Harry Potter and the Burnt Badger

Indeed, no one can refute Gal's words. Although Professor Snape no longer humiliates young wizards outside Slytherin House as often as before, he just does not make personal attacks. .Problems such as being slovenly, always having a gloomy face, being extremely harsh, and being merciless when reprimanding people have not changed at all.

At least in the eyes of most young wizards, Professor Snape is still not a professor worth liking - he has just changed from a "very unqualified professor" to a "barely qualified professor" .

Yes, that's all.

Therefore, after Gal's doubtful question, Cedric and Arlin both fell into silence.

After another five seconds, Gal scratched his head. "Okay, I admit, things are indeed a bit strange and confusing. And... don't tell me, I always seem to feel that if I can't see it in Potions class in the future, It would feel a bit awkward if Snape taught me."

Cedric nodded lightly, and Arlin rarely refuted Gal, and even agreed: "Yeah, it's like even though I really don't like Professor Kettleburn, but when I think about what Moon just said this semester My Care of Magical Creatures professor is no longer him, so I still have a weird feeling."

Moon yawned, leaning a little tiredly against the wall of the cubicle, looking at the oppressive light outside the window, and whispered: "After all, I have been taking classes for a long time, it is normal to feel uncomfortable." .”

"As for what Professor Snape should do...this is not something we should consider. Professor Dumbledore will definitely make the best arrangements for him."

Everyone stopped talking, and the cubicle suddenly became quiet.

The express train was speeding through the open fields, and through the window glass, the scenery outside quickly receded.The dim sky made it difficult to recognize the passage of time, until the lights came on in the compartment, and everyone suddenly realized that in a daze, the train was getting closer to the end.

The four of them quickly put on their robes and waited for the train to arrive at the station.Outside the cubicle, there were whispers of excitement or worry from everyone - when countless whispers from one or two people gathered together, it was obvious that the whispers turned into a noisy conversation, making the thin door panel of the cubicle no longer possible. Unable to isolate.

"It's so fast. In the blink of an eye, we are already in fifth grade..." Yaerlin turned his head and glanced at the prefect badge on Munn's chest, and whispered: "It always feels like we just met for the first time last year. Similar."

I don't know if Gal didn't want the topic to become so serious, or if he just wanted to tease Yaerlin. He smiled and punched Yaerlin on the shoulder, and said: "Don't talk nonsense. When I first entered the first grade, , Moon and I were in the same carriage as the Dawson brothers and sisters, and we had never seen you and Cedric at that time."

Ya'erlin's eyes almost flew to the sky. He finally tried to create some atmosphere, but he was disturbed by this guy Gal again.

Just when he was about to say a few words in reply, the express train that had already slowed down suddenly trembled, and then, accompanied by waves of whistles, the train stopped like this.

"Let's go." Moon took the lead and pushed open the carriage door and walked into the crowd.

Gar followed closely behind Moon. Arlin was about to take a step forward when Cedric grabbed him by the collar.He was still a little confused at first, but when he looked back at Cedric, he actually found that Cedric was looking at him with a worried face.

"Huh? What's wrong, Ced? I have acne on my face?" Arlin raised his hand to touch his cheek, but Cedric stopped him with a wry smile.

"Yarlin, do you feel that... something is wrong with Moon today?"

Arlin saw the crowds of people outside the compartment. It was obvious that he and Cedric had missed the best time to get off the bus, so he simply took a half step back and closed the compartment door. "Something's wrong? Uh, he Looks a little tired."

Cedric was speechless for Arlin's answer, but he thought about it carefully and nodded, "You are right, he is very tired...but do you still remember how tired he was the last time you saw him?" When did you feel tired?"

This time, Yaerlin was indeed asked. He scratched his head and thought about it for more than ten seconds, but still couldn't find the answer in his memory.It wasn't until he couldn't help but want to shake his head that an idea suddenly flashed in his mind, "Oh! I remembered, last time... it should have been... the Crow Party, yes, that's right, the time when we just finished dealing with the Crow Party. , he locked himself in the dormitory every day and read like crazy, very upset, and even a little irritable - yes, that was that time."

"Yes." Cedric fully agreed with Yaerlin's answer. "You are right, Yaerlin. Although he doesn't look as... exaggerated as last time, I think his state is really similar to It was very similar at that time, and he seemed to have become more silent. Only when he first returned to the car, he seemed relatively normal."

