Section 1

In the dark and long foyer, torches cast ancient and mysterious light and shadow on the marble stairs. The students were soaked, and the water dripped down their hair and robes, making the already slippery ground worse.

Sauron walked among the students, as the crowd slowly moved, his narrow pupils shone with a glimmer of light, and he looked around aimlessly. There seemed to be a riot on the other side of the crowd. He looked up and saw that the Pipi who loved to play pranks was floating twenty feet above their heads. He was short, wearing a hat with a bell and an orange bow tie.

"Pipi Ghost!" a angry voice shouted, "Pipi Ghost, come down here quickly!"

Professor McGonagall, vice president and dean of Gryffindor College, rushed out of the auditorium. The ground was too wet, and she slipped under her feet and quickly grabbed the student beside her and did not fall.

"Pippi ghost, come down for me now!" Professor McGonagall shouted loudly. She tidied up the steep hat on her head and stared at it through the square glasses.

"I didn't do anything!" Pipi Ghost giggled and threw another water bomb at several fifth-grade girls. The girls screamed in fear, "They're already wet, right? Hey, little kid! Take me a shot!" He picked up another water bomb and threw it into the crowd below.

However, this time, the water bomb did not fall into the crowd - it stopped abruptly above the panicked students' heads, and then flew backwards at a faster speed under everyone's surprise eyes.

"Oh, damn-" Before Pipi Ghost could finish his words, the water bomb hit his broad ugly face, and frozen him into a large ice cube under everyone's surprise eyes. Obviously, the ice cubes would not fly, so the frozen Pipi Ghost fell straight from the air to the ground, shattering into several pieces like a funny sculpture.

For a while, everyone around was dazed at the fragments of Pipi Ghost. However, after Professor McGonagall turned out several brooms and swept the fragments that were still floating in the corridor, the short farce ended like this. The students walked into the hall one after another, and no one was worried about the life and death of Pipi Ghost piled in the corner of the wall. After all, he was dead and would not die again, but even if he was really destroyed from now on, no one would feel any regret.

The auditorium was still so glorious that it was specially decorated for the banquet for the new semester. Hundreds of candles floated above the table, making the golden plates and goblets shine. Four long college tables were already filled with chattering students. There was a fifth table at the front of the auditorium, and the teachers sat one by one on one side of the table, facing their students.

Sauron was still sitting in the old position next to the Slytherin table. On both sides of him were the Slytherin boys and Draco, while Isabella sat opposite him. Sauron's eyes swept across the sides of the table, and most people looked away in panic after seeing Sauron's eyes. However, Sauron didn't care. He noticed that there were many familiar faces missing at the table. They had graduated last year and entered society with the imprint of Slytherin Academy. Soon after, a group of new students will join Slytherin's team, completing the transformation from ignorant children to young wizards. In this year after year cycle, the Slytherin faction has flourished as a community of interests and has been able to grow and grow in this dark and cruel magical world like the jungle.

Blood Barrow floated at the dining table of Slytherin - he was a ghost of Slytherin Academy, his thin body was covered with silver-white blood. He was always taciturn, but just quietly observed everything around him, just as he had done in the long years in the past. Regarding Blood Barrow, Soren speculated that he and Pipi Ghost might have been a master-servant relationship during his lifetime, after all, he was the only person in Hogwarts who could really control Pipi Ghost.

Thinking of Pipi Ghost, Soren subconsciously looked at the table on Gryffindor on the other side of the auditorium and saw his twin brother sitting in the seat talking to others about something. Someone just frozen Pipi Ghost in the foyer. Maybe others don’t know who did it, but Sauron knew very well that the person was Harry. It has to be said that Harry’s rapid progress in magic surprised Sauron. After all, frozen a living person and frozen a ghost are completely different. Being able to do the latter easily means that Harry has truly touched that area that many wizards have unattainable for life.

