The Sorting Ceremony finally drew to a close. Professor McGonagall carefully rolled up the parchment containing the list of new students, then gently picked up the ancient Sorting Hat and left the bustling Great Hall with elegant strides.
Just then, Albus Dumbledore, who had been sitting in the head seat, slowly stood up. With a smile on his face and arms wide open, he spoke in a loud and enthusiastic voice: "Dear students, a warm welcome to you all! Welcome to this Hogwarts, a place filled with wonder and magic! At the same time, let us cheer together to welcome the grand opening of this brand-new school year!"
As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause and cheers instantly erupted throughout the Great Hall.
Once the commotion had slightly subsided, Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "Before the feast officially begins, please allow me to make a brief introduction. There are two changes to the Hogwarts teaching staff this year. First, Professor Roger Bacon, who was responsible for teaching the sixth and seventh-year Alchemy courses, has embarked on a long and highly anticipated journey. From now on, the school's Alchemy courses will be under the sole responsibility of Ms. Amandine Rosier from France!"
At this point, Dumbledore paused for a moment and turned his gaze toward the beautiful female Professor standing to the side, signaling to everyone.
A wave of gasps and whispers instantly broke out in the Great Hall, as many students were captivated by the new Professor's beauty. Amandine was dressed in a magnificent set of black robes, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall, and her deep blue eyes, like profound lakes, radiated a charming light.
Immediately after, Dumbledore pointed to another tall and handsome gentleman, saying with a smile, "Additionally, I am very pleased to introduce to you all our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Class teacher—Mr. Jack MacFusty! I believe that under his guidance, you will all be able to better master the techniques and knowledge required to resist the Dark Arts."
Another round of enthusiastic applause rang out, and infatuated smiles appeared on the faces of many girls.
Among this group of excited students, Adelaide's eyes widened as she stared in disbelief at Amandine, who was smiling at her from the high platform, her mind filled with questions.
Amandine had actually resigned from her job as an Intern Auror at the French Ministry of Magic and traveled all the way to Hogwarts to be an Alchemy teacher?
Didn't she hate the rainy days and the terrible "delicacies" of Britain?
Most importantly, she was only 19 years old this year; could she really handle this job?
One must know that Alchemy was an extremely advanced course, combining Transfiguration, Potions, and Muggle Chemistry, generally focusing on the study of the transformation of matter. This elective was only offered to outstanding sixth and seventh-year students, and its N.E.W.T. exam pass rate was the lowest among all subjects.
Her concern quickly dissipated into the gossip flying everywhere once the feast officially began.
Adelaide absent-mindedly gnawed on a lamb chop, her ears perked up as she listened to the students around her excitedly discussing how one of the new students, a Slytherin named Alice MacFusty, was the author of one of this year's designated Defense Against the Dark Arts textbooks!
At the age of nine, she had created a sensational work titled "Dancing with Black Dragons."
The gossip didn't stop there. Alice also had an older brother, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Class teacher, Jack MacFusty, who had just turned 18 this year.
Although he was a British Wizard, he hadn't studied at Hogwarts previously, choosing instead to receive a home education.
He had shown an extraordinary talent for the Dark Arts from a young age and, at 15, had written the highly acclaimed work—"Defense Against the Dark Arts: Constant Vigilance."
Hearing all this news, Adelaide fell into a state of near numbness. What on earth was going on this year?
Even if it was the so-called Butterfly effect, this change was simply too outrageous!
Look at them all: first the 11-year-old genius freshman Alice, then the 18-year-old genius Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Jack, and the 19-year-old genius Alchemy teacher Amandine—could it be that the great Merlin had intended this?
After everyone had their fill of food and drink, Dumbledore stood up once more, cleared his throat, and began to emphasize some rules that students were bound to break.
These included: students must not sneak around the school for adventures in the middle of the night; they must never enter the dangerous Forbidden Forest without permission; fighting and mutual insults between students were forbidden (specifically referring to Gryffindor and Slytherin); Prefects could not dock points at will just because they disliked someone (again, those two houses); stealing food from the kitchen was prohibited (this one was aimed at Hufflepuff); performing dangerous experiments within the school was forbidden (a few Ravenclaw and Gryffindor students lowered their heads); students were not to cast magic at will in the corridors, and so on.
After finishing these regulations, Dumbledore enthusiastically led everyone in singing an unbearable School song.
The cacophonous singing was torture to the ears; Adelaide felt as if her soul were about to leave her body if it continued any longer.
With great difficulty, the dreadfully unpleasant School song finally ended, and Dumbledore nodded with satisfaction before loudly announcing the dismissal.
Would going to bed right after eating have any adverse effects on one's health?
Adelaide pondered this privately, but since Dumbledore had already said so, she decided to be obedient and head back to her dormitory to rest.
As she stood up to follow Cho Chang and the other Ravenclaw House freshmen upstairs, she suddenly felt something in her hand. Looking down, she saw that a small note had mysteriously appeared in her palm at some point.
Adelaide calmly clenched the note and then, while no one around was paying attention, carefully unfolded it.
With just one glance, she recognized the familiar handwriting on the note—it was written by Amandine!
The content of the note was very simple: it asked her to meet outside Ravenclaw Tower at 12 o'clock tonight.
Seeing this, Adelaide couldn't help but feel speechless. What kind of situation was this!
A dignified new Professor of Hogwarts was actually instructing a freshman to violate school rules on the very first day. Wasn't she at all worried about being discovered and criticized?
Oh right, she almost forgot—the Principal of Hogwarts was Dumbledore, they were all on the same side, so it was fine.
Thinking of this, Adelaide shook her head helplessly, silently wondering how she could sneak out of the Ravenclaw Common room to keep the appointment.
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