Professor Black

"Hiding his head and tail, acting secretively, he's definitely not a good person!" Dean said again with certainty.

"After the banquet, we'll follow him, and when he walks out of the Great Hall— " he made a fist gesture, his tone firm, "We'll tear off his cloak and expose his true, hidden face!"

Exposing the true face of the dark wizard... Seamus trembled with excitement at the thought of that scene, "It's settled then!"

Not far away is Hufflepuff's table.

Hannah Abbott, with her blonde ponytail, took a deep breath and sighed, "The atmosphere at school is so much better. After spending Christmas at school last year, this year when I went home, I felt like Christmas holidays at home were just... hmm..."

She shook her head with lingering fear. "The first few days were fine, but soon my mother started to dislike me, forbidding me from doing this and that. It was incredibly boring."

"Come on, no matter how boring we are, can we be as bored as Justin? He spent his entire vacation in a hospital bed," the big boy, Ernie Macmillan, scoffed.

Mentioning Justin immediately sparked a lively discussion, with everyone whispering among themselves.

Ernie glanced furtively at the Gryffindor table, saw Harry sitting there unharmed, and continued with a smirk, "I wonder if the monster in the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets will come out and harm people again. If things aren't resolved, the school might be forced to close at any time."

A Pure-blood young wizard chimed in, "I know, the same thing happened fifty years ago. When the Chamber of Secrets was opened, the school almost sent the students home and stopped teaching."

Some less informed young wizards overheard this and curiously crowded around. "So the Chamber of Secrets was opened before, tell us about it..."

"The matter has been resolved," a firm voice interjected.

Neville looked at them seriously. "The monster in the Chamber of Secrets has been dealt with, and even the Heir of Slytherin has been captured."

"Neville, do you have any news?"

"Tell me quickly!"

Just then, the sound of glass being tapped came from the High Table, interrupting their conversation...

Jingle bells!

Jingle bells!

"Attention everyone!" Professor McGonagall tapped her wine glass with a spoon, the crisp sound drowning out the noise and drawing everyone's attention.

"It's a new semester again! It's great to see you all again, little wizards."

Dumbledore stood up, a broad smile on his face, and said, "You may have heard this many times before, but I still want to say it: Hogwarts welcomes you back!"

"I think everyone has heard that we had a few terrifying months last semester. Some of us were attacked and are still lying in the Hospital Wing. The monster in the Chamber of Secrets casts its shadow over Hogwarts."

Dumbledore's tone suddenly became cheerful. "Oh, during the Christmas holidays, many parents probably mentioned transferring schools to you."

This remark drew laughter, and Lee Jordan cheered, "Don't worry, Professor! We'll always belong to Hogwarts!"

Dumbledore rubbed his eyes, making a gesture as if wiping away tears. "Thank you, thank you, I'm so touched."

The young wizards burst into laughter again.

Dumbledore to stop the laughter, then continued, "Here, I am very pleased to announce that the monster in the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets has been defeated!"

The Great Hall became very quiet as the young wizards waited expectantly for the headmaster to continue.

"This is all thanks to a few brave and intelligent young wizards who, through their own efforts, uncovered the truth. Here, I want to commend them." Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Then..."

After a brief pause, Dumbledore seemed genuinely lost in thought. The others waited quietly, the Great Hall lights shining brightly...

The young Slytherin wizards were horrified. Oh no! The scene had an eerie sense of familiarity.

"First, Mr. Harry Potter and Mr. Weasley. Ron Weasley, for their courage in confronting the monster and not backing down in order to rescue their kidnapped classmates. For this, I award Gryffindor House two hundred points!"

A deafening roar erupted from the Gryffindor table, nearly lifting the enchanted ceiling. The stars above them seemed to tremble slightly. Percy excitedly pulled Penelope along, shouting to the other Prefect, "It's my brother! Ron, my youngest brother! They've slain the monster from the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets!"

Ron was so excited he could hardly contain himself, tugging at Harry's robes and swinging them around, beaming as he showed off to the young wizards around him.

