Chapter 1259 Halloween Banquet

Hogwarts' Halloween dinner this year was especially grand, with Dumbledore inviting the stars of "The Legend of Gryffindor," including Sirius Black and Lupin.

Dozens of meters away, Snape at the staff table could smell a nauseating odor.

He calmly raised his wine glass, tilted his head back, and decisively poured the freshly squeezed orange juice into his mouth.

Perhaps it was the perfect sweetness, for an elegant smile curved his lips.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at the scene. "What's wrong with that annoying guy?"

Lu Ping, who was standing next to him, followed the gaze and turned his head back, somewhat puzzled. "Never mind him. We rarely get to come back to school, so let's just enjoy the dinner."

The fifth season of "Gryffindor" has broken viewership records again, and the production team is busy preparing for the sixth season. If all goes well, filming can begin in mid-November.

Sirius Black looked away and put his hand on Lupin's shoulder. "Come on, let's go find Harry."

Hagrid wasn't at school, so although there wasn't a giant pumpkin at this year's Halloween dinner, they thoughtfully prepared many uniquely shaped tables and chairs.

Unicorns, dragons, basilisks, owls, sniffers, thunderbirds, winged demons... and even bats.

"Coo coo—" With a long-lost cry, a round, plump coo squeezed in through a small window of the Great Hall and landed heavily in front of Hermione.

She picked up Gugu in surprise, the heavy weight of the baby making her both laugh and cry. "Little guy, how did you get here all by yourself?"

Gugu shifted in her arms, struggling to stretch out its little wings and gesture as if to say something.

"Hmm... Did Uncle Eric bring you here? He went to Italy with Aunt Evelyn for the auto show?"

"Coo coo!" The little guy turned around and stared longingly at the food on the table.

Hermione reached out and rubbed its bouncy little belly, then placed it on the bat-shaped table. "Okay, remember to exercise more after you've eaten your fill."

Gugu made a casual sound and then buried its little head in the plate of fried pork cutlets.

Lavender leaned closer to Hermione with a gossipy look on her face. "Aren't you going to ask him if he's back yet? Didn't you go on a date with him in America last month? Those people at the Ministry of Magic are still sitting there like idiots."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh when she thought about how Scrimgeour and his friends had gone to great lengths only to be disappointed. "What date? We're going to an awards ceremony."

"Wow~" Lavender grinned mischievously, "Two whole days and two nights~ and you didn't do anything?"

Hermione quickly put on a serious face, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips. "What nonsense are you thinking? Don't you really like Heller Colbert, who plays Godric Gryffindor?"

She turned to look at Heller, who was surrounded by girls, and asked, "Are you sure you don't need a photo?"

Lavender shook his head. "Forget it. We've always been from two different worlds. For me, it's enough to just watch him from afar."

Hermione looked on in surprise. "You've accepted reality? This isn't like you at all."

Lavender smiled without saying a word, glancing at the dragon-shaped table next to him.

Parvati from their dorm had somehow wandered over there and was chatting and laughing with James, Gryffindor's number one "gentleman."

"Hermione, when do you think I'll meet my Mr. Right?"

"Hmm...maybe he's already here, but you just haven't noticed?"

Lavender shook his head and pushed the stewed beef in front of him to Gugu, "Let's not talk about this anymore, I need to lose weight, little guy, you can eat this too."

"Coo coo!" The cheerful cooing echoed in the auditorium.

Dumbledore, sitting at the staff table, smiled knowingly, a hint of regret appearing in his deep blue eyes behind his crescent-shaped spectacles.

Fudge has been focusing all his attention on the Muggle government lately and has no time to deal with things here. Even Kingsley, who was in charge of monitoring the school, has been sent by him to investigate Muggle energy projects. Hogwarts has finally returned to its original state.

Everyone was there, except Vincent.

A hint of worry crept into Dumbledore's eyes.

He knew that Umbridge's departure, the Beaufort Project, and the Muggle government's attitude were all related to Vincent, and he also knew that the path the other party had chosen was not as simple as being full of thorns.

Dumbledore closed his aged eyes and drifted into memories.

People who are enemies of the whole world usually don't have a good ending. Although Vincent hasn't reached that point yet, being an enemy of the entire magical world is terrible enough.

"Professor, what exactly do I need to do to completely break free from the shackles of these ridiculous rules?"

"I don't know, child. You know I've never thought that way."

Dumbledore opened his eyes with a wry smile.

It seems that being bound by rules for too long has made him pessimistic about everything.

If Fudge is a slave to power, then Dumbledore is a prisoner of responsibility.

The former is at least still pursuing something, while the latter has sentenced himself to "life imprisonment" in terms of morality and emotion, just like the name on the Marauder's Map, forever spinning, forever standing still.

Thinking of this, Dumbledore's eyes cleared.

He looked down at the basilisk-shaped table, where Sirius and Lupin were telling Harry about their funny experiences on set.

The future may get better, or it may get worse than ever before, but no matter what happens, his truest wish is to protect this campus full of laughter and joy.

With a loud "bang," a dazzling firework exploded in the sky above the auditorium.

"You two little bastards!" Filch appeared in the auditorium in a flash, his gaze instantly locking onto Fred and George. "I knew you two wouldn't be quiet tonight!"

The twins looked at each other, then separated, one on each side.

Fred rushed toward the marble staircase, while George ran toward the passageway behind the tapestry.

Filch let out a low growl and, without hesitation, chose to chase after Fred, who was closest to him.

"Come on, sir!" Fred shouted as he ran, "If you catch me—"

George's voice magically came from the floor above, "We'll let you hehehe~"

Dumbledore at the staff table almost burst out laughing.

November arrived in such a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere.

The first Quidditch match was between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Everyone thought it would be a "wonderful" duel, but the outcome was unexpected. More than half of the Slytherin players were out of form, and Gryffindor won easily. It was as bland as plain water.

Harry, who caught the Golden Snitch right under Draco's nose, felt no joy of victory, only an endless emptiness.

Come to think of it, Draco hasn't bothered him and Ron since the start of the semester. He's been absent-minded every day, and I don't know what's wrong with him.

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