Chapter 46.

  The opening dinner began in the same manner as st year.

  After the S Hat sang its unpleasant song, the S Ceremony enced, with first-year students putting on the S Hat to determine which house they would belong to. The hat would loudly annouhe house most suitable for each student.

  Among this year's first-year students was a familiar face to Soren, Daphne's younger sister, Astreengrass.

  Daphne came to Soren's partment because she o settle her sister orain beforehand, which caused her to dey quite a bit, allowing Luna to sneak into Soren's partment before she and Meredith arrived.

  Astoria resembled Dapho some extent, also haviiful blond hair, but her plexion hi a frail pallor—Daphne had mentiohat Astoria's bloodline curse had been activated, rendering her weak and sickly since childhood. Soren remembered from the inal story that she married Drad had a child, but she did not survive the backsh of the bloodline curse and died young.

  Unsurprisingly, Astoria was sorted into Slytherin, joining her sister in the same house.

  This year's new Slytheriured quite a few good prospects.

  Soren's magical eye detected powerful magical fluctuations in several of the udents, surpassing that of their peers, which typically indicated exceptional magical talent and suggested they had received family training in magic before entering school—Hestia Carrow, Flora Carrow... Soren silently itted these o memory.

  Then Professor Dumbledore stood up to speak, and the hall immediately fell silent.

  "Wele!" Dumbledore said, the dlelight shimmering on his beard, "Wele back to Hogwarts! I have a few things to share with all of you, one of which is very important, so I think it best to crify it before you enjoy the delicious feast and your minds get muddled..."

  Dumbledore cleared his throat and tinued, "Our school is currently hosting a few Dementors from Azkaban. They have bee by the Ministry of Magic to carry out their duties, as you must already know, because they ducted a sear the Hogwarts Express."

  "They are statio the very entrance of the school," Dumbledore tinued, "I must be clear: when they are present, no one is allowed to leave the school without permission. Any trickery, gimmicks, or disguises will not fool the Dementors—even including invisibility cloaks." He added lightly, "Dementors do not uand excuses or pleas. Therefore, I remind everyone here, do not give them a reason to harm you. I expect the prefects and our newly elected Head girl and boy to ehat no student es into flict with the Dementors."

  This year's Head boy is Percy Weasley. He uffing out his chest and looking around with an air of self-importance.

  The Head Girl is Penelope Clearwater, who, it is said, has bee Percy's girlfriend.

  To outsiders, they seem to be a perfect match, yet Soren, familiar with the plot, is not optimistic about their retionship; Percy is an ambitious person, and to him, Penelope, a Muggle-born witch, only be a romantiterest, while a woman who could assist his career would be a suitable marriage partner.

  Slytherin's Gemma Farley was ed. Soren had already learned from Gemma's letters over the summer that Gemma's disappoi was evideween the lines.

  To be ho, Gemma is indeed very capable and a dedicated, enthusiastic prefect. However, pario Penelope, Penelope undoubtedly excelled academically, making her ele as Head girl well-deserved.

  Soren had already worded his reply to Gemma with f remarks, but of course, he still rejected the invitation Gemma took the opportunity to extend. This was not due to Soren's disdain femma's e; rather, he felt he already had enough female friends around him and did not want to plicate matters of the heart.

  "What's truly exg," Dumbledore suddenly raised his voice, causing everyoo perk up, "is that this year, I am pleased to wele three eachers to our ranks."

  "The first is Professor Remus Lupin, who has graciously agreed to fill the va the Defense Against the Dark Arts course." The appuse arse, and a few teachers cpped a few times before awkwardly stopping.

  The students had not much fiden Dumbledore's ability to find a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher after the upheavals of the past two years. Professor Lupin, looking frail and easily toppled like a sickly man, donned a patched robe, resembling Professor Quirrell from their first year.

  "Look at Professor Snape!" Daphne whispered.

  Soren's gaze turo the staff table, where he found Professor Snape gring at Lupin with predatory iy.

  Clearly, due to old grudges from their youth, Snape's opinion of Lupin was less than favorable. He must have been worried that Lupin would bring Sirius Bto the school tet Harry, but his hostility was so btant that everyone assumed he was just frustrated about failing to apply for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position again.

  Lupin maintained his posure well; in the face of the terrifying silence from both the stage and the audience, he revealed ion, merely smiling as he looked out at the students. Fortunately, Dumbledore stepped in just in time to ease the tension.

  "As for the sed teacher," Dumbledore sighed regretfully, "our Care of Magical Creatures professor, Professor Kettleburired at the end of st term to enjoy more time with his old limbs. However, I'm pleased to annouhat the person stepping into his role is her than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to teach this css in addition to his duties as Keeper of Keys and Grounds."

  The appuse erupted once more, this time particurly enthusiasti the Gryffindor table.

  "As for the third teacher," Dumbledore's gaze wandered casually over the Slytherin table, making Soren hold his breath anxiously. He hoped there wouldn't be any ges due to Lucius being ousted from the board st year.

  "Hogwarts has, after some discussion and effort from the board of governors, decided to reintroduce the elective css of Alchemy for this year's third-year students. We are delighted to wele the renowned Master of Alchemy, Professor Ibis Bock, to teach this new course." Dumbledore poio an elderly man in a luxurious bck velvet robe seated at the staff table. He stood and bowed to the four tables below.