Although Sauron had already predicted everything that had already or was about to happen to Harry, the anxiety and contradictions in his heart did not decrease at all. He knew that Harry would embark on the same path as himself and experience the same despair and pain as himself. Sauron knew very well about the power hidden deep in Harry's soul, and this meant that the price to pay for gaining power would be terrible and high.

At this time, the door of the auditorium opened and the hall immediately became quiet. Sauron turned around and saw Professor McGonagall leading a long row of first-year students to the top of the auditorium. If most of the students were soaked, it would be nothing compared to these first-year students. Looking at them, it was as if they were not taking a ferry, but swimming from the lake. They stood in a row along the faculty desks, stopped, and faced the students in the school.

At this time, Professor McGonagall placed a triple stool on the ground in front of the freshman, and placed a ragged, dirty, patched wizard hat on the stool. All the students looked at it, and for a moment, there was silence in the auditorium. Then a crack near the brim opened like a mouth, and the hat suddenly started singing:

That happened more than a thousand years ago.

I've just been knitted,

There are four famous wizards,

Their names have been passed down to this day:

...

The song of the branch hat was as unpleasant and boring as ever. When the shriveled and rough song ended, Professor McGonagall unfolded a large roll of parchment.

"When I call someone's name, I put my hat on my head and sit on a stool," she told the freshman. "When the hat is announced, I will sit at the corresponding table."

"Stuart Ackley!"

A boy walked forward and could be seen trembling from head to toe. He picked up his branch hat, put it on his head, and sat on the stool.

"Ravenclaw!" cried the school hat.

Stewart Ackley took off his hat and hurried to a seat next to Ravenclaw's table, and everyone at the table applauded and welcomed him.

"Malcolm Bardock!"

"Slytherin!"

Applause also sounded at Slytherin's dining table, expressing his welcome to the newcomers, but Sauron could also hear the booing sound. It was unnecessary to think that the sound came from the Gryffindors sitting on the other side of the auditorium. The two academy people disliked each other for a long time, both in and outside the school. However, Sauron didn't care about this, but he just took advantage of the branch ceremony to look at the teacher's seat on the high platform. There seemed to be no change in personnel. However, Sauron noticed that there was an empty seat on the seat, which probably was left for the teacher of the Black Magic Defense. On the other side of the table, Snape's face was gloomy, not knowing whether it was because he could not teach this class or something else...

Section 2

The ceremony was carried out step by step until the last student, Kevin Whitby, was assigned to Hufflepuff, and Professor McGonagall picked up the school hat and small stool and took them away. At this time, Dumbledore stood up, and he looked at all the classmates with a smile, spread his arms, and made a welcome gesture.

"I have only two words to say to you," he said, his deep voice echoing in the auditorium, "Eat!"

The originally empty plate on the table was suddenly filled with food magically, and the hungry students were happily eaten by the hungry students who had been tossing through the journey all day, and they were beautifully rewarded for their stomachs.

Finally, when the dessert was swept away, the last remaining debris on the plate disappeared, and the plate became clean and shiny again. At this time, Dumbledore stood up again. The buzzing voice in the hall stopped suddenly, and only the sound of strong wind and heavy rain could be heard.

"Okay!" Dumbledore looked at everyone with a smile and said, "Now we are all full and full of food and drink. I must ask everyone for attention again. I want to announce a few notices."

"Mr. Felch, the gatekeeper, hopes that I will tell you that this year, there have been several items that are prohibited in the castle, namely, Screaming Golf Balls, Teeth UFOs and Combo Back Darts. The entire list includes about 437 items, which can be seen in Mr. Felch's office, and those who are interested can check it out."

Dumbledore's mouth twitched a few times.

He continued: "As before, I would like to remind everyone that the forbidden forests on the other side of the venue are not allowed to enter, and no students under the third grade are allowed to visit Hogsmeade Village."

"I also have to tell you very regretfully that the Academy Cup Quidditch will not be held this year."

