When It Comes to Dark Dumbledore, I'm a Professional

"Harry Potter!"

When Professor McGonagall called out that name, the entire Great Hall fell silent in an instant. Then a buzzing murmur rose up as everyone whispered among themselves, talking about Harry Potter.

Andy saw many people stand up, seemingly wanting to see what was so special about the legendary Boy Who Lived who had defeated the Mysterious Man.

Even Dumbledore had turned his gaze toward Harry, apparently looking forward to Harry Potter's Sorting.

Although the prophecy concerning Harry Potter and Voldemort was a secret in the Wizarding World, in Andy's previous life, it had long spread far and wide. Even many people who had never read "Harry Potter" knew about it.

Andy had originally found it strange. Why would a powerful wizard like Voldemort believe in some so-called prophecy? But at this moment, Andy finally solved the mystery.

So Dumbledore had believed it.

Just think about it. An originally obscure Witch—though Trelawney came from a family of seers, she truly had been obscure—had foretold the death of the great Dark Lord Voldemort.

By the usual script, Voldemort should have rewarded her with an Avada.

Yet the Witch who made the prophecy had been hired by Dumbledore as Hogwarts's Divination Class professor.

It was simply beyond expectations! Voldemort took one look and saw that Dumbledore actually believed that nonsensical prophecy was real. Fine, then I'll believe it too.

That was the so-called celebrity effect.

Of course, Andy looked forward to that prophecy coming true more than anyone else.

Even if the butterfly effect had already turned this world into a complete mess, the prophecy could still come to pass.

Because then Andy could leave Voldemort to Harry without a shred of guilt, while he hid off to the side and quietly watched the show.

Harry Potter's Sorting went on for a long time. Harry kept whispering something to the Sorting Hat, until at last, after quite a while, the Sorting Hat shouted, "Gryffindor!"

"We got Potter! We got Potter!"

Cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table and echoed throughout the Great Hall. They all scrambled to shake Harry's hand, taking great pride in it.

Andy swept his gaze over the staff table. All the professors looked delighted, and Dumbledore watched the scene with a gratified expression.

Only Snape's already unpleasant expression seemed to have become even uglier. It was as though, in his eyes, Harry Potter was not a person at all, but a maggot living in a filthy gutter.

Disgusting enough to ruin anyone's appetite.

When all the new students had been sorted, Professor McGonagall rolled up the parchment, picked up the Sorting Hat, and left.

Dumbledore rose to his feet. He beamed at the students and spread his arms wide, as though nothing made him happier than seeing them all gathered together.

"Welcome!"

Dumbledore said, "Welcome to Hogwarts for the start of a new school year. Before the feast begins, I would like to say a few words. And they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"

"Thank you, everyone!"

Dumbledore sat back down.

Andy felt that those leaders from his previous life really ought to learn from Dumbledore about how a leader should give a speech.

Even cursing people would be better than rambling on with endless nonsense! Hermione poked Andy with a finger and said hesitantly, "Is he a little—"

While glancing toward Dumbledore, Hermione gestured at her head with one finger.

The meaning was clear: Was there something wrong with Dumbledore's brain?

Andy nodded, giving Hermione a definite answer. "Headmaster Dumbledore is over a hundred years old, after all. We should be understanding. No matter what he says, we just need to go along with it."

"What more can we ask of a centenarian?"

Andy said, "The fact that he can still feed himself is already pretty impressive."

"I thought he was wearing dentures!" Hermione's parents were both dentists. By all rights, an old man Dumbledore's age should have lost all his teeth long ago.

As they chatted, all kinds of food suddenly appeared on the long tables.

Roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding, pea shoots, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint hard candies.

Andy had eaten British food for eleven years now, so he could barely accept all this.

Though he missed Chinese food terribly, Andy did not want to expose how different he was from everyone else over a little craving.

After all, he had never encountered any of those things in this life.

The abundance of food immediately livened up the atmosphere. Everyone ate and drank heartily, chatting with one another about amusing things they had experienced.

Once everyone had filled their stomachs, the remaining food suddenly vanished from the tables, and the plates became spotless once more.

After a while, pudding arrived, with ice cream and desserts of every flavor imaginable.

Andy gave Hogwarts a thumbs-up.

For a school that charged no tuition, Hogwarts provided remarkably lavish meals.

Andy felt that the food for this school year alone was worth the money he had spent on three sets of robes, as well as his wand and textbooks.

Hermione had been talking with the female prefect, Penelope Clearwater, about first-year coursework.

She was a proud little girl. Since she came from the Muggle World, she did not want to fall too far behind her peers.

Especially after entering the Wizarding World, the first Little Wizard her age she had met was Andy—an outstanding student who had practiced every spell over a thousand times.

When all the desserts vanished, Dumbledore stood again, and the noisy Great Hall returned to silence.

"Oh! Now that everyone has eaten and drunk their fill, I have a few more words to say. At the start of term, I would like to give everyone a few reminders..."

"First Year students should note that the wooded area on the school grounds is forbidden to all students. Some of our older students would do well to remember that too."

Andy had already learned some information about the Forbidden Forest from the twins. In any case, he had no plans to enter it during First Year.

Dumbledore continued, "Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind everyone that no magic is to be performed in the corridors between classes."

Andy had long since come up with a solution for that. Hogwarts had many abandoned rooms; he could simply find one at random to practice magic in.

"Quidditch tryouts will be held during the second week of this term. Any students interested in joining their House team should contact Madam Hooch."

Andy did not like Quidditch.

"Finally, I must tell you that anyone who does not wish to meet with an accident and suffer a painful death should avoid the corridor on the right-hand side of the fourth floor."

Andy sharply noticed that Dumbledore had used different wording here than he had for the Forbidden Forest.

For the former, it was that those who did not wish to meet with an accident and suffer a painful death should stay out, while the latter was forbidden to all students.