Chapter 488 Embarrassment and Bitterness

In his opinion, the problem is not Hagrid's giant bloodline, but that Hagrid cannot realize the difference between himself and ordinary wizards. He uses his own standards to judge the harmfulness of magical creatures.

But those creatures that he thinks are friendly and harmless, such as the giant spider and the dragon, can directly take the lives of students. However, as a forest ranger, Hagrid is still competent.

As usual, the old students sat in the carriage pulled by the Thestrals. Most students thought it was the credit of magic, and only a few students could see these mysterious animals because they had experienced death.

Harry looked at the front of the car from time to time, observing the dark and thin skin of the Thestrals tightly wrapped around the bones. He asked Ron indirectly if he could see anything strange. However, Ron shook his head and denied it.

Luna, who could have told Harry about the Thestrals, was in another car, reading the latest issue of "The Quibbler" published by her father backwards. This special way of reading is not Luna's "counter-tune".

The hall of Hogwarts was still brightly lit, with countless candles floating in the air in groups of three or five. Looking up, the starry sky on the dome was particularly bright, and it was not covered by dark clouds because of Voldemort's return.

On the high wooden bench, the Sorting Hat took the lead in singing a new ballad. Roger sat at the long table of Slytherin, staring at the patched hat with a suspicious look. His eyes revealed curiosity and a hint of vigilance.

Under his influence, Cornelius Fudge stepped down two years ahead of schedule, and was directly killed by Little Barty last year. Although Amelia had conflicts with Dumbledore, she was also conscientiously completing what the minister should do.

As for Umbridge, who liked to wear pink clothes, she was driven out of the Ministry of Magic by the minister early and now works at St. Mungo's Hospital.

He didn't understand why Voldemort and the Death Eaters who were rampant across the ocean could make the Sorting Hat sing an unfortunate ballad.

"...I have told you straight, I have sounded the alarm for you..."

Roger glanced at the center of the teacher's seat. He suspected...no, he firmly believed that Dumbledore had influenced the thinking of the Sorting Hat to some extent. Perhaps a further guess is that he has implanted his own thoughts into it.

Dumbledore completely forgot to applaud. He stared at the tall girl in the back row of freshmen, his eyes full of disbelief.

When the admission notice was issued this year, he was arguing with Amelia in the Ministry of Magic, and the quill in the principal's office wrote his name skillfully as in previous years.

A series of things such as Regulus, Voldemort, and Harry Potter made him forget the important letter. What he thought was a joke now appeared in front of him in reality, which shocked Dumbledore and made him feel unreal.

"Ariana..." He moved his lips gently and silently read out his sister's name.

Ariana stared at him indifferently, then turned her head away, unwilling to look at him again. Her blue eyes revealed disgust and disgust.

After leaving home, Albus never cared about anyone in the family. All his thoughts were on himself or on his "lover".

Early deceased father, melancholy mother. Selfish elder brother, young girl.

In the end, it was his brother Aberforth who took care of the family. He gave up the opportunity to go to school, relied on self-exploration to learn magic, made a living in the magic world, and took care of himself. And Albus never helped once from beginning to end.

Dumbledore smiled nervously, tasting the old wine brewed by embarrassment and bitterness in his heart. He put on his glasses in a panic, trying to see Ariana more clearly.

At this moment, he forgot the speech, forgot Voldemort, and the only thought was to talk to his sister.

He wanted to know how Ariana survived and how she came to a hundred years later at the age of fifteen. He was a little worried whether Grindelwald cast an evil spell on her to try to realize his conspiracy.

Because he knew that his sister was an Obscurus. His nephew had exploded before, and thus mastered the power of the Obscurus. He didn't believe that Grindelwald was indifferent to the silent.

Professor McGonagall took the enrollment list, cleared her throat, and signaled everyone to keep quiet. The parchment in her hand was long like in previous years, and it was full of the names of new students. However, there was a special student this year.

"Euan Abercrombie." Professor McGonagall called out the first name.