"What?" A surprising whistle sounded from the entire auditorium, and many people opened their mouths and stared at Dumbledore silently, as if they were surprised to speak. Dumbledore continued: "This is because a large event will begin in October and last the entire school year, occupying a lot of time and energy of teachers - but I believe you all can have a lot of fun from it. I am very happy to announce to you that this year is at Hogwarts-"

At this moment, a deafening thunder sounded, and the door of the auditorium slammed open.

A man stood at the door, leaning on a long crutch, wrapped in a black travel cloak. Everyone in the auditorium turned his head and looked at the stranger. Suddenly, a fork-shaped lightning flashed across the ceiling, causing many people to breathe uneasyly.

Lightning illuminated the man's face very clearly - it was carved on a piece of decaying wood, and the carver had only a vague concept of what the human face should be, and he was not very good at using the carving knife. Every inch of the face seemed to be scarred, the mouth was like a crooked hole, and the place where the nose should be raised was gone, but the most disturbing detail on the whole face was his eyes.

One of his eyes was very small, black and shiny; the other one was big, round like a coin, and a bright bright blue color. The blue eyes kept moving without blinking, turning up and down, left and right, completely irrelevant to the normal eye. Later, the blue eyes rolled and drilled into the man's head, and everyone could only see a big white eyeball.

Sauron stared at this man with a hint of coldness in his eyes - this is Mad Eyes Moody, a legend among Aurors. He has arrested many dark wizards with his own hands, including extremely dangerous figures. Until he retired a few years ago, half of the cells in Azkaban were filled with him.

Sauron was not unfamiliar with this ugly face, and could even be said to be impressed. A few years ago, it was the man in front of him who pursued him like an old dog and eventually sent him to the judgement table in Wiesengamo. However, the mad-eyed man also paid a heavy price - although Sauron was not as powerful as he was today at that time, his power was also dangerous and fatal. He left terrible trauma on the mad-eyed man. If Dumbledore hadn't taken action, the mad-eyed man would have died long ago.

The crazy-eyed man walked to Dumbledore. He stretched out his right hand, and the hand was as scarred as his face. Dumbledore shook his hand and whispered a few words, as if asking something. The crazy-eyed man shook his head without a smile, and answered in a low voice. Dumbledore nodded and signaled him to sit in an empty seat to the right.

The crazy-eyed man sat down, shook his head, shook his long gray-white hair away from his face, then pulled a plate of sausages and raised it to his incomplete nose to smell it. He took out a knife from his pocket, poked it in from one end of a sausage, and started eating. His normal eye was staring at the sausage, but the blue eye was still constantly turning around in the sockets, looking at the auditorium and the students. For a moment, his eyes looked at Soren. Although he quickly moved away, Soren still clearly noticed the change in the expression on the crazy-eyed man's face at that moment.

"Please allow me to introduce our new teacher in the Dark Magic Defense Arts class," Dumbledore happily broke the silence, "Professor Moody."

Generally speaking, when the new teacher meets everyone, everyone will applaud and welcome it, but now no teacher or student except Dumbledore and Hager applauds. Dumbledore and Hager slapped a few times and found that the applause echoed in the quiet auditorium and seemed lonely, so they tactfully put down their hands. Everyone else seemed stunned by Moody's strange appearance and stared at him intently.

However, the crazy-eyed man seemed to be indifferent to everyone's cold reaction. He ignored the large jar of pumpkin juice in front of him, but reached into his travel cloak, took out a curved wine bottle, and took a big sip. When he raised his arm to drink, the cloak he dragged to the ground was pulled up a few inches, revealing several inches of wood-carved prosthetic legs, and underneath it was a claw-shaped foot.

At this time, Dumbledore cleared his throat, which sounded particularly clear in the quiet hall.

