“I hate the rain!”
Albert turned his head to look at the rain-soaked window and reached out to tap the address book in his hand. He had been using this method to keep in touch with Fred, George and Lee Jordan on the train.
"I thought you liked the rain!" Katrina also turned her head to look out the window, then retracted her gaze to look at the communication bookmark in Albert's hand, "Have you been chatting with your sister since just now?"
"Yes!" Albert did not deny it. "I'm free anyway, so I can find someone to chat with to kill time."
"Can you give me a copy of this?" Katrina suddenly asked. "I can pay for it in Galleons."
"I don't plan to sell it for now, but you can make it yourself. The transformation spell should not be difficult for you!" Albert does not plan to spread this thing on a large scale, so as not to give the mysterious man an advantage in the upcoming war.
"Isn't this just a transformation spell?" Katrina didn't believe such nonsense. The principle of the communication bookmark might be the transformation spell, but it is definitely not that simple to make. Anyone who believes it directly is definitely a fool.
"Well, sort of. It's a more advanced use of the Transfiguration Spell." Albert put away the address book. He could feel that the train was slowing down.
"Are you not going to fulfill your responsibilities?" Katrina asked tentatively when she saw Albert was about to leave. She felt she had guessed the result.
"Leave the work of maintaining order to the prefects. We need to give them opportunities to exercise." Albert made an excuse for his laziness and followed the crowd to get off the train. After making sure there were no problems around him, he turned to Katrina behind him and said, "You'd better not leave my sight."
"Am I so unreliable?" Katrina raised her eyebrows slightly, a little unhappy. It was not that she thought Albert was making a fuss, but that she felt she was being looked down upon. The feeling of being treated like an underage girl was very uncomfortable.
"Don't be angry. When facing danger, any negligence may cost you your life. The life of a wizard is more fragile than you think." Albert raised his wand and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Although the probability of them targeting you is very low, I still have to be prepared."
"You just don't want to see Isobel sad." Katrina sighed. She envied her sister.
"I don't want to see you get into trouble because of my problem. Since it's my problem, I have to take good care of you." Albert got off the train and came to the platform. He raised his wand to make sure everything was fine, then motioned for Katrina to follow.
Just then, a crisp female voice came from not far away. Hagrid obviously hadn't come back yet.
Albert was not surprised at all. After all, Hagrid still had to take care of his giant brother.
This term, Albert decided to stay away from Hagrid so that he wouldn't leave the big guy to his care.
Even if the mission was really triggered, Albert planned to give up directly.
giant!
Let's leave it to Potter.
The two of them purposely dropped to the back of the group, to ensure that no students were left behind, as they made their way along the muddy path outside Hogsmeade Station to the convoy of Thestrals' carriages.
Most of the carriages were already occupied, except for one, which was a special carriage prepared for the male and female student union presidents who were at the rear.
This is one of their privileges.
"You guys over there, take this one!"
Albert said to the second-year student who was kicked off the carriage by Malfoy and his companions and looked at a loss.
After saying that, he stared at Malfoy who was chatting and laughing with his friends and warned: "I don't care what you want to do, but don't cause me trouble."
"Got it." Malfoy said expressionlessly.
"Come in!"
Albert motioned for the three little guys to get into the carriage. This carriage was a little different from the other carriages. The environment inside was obviously much better. Although it was not as good as the one he took to participate in the Magic School Potions Championship, there was no hay inside, and there was no musty smell.
The carriage team set off staggeringly.
The second-year students in the carriage all looked at Albert with admiration. One of the boys with freckles on his face plucked up the courage and carefully asked Albert a few questions about the duel champion.
"Don't believe too much in what's in the newspaper. Most of the time, newspapers use it to attract people's attention so as to sell newspapers, that's all. If you believe in that stuff too much, you will easily be fooled by others." Albert turned his head to look out the window. After the convoy passed the school gate, he relaxed his vigilance a little and looked at the Hogwarts Castle that was getting closer and closer in front of him.
"I thought you were trying to say that most of the British wizarding world is idiots," Katrina muttered.
"Many times, everything you see is what others want you to see." Albert said calmly, "If you are not an idiot, you will find something wrong if you use your brain a little bit."
"However, there are usually more fools in this world?" Katrina said self-deprecatingly.
"Because they only passively receive information and never actively think about why, they can't blame others for becoming fools." Albert stopped talking because the carriage team had stopped in front of the stone steps leading to the oak gate. Hundreds of carriages suddenly filled the space around the stone steps. Students got off the carriages one after another and walked towards the oak gate of the castle.
Albert and Katrina stayed until the end, making sure all the students had entered the castle before they slowly entered the castle.
As they were on their way to the auditorium, they heard giggling.
Albert stopped and looked at Peeves who emerged from the shadows.
