The days of hanging out at Hogwarts

"Although I haven't heard it for many years..." Umbridge turned to look at Dumbledore and raised her eyebrows, "But I can still hear it. This year is a bit off topic, isn't it? I don't remember this dirty hat. When did the hat have the task of giving advice to the school? To be honest, maybe we should change to a more suitable hat, not something fancy, just a little more normal.”

"This is a treasure left by the founders to the school. I think we should cherish it more." Dumbledore chuckled softly: "Normally, the Sorting Hat is only responsible for describing the different qualities valued by the four houses of Hogwarts. As well as its own task of sorting students into houses, there are exceptions. When Hogwarts faces a major crisis or danger, it feels that it has a moral responsibility to warn the school..."

"We are safe now!" Umbridge emphasized sharply, "There has never been a safer era in history than now. The Ministry of Magic has curbed the goblin rebellion, and the Ministry of Magic has controlled the scope of activities of dark wizards. In Magic Under the wise leadership of the Ministry, we won the wizard war! "

"I don't deny these..." Dumbledore didn't seem to care at all about the great achievements she was talking about. He just picked up the goblet and took a sip. Before she could continue speaking, he interrupted softly, "The sorting has begun."

Professor McGonagall, who was standing in front, cleared her throat, glanced down at the parchment in her hand, and read loudly: "Euan Abercrombie!"

It was one of the unlucky ones who fell into the water. The little boy panicked and stumbled forward. He put the hat on his head. The Sorting Hat considered for a moment and announced loudly: "Gryffindor!"

As applause to welcome the new students erupted at the four long tables, the line of first-year students shortened little by little. When the last little carrot named Rose Zeller was sorted into Hufflepuff, Dumbledore's face was full of smiles. He stood up with a smile.

"Welcome our freshmen, welcome our old students, and welcome you back! I have a lot to say to you, but there is plenty of time for speeches, so it doesn't have to be now. Everyone, enjoy your meal!"

The sorting is over and the banquet begins.

The auditorium burst into appreciative laughter and applause. Delicious food suddenly fell from the sky. The long table was suddenly filled with large pieces of beef, pies, plates of vegetables, bread, jam and jugs of pumpkin juice. , the wooden table was overwhelmed and creaked and groaned.

The atmosphere at the dinner was a bit delicate. Whether it was professors or students, everyone's focus was on the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

A few years ago, Cornelius Fudge was appointed Minister due to Dumbledore's strong recommendation despite the criticism of many wizards. At that time, he needed to act cautiously when dealing with a case where dark magic items were rampant. When encountering any problem, he would be the first to deal with it. He often wrote to Dumbledore for advice. Occasionally he would be refuted at internal meetings of the Ministry of Magic, and he would even openly take out letters and act in Dumbledore's name.

Once known as Dumbledore's yes-man.

The little wizards are not idiots who do their homework behind closed doors. On the contrary, a considerable number of students have subscribed to the Daily Prophet and have read every article about Dumbledore published in it during the summer vacation:

Rumors published in public are suspected to be caused by brain decline and confusion...

The Wizengamot voted to dismiss, and the Ministry of Magic intended to take back the Order of Merlin that Dumbledore had received in his early years...

With his eccentric temper and childish personality, St. Mungo's famous therapist suspected that he suffered from Alzheimer's disease...

Any young wizard with normal intelligence can see that there is something wrong with the relationship between Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic. The harmonious and friendly atmosphere of the past few years has long disappeared.

Loren enjoyed his steak and pork pie with relish, followed by a large plate full of the rich rice pudding that he once despised but now loved. Hermione tasted the dishes in small bites, observing the guest of honor as she ate. .

The professors at the guest table were divided into three groups. The four college deans and professors of the main subjects need no introduction. On the other side sat a group of professors from elective courses, astronomy professor Aurora Sinister, and flight instructor Mrs. Huo Qi. As well as school nurse Madam Pomfrey and other staff, all the wizards were also surprised by Umbridge's appointment. They sat together and looked at her while enjoying the banquet.

Two of them had the most obvious gazes. One was Professor Hagrid from the Care of Magical Creatures class. His eyes were so big that almost no one could ignore them. One is Dean Snape of Slytherin, whose dark eyes are cold and chilling.

Loren scraped off the rice grains on the plate, bit his spoon thoughtfully, and lowered his voice and said to Hermione next to him: "It is known that there are three parties, Hogwarts, Death Eaters and the Ministry of Magic. Question, who is A real fool?"

Hermione didn't answer, but in her heart she couldn't help but choose the answer, and subconsciously glanced at the pink figure at the guest of honor seat.

Loren understood the look in her eyes, happily took a spoonful of broth and tasted it with gusto.

After eating and drinking, the sound in the auditorium gradually became noisy. At this time, Dumbledore stood up again: "Okay, since we are digesting another extremely rich meal, I ask everyone to be quiet for a while and listen to me as usual. Let’s talk about the things to note in the new semester... No magic is allowed in the corridors during class breaks, and there are many other rules, all listed on that long list..."

Except for the freshmen who had just entered the school, the other students had no reaction. The ones who responded with the loudest cheers were George and Fred.

Euan Abercrombie, who had just joined, tilted his head. These two red-haired twin brothers were so positive...

"I am also happy to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Dolores Umbridge!"

"Oh, thank you, thank you for the warm welcome speech, thank you for the applause..."

Umbridge smiled brightly and thanked the sparse applause. Ignoring the people's secretly laughing expressions, she began to speak in a shrill voice: "I am eager to meet you all as soon as possible. I believe we will become very good friends... I am not only holding this teaching position in my personal capacity, I also bring the earnest expectations of the Ministry of Magic. Fudge has long been looking forward to the progress and innovation of Hogwarts, and looking forward to cultivating more outstanding talents here..."

The whole speech lasted more than ten minutes, full of twisted and difficult words. The little wizard's attention quickly became distracted and his eyes were dull. Some students shook their heads and began to whisper to each other, while others began to feel drowsy, nodding their heads on the dining table. Few people listened to what she said.

It was not until the end of the speech that Dumbledore led the applause, and the students reacted and followed suit with a polite but not very enthusiastic applause.

"Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, your speech is very inspiring." Dumbledore nodded to her, turned to look at the students, and said loudly, "One last thing, the selection of the Quidditch team will begin this Friday!"

The hall was silent for a while, and then deafening cheers broke out, almost shaking off the dark clouds above the dome.