The Great Hall of Hogwarts is brightly lit and thousands of candles float in the air.

Magic was cast on the ceiling, reflecting the twilight sky. Half of it was a faint star, and half of it was rain clouds that had not yet dispersed.

Occasionally, raindrops fall on the transparent roof, creating lines of crystal clear water that slide down the sloping ceiling of the auditorium to both ends and finally drip onto the ground.

The opening dinner was set up and furnished, with four long tables arranged parallel to each other in the auditorium, stretching from the front faculty seating table to the back door.

Countless delicate cutlery in gold and silver were neatly displayed on the long table, and the plates were empty, and when the headmaster announced the official start of the dinner, the house-elves in the kitchen magically delivered all the meals to the auditorium.

The young wizards hadn't arrived yet, and the seniors who had come in the Thestrals were walking from the main entrance on the north side of the castle to the southernmost auditorium.

The first-year students had just boarded the boat, and under Hagrid's leadership, they felt the way the Big Four must go to the high ground where Hogwarts was located.

However, two abrupt voices suddenly came from the empty auditorium.

"Is there anything wrong with the Dementors trying to attack the students, and as a professor, taking the lead in rebellion?" A few bat phantoms drifted away, and Dracula's figure appeared at the front of the auditorium, and he sat down in his seat.

Almost in the same order as the bat phantom, a golden-red flame burst into thin air.

"Theoretically, it's fine." Dumbledore stepped out of the flames and pulled away Professor Flitwick's chair next to Dracula and sat down, "Professor Dracula, those Dementors did make mistakes, but they are still employees of the Ministry of Magic......

"Indeed, I should ask the Ministry of Magic for some hard work to teach them a lesson to the rebellious staff." Dracula pinched his chin and curled the corners of his mouth in bad faith, "Let me think about how much I should charge......

"Professor Dracula, that's not what I'm talking about." Dumbledore reluctantly said, "It's not appropriate to capture the Ministries of Magic, and Fudge wrote to me that these Dementors are still stationed at Hogwarts."

"Look, if you release these Dementors first, at least let them handle the Ministry of Magic's work to check Sirius."

Actually, Dumbledore was quite helpless, and Fudge was so outrageous that he wanted to arrange for the Dementors to set up a card at Hogwarts to find Sirius......

I don't know how worried he is that such a wanted criminal will affect his career prospects, and he doesn't even want his reputation among students.

"Release? Why don't I understand what you're saying, Headmaster Dumbledore?" Dracula looked bored, folded his hands behind his head, and leaned back in his chair, "Is there anything wrong with the Dementors attacking the students, and with my hard work, I accidentally killed all of them?"

Dracula's dislike of Dementors certainly wouldn't have been willing to put this dark and evil species at Hogwarts.

"Ahem...... Professor Dracula, I didn't just know what was on the train by seeing it with my own eyes." Dumbledore seemed choked and coughed dryly, "I've asked the students, and they said you skewered the Dementors together...... Thrown in the trash?" ….

"What little wizard has such a loose mouth that leaked this so quickly?" Dracula's eyes narrowed.

He didn't really expect this matter to be hidden from the "know-it-all" Dumbledore, but he didn't expect it to be exposed so quickly, and the interval between them might not even be half an hour!

"Is it so easy for you to comply with the Ministry of Magic's requests, Dumbledore? Even such an irrational decision?" Dracula asked, "Isn't it too depressing to live like this?"

"It's not that serious, it's just that I owe Fudge two favors this year." Dumbledore shook his head slightly, "So he still needs to think more about his request."

"Oh?" Dracula raised his eyes, "You're still going to need his help?"

"You may not know it, but Harry was here some time ago

I used magic outside of school and ran away from home." Dumbledore explained, "Fudge reacted quickly and immediately arranged for the Aurors to take him to safety."

"He's protecting Potter just to secure his position, right?" Dracula glanced at Dumbledore, "If the so-called 'savior' of the wizarding world was really killed by Sirius Black, then Fudge's Minister of Magic will also be seated in the excitement of the crowd."

"Theoretically yes, but judging by the results, we still have to take his affection." Dumbledore sighed.

"What about the other thing?" Dracula pursed his lips and asked.

He didn't quite understand Dumbledore's concept of human feelings. It can only be said that this quality can be regarded as a noble person, who has delineated his own code of conduct in his heart, which is difficult for others to do.

"The other thing is less important, it's just that Hogwarts has requested a magical item for a young witch." Dumbledore said, "Although there is a high probability that it can be passed according to common sense, the process must also be signed by Fudge."

"So it's clear that you're both in Fudge's business, right?" The corners of Dracula's mouth twitched, "I don't understand why you remember these things so clearly......

"After all, you have to set a yardstick for yourself, especially someone like me who can't resist temptation." Dumbledore smiled and shook his head, a look of remembrance in his eyes, and a surging sadness around him.

He always remembered the mistakes he made when he was young, and thus understood that he was not a person who could withstand the temptation of power and desire.

Dumbledore took this as a lifelong warning, and whenever he was about to be overwhelmed by his great power, majestic image, high prestige, and power at his fingertips, he would prick himself up with the most painful memory of his life and let all desires go away from him......

Dracula looked at Dumbledore's suddenly dull mood, shrugged helplessly, and raised his hand to throw a trash can into his arms.

"Here, that's all, take it and repay your favor." He glared at Dumbledore with disgust on his face and said to him.

Dumbledore was stunned for a moment, then realized that his emotions were not quite right, and quickly took his sentimentality into his heart and smiled at Dracula. ….