Katrina also stopped and looked at Peeves with some confusion. This guy was very strange, with an unconcealable weird smile on his face, and rubbed his hands towards Albert, as if waiting for something.
Albert reached into his pocket, took out a bag and threw it to Peeves. Peeves got the bag and the smile on his face became brighter and the sounds he made became weirder. He then disappeared with the bag.
Katrina looked at Albert in confusion, always feeling that the guy next to her was about to cause trouble.
However, she didn't ask.
Anyway, even if I ask, I probably won't get an answer, so I can just watch quietly. This is the tacit understanding they have developed.
Entering the auditorium, the decoration here is similar to the previous style, except for the ceiling above, which is exactly the same as the sky outside, as if the professors had forgotten to replace the ceiling with a bright starry sky.
Albert walked along the Gryffindor table, looking for Fred, George and Lee Jordan.
Whenever he walked by, people who were chatting happily would become quiet and stare at him with wide eyes and curiosity, as if they were looking at some rare animal.
Well, there was actually a little girl who wanted to ask him for an autograph, which made Albert speechless. He had to speed up and walk towards George who was waving at him.
"You're really welcome," Fred said with a smile. "I thought you would stop and sign autographs for them."
"Shut up."
Albert sat down in the empty seat that the three people had vacated for him and greeted the girls sitting opposite him.
"This year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is, I heard, also the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Magic." George winked at Albert. He said this deliberately for the students around him to hear.
"Are you sure you're not mistaken? The Deputy Minister of Magic is going to teach at Hogwarts?" Sana looked at the witch with bad taste in the teacher's seat with some surprise.
Even if you use your knees to think about it, you can tell that this is definitely not a good thing.
"Honestly, her taste is really... unique."
"By the way, Albert, I'm the Quidditch captain." Angelina excitedly told everyone the good news.
"Congratulations. But I'm afraid your luck isn't very good." Albert's mouth curled up slightly, and he noticed that Umbridge had just picked up the wine glass and took a sip.
"Why?" Angelina asked puzzledly.
"Didn't you read the newspaper? The Daily Prophet has been doing a lot of slandering against Harry Potter recently," Albert reminded.
"But, what does this prove?" Angelina was a little confused, obviously not understanding what Albert meant.
"It means that the relationship between the Ministry of Magic and Harry Potter is very bad, and our new professor is the Deputy Minister of Magic. Just think about it and you know the situation is not good." Albert explained.
"It doesn't matter. If Harry can't play in the game, don't we still have you?" Angelina was not worried at all. Albert was also a very good seeker.
"I'm busy this year, so I'm afraid I can't help you." Albert shook his head.
The expression on Angelina's face suddenly dropped.
"Do you know why the Deputy Minister of Magic came to Hogwarts to teach?" Sana calmly changed the subject.
"It's going to be bad anyway," Lee Jordan said. "By the way, have you listened to the Wizard Lookout broadcast?"
"What is that?" Aaliyah asked in confusion.
"A mysterious station announcement. I remember last night, the announcement was about our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. To be honest, our Defense Against the Dark Arts class this year might be a bit terrible."
"Let Albert teach us?" Alia suggested.
"I'm busy." Albert shook his head.
"What are you busy with?" Shanna asked curiously.
At this time, Professor McGonagall led the students into the auditorium and the sorting ceremony was about to begin.
As the first-year students became restless, the Sorting Hat opened its mouth and sang loudly:
Long ago, when I was still a new hat, when Hogwarts was not yet built, the four founders of the noble house thought they would never go their separate ways...
Our Hogwarts is in danger, with enemies outside the school. We must unite as one, or everything will fall apart from within. I have spoken to you, I have sounded the alarm? Now let us begin the Sorting.
The hat finished singing and became motionless again.
"Do you think this is what Dumbledore meant, or what the Sorting Hat meant itself?" George turned his head and asked amid the applause.
Not only him, but all the students in the audience were whispering with people around them, discussing the warning from the Sorting Hat.
"Nico, has the Sorting Hat issued a similar warning before?" Albert asked the Gryffindor ghost directly.
"There have been a few times in the past," Nearly Headless Nick recalled, "when the Sorting Hat felt it had a moral obligation to give the school proper warnings if it felt the school was in... great danger. Of course, its advice was always the same: stick together and keep your house in check."
"A hat that can predict?" Fred asked rhetorically.
After feeling the unfriendly look from Professor McGonagall, everyone shut up.
"How is that possible? The Sorting Hat is in Dumbledore's office. It must have heard some news there." Albert said in a voice that could be heard by the people around him.
"After all, you are the prophet." George smiled silently.
Soon, as Professor McGonagall called out the names and the Sorting Hat made the announcement, the long line of first-year students was shortening little by little.
After the sorting ceremony, their principal stood up to greet everyone and announced the official start of the dinner.
