The Age of Wild Tricks Is Dead

Whether they break up or not, Ron doesn't really care anymore.

After all, he's no longer that fresh- Gryffindor who was completely dominated by Team Glory when he first entered school; he's long since become a seasoned veteran.

As long as he doesn't lose points, whether he gets extra or not doesn't really matter much.

They walked through the Entrance hall into the Great Hall of Hogwarts.

At the start of each new school term, everyone gathers together in the Great Hall for a major event that has been held since the founding of Hogwarts— the Sorting Ceremony.

The Great Hall was still as magnificent and grand as ever, and it had been specially decorated for the banquet held by the new students.

Hundreds of candles floated above the table, Winky the gold plates and goblets.

Four long college tables were already filled with chattering students, who were shaking their wet hair as they shared their holiday experiences with those around them.

From the snippets of their conversation, they seemed still immersed in the afterglow of the World Cup.

That's understandable, considering how exciting this Quidditch World Cup final was. It's not common to catch the Golden Snitch first and then lose the game in the final.

At the top of the Great Hall was a fifth table, where faculty members sat one on each side, facing their students.

Harry and his friends walked past the students from Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff, while Cassandra went first to the Slytherin's long table.

Then Harry and his friends sat at the table at the far end of the Great Hall Gryffindor House students.

It's much warmer here, perhaps because it's close to the fireplace, or for some other reason.

Beside them was the ghost of Gryffindor House— Nearly Headless Nick.

Nick was translucent, with a pearly white hue. Tonight he was wearing his usual tight-fitting top, but with an unusually large, ruffled collar.

He wore the ruffled collar for two reasons: first, to make it look more festive, and second, to prevent his head from shaking too much on his half-severed neck.

"Good evening," he said to them with a smile.

"Good evening, Sir Nicholas," Harry greeted him. "You seem to be in a good mood today?"

"Welcoming new students to school is certainly something to be happy about," Nearly Headless Nick, before drifting away.

"I really doubt what he said," Ron whispered to Harry and Hermione. "I'm afraid he wasn't trying to welcome the new students, but rather to scare them all for his own twisted sense of humor, isn't he?"

"It's not very polite to say it like that," Harry said in a low voice as well.

"I was almost scared when I was in first year anyway." Ron shrugged, looking at Hermione. "What about you? Were you scared when you saw ghosts in first year?"

"It's alright," Hermione replied ambiguously.

At that moment, the faculty and staff seats gradually filled with professors.

All four deans except Professor McGonagall were present. Professor McGonagall still needed to assign the freshmen to their Sorting, so she did not take her seat immediately.

Harry spotted Snape immediately; after all, Snape was like a firefly in the night, hard not to attract attention.

It's clear that Snape still doesn't pay much attention to his personal image; even after Lily pointed it out, he still had that slicked-back look.

His fashion sense is also impeccable; he always wears the same black cloak, the darkness serving as his camouflage.

"When is dinner?" Ron muttered. "I'm starving—if Charlie and I go back to Romania, I think I could eat a whole Hungarian Horntail dragon."

The Hungarian Horntail dragon is a type of Fire Dragon, and it's clear that Ron is really hungry.

"That depends on when the Sorting Ceremony is over," Harry said to Ron.

After he finished speaking, he continued to look around at the Faculty Table area.

Seated in the main seat was Dumbledore.

His flowing silver-white hair and beard Winky in the candlelight, and his magnificent robe was embroidered with many stars and moons.

Harry was a little curious as to why Dumbledore would wear this robe, which he knew had been Ancient Charm by Veratia. Was it because Gellert had given it to him?

Noticing Harry's gaze, Dumbledore winked at him.

Harry: —

Pah! You're such an old man, do you think you're cute?

After blinking, Dumbledore touched the tips of his two long, slender hands together, rested his chin on his fingertips, and gazed at the ceiling through his half-moon-shaped lenses, as if lost in thought.

Harry also looked up at the ceiling, which was enchanted and looked just like the sky outside.

Harry had never seen it so stormy.

Black and purple clouds churned above, followed by another clap of thunder outside, and a forked bolt of lightning streaked across the ceiling.

