Chapter 806: Opening Party
From morning to evening, the Hogwarts Express traveled at a speed that was completely inconsistent with its name.
As they approached Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick went to the prefects' carriage to explain things. Professor Sprout didn't go there. She was trimming the excess branches and leaves of a Christmas cactus.
Kyle sat there, staring out the window in a daze.
Before this, he was actually worried about how to hold the Hogwarts opening party.
If the most important thing before this event was the sorting of freshmen, then this year it must be Dumbledore's speech.
It’s not that the freshman sorting this year is not important, it’s just that people don’t care that much about it, especially in this situation, most people obviously want to see Dumbledore more.
He doesn't need to do anything, just showing up can put everyone at ease.
Maybe this is also the reason why Dumbledore prepared in advance and let Kyle impersonate him.
If he didn't even show up at the opening party, it would inevitably lead to bad associations, including the possibility that the Death Eaters would make some attempts on the school.
Of course, as long as he shows up, there is no need to worry about these.
Since the week before school started, Kyle had been wondering when Dumbledore would be back.
To be honest, he did disappear for quite a while, and the closer it got to the start of school, the more worried Kyle became.
First of all, time travel is actually not safe and is full of uncertainties. Under normal circumstances, there cannot be two Dumbledores in the same period of time. Once they see each other, they may accidentally kill their past or future "selves".
For example, if the Dumbledore in the past killed the "Dumbledore" who went back using the time turner, then he would have been truly dead during that time period and naturally could not come back.
If Dumbledore who returned killed his current self, the situation would only be worse. As for what exactly happened... no one knows, because the people who experienced it did not leave any information at all.
Although Kyle believed that Dumbledore would not make such a common sense mistake, he was not so sure when it came to Ariana.
Even the most sober-minded people can lose their composure when faced with the things they care about most, and even Dumbledore is no exception.
If he gets carried away and wants to save Ariana, he will inevitably have an intersection with his past self, and anything can happen.
Another very important point is his return.
If a normal wizard had used the time-turner, Dumbledore would have lived in the past for a hundred years until August of this year, when he would return to Bathilda's home in Godric's Hollow to complete the time loop.
That was when he used the time-turner to leave.
But this did not happen. A month has passed and he still hasn't shown up.
One of the reasons is the problem with the time-turner. According to Nico, because it has been repaired, it may cause Dumbledore's time point to fall into a special deviation.
In other words, the system is stuck, the screen is frozen, but the outside world is normal.
However, Nico also said that even if this situation occurs, it will only last for a few days at most, and will not be stuck for a month.
In order to avoid this risk, Nico also gave a second option, which is to use the time converter to come back.
This is also the reason why he chose to create another Philosopher's Stone and use it as the core of the time converter. The magic power provided by the Philosopher's Stone is enough to support him to travel through time twice.
But Dumbledore didn't seem to choose this method, he just disappeared out of thin air.
Before today, Kyle had wondered if Dumbledore was too old and had died of old age one day in the past hundred years. If that was the case, he really wouldn't be able to show up.
But he just dismissed the idea.
Wizards generally have a long lifespan. For example, the previous headmaster of Hogwarts, Armando Dippet, lived to be over 300 years old and is still alive and well. Bathilda is also over 100 years old.
Even a witch selling snacks on a train can live to be nearly 200 years old, not to mention Dumbledore who has profound magical powers. As long as he doesn't commit suicide, there is no problem for him to live to 200 years old.
But why hasn't he come back yet, Kyle couldn't figure it out.
Another whistle sounded, bringing Kyle back to his senses.
There was a commotion outside the box... The Hogwarts Express had arrived.
Kyle stood up subconsciously.
"You don't have to rush." Professor Sprout said, "It's best not to let others know that you are coming to Hogwarts."
Her meaning was simple, asking Kyle to wait a while before leaving. Kyle understood, nodded, and sat back down.
Professor Sprout then left the carriage and led the other students off the train.
Kyle just sat in the car and watched the crowds of people outside.
He also saw a huge figure. Hagrid, like in previous years, was holding the oil lamp that had been used for who knows how many years, and came to pick up the new students to cross the river to the castle.
Twenty minutes later, the last group of students took a carriage to the castle. The surroundings returned to silence. Kyle also came outside and looked up at the castle hidden in the night.
"How do you feel? Come back in another identity." Professor McGonagall, who was responsible for sending the students, turned back and walked to Kyle's side.