"So you mean, what happened to Munn again?" After Cedric's reminder, Yaerin obviously became interested in this. "But you also know that Munn was very silent last time. He refused to say anything. In fact, until now we still don’t know why he was so abnormal that time.”

As he spoke, Yaerlin sighed and fiddled with the hem of his robe rather helplessly, "He is just not used to sharing these troubles with friends like us, and I heard Ouen say that Moon has been like this since he was a child - - He has the same behavior as his family members. If anything bothers him, he always keeps it to himself. Even if we find out, what can we do? We can’t help. We always You can’t tie him up and give him truth serum, can you?”

"I think..." Cedric looked out the window with burning eyes, "Maybe we can check it out ourselves?"

"Ah?" Arlin was startled by Cedric's exaggerated suggestion. "Check? What to check? How to check?"

Cedric blinked. "The word 'check' may be a bit exaggerated, but at least we can make some inquiries to see if he has encountered anything recently. In this way, we..."

…………

It wasn't until 10 minutes after Munn and Gal arrived at the location of the Thestral carriage that Cedric and Arlin finally arrived. They looked normal, but Munn always felt that the eyes of these two people seemed... Glancing at myself from time to time.

"Let's get in the car." Moon glanced at the Thestral in front of the carriage, and was the first to get on the car again. "Violet and Demi have already set off. When they arrive at the auditorium later, they will Leave room for us.”

To be fair, he could sense that there was something wrong with Cedric and Arlin's emotions - something that was related to him.Without even asking, he could roughly guess that Cedric, a careful guy, must have noticed his unusual fatigue on the train, so he said something to Arlin.

But he really had no time to care about it at the moment, because just now, he suddenly realized a very strange problem.

He couldn't see the Thestral until he saw the death of the dark wizard under Forrest Dempsey for the first time in his second year.

However, in fact, whether the request for seeing Yeqi is to "witness a person's death with one's own eyes" or to "understand death"...

He should have been satisfied long ago.

Unless the testimony of his previous life does not count as testimony.

After realizing this problem, he almost immediately remembered the nightmare he had this morning, which was forgotten as soon as he woke up.

At that time, he had a very hollow feeling, as if he had forgotten something very important.

So, could it be that the reason why he couldn't see Yeqi before that was because what he forgot was not just a nightmare?Or is it that the so-called Thestrals can only be seen after seeing death? Does it not only require that the soul has seen death before, but also that it has some weird relationship with the body?

These questions have been troubling his thoughts, making him become more and more silent on the Thestral carriage. He was not even aware of Cedric calling his name.It wasn't until Cedric reached out and patted his shoulder that he woke up from a dream and reacted.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Gal was just talking about whether Professor Snape will teach Defense Against the Dark Arts this year - after all, that guy Lockhart has been imprisoned in Azkaban, and Hogwarts will recruit another student this year. A new Defense Against the Dark Arts class has been taught." Cedric smiled and said: "And we all agree that even if Professor Dumbledore comes forward in person, he may not be able to find a new professor for Hogwarts. .”

Chapter 30 Commencement Dinner

Regarding whether Professor Snape will become the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in the new semester, to be honest, Moon himself is not sure.

After all, the curse of the position of Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts was clearly placed there for everyone to see, and Professor Dumbledore himself knew it well.Considering the importance of Professor Snape, I am afraid that Professor Dumbledore would not let him teach this course rashly.

No one can tell how the curse will affect the next professor. Judging from the experience of each professor over the past few decades, the curse has always manifested itself in various forms.What if Professor Snape really encounters any danger to his life? Although it is strange to say this, and it is a bit insulting to Sirius, but it is true, it will be more serious than Sirius and Remus encountering danger together. many.

In many ways, a double agent like him is far more rare than one, two, or even more soldiers.

What happened to Professor Greengrass in the third grade was enough to serve as a big wake-up call - the curse thing is really capable of mischief.

But then again, if it's completely impossible...it doesn't seem to be the case.

So, during the short journey that followed, the four of them chatted on this topic.It wasn't until the Thestral carriage stopped at the school gate that they finally stopped discussing, each got up and jumped out of the car, registered their names with Professor Flitwick, and then walked into the campus.

The rain that had been brewing all day did not fall until now. Moon and the others walked slowly across the lawn, and then entered the castle. When they arrived at the auditorium, Violet and the others had already reserved seats for several people.

