The Differences of Newmontgard Castle

The enormous stone statue stood on the playground at the main entrance of Newmontgard, raising a cloud of dust and casting a huge shadow over the students below.

However, despite their shock, none of the students of Newmontgard changed their posture as long as they saw their principal standing in front of them; on the contrary, they stood even straighter.

Sean, who had been observing from the window, saw this scene. His expression was strange, and he touched his chest with a sense of relief.

Last year's Academic Exchange didn't really show anything, but coming here today has confirmed my initial thought— Newmontgard really is a magic military academy?

However, Professor McGonagall was urging everyone to quickly form a line and go down, so Sean hurriedly left the window.

As instructed, the Hogwarts students formed four teams according to the four houses and walked out of the stone statue.

However, compared to the students of Newmontgard who stood upright and looked straight ahead, the students of Hogwarts were like a disorganized rabble. Even though they adjusted their posture to avoid being too lax, they were still far inferior to their counterparts.

The students on both sides became serious.

Having witnessed the disparity between the two sides, Hogwarts became even more wary, their already cautious attitude intensifying. Meanwhile, the Newmontgard students, awestruck by the colossal stone statue, took a serious look; after all, it was a prestigious, millennia-old school, its heritage undeniably powerful.

The atmosphere was already somewhat heavy even before the two sides officially met—even heavier than when Newmontgard came to Hogwarts.

Grindelwald approached like a truly kind old man, warmly shaking hands with Professor McGonagall and Professor Lockhart were leading the group.

Yes, Lockhart came along too— Sean thought that Professor Dumbledore probably figured Lockhart's classes weren't very useful, so he might as well have him lead the group...

Lockhart was deeply moved by Grindelwald's enthusiasm and firmly grasped his hand.

"Mr. Grindelwald, it's a pleasure to meet you—I heard your school doesn't have Defense Against the Dark Arts? Then I sincerely recommend my works, which are—oh!"

He cried out in pain and hurriedly let go. Just now, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his palm.

Grindelwald patted Lockhart on the shoulder and smiled, "I'm very satisfied with the courses at this school, Professor Lockhart. I think Hogwarts is a better place for you to showcase your talents."

"Oh, oh, that's what Professor Dumbledore told me!" Lockhart said proudly, waving his hand.

However, Grindelwald ignored Lockhart and stepped past the professor to open his arms to the Hogwarts students. "Welcome! Welcome! The pride of Hogwarts!"

Harry, standing next to Sean, muttered, "Mr. Grindelwald isn't what I imagined... He seems kind and friendly... and handsome, at least the most handsome old man I've ever met."

It's just appearances... He's still too young, Harry... Sean shook his head.

If Grindelwald were truly a kind old man, would the students of Newmontgard have been so aggressive?

Grindelwald waved his hand, and the bronze gate of Newmontgard Castle, engraved with Fire Dragon and Phoenix, creaked open.

"The dinner is ready. Let's move to the warm indoor area for more welcoming remarks."

He waved his hand, and the students of Newmontgard behind him, who had been keeping their eyes straight ahead, stomped their feet heavily on the ground in unison. After a loud 'thud,' all the students turned around neatly and then walked into the castle in an orderly fashion.

After all the students of Newmontgard had gone inside, Professor McGonagall gave a wink to the Prefect and adjusted her pointed hat.

"Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, in that order! Remember, remain calm."

The students exchanged glances and unconsciously tensed up. They consciously arranged their lines more neatly before heading into the castle.

Newmontgard's castle was clearly much more imposing than Hogwarts; all the buildings were tall and steep, and the walls appeared to be made of some kind of black stone bricks.

Passing through the bronze gate, Sean was surprised to find that the castle interior was extremely spacious, with a high-ceilinged Entrance Hall that required visitors to look up to see the gray-white ceiling.

Unlike Hogwarts, this place doesn't have any classical decorations. Apart from a few imposing suits of armor placed against the wall, there are no oil paintings or green plants.

The interior of the building is also simple and elegant. The red carpet on the stone corridor seems to have been just put up. Sean guessed that it was probably to welcome the students of Hogwarts.

