The Old Ones of Hogwarts

Chapter 52: The Banquet! Defense Against Dark Magic!

Daphne chose to find peace amidst horror and fear of the future.

The Slytherin table was immediately thrown into chaos.

"Could she be dead?!"

A young wizard wanted to check Daphne's breathing, and other professors on the faculty table couldn't help but stand up as well, which made Snape's outburst of standing up seem less abrupt.

"Let me see, children, spread out a bit."

Headmistress Pomona Sprout of Hufflepuff jogged down the stage and came to the Slytherin table to check on Daphne.

"The child just fainted; it must be due to extreme emotional fluctuations." She breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Dumbledore on the teachers' table.

"Sorting is an unforgettable event in the lives of every young wizard, and perhaps Miss Greengrass was just a little too excited about it."

Professor McGonagall seemed to have memorized the names of most of the young wizards.

"Indeed."

Dumbledore nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "Let Professor Sprout take her to the infirmary first. I will go with Professor Snape later."

The principal made arrangements.

Those present naturally did not object.

"Bobby will take good care of her." Professor Sprout immediately picked up Daphne and headed towards the door.

Only after she and Daphne had completely disappeared from sight did the young wizards turn their attention back to them, and the professors returned to their seats in the teachers' section.

Only Snape remained standing.

At this moment, the Slytherin headmaster's expression was unpredictable, his sinister eyes fixed on Ian, who was sitting on the four-cornered stool.

Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that he was staring at the Sorting Hat that Ian hadn't yet taken off his head.

"Professor Snape, watch your temper."

It wasn't until Dumbledore spoke in a low voice that Snape sat back down with a gloomy face—he stopped staring at the Sorting Hat and began to glare at Dumbledore with an annoyed look.

Dumbledore felt a little awkward under the gaze, so he could only lower his voice to reassure him, "The Sorting Hat has its own judgment, and I think it will give you a reasonable explanation for this matter."

This was clearly not the answer Snape wanted.

but.

Now, with so many students of all grades in front of him, he couldn't very well question Dumbledore. He quickly regained his composure and straightened his posture, his expression blank.

just.

The dominant hand, which was tucked into the black robe, was still gripping a bottle of potion that had been brewed the night before, with such force that it seemed capable of crushing the glass bottle that served as the container.

"What happened?"

Ian had continued his conversation with the Sorting Hat for a while, gossiping about the former Ravenclaw lady, so everything was calm when he took off the Sorting Hat.

He turned to look at the teachers' table. Dumbledore was smiling at him, while Snape had his head down, seemingly lost in thought. The atmosphere seemed perfectly normal.

"Your Sorting Hat is finished, Mr. Prince. Please put it back in its place. It will soon be the next young wizard's turn to make a choice."

Professor McGonagall whispered a reminder to Ian.

"Okay, Professor."

Ian immediately put down the Sorting Hat and walked to the Ravenclaw table. He was once again welcomed by the Ravenclaw students, and one boy even stood up and shook hands with him.

The other person was wearing a distinctive medal on their chest, presumably indicating they were a Ravenclaw prefect.

"Dieter Wiggins".

The sixth-grade prefect introduced himself, and Ian, unusually serious, nodded in response.

"Ian Prince, I hope the seniors will take good care of me in the future." He shook hands with each of the enthusiastic classmates and then sat down in the area for the young wizards.

"Of course, no problem, hahaha, maybe we can lose fewer points in Potions class this year."

Prefect Dietrich seemed quite pleased. As some of the brightest students at Hogwarts, the young Ravenclaw wizards easily noticed some interesting oddities.

"Zorro Pagano!"

On stage, Professor McGonagall announced the name of the next young wizard.

Branch campuses continued to be established one after another.

Not surprisingly.

Cho Chang, whose name was listed last, was not affected by the changing tides of history and was still assigned to Ravenclaw. She chose to sit next to Ian.

Compared to other unfamiliar young wizards, it was easier to communicate with classmates who had traveled on the boat together.

"I bet Greengrass is kicking himself right now."

Qiu Zhang whispered a sigh to Ian.

"My God, I never imagined your friend came from such a... distinguished family." Although Qiu Zhang was of Chinese descent, she was still a child from a pure-blooded family.

She had clearly heard of Grindelwald.

"Merlin will protect Miss Greengrass, don't worry." Ian was now looking forward to dinner, as he had only eaten breakfast all day.

"I hope she can apologize to you properly; that kind of address is simply insulting." Qiu Zhang didn't seem to be very familiar with Daphne.

Let's give a round of applause to all the new students.

After the Sorting Ceremony, Dumbledore stood up and began his opening address.

"Because of the unfortunate events that befell Professor Hannibal last semester, he was forced to suspend his duties at Hogwarts. So, I would like to introduce you to the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for the new semester—Professor Ronnie Ehrlich."

talking.

Dumbledore then turned to look at a middle-aged wizard in the teachers' table. He had a rather serious face and short blond hair with a few gray hairs.

When Dumbledore mentioned the professor's name, the professor greeted the young wizard in front of him, then remained silent with a serious expression.

"Don't let our professor's serious demeanor fool you; he is an expert in defense against the dark arts, and I also believe he will be an exceptional professor and partner."

Ian didn't listen carefully to Dumbledore's introduction.

after all.

Such an unfamiliar name, it's estimated that it can only stay at Hogwarts for a year. I wonder where Dumbledore finds all these supplies every year.

Yes.

Consumables.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts class was once cursed by Voldemort, who had no nose. Wizards who dared to take up this position would almost always encounter misfortune or accidents within a year.

At best, it can cause serious injury.

In severe cases, the victim may die without a complete corpse.

The Fire Cup Triwizard Tournament is just for fun; those Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers who dared to take the lead are the real warriors.

They are the real heroes.

"I'm sure everyone's hungry, so let's enjoy the food together."

Just as Ian had tied his napkin and was wiping his plate with toilet paper, Dumbledore on the stage announced very opportunely that the dinner would begin soon.

He didn't utter the vague, signature phrase "Idiot! Crybaby! Trash! Twist!" He simply clapped his hands, and a multitude of delicious dishes appeared out of thin air on the empty plates of the long table.

Grilled steak, lamb leg, roasted pork chop, roasted chicken, fried potato chips, boiled potatoes, roasted potatoes... there are many kinds of ingredients, but the cooking methods are as primitive as those of Muggles.

of course.

This did not stop Ian from enjoying his meal.

His eyes were practically bloodshot from hunger.