"How does it feel to be the student union president? Is it cool?"
George was cutting a steak and glancing sideways at Umbridge, who was also cutting a steak in the teacher's seat.
"She looks just like a toad, a pink toad!"
“It affects appetite.”
"I really don't know why the headmaster would give in to the Ministry of Magic."
"I don't know. Professor Dumbledore must have his own reasons for giving in!"
Several people lowered their voices and whispered to each other.
"I heard people say that unmarried old aunts like her are the most terrible. Many of them have become twisted inside because they have not been nourished by love." Lee Jordan muttered softly.
"Did no one remind her that there was something wrong with her taste?"
"I dare say she must be twisted inside, otherwise who would dress herself up as a little girl at such an old age?"
"Perhaps, you can try to save her taste."
"Forget it. It won't be worth it if I end up in solitary confinement." Lee Jordan said self-deprecatingly while chewing a chicken leg: "You should pray to God now. Maybe God will respond to your plea."
"I thought wizards believed in Merlin."
"Wizards don't have beliefs, at least I don't." George shook his head and said, "Merlin's beard and the like are just catchphrases."
At this moment, Umbridge, who had just eaten a piece of steak and taken a sip of wine, suddenly froze in expression because she found blood on the steak.
She reached out and touched the area under her nose, then froze when she saw her blood-stained fingers.
I was actually having a nosebleed, and it seemed very serious.
Not only was she stunned, but Dumbledore beside her also noticed Umbridge's change and gave her a puzzled look.
"Are you okay?"
Umbridge had already taken a handkerchief out of her pocket and covered her nose with it. Before she could answer Dumbledore, the professors in the teaching seats also noticed the changes in the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
Even the students who were talking in low voices below noticed it.
"Something seems to have happened?" Fred forced a smile and gestured for everyone to look at Umbridge in the teacher's seat.
"Our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor seems to be having a nosebleed?" Lee Jordan also tried hard not to laugh.
"Has the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's curse started to take effect?" George deliberately diverted the subject. "She is so unlucky. She has been plagued by bad luck since she first came to school."
Umbridge's eyes widened as she was horrified to find that the nosebleed had not stopped and her handkerchief was stained red with blood.
"Maybe you should go to the school hospital. Poppy should be able to give you some help." Professor McGonagall looked at the embarrassed Umbridge and suggested.
After the news of Umbridge's constant nosebleed spread, it was soon spread as a curse from the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and some people secretly started betting on how long Umbridge could hold out.
"How long do you think it will take Madam Pomfrey to cure her?" Fred asked Albert. George, who was standing next to him, sent a message to Albert through the communication bookmark, asking if Madam Pomfrey could find anything wrong.
"Probably... it won't take long."
Albert knew that Madam Pomfrey had the ability to fix this problem.
In fact, it took about a quarter of an hour for Umbridge to return to her seat after Albert had finished two servings of food.
only…
The good times didn’t last long.
Umbridge had just eaten something when her nose started bleeding again. Then, under the gaze of everyone, she hurried to the school hospital to ask Madam Pomfrey for help.
This time, Umbridge did not touch the food on the table. She did suspect that someone had tampered with the food, causing her nose to bleed, but everyone picked the food on their plates themselves, so it was obviously impossible for someone to target her specifically.
Yes, Umbridge could never have imagined that Peeves had secretly tampered with her cup and knife and fork.
After all, nosebleeds were quite common, and everyone thought that Umbridge was just not feeling well.
Who would have thought that someone was deliberately targeting Umbridge
No, no one could have imagined it, at least no one would notice anything wrong now, and the professors were mostly just gloating.
"Are you really not going to have some? Treacle tarts taste delicious." Dumbledore looked at Umbridge, who had only taken a few bites of food since the beginning, and suggested with a smile.
"No, I'd better not eat for the time being." Umbridge was still pretending to smile, but she was in a very bad mood. Watching everyone eat on an empty stomach was simply a cruel torture. It would be a miracle if she could be in a good mood!
It seems that he was preparing to make a post-dinner comment on the Ministry of Magic's interference in Hogwarts.
Umbridge finally persevered, rudely interrupting Dumbledore and delivering an unwelcome speech.
However, something seemed to go wrong during the speech.
“…to strike a balance between the old and the new, between permanence and change…”
A gibberish sound suddenly rang out in the auditorium.
“… some old habits will be preserved, and there is nothing wrong with that, but some habits are outmoded and must be…”
The growling sound of hungry stomachs sounded again, and everyone was trying hard not to laugh.
However, as if in protest of its ill-treatment, Umbridge's stomach was growling more and more distinctly and louder.
Finally, someone in the audience couldn't help but burst out laughing.
As long as someone takes the lead, more and more people can't help laughing out loud.
The gurgling sound is really beautiful, just like the croaking of a toad.