"Look," Hermione said, pointing to the ceiling, "It's amazing, isn't it?"

"Magic, it's like this," Ron said, raising an eyebrow. "Actually, we used to have this thing on our ceiling, but my mom thought it was too flashy and impractical, so we stopped using it."

"I think it's great," Hermione said.

Just then, the Great Hall doors opened again.

Professor McGonagall led a group of freshmen, who were soaked to the bone, into the room. They looked like shivering little drowned rats.

The tall Hagrid followed at the back of the group, his hair and beard soaked by the rain, and his rat-skin coat was gone.

But he didn't seem to be bothered by the dampness at all, or even feel cold.

When Hagrid met Harry's gaze, he even waved and mouthed to a new student in front of him, "This little guy!"

oh.

Harry saw it; the freshman Hagrid was pointing to was wearing his rat-skin coat.

The coat was far too big for him, much larger than a robe.

This child looked completely different from his other freshmen classmates. While his classmates were trembling like quails, this child even had the nerve to wave at the Gryffindor longstand, suggesting he was someone's relative.

Harry read from the boy's lips, "I fell into the lake."

They are truly heartless.

It's not hard to understand why Hagrid was also soaking wet and gave the boy his rat-skin coat.

Professor McGonagall, at the opportune moment, stood in front of the Faculty Table, holding the Sorting Hat. She placed the cap on a stool.

The hat started singing a sycophantic song again.

It's clear that the Sorting Hat comes up with different words every year, since he's always just sitting in the Headmaster's Office daydreaming and doesn't have much time to go out and participate in activities.

It would be really boring to wear a hat if I didn't find some entertainment.

After the singing, the classic Sorting session began.

After being assigned the class of freshmen who had fallen into the lake, everyone finally confirmed who he was.

He is Colin Creevey's younger brother, Dennis Creevey.

This guy is such a social butterfly. Ever since he walked into the Gryffindor long table, he hasn't stopped talking. He looks exactly like a Colin copy of Colin.

"He's so lively," Ron whispered to Harry. "I hope he'll be just as happy after his first Potions Class."

Harry racked his brains, trying to imagine what Snape would do to turn the cheerful and lively Dennis into an autistic boy.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't have imagined it, since Dennis's Colin was still that sunny and cheerful big boy with no sense of boundaries.

After the Sorting was completed, Professor McGonagall left, carrying her hat.

At the same time, Dumbledore also stood up.

"Looks like it's time to eat." Ron couldn't wait any longer. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and bring it out!"

However, Ron's idea was destined to be shattered, because Dumbledore's standing up was not to signal everyone to begin the meal.

"Welcome." Dumbledore raised his hands in a standard French military salute. "In this new term, we welcome new students—before we begin our meal, please allow me to give you a brief introduction."

"Over the next few months, we will be honored to host a truly spectacular event—an event that hasn't been held in over a century."

"I am very pleased to announce that the Triwizard Tournament will be held at Hogwarts this year."

At this point, Dumbledore paused, seemingly waiting for cheers from the crowd.

Sparse applause broke out from the students' seats. What everyone was concerned about now was not some kind of competition, but when lunch would be served.

Dumbledore wasn't embarrassed at all. He continued, "The Triwizard Tournament was established about seven hundred years ago. It's a friendly competition between the three largest magic schools in Europe: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. Each school selects one champion, and then the three champions compete in three different magical events."

"The Triwizard Tournament is held every five years, with the three schools taking turns hosting. Everyone agrees that it's an excellent way for young wizards from different countries to build friendships—but later, the death toll became too high..."

The Triwizard Tournament was then interrupted.

The students in the Great Hall didn't seem bothered by the word "death." They chatted excitedly, showing no interest in the unfortunate souls who had died over a hundred years ago.

"For centuries, there have been several attempts to revive the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore continued, "But none have been successful—however, our Department of International Ministry of Magic Department of International Magical Cooperation and the Department of Magical Games and Sports believe the time is ripe for another attempt. This summer we have done much work to ensure that every champion is safe and sound."

"The delegation from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang has arrived at Hogwarts. Please welcome them!"