A panicked little boy stumbled out, and the big brim of the Sorting Hat was like a giant mouth, swallowing half of his head in one go. Thanks to his unusually large ears, otherwise he would have the nickname "Headless Man" on the first day of school.

"Gryffindor." The Sorting Hat opened its big mouth and announced loudly.

The little lions applauded enthusiastically, welcoming the new students to join.

Professor McGonagall looked at the second name and hesitated. She looked back at the headmaster, trying to understand the relationship between Ariana and Albus. At this moment, Dumbledore was still in a daze.

"Ariana Dumbledore."

"Huh..."

As Professor McGonagall's voice fell, a cry of surprise suddenly rang out in the hall. Almost everyone's eyes were looking at this "outstanding" girl at the same time. Many people thought that she was a freak who awakened her magic from a squib at the age of 15.

Compared to these unfriendly speculations, Ariana's last name is more worthy of speculation and attention.

"Her last name is actually Dumbledore!"

"A member of the Dumbledore family. Apart from our headmaster, I have never heard of anyone else."

"He seems to have a younger brother..."

"Who? The principal? Is it true or false?"

"Probably, I heard my grandma mention it. However, in the magic world, there is no magic family with a principal."

"Do you think it could be a coincidence? She was originally a Muggle, but she awakened her magic power and became a Mudblood this year. Or is she a transfer student from abroad?"

"Shh, keep your voice down. It would be terrible if she is really a relative of the principal."

"How is it possible? He must be the Muggle Dumbledore. The principal is the most powerful white wizard in this century. How can a descendant of the family be so weak?"

Discussions in the auditorium broke out one after another, and people were full of curiosity and speculation about Ariana's identity and background. Her appearance undoubtedly added a special topic to this year's sorting ceremony.

Professor McGonagall had to use a "loud voice" to keep everyone quiet.

Ariana walked forward lightly, and her eyes were attracted by the Sorting Hat covered with traces of time. She carefully picked it up and then slowly put it on her head, her heart beating faster.

"Little witch, your last name is really interesting." The Sorting Hat grinned and communicated with her in a deep and teasing voice.

A trace of surprise flashed in Ariana's eyes. She looked up and asked softly: "Can you speak?"

Regarding the problems that arise every year, the Sorting Hat took the trouble to explain: "In this magical world, nothing is impossible. The four founders injected their thoughts into my knitting thread... Now, let me discover Which college do you belong to?"

The Sorting Hat pondered for a moment, and his voice became deep and mysterious: "You have two completely different magical powers. The first one, I have sensed in the current principal. The hot magic, full of warmth."

"The second one... is dark, full of fear... somewhat similar to a certain student, but completely different."

"You have extraordinary magic power, outstanding talents, and you are pure blood." The Sorting Hat's voice became louder and louder, as if it was about to announce its decision. At the last moment, however, it fell suddenly into silence, before announcing in a firm tone: "Gryffindor!"

"Thank you." Ariana was satisfied with the result. She did not notice the Sorting Hat's hesitation and readily accepted the decision.

Compared with the first-year students, she is more mature mentally and has no special tendency towards the four colleges. But considering the Obscurus in his body, and the need to stay with Hermione to suppress it. She had no choice but to go to Gryffindor.

The Gryffindor little lions gave warm applause, and the Weasley twins quickly made room and invited her to come and sit.

However, Ariana's eyes were firm and she completely ignored their invitation. She walked right past them and sat down next to Hermione.

The sorting ceremony was still going on, and the freshmen stepped forward one by one, nervously and expectantly waiting for the Sorting Hat's decision. Slytherin has welcomed many new blood, and without exception they are all children of pure-blood families.

Rogge looked at the Sorting Hat with a hint of contempt in his eyes. He kept preaching unity, but his actions invisibly deepened the rift between the four houses.

Dumbledore finally stood up, his eyes gentle and tolerant, looking around the entire auditorium, looking in the direction of Gryffindor from time to time, as if looking for a specific face.

