The Welcoming Feast

Shortly after, the swaying carriage drew to a halt beside the stone steps of the oak front door, and Ivan stepped out to follow the flow of people into the castle.

Harry, who was in the back, kept looking back with a worried expression.

"What is it, Harry?" Yvonne asked, noticing his odd behaviour.

"Did you see Hagrid? He used to come and greet new students," Harry said, surprised.

"His classes were terrible last year. Maybe he was fired by Headmaster Dumbledore because of the number of complaints? I saw Professor Grubbly-Plank at the station earlier. She's probably taking over," Luna suggested.

"That's impossible!" Harry exclaimed, glaring at Luna. Professor Dumbledore would never fire Hagrid.

And he thought Hagrid's lessons were good, even though everyone seemed to like him…

"So you're planning on keeping a few more this term?" Luna asked airily.

Harry's words were stuck in his throat, his face twisting with uncertainty as he thought of the terrible things that had happened to them when Hagrid had told them to raise Blast-Ended Skrewts, and how they had been chased by a pack of them…

Hermione was also worried that Hagrid would be caught in Azkaban for breeding dangerous creatures…

While chatting about Hagrid's strange behaviour, they entered the Great Hall.

Hogwarts was brightly lit, with hundreds of candles floating in the air and bright sparks lighting the place up.

The room was filled with four long tables, and many of the early wizards had already sat down.

The new students of Hogwarts stood in an orderly fashion beside the dais, waiting for their turn at the Sorting. Several silver ghosts floated nearby, frightening the more timid of the new students.

Ivan glanced briefly around the Great Hall before turning his attention to the teachers' table. The golden high-backed chair in the middle of the room was empty, and Dumbledore was not in his place.

A witch in a pink cardigan was sitting next to it.

She had short, curly grey-brown hair, a short, plump figure, and a wide, sweet smile.

Snape, however, clearly did not want to talk to her, and responded with a stiff face.

Some of the professors looked mildly uncomfortable when they saw the witch.

' Umbridge, there she is,' muttered Ivan, narrowing his eyes.

Hermione followed Ivan's gaze and caught sight of the loathsome figure.

However, she was even more surprised when another person, Professor Grubbly-Plank, took Hagrid's place at the end of the table.

Noting this, Harry and the others gasped, fearing for Hagrid's safety…

"See, it's just as I thought … he's not fit to teach. He must have been fired," Luna said, shaking her head.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron scowled at her.

Yvonne agreed that Luna was being too blunt, but did not try to stop her.

Strictly speaking, Luna did not say anything wrong, except that it was inappropriate.

This was because Hagrid's teaching skills were terrible, and he was fond of bringing in large, ferocious-looking "cuddles" to his classes and trying to make everyone love them.

As for Hagrid's whereabouts, Ivan believes he must have followed Dumbledore's orders to negotiate with the giants.

After all, Hagrid is not Harry and is not worth being targeted by Lord Voldemort or the Death Eaters…

After stating her conclusion, Luna did not seem to realize that she had incurred the wrath of the Ravenclaw crowd. She bade them farewell with a natural expression and walked alone to the Ravenclaw table.

Yvonne and the others sat down at the Gryffindor table.

As soon as they were seated, the Sorting Hat on the stool moved, cracked open, and sang loudly.

"I was wearing a new hat a long time ago, before Hogwarts was built, and the four founders of the noble school thought they would never part ways…"

The singing voice of the Sorting Hat was no longer humorous and light-hearted as it used to be, but instead spoke with a deep, magnetic tone about the experiences of the founders of the four houses, reminding the wizards present to work together and abandon the House.

When the sound of the Sorting Hat stopped, there was a great round of applause in the Great Hall, mixed with whispers.

Many wondered why Headmaster Dumbledore had not arrived for the upcoming Sorting.

Ivan kept an eye on every professor's every move, trying to read their reactions, but they seemed to have received the news ahead of time and were not suspicious.

Umbridge was the only one who looked upset, as she considered the Headmaster's absence on such an important occasion a dereliction of duty, and questioned Professor McGonagall, who was sitting next to her.

Professor McGonagall gave a few perfunctory replies, then went on stage to preside over the Sorting Ceremony.

As McGonagall read out the names, the new students nervously stepped onto the platform, placed their hats on their heads, and nervously waited for the Sorting Hat to make a decision.

Every time the hat made a choice, the crowd cheered and applauded.

When the last student was seated, the doors to the Great Hall were flung open.

The sound of the door opening attracted everyone's attention, and the hall fell silent.

The next moment, Dumbledore entered the room, wearing a dark purple robe and a scarf.

Yvonne's eyes narrowed as she stared at Dumbledore, who, according to her, was in bad shape.

After all, it had been a full year since Dumbledore was injured by the Dark Arts on a Horcrux, and if he was not dead by now, he would at least be in a severely injured state, as evidenced by his prolonged absence throughout the summer holidays.

However, to Ivan's senses, this was not the case. Dumbledore was in surprisingly good shape, and his steps were steady and even more oppressive than before!

He had felt Dumbledore's presence before, during the confrontation with Lord Voldemort near the English village, and it was nothing compared to this.

Dumbledore was then like the setting sun, powerful but past its prime, but now as hot as the midday sun, heart-stoppingly hot…

How could this be? Had Dumbledore found a way to heal his wounds over the summer?

Ivan was stunned, and when he looked closely at Dumbledore, he saw that Dumbledore's right hand was still hidden in his sleeve. He could not see it, nor could he confirm Dumbledore's status…

In any case, Dumbledore is alive and well…

Ivan was somewhat relieved.