Dumbledore finished speaking, the doors of the Great Hall opened again.

About twelve or thirteen male and female students walked in from outside the gate. They looked to be around eighteen or nineteen years old.

Their attire was also different from Hogwarts' —their robes were light blue and appeared to be made of fine silk, clearly very expensive.

When they reached the Faculty Table, they stood aside.

Then, a tall woman walked in from outside.

She was tall, literally. It was the first time Harry had ever seen a woman so tall—even the doors of Hogwarts Great Hall seemed like normal-sized doors to her.

Despite her large stature, she was actually very beautiful and had a dignified and elegant demeanor. Her luxurious attire perfectly showcased her status as a noblewoman, especially the huge, expensive opals that shone on her neck and fingers.

For a fleeting moment, Harry felt that Hagrid was about to experience his spring.

Indeed, that was the case. Harry turned to look at Hagrid and found him staring intently at the tall Lady.

Headmaster Dumbledore stepped down from the High Table and approached the woman.

The woman's face relaxed, revealing an elegant smile. She extended a hand towards Dumbledore, and Harry noticed that Dumbledore didn't need to bend over when giving a hand kiss.

It's not that Dumbledore short, it's just that this woman is too tall.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, dear Madame Maxime." Dumbledore released Madame Maxime's hand.

"Mr. Dumbledore," Madame Maxime said in a deep, resonant voice, "I hope you are well."

After exchanging pleasantries, Madame Maxime walked to the High Table and sat down next to Hagrid.

Hagrid suddenly became reserved, shifting his body awkwardly and uncomfortably, as if he were being bitten by lice.

Then, a group of male students entered the Great Hall; there were no female students in the group.

They looked very muscular, like miniature Troll —for some reason, that word just popped into Harry's head.

However, upon closer inspection, these people were not actually that muscular; they appeared large because they were wearing fur cloaks.

The leader's cloak was different from the others; it was silver-white, smooth and lustrous, and must have been the fur of some rare Magical Creatures.

"Dumbledore!" the man called out enthusiastically halfway there, "My dear Old Pal,

How are you?

"Excellent, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied.

Karkaroff's voice was melodious and sweet. When he came closer, they saw that he was as tall and thin as Dumbledore, but his white hair was short and his goatee with small curls at the ends did not completely cover his thin chin.

He walked up to Dumbledore and shook hands with Dumbledore using both hands.

"My dear Old Pal Hogwarts," he said, looking up at the castle with a smile—his teeth were yellow and stained with black.

Although he smiled, his eyes held no smile, remaining cold and sharp. "It's so good to be here, so good—.— Viktor, come here and warm up—you don't mind, do you, Dumbledore? Viktor has caught a bit of a cold—"

Karkaroff gestured for one of his students to come forward.

As the boy walked by, Harry noticed a striking hooked nose and thick, dark eyebrows. "Harry —it's Krum!"

Ron said excitedly from the side.

Viktor Krum, the Bulgaria Seeker who caught the Golden Snitch in the World Cup final.

He is also Ron's idol.

"I can tell," Harry said rather casually, showing he didn't have much of a fangirling attitude.

In the Faculty Table, Dumbledore had long since returned to his seat, was chatting with two Headmaster.

A moment later, he stood up.

"Well then," Dumbledore said, "Welcome to Beauxbatons and Durmstrang's students. On behalf of all the teachers and students of Hogwarts Hogwarts, I extend a warm welcome to you."

After saying that, he began to applaud.

When the students saw Dumbledore, they started clapping, and the others joined in.

After waiting a while, Dumbledore reached out and pressed down.

"In the days to come," he continued, glancing around, "Students from both schools are free to choose from the four houses of Hogwarts and dine together at the Heads' table of their chosen houses—of course..."

You can also go to the college dormitories with them to rest; the Prefect of each college will arrange all of this.

"Hogwarts has four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin."

Each house has its own unique characteristics: Gryffindor brave, Hufflepuff is loyal, Ravenclaw is intelligent, and Slytherin is shrewd—but this isn't absolute. I believe you all had some understanding of the four houses before arriving at Hogwarts, so—you can choose now.

