leaving.

Originally it was Hagrid who would stand on the platform to greet the new students every year when school started, but this year, that rough voice was replaced by a clean female voice.

Hermione and Ron were still busy in the corridor of the carriage because they were responsible for maintaining order among the students. Ginny and others got off first.

"Ginny! Neville...oh, and Miss Lovegood..."

Finally, a familiar voice rang out from the crowd on the platform, and Ginny immediately looked up.

"Oh, Harry—" She felt herself blushing a little again.

"You are finally here, I can't wait any longer!" Harry came to them happily and showed a bright smile, "Where are Hermione and Ron? Why is it just you and Neville?"

"This..." Ginny hesitated and said, "I'll let them come out later and tell you this in person!"

Just as Harry was wondering, a long-lost annoying voice came from the train window next to him.

"Look, look, Potter...how your little crush is thinking about you! She's worried that you won't be able to bear it if she hears it!" The voice kept teasing, as if to tease something that had been accumulated for a long time.

His sullen mood turned into provocation and exploded.

Both Harry and Ginny immediately turned their heads and looked towards the place where the sound came from.

Standing in his pocket, exuding contempt and malice, was a young man with blond hair and a pointed chin. The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, revealing a sneer.

"Malfoy! What do you mean?" Harry felt an inexplicable anger rising in his chest.

"Oops! Watch your attitude, Potter," Draco Malfoy leaned on the lower edge of the window frame with his elbow and looked at Harry with interest. "If you don't know how to be polite, then I can teach you.

You... look!"

As he spoke, he raised his upper body to reveal a badge, and stared down at Harry intentionally or unintentionally.

"Look carefully, I'm different from you..." he said arrogantly, "I became a prefect, but you didn't! Do you know what the problem is?"

"What on earth do you want to say!" Harry glanced at the prefect badge on his chest, and then said in annoyance.

"The problem is, without that Maclean, you will accomplish nothing -" Malfoy said contemptuously, "Don't you think you still know? You are so confused..."

"How does it feel to lose to that pure-blooded scum Weasley? Come back and write a review and give it to me. It can't be shorter than one foot. This is the prefect's order! Hahaha——"

"The prefect has no such order!"

Ginny bravely stood in front of Harry and yelled at Malfoy loudly, just like a little hen guarding her chicks - judging from this, she might have inherited it from her mother, Mrs. Weasley.

What about his temperament!

"Ginny, what's going on - what's wrong with Ron?" Harry frowned and asked in confusion.

"This..." Ginny really didn't know how to answer this question.

Ginny has grown up listening to Harry's "legend" since she was a child. To her, Harry must be more powerful than anyone else.

After all, even the super powerful Mr. Maclean is still struggling to deal with You-Know-Who! But Harry Potter eliminated You-Know-Who when he was just a baby.

For Ginny, Harry is simply a dream hero, the brave man who kills the devil!

To be honest, deep down in her heart, she was not very happy that her brother had become a prefect, because she thought it must belong to Harry!

The so-called outgoing girls, what does a good-for-nothing brother mean when you meet the person you have admired since childhood?

"Shut up, Malfoy!"

A very heroic girl came from the train door. It was Hermione and Ron coming out.

"Oh - the real master is here!" Malfoy was unmoved by Hermione's anger. He even clapped, "Weasley, how does it feel to be the prefect of Gryffindor? You won.

Mr. Heartthrob, do you feel comfortable all over?"

The next second, Harry's eyes moved from Malfoy's disgusting face to Ron's chest, and then moved away pretending to be casual.

"Ron has always been good, and he deserves it! Do you still want to use this to sow discord between us? Just you?"

Harry snorted coldly, then walked up to Ron and hooked his shoulder.

On the contrary, Ron just lowered his eyelids. He didn't know what to say at this time. At least in front of Harry, he was actually not ready to face it.

"Hmph! Disgusting brotherly feelings? It's really funny..."

Malfoy gave Harry one last cold look, then left from the window with his chin held high, as if any further look would stain his eyes.

"Harry, I-"

"You were elected prefect? ​​Congratulations, Ron!"

Harry interrupted Ron. He put his arm around his good brother's shoulders and greeted everyone forward with unusual enthusiasm.

