Cheers!

Inside the Great Hall of Hogwarts, the magical ceiling reflecting the weather outside was dimly lit, with only a few faint points of starlight hanging emptily in the sky.

The dinner party, which should have been lively and enjoyable, was inexplicably tense. While everyone else was sitting and enjoying their food, the troublemaker Fred was punished by being forced to eat standing up.

The students would occasionally glance at this 'out-of-place' guy, some scrutinizing him, some showing sympathy, some sighing, and of course, some laughing.

Suddenly, another figure stood up straight.

The students immediately recognized the Ravenclaw celebrity Sean Wallerup.

Sean, as always, wore a smile as he carried a tray filled with food.

"I absolutely love the Hogwarts Kitchens."

The voice, neither too loud nor too soft, faded away, and then Sean stood there enjoying the food on his plate.

At this point, we must mention the added benefits of his handsome appearance, good physique, and upbringing. Even when eating standing up, even with his less-than-elegant movements and clumsy attempts at carrying a plate with one hand and cutting steak with the other, Sean still looks incredibly charming.

Daisy and Hermione were initially stunned, then they both looked up at the food that Sean had just put on their plates.

The two immediately realized Sean's intention.

Daisy blushed slightly, unaccustomed to being watched, but she immediately stood up with the plate in her hand.

Hermione glared at Sean and stood up as well.

"I don't like steak!" she whispered.

"Um, sorry—" Sean forked a piece of Hermione's favorite roasted chicken and placed it on her plate in front of everyone.

Then he took a piece of Honey-Glazed Lamb Chop for the Little White Flower who was lowering her head slightly to hide the expectation in her eyes.

Enjoy.

Just as Sean was about to turn around and signal to his roommates and Harry's group, a petite girl sitting alone on the other side of the Ravenclaw Table stood up with her tray.

She wasn't even much taller than the seated tall student. She had no expression, but calmly used her fork to pick up some pea shoots from her plate and put them in her mouth.

Stephanie ... Sean's brow twitched strangely.

However, now is not the time to think about that. Amidst the puzzled and strange looks from everyone, Sean subtly raised his eyebrows at his roommates.

Ravenclaw doesn't take in idiots—the roommates immediately understood their friend's meaning.

Terry Boots led the way, and the boys in Sean's dorm all stood up in unison.

Immediately afterwards, Sean put down his plate, raised his glass of Pumpkin Juice, and toasted the long table where Gryffindor was.

"A toast to a wonderful dinner, my friends at Hogwarts." He raised his glass gracefully, his smile impeccable.

Now, Harry's group, George and Lee Jordan, also realized what was happening.

Their eyes lit up, and they all stood up, each holding a silver cup filled with Pumpkin Juice; Ron even held up a cream soup.

"Cheers."

At the long table in Hufflepuff, Cedric, now a Prefect, also stood up and raised his glass to Sean.

"Cheers."

Percy Weasley, Gryffindor Prefect and the newly elected Head Boy, also quickly stood up.

He even went to his younger brother, who was being punished for making a mistake.

"Cheers."

His girlfriend, Penelope Prefect in Ravenclaw, also stood up.

"Cheers."

Like a chain reaction, Sean stood up, then three, four, ten people stood up, and no one showed any intention of sitting down after standing up.

The Great Hall echoed with the loud clatter of tables and chairs being moved, and one after another, the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff students stood up.

Some of them were carrying plates, some were holding silver cups, some were holding soup bowls, and some even had a sausage forked on their forks and raised their hands along with everyone else.

Cheers, cheers!

"I'll drink this soup first as a sign of respect!"

The chaotic shouts and clinking of glasses quickly filled the entire Great Hall.

"Sean ..." Fred forced a smile.

The 'abrupt' situation disappeared instantly, and he no longer had to bow his head and force a smile for his classmates.

"Quiet! Quiet!" The lively and cheerful atmosphere was suddenly interrupted by a cloyingly sweet voice.

Umbridge also stood up, but she wasn't holding a wine glass.

"What do you want to do?" she asked with a forced smile.

"Let's eat, Professor—" Someone shouted from the crowd of people who had stood up, and a burst of laughter immediately filled the Great Hall.