As soon as the words were spoken, the students from both schools began to choose their seats in the long seats of their respective colleges.

Most of the Beauxbatons sat in the Ravenclaw long seat, a few chose Hufflepuff, and no one chose Gryffindor or Slytherin.

All the Durmstrang chose Slytherin.

After they were seated, Dumbledore said, "Alright—I won't say anything to spoil your fun. Now, I declare the banquet open!"

The table in front of them was suddenly piled high with food. Ron cheered and muttered, "Looks like Dumbledore remembers we need to replenish our food supplies."

"He won't forget this. Actually, I was starving too."

As Harry spoke, he reached out and forked a thick piece of steak from the table, placing it on his plate.

You must have a good bite or two.

They ate for a few minutes Nearly Headless Nick, suddenly popped his head out from the freshmen's side.

The children from wizarding families were fine, but the Muggle Family children were quite startled. Dennis Creevey was clearly surprised, as he immediately recognized the Nearly Headless Nick.

"You're Nearly Headless Nick!" Dennis pointed at Nick and shouted, "I know you! My brother always tells me, 'Hey, every year when freshmen come to school, Nearly Headless Nick brings ghosts to welcome them.' Looks like he wasn't lying after all—haha, hello there!"

"Hello," Nearly Headless Nick. "But I still prefer to be called Sir Nicholas."

"Okay, Nearly Headless Nick." Dennis nodded repeatedly, still holding a slice of pizza in his hand.

Nick:

"You must be a member of Colin Creevey's family, right?" Nick confirmed immediately. "Besides the Creevey kid, I don't think anyone else would be this bold."

"That's so cool!" Dennis exclaimed excitedly. "You actually recognized me! My God— "

"We don't say God here," Nick explained carefully. "We all say Merlin —if you want to express your amazement, you can try using Merlin instead of God, what do you think?"

"When you enter Rome, you must be in harmony with the Rome," Dennis shrugged, indicating that he accepted Sir Nicholas's advice.

The appearance of the ghost caused a stir, including among students from the other two schools.

There are indeed ghosts among Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, but I've never seen such a wicked ghost before—like Sir Nicholas and Bloody Baron, each with their own ruthless tricks.

But it's clear that the era of ruthless living is over.

The torrential rain continued to pound against the dark windows. Another clap of thunder boomed, rattling the glass. A bolt of lightning flashed across the gloomy ceiling, illuminating the golden plate.

The remaining first course on the plate disappeared, and in the blink of an eye, it was filled with desserts again.

"I still have to give the House Elf a thumbs up for their efficiency." Ron reached for a plate of crème brûlée, turned around and said, "To be able to bring food to the table without revealing themselves, that's really—"

"Silly boy," Nearly Headless Nick, "The mark of a good House Elf is that you have no idea he exists."

Hermione looked up at Nick, but ultimately said nothing.

After all, the lesson Kritcher taught her was so profound that she still harbors considerable trauma from it.

What was that saying again?

Even more useful than Hogwarts ' education. jpg

She has now learned to respect the fate of others and to give up the urge to help them.

"I still prefer Syrup pie," Ron said, grabbing several plates. "And chocolate cake too."

Ah—. Indeed, sweets are the only food in this world that can redeem me—"

"What about the chicken leg?" Hermione suddenly asked.

"Oh, chicken leg, chicken leg—" Ron was caught in a dilemma, but he quickly recovered. "It's different. Chicken leg is a main course, while dessert is dessert, not a main course. It's for after-dinner consumption—"

"Alright!" Dumbledore said with a smile, looking at everyone. "Now that we've all eaten and drunk our fill, I must once again ask you to pay attention, as I have a few announcements to make."

"Mr. Filch, the gatekeeper, wants me to tell you that a few more items have been added to the list of prohibited items in the castle this year: Screaming Yo-yos, Fang-discs, and Combo-return Boomerangs. The complete list includes about 437 items, which can be found in Mr. Filch's office. Anyone interested can check it out."

"In addition," Dumbledore added, "We will be holding a selection process for warriors next week, and everyone is encouraged to participate."

(Start with 6000 today, to get used to the pace)