"Then came Mr. Morgan. Loren Morgan and Miss Granger Hermione Granger, who meticulously unraveled the complex events to uncover the truth, identify the Heir of Slytherin, and discover the true monster in the Chamber of Secrets. Their wisdom earned Gryffindor a perfect score!"

Hermione was immediately surrounded by her roommates, with Lavender pestering her for details about the Chamber of Secrets and the Basilisk. Hermione smiled and selectively answered the questions she could.

Unexpectedly, he also received bonus points... Loren, who was watching the commotion, looked up and met Dumbledore's encouraging gaze, then guiltily looked away.

Professor McGonagall, who was usually serious, was all smiles as Snape slashed at his plate with his knife, making it creak and groan.

The Twins took the lead, slamming their fists on the table. All the young Gryffindor wizards cheered and clapped with all their might, their hands blurring into shadows.

The noise was deafening, and the Gryffindor wizards, who were shouting until their voices were hoarse while still mentally calculating scores, suddenly went blank.

That's nothing. With a 300-point lead, even if Professor Snape were to show favoritism to the Black Lake, he couldn't possibly turn the tide. The House Cup is definitely in the bag!

The Slytherin wizards wore long faces; it had happened again, even with more points awarded than last time, widening the gap to an even more despairing degree. The outcome of the House Cup was essentially a foregone conclusion; even if they won all their remaining Quidditch Match, they wouldn't be able to catch up.

Draco, mimicking his professor's movements, sluggishly cut his steak.

Beside him sat a dazed Goyle. The long table was laden with all sorts of delicacies. If it were any other Goyle, he would already be thinking about what to eat first once the banquet began. But unlike usual, a large space was empty next to him, the spot that had once belonged to the burly Crabbe.

Goyle and Crabbe had a good relationship; both were Pure-blood Families, and their fathers were Death Eater escaped trial. Goyle was used to doing everything with Crabbe, even serving as Malfoy's sidekick, and they were always seen together.

It's unclear when it started, but Crabbe has changed. He's become smarter, able to finish assignments quickly and master new magic in class. He's also become secretive and keeps to himself.

Although Malfoy always told Goyle to stay away from Crabbe, he never took it to heart. He couldn't understand those complicated things, nor did he want to think about them. He just did the same things as before.

Crabbe disappeared as soon as the holiday started. That night, Goyle went to bed very late. He lay on his four-poster bed and waited for a long time, but he never heard Crabbe return to his dorm.

He didn't think much of it, assuming Crabbe had gone home for Christmas. This wasn't surprising; they had chosen to stay at the academy because of Malfoy, and Crabbe had become more solitary, no longer wanting to follow Malfoy around like before. It was normal for him to go home alone for Christmas.

However, the new semester started, and Crabbe still hadn't returned, leaving his seat vacant.

Goyle's mind wasn't working very well; he had a vague feeling that Crabbe wouldn't come back, perhaps never.

Marcus Flint, captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, had heard some rumors from the parents and was therefore even more curious. As the cheers subsided, he stood up. "Headmaster Dumbledore, can you tell us the details? Is Crabbe really the heir?"

Upon hearing Crabbe's name, the young Slytherin wizards instinctively looked towards Goyle's side, but seeing no sign of Crabbe, they erupted in a commotion:

"Crabbe didn't come!"

"Why is someone absent from the new semester dinner?"

"He really is the Heir of Slytherin!?"

Chattering amongst themselves, the young wizards from other houses who didn't know Crabbe were piecing together the outline of the matter from the conversations of their friends.

"Quiet, let this old man say a few words." Dumbledore tapped his glass, the clinking sound silencing the murmurs in the Great Hall and drawing the attention of all the young wizards. "Vincent Crabbe was indeed involved in the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets incident. But please forgive me, as a professor, I cannot tell you my speculative inferences until the Ministry of Magic has investigated the truth."

"Oh, no..." A mournful sigh rang out.