"I can't say." Kyle spread his hands, "But if I had a choice, I really wouldn't want to come. I believe that few graduates would want to come back either."
"That's understandable," said Professor McGonagall, smiling, "but Dumbledore must appear at the opening banquet."
"I understand, otherwise I would have run away long ago." Kyle said, "By the way, Professor McGonagall, how much is the headmaster's salary?"
"Salary?" Professor McGonagall felt a little confused as to what Kyle was thinking. How come they were just talking about school and suddenly they were talking about salary?
But she thought about it and said, "It shouldn't be less than 200 Galleons."
Her monthly salary is 200 Galleons, so the principal's should be higher.
"Is this money for me?" Kyle asked, "After all, I am here to replace Dumbledore, so it is reasonable for me to take his salary."
"That makes sense." Professor McGonagall couldn't help rubbing her forehead. "Well, we should go there too. Like I said just now, Dumbledore must be at the opening banquet."
"Okay." Kyle sighed and walked into the castle gate with mixed feelings.
However, they did not rush to the castle, but went to the principal's office on the eighth floor first.
Inside were several robes that had been prepared in advance.
"These are the styles that Dumbledore likes. Pick one," said Professor McGonagall. "Hurry up."
Kyle took a look.
My goodness, purple... lavender... lavender stripes, dark purple with gold edges, there are so many robes, but not a single one of them suits Kyle's aesthetic taste.
Professor McGonagall was urging him, so Kyle had no choice but to pick out a blue robe that he liked, put Dumbledore's hair into the Polyjuice Potion, and drank it.
Polyjuice Potion is a magical potion that smells terrible by itself, but when added to hair it becomes another different smell, and it's different for everyone, a bit like...Bibi Multi-Flavor Beans.
As for the bottle that Kyle drank... I wonder if the sugar that Dumbledore had added to the tea before had accumulated in his hair, a bit like syrup mixed with honey.
It was so sweet that it tasted bitter. Kyle almost vomited it.
……
Meanwhile, in the auditorium.
Because Professor McGonagall was not there, the freshmen were sorted by Professor Flitwick, but few students around paid attention to the Sorting Hat.
They all stared in the direction of the teacher's seat and the side door entrance next to it.
"Dumbledore's not here." Ron muttered quietly, "What on earth is he busy with? He didn't even attend the Sorting ceremony."
"I don't know, and no one knows where he is." Harry said worriedly, "Is Hogwarts really safe without Dumbledore?"
"Don't worry, this castle not only has Headmaster Dumbledore, but also Professor McGonagall and the others." Hermione on the side was not so worried. "Besides, this place has existed for a thousand years and has various protective spells. The Death Eaters dare not break in."
"I hope so," said Harry.
He still felt that Hermione's ideas were a little too optimistic.
Without Dumbledore, the protective magic in the castle might not be able to stop Voldemort.
There are many people who share the same idea as him. From the time the freshmen came in until now, students whispering to each other can be seen everywhere in the auditorium, and it has been noisy all the time.
And as time went on, the sound got louder.
"Oh, look there!"
Just as Harry was daydreaming, he suddenly felt someone pushing him hard.
Ron was patting his shoulder excitedly and pointing in the direction of the side door.
"Look, Dumbledore is here!"
When Harry looked up, he saw Dumbledore who had just walked in. He was wearing a blue robe and was talking to Professor McGonagall next to him.
"They must have been delayed by something." Ron's voice was obviously more relaxed than before. "Remember? Professor McGonagall saw us get on the carriage and left in a hurry. I guess she must have gone to see Dumbledore at that time."
"That's obvious." Hermione said. He looked at Dumbledore and frowned in confusion. "Strange, why do I feel like the headmaster seems a little nervous?"
"How is that possible?" Ron said nonchalantly, "It's just a sorting ceremony. He has participated in it countless times. How could he be nervous?"
"That's true. Maybe I'm dazzled." Hermione didn't care.
"Go slower."
In the direction of the teacher's seat, Professor McGonagall said in a low voice with a stern face, without moving her mouth: "You are the headmaster, you don't have to walk so fast."
"I know, but I have no experience." Dumbledore... no, it should be said that it was Kyle who drank the Polyjuice Potion and said in a low voice.
Who had been a principal before this? How would he know how fast is considered normal to walk?
"Don't talk, follow me!" Professor McGonagall said again, then walked to the teacher's seat and pulled open the chair in the middle.