Then, before they could exchange too many words with the other students around them, Professor McGonagall had already led the first-year wizards in.

Before the sorting ceremony started, many senior wizards glanced at the teachers' table, and Cedric and the others were no exception - most of the people sitting there were familiar faces, including Professor McGonagall, Professor Fernando, and so on. Professor Li Wei, Professor Sprout, etc., Professor Slughorn is naturally among them.

But what is surprising is that there are two things on the teacher's bench that Cedric and the others don't quite understand:

First, they already knew that Professor Kettleburn would not be present, but the problem was that Professor Snape was not here either;

Second, except for Professor Slughorn, they did not see another new face on the teacher's bench. In other words... maybe the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is not on the teacher's bench at this time?

Arlin secretly poked the elbows of several people, leaned forward and whispered: "Tell me, is there something that delayed Professor Snape? He hasn't come yet. He is indeed the black man this year." Professor of Defense Against Magic?"

No one answered him, because the Sorting Hat on the high stool had cleared his throat and suddenly sang:

"Maybe you can't understand why a hat can talk,

That only proves that your head is empty and your limbs may not be well developed.

I am a thinking magic hat,

It is imbued with the thoughts and magic of the four founders.

The beautiful and wise Ravenclaw allows me to speak;

The shrewd and calm Slytherin taught me how to discern people's hearts;

Kind and sincere Hufflepuff, I hope I know that treating everyone equally can lead to greatness;

And brave Gryffindor, oh, to whom I belong.

Come, put on my magic hat,

I'll tell you where to go,

Because my duty cannot be changed.

But you should keep my advice in mind -

No matter which college you belong to,

Everyone should unite closely with others,

Only if everyone joins hands,

Hogwarts won't stand still!

Come, put on my magic hat,

Now let's start sorting! "

After the Sorting Hat presented its new song and bowed to the surroundings as always, Professor McGonagall unfolded the parchment in his hand, "Now, whoever's name I call will step forward, put on the hat, and sit on the stool." Go up and complete his sorting.”

Professor McGonagall was talking on the stage, and Milton was muttering to everyone below: "Ha, that hat finally sang something different this year, right? At least it no longer tries to sing for each college. All have been evaluated.”

Alma rubbed her hungry belly, smiled and responded in a lowered voice: "Maybe it also realized that everyone no longer likes to hear its evaluation of various colleges - most people know very well that those evaluations are not at all It’s meaningless, a person’s character and conduct have nothing to do with his college.”

"Don't say that about Alma." Kelly also suppressed a smile. "At least every one of us Hufflepuff wizards likes to go to the kitchen to steal food."

Kelly's words immediately attracted a large number of fatal glances to her. If it were Alma or Louisa, she might have immediately stuck out her tongue and lowered her head in despair, but who was Kelly?This was the girl who was able to gracefully go up on stage to be sorted into different schools when she first came to the first grade. She glanced back at her without any hesitation, which made everyone else lower their heads.

There is no way, after all what Kelly said is right, at least now on the entire long Hufflepuff table, you can't find anyone who has never secretly been to the kitchen.

…………

The branching gradually came to an end, and Professor McGonagall began to read out the last few names.

"Romeda Vane."

A black-haired girl with expressive eyes walked timidly to Professor McGonagall, carefully picked up the Sorting Hat on the high stool, and placed it on her head.Looking at her like this, who would have thought that a few years later, the same shy girl would be able to ask Ginny if Harry had a Hippogriff tattoo on his chest, or even What about secretly giving Harry a love potion?

outrageous.

The Sorting Hat didn't hesitate too much and immediately shouted "Gryffindor".

"Alison Voight."

Immediately afterwards, another girl with brilliant blond hair and a few freckles on her face came on stage, and was eventually sorted into Slytherin House.

In this way, one after another, the little wizards came on stage with different expressions. After being "scrutinized" by the Sorting Hat, they walked to the long table of their respective house with applause.It wasn't until most of the senior wizards were already hungry that the sorting ceremony finally ended.

The last little wizard to participate in the sorting is named Toby Williams. He is a well-behaved and handsome little boy.In his case, the Sorting Hat took almost twice as long as the others before finally deciding to send him to Ravenclaw.

