Portraits in the Great Hall

As night fell, the train slowly pulled into the station. The group, familiar with the route, boarded the Thestral carriage and arrived at the castle, where they entered the Great Hall and took their seats.

The High Table was already full. Unlike in the original story, Hagrid had returned and was now sitting at the very end of the table in his place. As the students took their seats, he excitedly greeted Harry and the others.

In the seat that usually belongs to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor sits Dolores Pink Toad Umbridge, the most disliked character in the entire original series.

At this moment, the Sorting Ceremony began. The faces of the first-year students gleamed pale in the candlelight. Several children in the line seemed to be trembling. It was normal to feel uneasy, being watched by so many wizards and about to have their house assigned to decided.

The entire school held its breath, waiting as the slit beside the brim of the Sorting Hat opened like a mouth and began to sing.

This year's Sorting Hat sang a different song than usual. Typically, the Sorting Hat only describes the different qualities valued by the four houses of Hogwarts and its own task for students to be sorted into houses. However, this year, somewhat strangely, the Sorting Hat gave students advice on unity.

This made many students feel uneasy.

On the Slytherin table.

Skylar lazily propped his chin up, his eyes slightly narrowed as he stared at the Sorting Hat, which had just quieted down. His fingertips tapped lightly on the table, as if he were pondering something.

"That's strange." Daphne frowned, her gaze scrutinizing. "The Sorting Hat sings every year, but this time it specifically emphasizes 'unity'? What is it warning us about?"

Astoria stroked her chin meaningfully and said, "I remember it issuing similar warnings before, probably out of some kind of premonition... Perhaps, this year... the situation outside will change drastically."

Skylar's lips curled slightly, and he chuckled softly, "Whatever it's implying doesn't matter. We're already prepared—in fact, our opportunity may be just around the corner."

Daphne casually tossed her hair and said with a smile, "That also means this year is going to be very interesting."

On the Gryffindor table.

Ron wrinkled his nose, still chewing on a pie. "This lousy hat is making a fuss again. Does it Prophecy the future?"

"Don't say that," Hermione retorted immediately, a hint of worry on her face. "The Sorting Hat was created using the wisdom of the four Founders; it understands Hogwarts better than anyone else. The fact that it specifically emphasizes unity means..."

"This means Hogwarts might be in trouble," Harry said in a low voice, his brow furrowed and a sense of unease creeping into his heart.

Neville nervously rubbed his hands together. "Do you think something terrible is about to happen again?"

As Ron ate, he said, "Don't overthink it. It's just a hat. What does it know?"

Hermione didn't answer, but bit her lip, seemingly pondering what the Sorting Hat's warning really meant, while Harry unconsciously touched the scar on his forehead. Although he also felt uneasy, he dismissed the Sorting Hat's words—it was impossible for him to unite with the Slytherins.

As always, Dumbledore gave his speech after the dinner, which relieved the young wizards, who then began their attack on the food on the table.

Only after the young wizards had finished eating and drinking and put down their knives and forks did Dumbledore get up again and begin to talk about the important points for the school year.

For upperclassmen, these words are like the same old tune, almost identical every year, nothing more than rules like not entering the Forbidden Forest and not casting spells in the corridors. Only Filch's list of prohibited items gets a few new additions every year, but no one really cares.

"This year, we have a change in our teaching staff—let us proudly introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

A polite but not very enthusiastic round of applause filled the Great Hall, while Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged a slightly nervous glance.

Dumbledore continued, "The selection for the House Quidditch team will be held at --"

He abruptly stopped speaking, looking at Professor Umbridge questioningly. Since she wasn't much taller standing than when she was sitting, no one immediately understood why Dumbledore had suddenly stopped. Then Professor Umbridge cleared her throat. "Ahem, ahem." Everyone then realized that she had stood up and was preparing to speak.

Dumbledore showed surprise for only a moment, then quickly sat down and stared intently at Professor Umbridge. The students in the Great Hall murmured among themselves. The scene was quite strange, and the other teachers could not cleverly conceal their astonishment. Professor Sprout's eyebrows almost reached into her flowing hair, and Professor McGonagall pursed her lips tightly.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge said with a forced smile, "Thank you for such a warm welcome."

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young wizards to be of paramount importance. Your innate talents, if not nurtured and developed under careful and meticulous guidance, may yield no results. The ancient arts unique to the magical world must be passed down through generations, or they will vanish. The precious treasure trove of magical knowledge accumulated by our ancestors must be protected, supplemented, and perfected by those fortunate enough to engage in the noble profession of education."

Umbridge's long and tedious speech made Skylar drowsy.

The students were whispering, giggling, and chatting amongst themselves, making the Great Hall quite noisy.

Draco was talking to Pansy with a disdainful look on his face. Pansy kept nodding, seemingly agreeing with what he was saying. Daphne was propping her cheek up with one hand, looking as if she was about to fall asleep on the table at any moment.

The others were much the same. At the Ravenclaw table, Cho Chang was chatting with her friends. When Skylar looked over, she met Cho Chang's gaze, but Cho Chang responded with a slightly shy smile. A few seats away from Cho Chang, Luna was engrossed in reading "The Quibbler" as if no one else was around.

At the long table in Hufflepuff, Ernie Macmillan was one of the few students still staring at Professor Umbridge, but his gaze was dull and lifeless; he was probably just pretending to listen attentively so as not to disappoint the brand-new, Winky Prefect Badge on his chest.

However, the teachers listened very carefully, Hermione seemed to be completely absorbed in every word Umbridge said, but judging from her expression, she didn't like what she was saying.

After she finished her speech and sat down, Dumbledore began to applaud, and the other teachers followed suit, though some only clapped once or twice before putting their hands down.

