days at Hogwarts

Chapter 769: The Opening Dinner in 1997

"Welcome! Welcome back to Hogwarts again!"

Dumbledore stood at the head seat of the honored guests, his silver beard and hair hanging in front of him, his eyes behind the crescent-shaped glasses showing a gentle smile.

“Before the party starts, I have a few things to say.

"If anyone wants to sneak some candy or snacks to fill an empty stomach, go ahead and enjoy them. These things are far less important than filling your stomach."

"Of course, don't eat too much, the main course is still to come..."

The old headmaster's speech had no focus and he kept on talking for a long time. Professor McGonagall glared at him fiercely and then he started to get to the point: "Okay, okay, first of all, let's talk about the news that has been published in the newspapers. I'm sure everyone has heard the good news. Maybe a few people still have doubts or doubts, but I can tell you for sure -

"Voldemort has been destroyed, and will never return."

There was a slight murmur between the long tables in the academy, with some people whispering, and then they quickly quieted down.

"In the name of all the professors at Hogwarts, I promise you that no force outside the school will be able to influence or interfere with the normal teaching order of the school."

Dumbledore paused, lowered his head and revealed a firm look through his glasses: "Dear children, you can study with peace of mind."

He gave the students time to digest the information, and the whispering continued for a while, some with joy and excitement, some with complicated expressions, until Dumbledore cleared his throat and the noise gradually faded.

"There is good news to share with you all."

Dumbledore turned slightly to draw everyone's attention to Snape and Lupin next to him, and continued, "I believe you have seen it... Here, I am very happy to announce that we welcome two old friends to join our teaching staff again this semester."

"First, it's Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Bagshot is old, and even though I often help him revise his lesson plans, he still feels tired and exhausted. He hopes to retire and prepare for his world tour. I don't think I have any reason to stop him." Dumbledore hesitated for a moment, "Now let us welcome Professor Lupin, who has gladly agreed to return to the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts!"

Loren showed a thoughtful expression, lowered his voice quietly, and whispered in Hermione's ear: "Do you think the real reason why Professor Bagshot resigned is that the headmaster always interferes with teaching?"

Hermione: "..."

Loud and warm applause broke out in the auditorium.

There was not a moment of regret for Professor Bagshot's retirement. The young wizards who had taken Lupin's courses in the audience clapped their hands with all their might, and their palms turned red with blood.

Although the professor stayed for less than two years, his gentle and patient attitude and unique teaching style left a deep impression on the students.

Lupin Remus, who was sitting on the side, stood up and bowed towards the four long tables. Compared with his disheveled appearance three years ago, he had changed out of his ragged clothes and put on a close-fitting robe. He had a gentle smile and a bright look in his eyes.

"Perhaps some people will be curious about why I suddenly left four years ago..."

Lupin paused for a moment, his smile became more obvious, and his tone was more calm and confident than before: "Dear children, you can tell your friends and family that your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is a werewolf. He once fought to save the world from werewolves."

Some students opened their mouths in surprise.

The auditorium was silent for a few seconds, and then louder screams and applause broke out.

The Gryffindor students were so excited that their faces turned red and they were shouting and screaming at the top of their lungs.

“Cool!”

"Professor Lupin! Professor Werewolf!"

Harry's ears were ringing because of Seamus' scream. He rubbed his ears and whispered to Loren across from him, "Actually, Tonks is pregnant, and he has to find a stable job to take care of Tonks, so he returned to Hogwarts to teach."

Hermione's eyes widened: "Tonks is pregnant?!"

"Yeah..." Harry muttered quietly, "During that time in New York, the two of them spent a lot of time together. They said they were looking after me and protecting me, but who knows what they were doing?"

"..."

Loren and Hermione remained silent.

"Cough cough..."

Dumbledore raised his hand to stop the applause and continued, "Next is Potions. Professor Slughorn has been invited by Ilvermorny to give lectures at Greylock. Horace is like that. He is always curious about new things. I have no reason to stop him...

"Now let us welcome back Professor Snape! He will continue to teach Potions and serve as the Headmaster of Slytherin and Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts!"

There was sporadic applause in the auditorium.