Following the brand-new red carpet, they arrived at the Great Hall, whose doors were also made of bronze, with the School Crest of Newmontgard at the center of the door knocker, which is the Phoenix and Fire Dragon surrounding the symbol of the Deathly Hallows.

As they stood still, the gate slowly opened. On the gate, Fire Dragon and Phoenix intertwined and danced. The Deathly Hallows were not split in two by the opened gate. The triangle moved upwards and then gradually disappeared. The circle expanded to cover the entire door frame and then slowly rotated there. The central vertical line remained in place and then lengthened, becoming a slender door frame.

Somewhat strangely, the vertical line tilted slightly to the right, giving the open door an eerie, irregular beauty.

As the Hogwarts students approached, the vertical line straightened again.

Inside the Great Hall, the students of Newmontgard were already seated upright around the long tables. There were only two long tables in the hall, and at the far end, like at Hogwarts, was the professor's table—the sharp-eyed Sean noticed that the chair at the head of the table looked very similar to the Dumbledore sat in...

The Gryffindor lion cubs exchanged glances, then split into two lines and strode in with their heads held high.

Percy, who was in the lead, gently crushed the thing that Professor McGonagall had given him in his arms.

A deafening roar echoed throughout the Great Hall, and a majestic Male Lion appeared before the Gryffindor students. Its mane was a leaping crimson flame, and its eyes blazed with fire. After circling in mid-air, the Male Lion vanished into specks of fire, and the crests on the chests of the Gryffindor students' uniforms gleamed Winky.

"Cool..." A first-year student from Newmontgard exclaimed at the long table on the right, only to be met with a fierce glare from the person next to him.

Hufflepuff followed the lion cubs into the Great Hall.

Similarly, a large badger appeared, with black and white stripes on its neck and face, an all-black body, and a reassuringly calm light in its small eyes.

Beneath its feet, a yellowish-brown light flickered and danced, disappearing after circling the arena once. The emblems on the chests of the Hufflepuff students' uniforms also glowed.

Ravenclaw then entered the room.

After a clear, penetrating cry, a bronze-colored giant eagle spread its wings and soared into the sky, displaying its light and superb flying skills. Its tail feathers glowed with a deep blue light, which sprinkled across the entire Great Hall.

After another high-pitched roar, the bronze giant eagle crashed directly into the ceiling, scattering light. Sean felt a slight chill on the emblem on his chest.

Finally, the Slytherin strode in, heads held high.

With each step they took, a sinister green light emanated from beneath their feet, and then, a gigantic silver python appeared out of thin air.

The Giant Python hissed, its green eyes scanning everyone. It didn't leap into the air, but slithered slowly across the ground. Suddenly, Giant Python opened its massive jaws and lunged at the Slytherin students.

The Little Snakes held their heads high, letting the Giant Python pass through their bodies and then turn into silver mist, disappearing into their respective emblems.

After the students from all four houses of Hogwarts were seated, Grindelwald clapped his hands lightly and stood up.

"Amazing magic!" He clapped his hands lightly, a warm smile on his face.

"I've always believed that wizards need to learn from each other to improve—for example, me," Grindelwald laughed even more heartily, "I've learned some likeable qualities from your headmaster, namely, to talk less nonsense."

"Let us once again welcome the arrival of Hogwarts!"

A loud but not very enthusiastic round of applause rang out in the Great Hall.

Grindelwald applauded until the very end, then smiled at everyone and spread his arms wide, "Now, let's enjoy the dinner!"

On the long table, various delicacies appeared on the plates.

Newmontgard truly lives up to its reputation as a school that attracts a wide range of students. It not only offers England food to cater to Hogwarts students, but also has a wide variety of cuisines from all over Europe. Sean can even see some food from all over the world.

Sean took a piece of roast duck onto a plate and was surprised to find that it tasted surprisingly authentic.

It seems that Newmontgard's recruitment scope is wider than he imagined...

The Great Hall began to buzz with activity, and English in various accents filled Sean's ears. He even heard a neon-accented English—it sounded like a new language...

Beside him, Hermione was still examining the crest on Daisy's chest, her face filled with curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.