"I'm sorry, Professor Dracula, I just lost my temper." He smiled and apologized to Dracula.

Dumbledore then looked inside the trash can that had been cast with the Traceless Stretching Charm.

He saw a group of ugly, rotting Dementors strung together by a silver thread, crumpled into a big autumn, huddled together one by one, and their bodies were all squeezed out of shape.

"Is there enough?" Dumbledore looked at the Dementors in the bucket and asked subconsciously.

"Ahem...... I think so." Dracula said with some humility.

Dumbledore looked up and gave him a suspicious look.

"If Fudge asked, you would say that the resistance was too fierce, and you accidentally killed a few." Dracula immediately adjusted his tone, "Anyway, these Dementors must be enough for you to return the favor."

Dumbledore smiled noncommittally and reached out and tapped the trash can, turning it into a pencil barrel and putting it away.

……

As time passed, the little wizards came to the Great Hall one after another.

The brightly lit auditorium gradually formed a sea of pointed black hats. Each long table was filled with students, their faces lit up by thousands of candles.

Before the sorting ceremony began, Professor McGonagall took Harry and Hermione to the vice-chancellor's office, not knowing what to do.

Dracula guessed that she was concerned about Harry being scared by the Dementors on the way to the point of fainting, oh yes, Madam Pomfrey wasn't in the faculty chair either, and Professor McGonagall must have called the head nurse to help check Harry's body.

In the absence of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Flitwick presided over the sorting ceremony for this academic year.

Professor Flitwick is a diminutive wizard who carries a brand new Sorting Hat and a three-legged one

The stool walked into the auditorium.

He wasn't much taller than a stool, and it looked a little funny, and most of the young wizards who participated in the sorting ceremony held back a smile.

"Romilda Vane!"

"Gryffindor!"

"Astoria Greengrass!"

「……」

By the time Professor McGonagall and Harry and Hermione came out of the Vice-Chancellor's office, the sorting ceremony had come to an end.

"Oh," Hermione said to Harry with some regret as she walked the way, "It's a shame we missed the sorting ceremony."

"Don't be stupid, Hermione." Harry said sensibly, "Do you want to hear the Sorting Hat sing its annual Sorting Hat song in its unpleasant voice?"

「…… That's it."

Professor McGonagall slowly walked to her empty seat in the professorship, while Harry and Hermione walked as quietly as they could in the opposite direction, the Gryffindor House desk.

As they walked along the back of the auditorium, people looked back at them, a few pointing at Harry.

It looked like Harry had passed out in front of the Dementors, and the news had spread at a very short speed. Harry guessed that Draco Malfoy, who wasn't far from their box, was the nasty one who liked to make up bad things about him.

He and Hermione finally made their way to the Gryffindor table and sat down on either side of Ron. Ron gave them a seat.

"What did Professor McGonagall tell you to go to?" He asked Harry in a low voice, "This is the first time I've seen Professor Flitwick preside over the sorting ceremony." ….

Harry began to whisper to him about how McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey had examined themselves, but he had no idea what Professor McGonagall meant by calling Hermione into her office alone.

Ron wanted to ask, but after being glared at by Hermione, he didn't have the courage to ask.

At this point, the headmaster stood up and began to speak, just to defuse the embarrassment of Ron and Harry.

Professor Dumbledore's beard seemed to be longer, and he was getting older, but he still gave the impression of being energetic.

As the greatest wizard of our time and the pillar of the wizarding world, Harry couldn't help but put his mind at ease and completely leave his trust in Professor Dumbledore. For the first time since the Dementor had entered the train car, he had truly calmed down.

"Welcome!" Professor Dumbledore said, the light of the candle shining on his beard.

"Welcome to Hogwarts for the new school year! I have a few words to say to all of you, and there is one thing that is very serious, and I think it would be better to make it clear before you get lost in this delicious meal......

Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued. "After the Dementors searched the Hogwarts Express, you all know. At the moment our school is hosting a number of Dementors from Azkaban, who are here to carry out official duties for the Ministry of Magic."

He paused for a moment, and could tell that even if Dumbledore wanted to return the favor, he was still very unhappy about the Dementors guarding the school.

"They are stationed at all entrances to the school's grounds," Dumbledore continued, "and I must make it clear during their stay here that no one is allowed to leave the school without permission!"

"Also, due to their unique properties, Dementors are never deceived by tricks or disguises—not even the Cloak of Invisibility." He added this sentence with a blank face.

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Percy was sitting just a few seats away from Harry, and he puffed out his chest again and looked around impressively.

He was elected president of the Hogwarts boys' council this year, which made him very proud.

Dumbledore paused again and glanced around the Great Hall with a rather serious expression, no one moved or made a sound.

"It's a pleasure," he said with a sudden smile, "this year, I'm excited to welcome a new teacher to our team!"

"Actually, the professor we've appointed is probably familiar to everyone," Dumbledore smiled and said to the young wizards, "Before introducing this professor, I'll first announce one thing—"

"I'm sorry to inform you that our Conservation of Magical Creatures Professor, Professor Kettleburn, officially retired at the end of last year to have more time to spend with the rest of his Fantastic Creatures Naughty."

"Now allow me to introduce you to the new professor of the Conservation of Magical Beasts class, none other than Rubeus Hagrid to fill his vacancy. Hagrid has agreed to take on the position of professor in addition to his role as a hunting ground warden."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at each other for a long time, froze, and then they joined in the applause, especially at the long Gryffindor table.

Hagrid's face was flushed, and he glared at his large hands, his proud, nervous, reserved, shy smile hidden in his messy black beard.

……

…….

Ripples of dust