Umbridge, like a bulging-eyed toad, searched back and forth for the person who was speaking, but the Great Hall was packed with people, and there was no way to catch the slippery thief.

As Senior Undersecretary for the Ministry of Magic, she immediately shifted the focus.

"Mr. Wallop. Sean Wallerup—" She clearly recognized Sean, her sturdy neck craning with difficulty as she looked toward the Ravenclaw table, "Are you deliberately trying to destroy the wonderful living environment that Hogwarts has always had? Are you trying to incite the other students to rebel against the teachers? I expect you to give me a reasonable explanation!"

Sean, who was busy clinking glasses with his classmates, chuckled.

As expected of a politician, he immediately labeled him as someone who was "opposing the teacher," and his words even attempted to sow discord between him and the other students.

Sean walked down the aisle with the Pumpkin Juice, his face full of confusion and innocence. "Professor, I don't quite understand what you mean?"

Umbridge slammed her hand on the table twice in an attempt to quiet the students, but no one paid any attention to her.

Left with no other option, she shouted at Sean, "I am Senior Undersecretary sent by the Ministry of Magic! I have the responsibility, the obligation, and the right to govern Hogwarts. You are defying Hogwarts ' rules and the Ministry of Magic's regulations!"

Sean looked puzzled. "School rules? Hogwarts has never had a rule against standing up while eating, at least Professor Dumbledore nor Professor McGonagall have ever said so."

Professor McGonagall, who was swirling the liquor on the teacher's desk, nodded slightly.

Sean continued, "As for the Ministry of Magic —our new Minister Mr. Crouch doesn't seem to have issued any decree forbidding wizards from standing up to eat?"

Umbridge was about to speak when Sean immediately interrupted her.

"Oh—" he exclaimed with sudden realization, "I understand, Professor Umbridge, you mean that in the current tense situation, the Ministry of Magic has taken the lead in issuing this first emergency decree—forbidding wizards from standing up to eat their dinner!"

"Of course not!" Umbridge retorted without hesitation.

At such a critical juncture, how could the Ministry of Magic issue such a foolish and empty decree...?

She looked up abruptly and saw Sean smiling and raising his glass.

"So the High Prosecutor can take a place!" Sean emphasized the word 'take a place.' "Is the Minister for Magic issuing a new decree?"

"Of course not!" Umbridge knew she had been tricked by Sean's words, but under the watchful eyes of everyone, she could only deny it immediately.

Sean nodded in realization. "Then it's alright, which means we can continue enjoying dinner?"

"You..." Umbridge's face darkened completely.

She took a deep breath, finally managing a forced, nonchalant smile, and stiffly sat back down in her seat.

"Professor McGonagall, a student of Hogwarts, aren't you going to take charge?" Umbridge said stiffly.

Professor McGonagall downed her glass of red wine in one gulp, looking utterly helpless. "I'm sorry, but my authority is currently below yours."

As she spoke, she pointed to Umbridge's bag. "That's what the regulations say."

"Huff..." Umbridge turned her head away, leaving only the sound of her heavy breathing.

Just then, she turned her head and saw the long table of Slytherin House, the only table of students in the Great Hall who hadn't stood up.

"I still need to find help from among the students..." she thought to herself.

Before her thoughts could even begin to wander, Umbridge saw that wretched boy Wallerup, walk straight toward the Slytherin table.

"Draco— " Sean called out enthusiastically.

Malfoy glanced at the other person somewhat awkwardly, but had already picked up his cup.

"May I have a drink with the only son of a renowned Pure-blood families?" Sean asked with a smile, even lowering the rim of his glass.

A complex look flashed across Malfoy's eyes; he had always had a strange feeling about Sean.

He'd beaten me up, tricked me, saved my life, and even led me in showing off. He'd also greet me warmly whenever we bumped into each other...

Moreover, Sean was really sincere when he said that just now...

To receive such a sincere invitation from a universally acknowledged figure in the school, even though he wasn't well-liked in Slytherin, was something Malfoy couldn't accept. But Malfoy knew that those in Slytherin who disliked Sean were actually afraid of him.

Being flattered by such a person, even if Malfoy didn't want to admit it, he couldn't help but raise his head slightly.

After a brief hesitation, Malfoy stood up and raised his glass to Sean.