This served as a reminder to Kyle where to sit.
"Oh, Albus, why are you here so late?" Professor Flitwick asked with a wink.
"Something delayed me." Kyle took a deep breath and quickly recalled Dumbledore's previous performance. "I really wish I hadn't missed the Sorting Ceremony."
"Then you have to come ten minutes earlier," said Professor Sprout.
She performed much better than Professor Flitwick, and it felt like she was really talking to Dumbledore.
This was also what they had agreed upon, to speak proactively and prevent other professors from chatting with the principal as much as possible.
With the arrival of 'Dumbledore', the hall gradually became quiet, and the sound of the Sorting Hat could finally be heard.
"Gryffindor!"
A new student completed the sorting, and Kyle applauded along with the other professors.
He really wanted the sorting to be slow, preferably until the end.
Because when he was sorting the houses, he only had to sit and applaud, and he didn't have to do anything else.
But this idea is obviously impossible.
When the last new student was sorted into Ravenclaw, Professor Flitwick left with the Sorting Hat and the three-legged stool.
Kyle felt someone kick him from below. It was Professor McGonagall.
At the same time, he also remembered that according to the procedure, Dumbledore was supposed to speak at this time.
Then he stood up.
The eyes of hundreds of people in the audience turned to him at the same time. For no apparent reason, Kyle felt nervous.
"Welcome everyone to Hogwarts. I would like to say a few words before the banquet begins." He said subconsciously, and then reacted quickly.
"That's it. Eat it."
Kyle sat down, and there was thunderous applause all around.
The empty golden plates were immediately filled with sumptuous food, and the freshmen were so shocked that their mouths could not close.
Maybe it was because of his age, but looking at their surprised expressions, Harry was reminded of himself when he first entered school.
He was the same at that time, amazed at the delicious food that appeared on the plate.
"What does he mean by that?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.
"Who knows? Isn't Dumbledore always like this? Crazy and mad, always saying things that people can't understand." Ron, who had been hungry for a long time, grabbed a chicken leg. "But he is right about one thing."
"What?" Harry asked.
"He did say two brief sentences."
At the Ravenclaw table next door, Luna Lovegood looked at Dumbledore sitting at the teacher's table, tilted her head, and then looked at the person next to her.
"After graduating from Hogwarts, can you become the headmaster directly?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" said the person she asked with some disgust.
She glanced at the carrot earrings on Luna's ears and couldn't help but move them to the side, leaving a large space.
She didn't want to talk to Luna, and she didn't want others to misunderstand that she was friends with this famous crazy girl.
But Luna didn't care about her actions. She never cared about other people's attitude towards her, whether it was disgust or disdain, what did it have to do with her.
Luna glanced at Dumbledore on the stage again and said softly, "No? How strange."
But because there was no one around her, no one heard this sentence.
As the students started eating, the professors were also eating.
Kyle had already set his eyes on a piece of fragrant grilled steak. The steak was grilled to a light brown color and served with garlic. It must be delicious.
But before he could make a move, the steak was taken away by Professor McGonagall, who calmly moved a plate of frosted raspberry pie over.
Kyle finally reacted.
Yes, he is Dumbledore now, and this identity must be kept secret not only from students, but also from most professors.
But Dumbledore doesn't like steak, he only likes sweet food.
Kyle looked at the thick layer of frosting on the pie... If he took a bite of this, his throat would probably be choked up.
At this moment he really regretted it.
Whether it was Voldemort or those robes that did not conform to his aesthetic taste, they only made Kyle hesitate, but now, he really regretted taking this job.
I can tolerate clothes and stuff like that, but my taste... sorry, as a Hufflepuff, I really can't tolerate that.
Kyle smiled and silently put down his cutlery.
"Albus, what's wrong with you?" Astronomy professor Aurora Sinistra, who happened to see this scene, couldn't help but ask, "No appetite?"
Professor McGonagall also looked over, with a hint of nervousness in her eyes.
"No, I was just thinking that I really shouldn't have gone to see Newt this afternoon."
"Newt Scamander?" Professor Sinistra asked.
"Yes, his wife Tina fell in love with making cookies, and I ate them for a whole afternoon. I thought they tasted good at the time, but now it seems that this was a really wrong decision."
Kyle sighed and looked at the frosted pie with a reluctant look, "Would it be a bit rude if I took it away?"
"Of course not." Professor Sinistra had no doubt. "To be honest, you're the only one who likes this."
……
