Chapter 468: A Big Pink Toad

Soon, the swaying carriage stopped beside the stone steps outside the oak gate of Hogwarts. Everyone got off the carriage one by one and followed the crowd into the castle's entrance hall.

Harry, who was walking behind, looked back frequently with obvious worry on his face.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Ron noticed his strangeness and couldn't help asking.

"Hagrid didn't come. He always came to welcome the new students in previous years. I wonder how he is doing and when he will be able to finish his work?" Harry answered in a low voice with a frown.

After joining the Order of the Phoenix, some information was no longer deliberately concealed from them, so they all knew that Hagrid was not at school this time, but went to the giant tribe to carry out the dangerous mission assigned by Dumbledore - to try to persuade the giants to support the Order of the Phoenix.

Sirius once revealed that this task was not only difficult but also full of danger, because the mysterious man was also trying to win the allegiance of the giant tribe, and conflicts were inevitable.

Hermione's expression was equally solemn. She had also heard at the meeting of the Order of the Phoenix that Fudge was trying to interfere in the affairs of Hogwarts and even sent his deputy, Umbridge, to the school.

She was very worried because contact with the giant tribe was strongly prohibited by the Ministry of Magic. Once Umbridge became suspicious, the powerful Deputy Minister might target Hagrid for various reasons, expel him from Hogwarts, or even send him to Azkaban.

A few people vaguely discussed Hagrid's situation and walked through the hall into the golden hall.

It was not until this moment that Harry realized that although he had been staying in Swann Manor without feeling anything, his situation was actually much worse than he had expected.

The eyes of the entire auditorium were almost instantly focused on him, making him feel a suffocating sense of oppression.

Many little wizards and their friends lowered their heads and murmured, pointing at him with a look of excitement and contempt.

Harry didn't have to guess to know that the words would be bad - liar, sensationalist, or something worse.

Whenever he passed by those people, they would pretend to shut up, but the disgust in their eyes was not concealed at all, as if they were looking at a broken dung bomb.

Harry followed Ron without looking away, along the Gryffindor table, to the seats that Fred and George had taken.

After Harry sat down, the students started pointing at him again.

"Harry, don't care about those people's eyes and don't be angry." Hermione couldn't help it, and whispered to comfort him after sitting down.

Harry shrugged and waved his hand in a nonchalant manner: "Oh, why should I be angry?"

"I can only feel pity for those people," he sneered, with a bit of disdain in his tone, "They have no thoughts of their own, they only blindly believe what is written in the Daily Prophet, just like puppets."

"Even though they have the Swan Media news as a comparison, they are still unwilling to think about it. This is just a paramecium."

"Besides, the Daily Prophet has long since degenerated into a second-rate tabloid. It only uses exaggerated reports every day to attract attention in order to sell its newspapers. If you believe them too much, you will become a fool, even worse than a paramecium."

"Dude," Ron was amused by Harry, "I think you're saying that more than half of the wizarding world are idiots."

"That's right. They only want to believe what the Ministry of Magic wants them to see," Harry said calmly. "If they are not stupid, they can find the problem with a little brainpower."

"Harry," Colin Creevey ran to Harry and shouted, "I believe what you said is true. The media are slandering you. I will continue to support you with the Harry Potter fan club."

Just then, Professor McGonagall led the first-year students into the auditorium. Seeing this, Colin hurried back to his seat and waited for the sorting ceremony to begin.

The first-year students looked pale, as if they were worried about the upcoming test.

Looking at the trembling little guys in the team, Harry couldn't help but smile, and instantly remembered that he was the same back then. Moreover, because he believed Sebastian's nonsense about fighting a giant octopus when passing through the Black Lake, he was even more embarrassed than these little guys.

Although it was still a little embarrassing to recall these past events now, Harry felt warm in his heart, and inadvertently, even the depressed mood caused by everyone's discussions brightened up.

As all the teachers and students in the school waited, the Sorting Hat moved, grinned and sang loudly.

"Long ago I was a new hat..."

The song of the Sorting Hat is completely different from previous years. It is no longer a humorous and cheerful tune, but a deep and magnetic tone. It tells the story between the four founders of Hogwarts, and uses these past events to warn the wizards present to unite and face future challenges together.

The sound of the Sorting Hat stopped, and sparse applause broke out in the Great Hall. The students lowered their voices in twos and threes, discussing the meaningful warning of the Sorting Hat, but after feeling Professor McGonagall's sharp gaze, the young wizards shut up obediently, and the Great Hall became quiet again.

Then, under the auspices of Professor McGonagall, the sorting ceremony proceeded in an orderly manner. She read out the names of the new students one by one, and the sorting hat announced their affiliation based on their personalities.

After the Sorting Ceremony, Dumbledore stood up, opened his arms, welcomed everyone with a warm and firm tone, and then announced the start of the dinner.

"Look, that's Umbridge that Sirius mentioned, the Deputy Minister of Magic and our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor." Hermione reminded everyone in a low voice, "We also saw her in our third year. She suppressed the Dementors, which resulted in a riot."

Following Hermione's gaze, Harry recognized her. He had seen this person before during the trial. She was sitting behind Fudge at the time, but she didn't speak the whole time.

So this is Umbridge!

Today she was wearing a pink cardigan, her short curly grey-brown hair was clinging to her round face, she was short and plump, and she always had a smile on her face that was so sweet that it made people uncomfortable.

When the professors around saw the witch, their expressions all showed a hint of slight disgust or discomfort.

George was cutting steaks and glanced at Umbridge who was also cutting steaks: "I don't like her. She looks like a toad, and she's pink."

"It does affect her appetite," Ginny agreed. "Hasn't anyone warned her that her taste in pink is problematic?"

Several people lowered their voices and whispered to each other.

"You are old, but you still think you are a girl under ten years old."

"I heard from Sirius that she is still unmarried. Old ladies like this are the scariest."

"why?"

"He is mentally twisted and cannot stand seeing others doing well."

"By the way, Harry," Fred winked at Harry, "I heard from Sirius that this guy is Fudge's brain trust and often comes up with some disgusting ideas."

"Yes," George nodded. "Dumbledore and your tragic experience must have been caused by her. So, we plan to help you get a simple revenge and collect some interest from her."

Fred and George looked at each other, grinned at the same time, and then gestured for everyone to look towards the professor's seat.

At this moment, Umbridge, who had just taken a sip of wine, stiffened her expression, and she felt a warm feeling flowing out of her nose.

She reached out and touched it, and found that her hand was red.

Is this... a nosebleed?