Ron's words were stuck in his throat. For the first time, he felt a kind of unhappiness in his chest.

"...words are always true only in the stomach."

Behind everyone, Luna looked at the two boys with their arms around each other and said in a trance.

Outside Hogsmeade Station, on the dark, damp street, there were more than a hundred empty carriages without horses parked. On this day every year, they were used to transport students other than first-year students to the castle.

This year is certainly the same.

Harry and the others walked there surrounded by each other, selected an unoccupied carriage, and then boarded the carriage one by one.

Luna followed them step by step. When she passed by the empty carriages, she raised her head and glanced at the air for a few times - at least that was how it seemed to others.

"What is she looking at?" Ginny asked curiously.

Facts have proved that there are some things that not everyone can see, although it is actually better not to see them.

Harry looked at the confused Luna and shook his head in confusion: "I'm more concerned about where Hagrid went than this..."

"That's true, but..." Hermione also wondered, "Harry, haven't you been at Hogwarts these days?"

Harry heard this and shook his head again.

"Hagrid was gone when I was sent to school by Ms. Bones," he said.

"Don't let anything happen to him..." Ron said with a worried look on his face.

When everyone got into the carriage, the carriages lined up and moved forward with a creaking sound.

They passed by the towering stone pillars on both sides of the gate, passed through the school gate that was rarely opened, and followed the horse path between the school lawns toward the castle.

At this time, Harry stretched his neck and looked out the window, but there was darkness in the distance.

Gradually, the Hogwarts Castle, which had been with them for several years, appeared faintly in outline in the dark night.

The carriage queue stopped at the stone steps, and Harry was the first to get off. But when he turned back and looked at Hagrid's hut, he found that it was indeed pitch black over there. It seemed that Hagrid still hadn't come back.

Even though Hogwarts has started school today, the new students have already arrived, and the welcome dinner must have been prepared as usual, but Hagrid is still missing.

Professor Moody disappeared without a trace last semester. Hagrid couldn't do the same, right?

"Harry, it's time to go!" Hermione reminded from the side.

"Oh - okay." Harry came to his senses and responded quickly.

Immediately, everyone gathered together with the crowd, crowded and hurried up the stone steps and entered the castle.

The foyer was illuminated by so many torches that the temperature of the air seemed to have increased, and the footsteps of the little wizards echoed in everyone's ears.

They passed through the door leading to the castle auditorium and walked in by a familiar route.

In the auditorium, there are still four long academic tables that have remained unchanged over the years; the enchanted ceiling is as dark as before, like the night sky outside the castle.

There were countless candles floating in the sky above the dining table, and several milky-white ghosts were wandering around the dining tables of their respective colleges, greeting the young wizards either cordially or plainly.

The students were all talking excitedly, and Harry and others noticed that a lot of what they were talking about was about Gilderoy Lockhart's personal audio-visual session during the summer vacation.

Luna left them and sat quietly at the Ravenclaw table.

As soon as Harry and others arrived at the Gryffindor table, Ginny was laughed and taken away by several fourth-year classmates - it seemed that this little sister of the Weasley family was very popular everywhere!

Harry, Hermione, Ron and Neville sat together, and then they all looked over the heads of their classmates and looked towards the staff table in unison.

"Hagrid wasn't there-"

If anyone is to talk about who is the most conspicuous person in Hogwarts, it is undoubtedly the surprisingly tall Hagrid. It is easy to see whether he is there or not.

"Look there!" Hermione suddenly said, "There is an empty seat at the very edge. Isn't it that Hagrid will arrive later -"

As she spoke, she paused because she saw another strange figure.

"Who is that?" Hermione felt an inexplicable disgust.

The rest of the people followed her finger and looked over.

Next to the golden high-backed chair where Dumbledore sat, there was an old woman wearing a pink coat and a matching rose-red velvet hat.

This "pink and tender" outfit contrasted with her old toad-like face, making people feel sick involuntarily.

"That's the one... I remember, the woman named Umbridge!"

Harry recognized her almost immediately.

"Who?" Hermione asked doubtfully.

"She was also there during my review that day, and she kept targeting me, forcing me to say wrong things..." Harry said angrily, his brows furrowing involuntarily.