"What kind of magic is this? Is it a combination and Transfiguration of multiple spells?" the girl muttered.

Daisy stood with her chest puffed out, her face contorted in a grimace.

"Hermione, haven't you seen enough? I'm so hungry..."

"Oh, sorry, let's have dinner." Hermione reluctantly withdrew her gaze, casually picked up some food, and chewed while thinking.

Sean chuckled and shook his head. Hermione was just too studious...

However, the Hogwarts students were all excitedly discussing what had just happened.

"That's so cool! I'd be willing to embarrass myself just for this one appearance."

"Idiot, you want to embarrass yourself with such a cool entrance?"

"That's right, we can't let our house, and Hogwarts, lose face!"

Indeed, showing off is one of the unchanging needs of people of all ages, and appropriate and sophisticated showing off can effectively stimulate people's positive emotions.

Sean chatted with his friends while enjoying various dishes. After everyone had finished eating, dessert was served. Sean took a cup of Nepalese Milk Tea and sipped it a few times.

Hmm, the aroma is very strong, but not as good as Hong Kong-style milk tea... After taking a few sips, Sean looked up at the teacher's desk.

Just then, Grindelwald, who was holding a wine glass, also looked over. He raised his glass to Sean in a toast and then winked.

Sean could only raise his milk tea cup and nod, then quickly pulled his head back.

Although Dumbledore said that Grindelwald had never harbored any ill will towards him, Sean always felt that this old man, who disliked following rules and was extremely adept at turning on people, was a dangerous person.

Okay, to be honest, Sean is indeed a little afraid of Grindelwald. The old man doesn't play by the rules and always pulls some crazy moves.

What he didn't notice was that on the long table to his right, a brown-haired boy was staring at Sean with a gloomy expression.

"Bach, is that the guy who tricked your brother?" a girl next to the boy asked casually.

"Hmph," the boy called Bach licked his lips, "Although he is my brother, he is too foolish... However, the honor of the Hoffman family must be upheld by someone."

The girl raised the corners of her mouth slightly, saying playfully, "But the professors won't allow you to do that—don't look at me, I'm not interested in helping, and I don't want to go to that dungeon again."

Bach raised an eyebrow. "I'm not as stupid as my brother... We still have half a semester to 'get along well'..."

Sean, who was drinking milk tea, suddenly received a message from Dave.

"Sean, the thing you left with me has started spinning and glowing."

"I see, I understand."

Sean kept the High-Precision Sneakoscope in Dave's little pocket, which was actually the inner pocket of his uniform. However, there were quite a few people in Newmontgard who were hostile to him, so that Sneakoscope would probably be running around every day...

Of course, Sean hoped that those who came looking for trouble would be smart and not do anything disgusting. If they pushed him too far, Sean would go and complain to Grindelwald.

When the last bit of dessert was gone, Grindelwald stood up again.

"Before your full bellies get sleepy, I have a few things to say—mainly to our new guests."

"In Newmontgard, no one may enter the underground level without a teacher's permission, and the same applies to the top floor of the castle. Starting tomorrow, Hogwarts children, you will attend classes regularly with our students."

"Newmontgard does not have points for addition or deduction, but we do have individual daily evaluation points. If you don't pass, there will be a small penalty at the end of the term—don't look at me like that, kids, your headmaster approves of me doing this."

"We will convey the evaluation criteria to you later."

"In addition, all areas of the library in Newmontgard are open 24/7, and the Duelling Classroom and Hospital Wing are also on standby for you 24/7."

At this point, the students at Hogwarts could no longer help but whisper among themselves.

The Duelling Classroom is open 24/7...

Grindelwald smiled and continued, "Now, each year of Hogwarts, please select one male and one female student representative to come to my office. I will give you the Newmontgard school rules."

He seemed to be simply informing people, continuing to speak to himself before the students could even reply, "For first graders, you, you..."

Grindelwald's wand tip flickered with light, and before the two first-year students could react, Fire Dragon and Phoenix symbols appeared around the emblems on their uniforms.

"Second grade, you two."

He pointed to Sean and Hermione.