The deserted scene was in stark contrast to the previous one.

Compared to the somewhat snobbish but always smiling Slughorn, the cold and serious Snape was not very close to the students. Even the Slytherin students only applauded politely. Amid the sparse applause, Loren and others from Gryffindor who clapped vigorously seemed a little abrupt.

Snape didn't care. He stood up expressionlessly, bowed slightly, and sat down.

The pre-banquet speech should have ended here, but Dumbledore's wand was still against his chin, and his loud voice echoed in the room:

"Well... As the headmaster of Hogwarts, I think it is necessary for me to disclose some of the professor's deeds to you. Two years ago, Professor Snape accepted a secret mission assigned by me. He risked his life to lurk among the Death Eaters, saved the Ministry of Magic several times, and made outstanding contributions to the complete annihilation of Voldemort."

Harry seized the opportunity and shouted loudly, "That's right! Professor Snape also helped me escape from the Death Eaters!"

"!!"

This sentence shocked the whole school. Students from other colleges immediately looked at the Potions Professor. They were a little unbelievable at first, but as Harry's evidence spread, admiration appeared in their eyes and they uttered all kinds of exclamations and praises.

Is this our vicious dean?

The Slytherin students were stunned with surprise.

Snape remained expressionless as he calmly picked up the wine glass and took a sip.

"..."

He noticed that the students were still looking at him, so he took another sip.

The corners of the mouths of several other professors in the guest of honor seat curled up into smiles. Dumbledore's eyes fell on Harry with a gentle look. He shouted that sentence in front of the teachers and students of the whole school, which was very Gryffindor style, and also very Lily style.

"Ding Ding!"

Dumbledore knocked on the goblet, making a clear and pleasant sound: "Now, let's enjoy the banquet!"

As soon as the words fell, the golden plates and goblets immediately overflowed with food and drinks. Golden fat flowed between the cracks of the meat. Honey and fat were roasted, exuding a graceful Maillard aroma. The creamy soup was smooth and sweet...

……

At night, in the boys' dormitory.

Loren came out of the bathroom, with hot steam all around him. He stretched himself and talked to his roommates who were sorting out their closets:

"Long time no see, everyone."

"About two weeks."

Harry glanced at his packed wardrobe and bed: "Everything is packed, when did you come back early?"

"You said this."

Loren patted the neat and soft bed. "Xiaomi helped me pack it in advance. He stayed at our house for study during the summer vacation. He came back a few days before school started, so I asked him to help move the luggage."

"Elf stationed at home? How did you convince Hermione?"

Neville looked curious.

Upon hearing this, the other roommates slowed down their actions and listened attentively.

As everyone knows, Miss Granger is determined to liberate the house-elves and continues to fight for it. They have all been voluntarily involved in related research activities, filled out countless questionnaires, and their friends have been voluntarily mobilized to fill out questionnaires.

However, after the articles were published and their names were listed in magazines and journals, they did not show any dissatisfaction. If they were praised a few more times in the articles, they would happily participate in the activities next time.

"They say he's in boarding school, but he doesn't do any housework. Grandpa Bates even takes him everywhere to play. Xiaomai almost doesn't want to go back to school."

Loren lay on the pillow with his head raised, rolled twice to mark his territory, and turned to look at Neville: "By the way, now that Voldemort has been destroyed and the Death Eaters have been dealt with, does your grandmother still want you to be an Auror after graduation?"

"Well..."

Neville scratched his head. "When I took the advanced course last year, Professor McGonagall wrote a howling letter to my grandmother. After that, she didn't interfere with my course selection. When I went home for the holidays, she didn't mention that I should become an Auror in the future."

"What about you? What do you think?" Harry crumpled up his winter clothes, stuffed them into the closet, and sat down beside the bed.

"Do you want to pass on the title of Auror family?"

Ron followed suit and quickly completed the storage, but the cabinet door was a little difficult to close.

"me……"

Neville stammered, a little embarrassed: "Actually, my mother doesn't want to be an Auror anymore. She said that she hasn't been able to spend enough time with me before. She wants to spend more time with me while I can stay at home for two years after graduation. Aurors have irregular work hours, and sometimes they even rest directly in the Ministry."