"To you, Wallerup."

Sean patted him on the shoulder warmly. "Just call me Sean."

As he spoke, he smiled and looked at the other Slytherin students.

"To Hogwarts, and to the glory of Slytherin who sits before me." Sean raised his cup high, his voice rising with pride for the 'glory'.

The Little Snakes looked at each other, and at Malfoy's signal, his henchmen hesitantly stood up.

The chain reaction happened beautifully once again, and the Slytherin stood up one after another, even the Little Snakes who had clashed with Sean before.

They didn't want to stand up, but the shrewd and perceptive Little Snakes definitely didn't want to be left behind. Never stand out from the crowd—this was the survival creed of most Little Snakes in Slytherin.

When the last person stood up, Sean's smile grew even brighter.

He put his arm around Malfoy's shoulder and looked back, where Fred, who was laughing and talking with the other students, saw him.

"Thanks, buddy." Fred nodded solemnly.

Sean nodded in acknowledgment, and the two exchanged a smile.

The Great Hall at Hogwarts became noisy and joyful, with students gathering in large groups as if they were attending a buffet party.

Such a joyful scene seemed rare at this school, with students laughing and moving through the Great Hall, raising their glasses with friends from other colleges, and tasting the food at other long tables—although the kitchen provided exactly the same food to each college, they always felt that the food at other long tables tasted better.

The Great Hall was transformed from a somber atmosphere into a sea of joy.

At the long table in the classroom, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick clinked their glasses merrily. The usually stern witch had already drunk several glasses of red wine, and now her face was slightly flushed, and even her hair was slightly disheveled.

Professor Flitwick, who was already standing on the stool but was the same height as the others sitting, was even more excited. He clinked glasses with Professor McGonagall and drank it all in one gulp, then looked at Sean in the crowd with great pride.

Two people at the long table in the classroom didn't look too good. One of them was Umbridge, who looked like she had eaten a rotten Flobberworm and had almost chopped the steak on her plate into mincemeat.

The other is the perpetually gloomy-faced bat professor.

He swirled his wine glass without drinking, glancing every now and then at Daisy, who was chatting happily with someone else, and then at Sean, who was all smiles. What did that guy whisper in Daisy's ear?

Besides, didn't this kid just get food for two people at the same time?

Snape, with a long face, pondered what poison could inflict serious harm on Sean, while Daisy remained unconcerned.

The Potion Master, having rummaged through all his Potions recipes in his mind, looked even uglier and gulped down a glass of wine.

Sean, who was talking to Hermione and Daisy, suddenly felt a chill. His eye twitched slightly as he sensed the source of the coldness.

I've forgotten about the old bat...

"What's wrong?" Daisy asked curiously.

"Oh, it's nothing."

Amid the noisy surroundings, Hermione leaned closer to the two of them and then raised her nose at Sean: "Someone is starting to look more and more like Mr. Grindelwald."

"Thank you for the compliment, Miss Granger," Sean said readily.

That's the truth; he did a much better job than last time.

However, Sean's success today is also due to a combination of favorable timing, location, and people.

He was already very popular, and Hogwarts was not only his Hogwarts, but also the Hogwarts of all the students present.

With him taking the lead, Hogwarts will inevitably fire its guns at outsiders first.

Moreover, Sean was pleased to see the students from the four houses united under the current circumstances, even though the Little Snakes were just standing there lazily.

But isn't it much better for everyone to stand up than for one person to stand alone?

Halfway through the dinner, Umbridge finally calmed down her pent-up anger, and her appetite returned. She impatiently took another serving of food.

Just as I was about to pick up my knife and fork, that annoying sound started up again.

Sean approached the crowd with a wine glass in hand, his face sincere, his voice clearly audible throughout the Great Hall.

He held up the glass, which was now just a thin layer of Pumpkin Juice at the bottom.

Sean looked at Umbridge with a broad smile.

"I propose a toast from all the Hogwarts students to our one and only guest who has traveled from afar! Cheers!"

"Cheers!" The students shouted in unison, their faces beaming with smiles.

Umbridge just wanted to smash the cutlery in her hands.

Just a heads-up, there will be a massive update tomorrow and the day after, 10,000 words a day!