Harry Potter noticed the headmaster's gaze, and he felt both nervous and a little happy. Throughout the summer vacation, and even longer, he felt that the principal was deliberately keeping a distance from him, and this alienation made him feel confused and lost.

"Welcome our new students." Dumbledore's voice was loud and passionate. He opened his arms with a happy and bright smile on his face. "Welcome our old students as well. Welcome back to this place full of magic and miracles! "

His words were filled with warmth and joy that seemed to melt the hardest hearts in the world. However, when he looked at Ariana, her reaction was cold and disdainful.

"Before the banquet officially begins, there are a few things that need to be explained in particular." He still looked at Ariana, even though the other party snorted and turned away to completely ignore him.

"Ah..." Dumbledore's voice trembled a little. He took a deep breath and continued in a firm tone: "Miss Ariana only joined our Hogwarts family this year for some special reasons. She She will enter fifth grade directly, and our professors will help her catch up on her previous studies.”

He felt Ariana's eyes full of hostility and hatred, and touched his nose awkwardly, but Dumbledore still maintained the majesty and demeanor of the principal and continued his speech: "I firmly believe that Miss Ariana can successfully complete her studies and take OWLs exams with her classmates.”

When the OWLs exam was mentioned, there was a commotion in the auditorium. The students in the sixth and seventh grades began to show off their excellent results and exaggeratedly described the difficulty of the exam, while the students in the lower grades curiously asked about the details of the OWLs exam and expressed their amazement at the achievements of their seniors.

There are only fifth grade students, who are anxiously thinking about how to pass this critical assessment. If you cannot get the certificate, you cannot continue to study advanced courses. In other words, they will graduate early and become unemployed wizards.

Dumbledore coughed a few times, and the noise in the auditorium gradually subsided. The students became quiet, looking forward to the principal's next announcement.

"The second thing," his voice sounded again, "besides Ariana, we have another freshman."

He paused, turned his eyes to the door of the auditorium, and continued: "Mr. Argus Filch."

"Who? Did I hear you correctly?" George Weasley shouted, thinking it was just a simple double name.

Like the other students, he followed Dumbledore's gaze and saw Mr. Filch. Filch hugged Mrs. Norris tightly, his face filled with excitement and pride.

After countless nights of carving runes, his mental power finally grew enough, turning him from a squib into a "wizard."

Although the magic power in his body is so weak, it is not even comparable to that of a 10-year-old freshman. But as the first person in the wizarding world to successfully awaken magic, Dumbledore gave him the qualification to learn.

"Ahem." Dumbledore smiled and continued to introduce: "As the administrator of Hogwarts Castle, Mr. Filch has been relentlessly pursuing the path of magic. He successfully awakened his magic power and possessed Get your own wand.”

"Given Mr. Filch's age and his job responsibilities (mainly due to his relatively weak magical powers), he will be attending part of the course as an auditor."

He paused, then added: "Besides, Mr. Filch will not be taking our exams."

"Wow..." Countless frogs croaked instantly in the auditorium, and the students looked at Filch with envy.

Especially the two brothers Fred and George were so jealous that their eyes lit up. They thought how great it would be if they could switch identities with Filch and play pranks freely in Hogwarts as auditors, without having to worry about their studies and listening to their mother's nagging after holidays.

Dumbledore finally warned everyone to stay away from the Forbidden Forest. In his cheerful voice, the banquet officially began. The students looked at the food on the table and started eating quickly.

However, the principal completely lost interest in the sumptuous food in front of him. His eyes narrowed slightly, forming the shape of a crescent moon, and his eyes never left Ariana. He felt that he must inform Aberforth of the good news about his sister's return...

Suddenly, Dumbledore thought of something and his expression became serious. He thought to himself: "Aberforth must have known that my sister was coming back, but he deliberately hid it from me. Even Ariana was unwilling to acknowledge me as his brother."

There was a trace of disappointment in his expression, but soon he cheered up again and the smile reappeared on his face. While he shared this joy with the professors, he mentally planned to find an opportunity to have a good talk with Ariana, hoping to bridge the gap between them and rebuild the long-lost family relationship.