The Future Has Yet to Come; Let Us Journey Far Together

The Great Hall was quiet for a while before applause broke out, but the students' whispers couldn't be stopped, and senior students were talking to each other everywhere.

Sean joined in the clapping, and Hermione and Daisy beside him did the same, their faces bearing the same strange expressions as Sean's.

"The Sorting Hat has never looked this strange before?"

"It's because the start of the school year was at the wrong time, plus the recent Time Disappearance Incident."

"It's probably because things haven't been peaceful lately..."

Sean could hear the hushed conversations of the students at the other tables. Hermione, the good student next to him, was also frowning and muttering quietly, "They've gone off-topic this year..."

At times like this, let's not think about words like "off-topic"...

Sean shook his head and chuckled softly, "In previous years, even if the Sorting Hat had a new song, it wasn't like this. Generally speaking, the song would focus on the description of the Four Founders and the quality and requirements of the Four Houses, etc. This time is indeed different."

Daisy chimed in quietly, "Is the Sorting Hat giving us a warning? This doesn't seem like something a hat should be doing."

Hermione retorted, "The Sorting Hat is part of Hogwarts. The situation is indeed not good, so issuing a warning is understandable—don't forget, it comes from Godric Gryffindor and even carries the magic of the other three Founders."

"They've even stayed at Hogwarts, this natural magical place, for over a thousand years," Sean added.

"Most importantly, it's still staying in the Headmaster's Office." A faint voice came from the side.

Sean turned around and saw Lady Helena, the ghost of Ravenclaw.

"Oh, ma'am, good evening. It's been a long time."

Helena forced a smile onto her aloof face, "Sean, thank you for the photo."

"You're welcome—by the way, ma'am, Sorting Hat ever created a new song like this before?" Sean asked.

Helena recalled, "I don't pay much attention to these things... but I know that if Hogwarts is in danger, the Sorting Hat will indeed issue a warning. My mother once told me that the Sorting Hat can be seen in some way as a part of Hogwarts ' consciousness. It's not magic bestowed by the four of them, but a magical characteristic that the Sorting Hat itself has evolved."

The Sorting Hat can be seen, to some extent, as part of the Hogwarts consciousness... Sean pondered this sentence, resting his chin on his hand.

However, he didn't have much time to think.

Professor McGonagall coughed softly, holding a thick stack of parchment, and then stood next to the Sorting Hat.

The rustling sounds that had been filling the Great Hall suddenly ceased.

"Next, we will begin the sorting process. Freshmen whose names I call, please step forward and put on your Sorting Hat."

"Campbell Axston".

A thin, dark-skinned little boy stumbled up and put the hat on.

"Ravenclaw!" The Sorting Hat called out the house's name in no time.

Campbell Axston breathed a sigh of relief and trotted toward the Ravenclaw table.

Sean and his classmates applauded enthusiastically, and during the applause, Campbell Axston gave Sean a grateful nod.

The child was extremely nervous when he was teleported here by the Portkey, Sean comforted him with a few words.

Daisy glanced at the freshmen line and whispered, "There are so many people, it feels like there are a lot more than our year."

"To be precise, there are a total of 246 new students," Sean explained.

"Wow, that's almost a hundred more than our year!" Daisy exclaimed.

"Given Sean's personality, he must have counted the number of students—" Hermione said, glancing around. "But it seems quite a few of the freshmen are from other countries, right? Look at those two freshmen, they're speaking English, aren't they? But their lips are tightly closed, like they're holding the sound in their mouths... Are they France?"

Upon hearing this, Sean looked over and nodded. "They are indeed France. Although the two don't look alike, they are twins."

Hermione turned to Sean, looking at Sean with a puzzled expression. "What's going on this year?"

Sean shrugged. "They've taken some students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang — Hogwarts doesn't lack accommodation anyway."

"Ha?"

At this moment, in the magnificent estate of the Pyrenees Mountains, Madame Maxime, who possessed the blood of Giant, was frowning as she listened to the person in front of her speaking in the Headmaster's Office.

"... That's about it, madam."

"Muggle Family- born wizards have been mostly snatched up by Hogwarts ..." Madame Maxime closed her eyes, like a giant statue, "I knew I shouldn't have tried these little tricks in front of Dumbledore."

"Madam, shall we speak with Hogwarts?"

"What communication? To exchange the students back between the two sides? Do you treat the children as commodities to be traded?" Madame Maxime's voice was tinged with displeasure. "That's it then, let's just pretend we didn't recruit any students this year... Go, prepare the dinner."

"Yes, madam."

The same thing happened in northern Scandinavian Peninsula, except that Mr. Igor Karkaroff, the principal of Durmstrang, was not as calm as Madame Maxime.

He unleashed his anger in the Headmaster's Office, furiously questioning his subordinate. "How did Hogwarts know we don't currently recruit from within the country?! Didn't they say that Dumbledore wasn't even at the school recently?! He's the God of Wizards, can he see everything?!"

The subordinate's lips trembled, and he dared not speak.

"Durmstrang has already lowered itself to recruit those Mudblood!" Karkaroff smashed a vase, his chest heaving. "And you're telling me this year there aren't even fifty students?!"

"Are you going to turn Durmstrang into a preschool?! Huh?!"

"Does our school have more students than an entire year at Hogwarts?!"

Faced with Karkaroff's anger, the subordinates had no choice but to lower their heads.

He really wanted to say that this was none of his business; Durmstrang had been in decline for a long time, and even though they had recruited young wizards from the Muggle Family this year, the student body was about the same as in previous years...

The main problem is that Newmontgard is extremely aggressive in poaching talent, to the point that even within Germany, many famous Pure-blood families are no longer choosing Durmstrang.

Of course, he could only think these things in his heart.