If he hadn't said anything, the young wizards wouldn't have been so curious. But when he was giving points to Loren and the others, he subtly revealed some information in the commendations, which piqued their curiosity.

Some quick-thinking young wizards realized the loophole in the headmaster's words. Since the professor couldn't say it, they could just ask Loren and the others directly... The older students were already eager to try.

"Before the banquet officially begins, I have one more thing to announce!" Dumbledore announced loudly, gesturing for everyone to look at Hagrid, who sat at the end of the High Table. "Mr. Hagrid Rubeus, the Keeper of the Keys at Hogwarts and the Keeper of the Forbidden Forest, was framed and made to bear a crime he did not commit in the Chamber of Secrets incident fifty years ago. Even recently, some people who were unaware of the truth tried to pin the blame for this Chamber of Chamber of Secrets incident on him as well."

The Chamber of Secrets had been opened before, Hagrid was blamed for opening Chamber of Secrets last time... This statement was so revealing that even some junior wizards were stunned.

Some young wizards who had learned about the matter from their parents during the holidays shared their insights with those around them, and the discussion in the Great Hall continued for quite some time.

"Now that the truth has been revealed, I hereby declare Hagrid innocent!"

All eyes were on Hagrid. In a heavy silence, Hagrid tightened his Moleskin Coat and slowly stood up. His gaze lingered on the four long tables for a long time, searching for his former self among the young wizards in their robes.

When he was about three years old, his mother, the giantess Fridwulfa, abandoned Hagrid and his father and returned to the Giant tribe, leaving his short father to raise him alone.

His childhood was somewhat difficult, but fortunately he had a loving father. By the age of six, Hagrid was already larger than his father. Their unique physique forced them to live away from humans. Dean Forest in southwest England was his source of closeness with animals, and he honed many of his forest survival skills during that time.

When Hagrid and his father received their Hogwarts acceptance letters, they were ecstatic, shouting and laughing like monkeys through the forest. Student life at Hogwarts wasn't always smooth sailing; his enormous size often drew ridicule. But the atmosphere at Gryffindor House was wonderful, and he loved this lion's house.

Just as the father and son's lives were slowly getting back on track, he was framed in the death of Moaning Myrtle in the third grade and was expelled from school shortly afterward.

Fortunately, his father wouldn't know about this, because his father had passed away a year ago...

The bright lights made Hagrid's eyes glaze over. He fought off the dizziness and fixed his gaze on Harry, choking back tears as he said:

"Without you— Harry, Loren, Hermione, Ron —I'm sure I'd still be in the Ministry of Magic's interrogation room right now. So all I want to say is thank you."

"Hogwarts can't do without you, Hagrid!" George and Fred clapped enthusiastically, which inspired the other young wizards to join in.

Harry met Hagrid's gaze and encouraged him with joy.

Dumbledore raised a hand, and the Great Hall gradually quieted down again. "One last thing, unfortunately, Professor Lockhart will not be able to return next semester, as he is going elsewhere to recover his memories."

The young wizards erupted in cheers upon hearing the good news, and several teachers also cheered.

"However, the Defense Against the Dark Arts course cannot be canceled, and I am pleased to welcome a new teacher to our team this semester."

"Professor Black has readily agreed to fill the vacancy in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Harry looked at the man in disbelief.

The mysterious cloaked figure seated at the High Table stood up, removed the hood covering his entire head, revealing a face familiar to Harry: Sirius Black Black, with a bright smile, bowed to the young wizards from the four houses.

Harry was still in a daze. A few people who knew Sirius Black were looking at Harry, while the other young wizards were unfamiliar with the Protestantism. A few scattered, sporadic claps rang out in the Great Hall.

Seamus clapped listlessly. "The plan failed. I didn't expect him to take off his hat himself."

Dean nodded slowly a few times, utterly disappointed.

"Look at Professor Snape, didn't you say he always wanted to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts ..." Hermione whispered in Loren's ear, then looked up and saw Loren's cold eyes.