"Welcome! Welcome!" After everyone sat down and Professor McGonagall left with the sorting hat and high stool, Professor Dumbledore stood up. "Oh, the happiest thing for me every year is to see the beginning of the new school year. . This not only means that we will welcome back those classmates who have been away for more than two months, but also means that Hogwarts can welcome a new batch of blood - so you are very welcome to come back, or come to Hogwarts."

Warm applause rang out. Professor Dumbledore smiled and adjusted his semi-circular glasses, then straightened his beard. After everyone finished applauding, he continued: "Before everyone enjoys tonight's delicious food, , I still have a few things to explain to you."

"First of all, regarding the school's Forbidden Forest, yes, this year we are still not allowed to enter or leave at will without permission. If the freshmen are curious about this, you may wish to ask your classmates, they will tell you reason."

"In addition, Mr. Filch asked me to solemnly declare to everyone that you are not allowed to cast spells in the corridor. Otherwise, you will receive a not-so-good punishment of confinement."

“Finally, this year we have new professorship changes.”

"The first is Professor Slughorn. He will teach everyone potions courses in the next few years and temporarily serve as the dean of Slytherin House. As for the original Professor Snape , unfortunately, due to some personal matters, he will leave Hogwarts temporarily."

Speaking of this, Professor Dumbledore paused very presciently - as expected, the young wizards below immediately started talking. Almost everyone was wondering where Professor Snape had gone and why he was no longer there. Continue to serve.

To be honest, even Moon was taken aback. He had really thought that Professor Snape would teach the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, or be the Potions professor together with Professor Slughorn.After all, there had never been a teaching assistant in Potions before. Professor Snape was the master of time management alone.

As a result, he never expected that Professor Snape would just... run away?

After everyone discussed for a while, Professor Dumbledore pressed his palms and then continued: "As for the second one, unfortunately, Professor Kettleburn from our Care of Magical Creatures class officially chose to retire after the end of last semester. , so that he can have more time to get in touch with the magical animals he loves. However, at the same time, I am also very happy to tell everyone——"

"The next person to take over as Professor of Care of Magical Creatures is none other than our original gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid."

Another bombshell was dropped. The little wizards were stunned for a while, and then the auditorium immediately burst into warm applause - especially the little wizards in the school newspaper office, as well as Harry and Rowe. Well, Hermione and the others have the best relationship with Hagrid in the whole school. At this time, many people's slaps were about to turn red.

Of course, Hagrid’s face was even redder.

He was so embarrassed that he didn't know where to put his hands, but at the same time he couldn't suppress the happy smile on his face. If Professor Sinistra hadn't pressed his arm next to him, he would have almost stood up and bowed to everyone. .

Chapter 31 The semester begins

"Ha, if you ask me, I'm really stupid." Gal looked at the embarrassed Hagrid at the teacher's desk and couldn't help but burst into laughter. "We should have thought of it a long time ago! Think about that unlucky, damned book A crappy book! Who else but Hagrid could choose such a weird book to use as a textbook?"

Everyone also laughed - Gal was right, the "Monster Book of Monsters" was simply a nightmare. The little wizards had never seen such a outrageous book, and it even bit people!This forced countless little wizards to tie them up tightly to keep the book in the box.Otherwise, I'm afraid everything in the entire box will be torn to pieces.

"Okay, everyone, the third, and certainly the last, staff change is our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor position."

Facing the eager applause and cheers of the young wizards, Professor Dumbledore had to raise his hand to stop again in order to continue what he had not announced yet. "As we all know, last year, due to some circumstances, we lost the teacher again. Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. However, I am honored that a person who is very familiar to everyone will teach this course this year."

At this point, the old man paused for a few seconds, and then finally continued: "Let's welcome Assistant Teacher Blake - he offered to be our Defense Against the Dark Arts class this semester. Professor, please prevent this course from becoming vacant due to lack of professors!”

The little wizards below were completely stunned, and then they burst into applause that was no less than before, and even more victorious.

In the past few years when Sirius served as an assistant teacher in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, his teaching skills were obvious to everyone, and no one doubted whether he could be a good formal professor.In fact, for almost the entire semester last semester, if it weren't for him and Assistant Lupine, the young wizards would probably have given up on the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

After all, Lockhart's teaching level...

It cannot be said that there is none, it can only be said that it is a negative number at all.

And now, once Black's assistant coach becomes a full-time coach, how can everyone be unhappy?