"As I said," he said with a smile, looking at the many students in front of him—the students were still staring blankly at Mad-eyed Moody, "In the next few months, we will be honored to host a very exciting event that has not been held for more than a century. I am very happy to tell you that the Trio will be held this year at Hogwarts."

"You're kidding!" Fred Weasley yelled at Gryffindor's table.

The tension that had been shrouded in the auditorium since Moody entered the door was suddenly broken. Almost everyone laughed out loud, and persuaded Brideau to chuckle with appreciation.

"I'm not kidding, Mr. Weasley," he said, "but since you mentioned joking, I heard a very funny joke about a troll, a female yaksha and a leprechaun, who both entered the same tavern..."

Professor McGonagall cleared his throat very loudly.

"Oh--it's probably not suitable for this now...not suitable for it..." Dumbledore said, "Where did I just talk about it? Ah, by the way, the Triple Championship... Some of you don't know what the hell is going on, so I hope that some people who understand the situation can forgive me for explaining it here, and I allow their thoughts to be a little bit aside."

"The Triumph was founded about 700 years ago and is a kind of friendship competition between the three largest magic schools in Europe. These three schools are: Hogwarts, Busbaton and Demstrong. Each school selects a Warrior, and then the three Warriors compete for three magical projects. The Triumph is held every five years, and the three schools take turns to host it. Everyone agreed that this is an excellent way for young wizards to establish friendships between different countries - but later, the death toll was too many, and the Triumph was interrupted."

Speaking of this, Dumbledore paused slightly and swept his calm eyes across the hall.

“Over the centuries, people have tried to resume the championship several times,” Dumbledore continued, “but none of them were successful. However, the International Magic Cooperation Division and the Magic Sports Division of our Ministry of Magic believe that the time to try again is ripe. This summer we have done a lot of work to make sure that every warrior is not in danger of life.”

"In October, the principals of Boothbaton and Demstrong will lead their carefully selected competitors, and the selection of the Warriors will be held on Halloween. A fair referee will decide which students are most qualified to compete for the Final Three Cup, earn honors for their school, and individuals will receive a thousand Gallons."

For a moment, an excited voice sounded in the hall. It was obvious that Dumbledore's words aroused the enthusiasm of the students. In front of the tables of each college, someone could see either watching Dumbledore enthusiastically or whispering to the neighbors excitedly. But Dumbledore spoke again, and the auditorium became quiet again.

"I know you all want to win the Triumph for Hogwarts," he said. "But the participating schools and the Ministry of Magic agreed that there should be an age limit for this year's competitors. Only students over seventeen, that is, over seventeen, are allowed to sign up for consideration. We feel," Dumbledore raised his voice slightly, because some people protested angryly after hearing his words. "This measure is necessary, because the tournament is still very difficult and dangerous, and no matter how many precautions we take, it is impossible for students under six or seven to deal with. I myself will guarantee that no student of underage age deceives our fair referees and becomes the warrior of Hogwarts." His eyes swept across the hall again, and his blue eyes shining with meaningful light. "So, if you are less than seventeen, I ask you not to waste time applying."

"The delegation of Busbaton and Demstrong will arrive in October and spend most of the school year with us. I know that when our foreign guests stay here, you will be warm and friendly, and once the warriors of Hogwarts are finally selected, you will all support him or her wholeheartedly. Well, it's not too late, so it's very important to get you up and walk into the classroom tomorrow morning with a clear head. Go to bed! Hurry up!"

Dumbledore sat down and turned to talk to Mad-eyed Moody. The restaurant was clattering and ping-pong sounded, and the students stood up one after another, rushed to the two opposite doors and entered the foyer.

Sauron also walked towards the gate, Isabella followed him. Before walking out of the gate, Sauron turned around and looked at the direction of the teacher's seat. Dumbledore and the Crazy Eyes and several other professors were talking about something. A sneer appeared on the corner of Sauron's mouth, and he turned to walk into the darkness of the foyer.
Chapter completed!