A dozen or so students clapped along with him. Skylar recognized these students; most of their parents worked at the Ministry of Magic. But most of the students had only listened for a few sentences before they started daydreaming. They didn't even realize that the speech was over. Before they could start clapping, Dumbledore had already stood up.

"Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, your remarks were very insightful." He gave her a slight bow. "Alright, as I just mentioned, the Quidditch team selections will be held this Friday. Students who wish to join the House team should contact their respective Deans."

"Furthermore, I have something important to announce—"

For a moment, the atmosphere in the Great Hall paused slightly as the students held their breath and listened intently.

"This October, Hogwarts will be conducting an exchange program with ten other renowned magic schools." Dumbledore moment, and sure enough, the Great Hall erupted in excitement.

"Other magic schools?"

"Besides Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, who else?"

"That's great! We can go to other schools too?"

A murmur of discussion arose, creating a lively commotion; even some members of Slytherin showed interest. Dumbledore gently raised his hand, signaling for quiet, and continued with a smile:

"This exchange program will involve ten magic schools, including Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. All students in their fifth year and above are eligible to apply, but there are only two spots available. We encourage interested students to apply. However—" Dumbledore adjusted his glasses, his tone tinged with a playful humor, "Travel and living expenses are the responsibility of the students themselves."

The Great Hall instantly filled with chatter, as many people excitedly whispered among themselves about the schools they most wanted to attend.

"This is amazing! I wonder which schools are included?" several Ravenclaw girls discussed excitedly.

Hermione's eyes flickered, clearly already considering the academic value, while Harry looked at her hesitantly. "Hermione, will you sign up?"

Hermione frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "If it were Beauxbatons or Ilvermorny, the academic resources would be quite abundant... but I need to think about leaving Hogwarts for a whole semester."

Ron, however, muttered with a gloomy expression, "Travel expenses on my own? Merlin's socks... I've only saved up less than five Silver Sickle..."

"Looks like you'll have to stay at Hogwarts." Hermione glanced at him, mercilessly shattering his illusions.

At the Slytherin table, Draco was also thinking, but quickly shook his head. Pansy noticed his expression and asked, "Aren't you going?"

"I have more important things to do," Draco said curtly. "The Quidditch season is about to begin, and as captain, I can't abandon the team at this time."

"Indeed." Pansy nodded, clearly having no objection to the decision.

On the other side, Blaise Zabini was ecstatic. A smile played on his lips as he murmured, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity..."

"What opportunity?" Nott asked.

Blaise smiled knowingly, glancing at the young witches in the hall, and sighed softly, "All the best witches at Hogwarts have been snatched up by that Skylar fellow. We can't find any suitable companions. I don't want to spend my seven years at Hogwarts all alone, so I'm going to find a girlfriend at another magic school."

Nott paused for a moment, then rolled his eyes. "Are you so sure you'd be more popular at other schools?"

"At least it's more hopeful than living in Skylar's shadow." Blaise shrugged, his face full of anticipation. "Think about it, Beauxbatons, Ilvermorny, Koldovstoretz... who knows, maybe some school has a bunch of charming witches waiting for me."

Meanwhile, Dumbledore continued, "Those who wish to apply, please make your decision as soon as possible. The application deadline is September 15th, and those who are ultimately selected will officially depart on October 1st."

He paused slightly, glanced at the audience, and added in a gentle tone, "At the same time, exchange students from other schools will also arrive at Hogwarts on the same day. I hope everyone will give them a warm welcome and let them feel the warmth of Hogwarts."

These words sparked another round of heated discussion in the Great Hall.

What kind of student do you think he would be?

"Hopefully, it won't be a quiet guy like Krum."

"Could there be students from the Uagadou School of Magic in Africa? I've heard their witchcraft and spell systems are completely different!"

Various speculations spread through the Great Hall, and the atmosphere became lively due to this sudden news. Many students had already begun to look forward to the arrival of the future exchange students.

A clattering sound of tables and chairs echoed around, clearly indicating that Dumbledore had dismissed the entire school.

The Hogwarts students rose one by one and walked in twos and threes toward their respective common rooms. Whispers still echoed in the Great Hall, with many people discussing the dinner that had just ended and Umbridge's long and strange speech.

At the Slytherin table, Skylar, Daphne, and Astoria were also present.

"This is unprecedentedly boring," Daphne said first, her tone full of disdain. As she walked, she frowned and recalled, "I've never seen a professor spout so much nonsense at an opening ceremony. 'Let's reach a consensus based on understanding'? Who would believe that?"

"Yes, and the tone of her voice... it made me very uncomfortable," Astoria said softly, her brow furrowing slightly. "She seemed to be emphasizing tradition and progress on the surface, but in reality, every word she uttered reeked of official jargon."

Skylar slowly adjusted the robe draped over his shoulders, his tone unhurried. "This isn't nonsense. She's merely 'gently' declaring that she's taken over a portion of Hogwarts' power. Think carefully, how many times did she use phrases like 'higher wisdom of the wizarding world,' 'appropriate guidance,' and 'educational reform' in her speech?"

Daphne paused, recalling Umbridge's deliberate and exaggerated words, and couldn't help but sneer, "So, she's going to interfere with Hogwarts' teaching?"

"More than just meddling," Skylar's lips curled slightly, his eyes unfathomable, "I bet she'll completely take control."

Astoria took a soft breath. "What will she do?"

"It's very simple—" Skylar replied casually, his gaze slightly cool, "Changing the curriculum, suppressing professors who don't conform to her ideals, and even creating a bunch of cumbersome rules... Hogwarts is probably not going to be peaceful from now on."

Daphne snorted, her tone dismissive. "If she really dares to mess with us, we're not people she can afford to offend."

Upon hearing this, Skylar smiled slightly, his eyes deep. "Perhaps. However, this game has only just begun."