  This time, the appuse was noticeably more enthusiastic, especially from the Slytherin table.

  While Professor Bock's skills, aplishments, and fame might not match those of Niel, he was still a well-known figure in alchemy, a rarity in the British wizarding world. Over thirty years ago, he presented a research paper on Vanishing ets at an Iional Alchemy ference, establishing himself as a specialist in the field of Vanishing ets and spatial magical items.

  If Soren was not mistaken, the Vanishing et in Bin and Burkes, which was repaired, had been handled by him, but the other et lio it had ended up at Hogwarts under unknown circumstances, which was why it had never been used.

  After the dinner cluded and they returo the on room, Soren was stopped by Pansy, whom he hadn't seen all summer. After a summer apart, Pansy had grown taller and turned into a lovely young girl. Behind her were several irls, including Tracey and Audrey, all of whom were gazing at Soren with eager eyes, making him suddenly feel like a prized delicacy.

  Pansy fshed a pyful smile and teased him, "Soren, I heard you were as usual amazing orain, able to drive away the Dementors! ell did you use?"

  The Slytherins who had been heading back to their dorms slowed their pace, ears tuned in to eavesdrop. The proud Slytherins wouldn't lower themselves to ask Soren directly but were eager to caty information on how to fend off Dementors.

  "It wasn't anythi; I used the Patronus Charm, which is rather obscure and advanced, used to repel Dementors," Soren replied quickly. "It was my first time using it, so I could only produce a little bit ht light and couldn't form a plete corporeal Patronus. If you all want to learn it, I teach you." The girls nodded eagerly, and otle blonde girl standing behind Daphne, with a youthful face full of admiration for Soren, was her than Daphne's sister, Astoria.

  With Daphne's introdu, Astoria, like a faing her idol, was excited and starry-eyed as she got to know Soren.

  Daphne clearly cares deeply for her sister; she does not hesitate to entrust Soren, hoping that Soren take care of her sister. Soren has always wao establish a good retionship with the two sisters and the Greengrass family to build her initial es, so she naturally agrees without hesitation.

  The new semester has begun, and everyone is once again immersed in inteudy.

  The coursework ihird grade is at least two subjects more than in the sed grade, making study time even more pact than before.

  On the first m of school, Soren first attended a Transfiguration css with Hufflepuff.

  Professonagall demonstrated Animagus transformation and expihe underlying principles.

  Animagus is regarded as the highest achievement in Transfiguration, allowing wizards to transform into animals while retaining human sciousness, and they ge baan form at any time without a wand. However, oransformed into an animal, they ot use magiost of the time it only be used for three purposes: lurking, gathering intelligence, and esg.

  These three purposes are still based on the premise that the Animagus is nistered with the Ministry of Magic.

  If someone knows in advance about the transformed state, then the practicality of these three purposes will signifitly decrease, and there is also the risk of beio Azkabae Sirius Bck's cims of innod that being beled a Death Eater was a miscarriage of justice—if he were reported as an illegal Animagus, he would still have to return to Azkaban.

  Soren thought this magic is rather useless—due to the plexity of being an Animagus, wizards only turn into ordinary animals because the souls of magical creatures are more plex than those of ordinary animals. Transf into a magical creature could lead to unimaginable disasters.

  As for turning into small animals like cats, dogs, or mice, Soren really ot see any practical use. Wild cats and dogs are not on oreets of Engnd, and being a wild dog would carry the risk of being forcibly captured by Muggle authorities.

  Moreover, the type of animal an Animagus transforms into has a certain level of randomness; while the transformed shape usually reflects the caster's mind, what it ultimately turns into is uable. If oo transform into a stag like James Potter, it would lose its only disguising purpose; aside from apanying his werewolf friend, Soren ot think of any practical use.

  You might say Sirius used it to deceive Dementors? A skilled Occlumency spell could easily do that as well.

  You might say Sirius used it to cross the prison bars? A skilled Transfiguration or shrinking spell could do that too.

  You might say Sirius infiltrated the heavily guarded Hogwarts? Skilled Disguising Magic is even more effective.

  Furthermore, the form an Animagus takes is very likely to be the same as the caster's Patronus form. Soren was already able to perform a plete corporeal Patronus at home during the summer, which is one of the reasons he decided to give up on being an Animagus.

  , he attended a Charms css with Ravencw, where Professor Flitwick expined how charms influeions and demonstrated five mental charms: Happiness Charm, Sadness Charm, Rage Charm, Ay Charm, and Fear Charm, assigning the students to write a paper on charms aions as homework.

  Harry and the trio also atteheir first Divination css. During lunews of Professor Trewney's predi that Harry saw a "Grim" spread throughout Hogwarts, and when viewed alongside Sirius's escape, many began to avoid Harry at all costs.

  Ron did not speak out, but he was indeed very wary of the Grim, w about Harry's safety while also secretly reminding himself to be cautious this semester. Hermione, oher hand, thought Professor Trewney was just trying to be mysterious and ended up arguing with Ro.

  The Grim seems to suggest "unlucky" at face value, but in the world of Divination, it actually represents the Grim Reaper, meaning that anyone who sees a Grim is said to face a "death omen."

  *****

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