"So what do you want to do after you graduate?" Harry asked.

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"It's not certain yet." Neville shook his head. The future that he once thought was so far away was now right in front of him, making him feel a little dazed. "Uncle Algie and my mother are planning to start some business. They are currently raising funds. I may follow them to manage the business after graduation."

Ron immediately became interested: "Business? What business?"

"The International Affairs and Cooperation Department is preparing to lift the ban on the sale of a number of products, such as Arabian flying carpets, Indian magic oils, and Eastern magic talismans. There are no competitors here, and Uncle Ajil and my mother think we can make some money in the early stages."

"Trading inside information, abusing power for personal gain!"

Ron looked excited: "The Ministry of Magic is currently investigating people like you!"

"..."

Neville said weakly: "So my mother has resigned, and my father may also resign."

"Tsk, tsk."

Loren shook his head. The laws and regulations of the Ministry of Magic were still full of loopholes.

"What about you guys, what are you going to do after graduation?"

"I want to be an Auror!"

“I want to make a lot of money!”

“I want to change the world!”

"??"

When several roommates heard the strange answer, they turned around and looked at Loren who had already crawled into bed, their heads full of question marks.

Loren covered himself with the quilt and closed his eyes peacefully.

The roommates looked at each other and still felt puzzled.

It was quite strange to see my roommate, who had been lying down for six years, suddenly become cheerful.

……

The second day of school, morning.

Many students suffered from holiday syndrome and walked into the classroom just as the bell rang.

Loren had originally wanted to actively infect her, but Miss Granger came from a family of doctors and had very good precautions, which resulted in the two of them being seated half an hour early.

At this moment, Hermione was sitting in the front row, carefully flipping through the textbooks on the table.

This class is Charms taught by Professor Flitwick. It is the seventh year now and we have almost finished learning all the content. There is less new content in the last year, mainly to leave enough time to prepare for NEWTs.

If the OWL at the end of the fifth grade is the first degree, then the NEWT in the seventh grade is the second degree. Some industries value the second degree, while some companies discriminate against the first degree.

Fortunately, Loren didn't have to worry about that.

He had already mastered the new seventh grade knowledge long ago, and now he was just learning it again in written language.

However, senior professors like Flitwick can always combine theoretical knowledge with practical experience. Students who have studied on their own in advance can also compare with the professor's experience and deepen their understanding of the principles of spells.

Loren and Hermione both listened carefully.

The bell rings.

The seventh-year students filed out of the classroom. Loren and Hermione walked side by side through the corridor and separated at the corner of the stairs, one going up and the other going down.

"I'll meet you in the Great Hall after Runewen get out of class."

"understood."

Loren nuzzled her cheek, the action very natural.

After going downstairs, I found that the sun was shining brightly. Instead of going to the auditorium immediately, I decided to go to the courtyard to bask in the sun for a while.

There were groups of people in the courtyard, many students who didn't have classes in the second period gathered here. Loren noticed a few familiar faces, behind the bushes on the right side of the courtyard, Draco and Theodore Nott, were talking to some seventh graders.

Goyle, Selwyn, Pansy Parkinson...all from Slytherin.

Loren paused, turning away from them.

"There is no time for you to hesitate. Either join or quit..."

Draco was lecturing in a hidden corner behind a bush.

I caught a glimpse of Loren from the corner of my eye. He stopped the conversation, waved to the people around him to leave, stood there waiting for them to go away, then turned around and pulled Nott towards me, his movements as agile as a Gryffindor.

"What are you..."

"Loren! We have something to tell you!"

"Can I not listen?"

"..."

Draco was stunned for a moment, but fortunately he had been learning from his father during this period, so he continued: "You can listen and then refuse."

"Then please keep your talk brief. I have something else to do." Loren glanced up at the sky.

The sun is comfortable in the morning, but it will be too hot after a while.

Draco glanced at Nott who was standing beside him. Nott was silent for a moment, then slowly walked to the front of Loren, his expression serious and his tone solemn:

"I have gathered a group of pure-blood families that are weakening and dying, and I want to seek... your protection."