"Hey, you little one, keep up, don't fall behind." he shouted at the freshman at the back of the line.
"Ron, you shouldn't say that," Hermione said angrily, eyeing him, "You should call them by their names."
"I know, but I didn't remember," Ron shrugged, "I dare say many people didn't remember them either. Everyone was busy looking for Dumbledore during the sorting, who would remember what the freshmen were called?"
...
Once all the students left the auditorium, the professors departed as well.
Kael watched Snape's staggering figure with a slight frown. "What's wrong with him?"
"I don't know." Professor McGonagall shook her head, "No one knows where he's been since the holidays started. It wasn't until last night that he returned to Hogwarts.
"And he's so much better now. Yesterday when we found him, he couldn't even walk steadily."
"Luckily, Dumbledore made arrangements in advance. When the Ministry of Magic learned of the situation here, they immediately scheduled Kingsley to cover his classes for a while."
"Really?"
Kael felt even more puzzled.
He could understand Snape's absence; he had another identity, after all. Once school was out, he naturally went to Voldemort's side to help Dumbledore gather intelligence.
But why was he injured for no apparent reason? There hadn't been any news of recent big moves by Death Eaters.
The latest incident was at Godric's Hollow, but that was led by Bellatrix, accompanied by nameless Death Eaters; Snape wasn't among them.
Could it be that Voldemort blamed him for that defeat?
No reason for that.
Or is it true that the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is so cursed?
"Let's not talk about that now, your performance really caught me off guard." Professor McGonagall said.
"How so, was there a flaw?" Kael asked.
"On the contrary, it was perfect." Professor McGonagall said, "Even if Mr. Abeforth came, he probably couldn't tell it was you impersonating Dumbledore."
Saying this, Professor McGonagall hesitated suddenly, then asked, "May I ask why you made that decision?"
"What?"
"Quidditch." Professor McGonagall said, "That was not in what we discussed before."
"It was a spur-of-the-moment decision." Kael climbed the stairs, "School shouldn't be a dull place. Finding something to focus everyone's attention on, in some ways, can ease their fear of Death Eaters, I think it's good."
"Although what you said might be right, two hundred points, isn't that a bit too much? This score can even determine the House Cup's winner." Professor McGonagall looked at Kael.
She noticed Dumbledore's silver beard had already shortened significantly, indicating the Polyjuice Potion's effect was about to fade.
Kael also noticed this, quickened his pace towards the Headmaster's office, and explained:
"The Golden Snitch also has a hundred and fifty points, right?" Kael said, "If we treat this House Cup like an exceptional Quidditch match, isn't it easier to understand?"
Professor McGonagall felt she couldn't understand.
Quidditch and House Cup are two different things, it doesn't make sense.
But she could do nothing about it; Kael had announced this news at the opening banquet as Dumbledore, which meant it was already settled.
If she were to announce the event's cancellation, it would only cause more unrest.
Moreover, she just noticed most people didn't seem to care much about the bizarre bonus.
If so, then there's no need to go overboard.
Besides, she was herself a Quidditch fan, naturally wanting to see the matches become more exciting.
"Let's forget about the score." Professor McGonagall continued: "What's the deal with the gold medals?"
"Of course, that's an extra reward." Kael stopped in front of the eighth-floor gargoyle, "To motivate them and boost their morale a bit."
"What about the funding?" Professor McGonagall raised the crucial question, "A solid gold medal isn't cheap. Although the school can afford it, nobody wants to spend significant money on something pointless."
"That's easy, the school doesn't have to pay."
"So are you going to pay out of pocket?"
"I'm just a newly graduated student; I don't have that much money."
"Then what's your plan?"
"Simple enough." Kael's hair had completely turned back to black, his eyes reverted too, he chuckled, "Naturally, whoever said it, pays for it."