After venting his anger and dismissing his subordinates, Karkaroff stared sullenly out the dark window, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

"Dumbledore... you old fox..."

The two headmasters never imagined that the plan to raid the house didn't even originate from Dumbledore.

Of course, they would probably be even angrier if they knew.

Hogwarts Castle.

Inside the Great Hall, the new student queue was shortening much more slowly than usual. In addition, many students were already feeling Gugu because they had spent a lot of time waiting for all the new students to arrive.

Daisy would glance at the long table in the classroom, then at the new students' line, before secretly lowering her head under the table and quickly stuffing a piece of candy into her mouth.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Sean: "She eats too much candy! And you're always bringing her candy!"

Sean smiled and advised, "It's not a big problem. Besides, we've been waiting too long tonight, so let's replenish our energy first."

Daisy poked her head out from under the table, her cheeks bulging.

I think so too!

"Go eat your candy." Hermione tapped her on the head.

Just when everyone was starving, the last student finally put on the Sorting Hat.

The Sorting Hat shouted as soon as it touched the little girl's head.

"Gryffindor!"

The little lions erupted in applause and cheers that were much louder than before, and even students from other colleges joined in.

The little girl named Freya Zilmer was almost frightened, and was eventually carried back to the Gryffindor table by Fred and George.

Then, everyone immediately looked expectantly at Dumbledore, who had been smiling and watching everything.

Dumbledore did not disappoint. He stood up and laughed heartily, "Welcome, welcome to this exceptionally large group of new students! But we should save the main event for later. Let's enjoy the food first!"

The Great Hall erupted in the loudest applause of the evening, which was immediately replaced by the clinking of cutlery and cups.

"There's so much food today." Hermione happily took a serving of foie gras.

"There will be just as many in the future—that's good news," Sean agreed with a smile.

Since there have been no wizard wars or deranged, Noseless Freak killing people in the past century, the wizarding community has grown considerably.

Although there was another competitor, Newmontgard, vying for students, the number of students at Hogwarts still increased year by year.

Although this year's freshmen arrived half a year late, their numbers were enormous, making the entire Great Hall even more lively.

The banquet, which was noisier and more uncouth than usual, lasted for a long time until everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, at which point the noise in the Great Hall subsided a little.

Dumbledore stood up from the headmaster's seat.

"The delicious dinner is about to disappear, so I have to say a few words while your brains are completely devoured by your stomachs, otherwise I'm worried you'll forget it when you wake up tomorrow."

A burst of laughter rang out in the Great Hall.

"Although I shouldn't use the adjective 'new semester,' I still have to mention some important points about the new semester," Dumbledore smiled. "First-year students should know that the Forbidden Forest in the hunting grounds is off-limits to students—although we've currently suspended all outdoor classes, I still have to remind you, including some of the returning students, in consideration of the day it reopens."

"There are still some Dementor stationed on the borders of Hogwarts," Dumbledore's voice became serious. "Although you will not normally have the opportunity to encounter them, I must emphasize that you should not give these emotionless creatures any chance to harm you. Our Prefect and student council presidents should always remind your classmates of this."

Sean saw Percy's chest rise.

"In addition, our administrator Mr. Filch, asked me, and he told me this was the 404th time. He asked me to remind everyone not to cast spells in the hallways during breaks—of course, there are more rules posted on the bulletin board."

Dumbledore glanced around at everyone and smiled kindly, "Let's hear some good news to lighten the mood—considering everyone's entertainment needs, our professors are working together to build an indoor Quidditch Pitch inside the castle..."

Before the words were even finished, the Four Houses erupted in enthusiastic cheers, and many people even jumped up in excitement—like Harry.

"Please be quiet, please be quiet—it must be said that the indoor Quidditch Pitch is certainly not as spacious as the outdoor one, but it should be enough for a less wild Quidditch Match. By the way, the captains of each student team can start the Quidditch player selection. You should be able to use the new pitch soon."

"Before we sing our school song, I have a message for you all—the future is yet to come, let us travel together on this long journey."

The Great Hall erupted in enthusiastic applause.

After singing the school song, all the students started walking towards their dormitories. It was too late, and everyone was drowsy because of the delicious food.

The freshmen, crowded together, awkwardly lined up under the direction of their Prefect; they too had been exhausted from the entire day.

When Sean returned to his dorm room and sank into his soft four-poster bed, his eyelids were already drooping.

He has been in a very tense and busy state recently, almost to the point of habit, so he can maintain a relatively clear mind year-round.

But for some reason, even though the workload wasn't heavy today, Sean felt extremely tired.

But this fatigue and drowsiness did not stem from work or emotions; rather, it was more like a relaxing feeling.

Just as his eyes were about to close, Sean remembered the last words of the Sorting Hat and Dumbledore.

The Sorting Hat says: Whether it's you, them, or even more people...

I hope you can hear me...

Dumbledore said, "The future is yet to come, let us travel together on the long road."

There are so many hidden meanings... Sean thought to himself, still a little confused.

Then he fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, after a full night of deep sleep, Sean woke up feeling refreshed and went straight to the Staff Room.

Yes, he is now considered a faculty member of Hogwarts.

Professor McGonagall told me yesterday that she planned to hand over the first Transfiguration to Sean.

Sean was caught off guard, but eventually agreed.

Since you've been entrusted with this task, you must do it well; this is the most important first lesson.

While he was reviewing his lesson plan, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the door.

Then, two people pushed open the door and came in.

"I'm here to work, not to argue with you, Ms. Hawke. Please watch your words."

"Scott, don't think that just because you work with me I'll treat you well. This is Hogwarts, not Newmontgard."

Two young people, a man and a woman, appeared before them.

Sean's expression turned strange.

What happened to these two sworn enemies?