The New Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor

Lestrange's gruff shout drew the attention of everyone in the Great Hall.

"Horace, keep an eye on your students!" Professor Merrythought said coldly, his face particularly grim.

Professor Slughorn's expression wasn't good either. He immediately stood up from his seat and said seriously, "Doctor Strange, please come to my office tomorrow evening. If you don't know where my office is, you can ask your seniors."

He hesitated for a moment, then added, "Because of this, Slytherin will lose ten points!"

The young wizards present were in an uproar. No one had expected that a young wizard who had just been sorted into a house would have ten points deducted from their house by their headmaster on the spot!

Driven by curiosity, Ghost Xiwen, before the main ghost army had gone far, silently floated to the entrance of the Great Hall and glanced at the college's scoreboard, which had been completely emptied this academic year.

The hourglasses of other houses had no gems at all, but Slytherin's hourglass contained ten small, transparent gems, meaning that negative scores were somewhat rare in Hogwarts history!

However, apart from Slytherin, the other houses were quite happy about this, and many junior wizards from other houses were very gloating.

Last school year, Slytherin received a significant bonus due to Xiwen's Special Award for Services to the School; in addition, Slytherin won the Quidditch Champion among the four houses last semester, earning another large bonus.

Therefore, in the 1937-1938 school year, Slytherin ultimately won the House Cup by a huge margin.

This left many students from other colleges feeling resentful, eager to regain their pride in the new academic year.

This is why Lestrange's decision to deduct points from Slytherin's grades on the first day of school drew schadenfreude from many.

At this moment, Riddle had already removed the Sorting Hat and, still maintaining his proper demeanor, gracefully walked towards the Slytherin table.

"I really don't know how such a Mudblood got into Slytherin." Lestrange had just learned his lesson and dared not openly mock Riddle again, but he still muttered under his breath.

"Lestrange, since Riddle has been sorted into Slytherin, it means he must not be Muggle-born wizard," Xiwen said, frowning and glancing at Lestrange.

Lestrange was about to retort when he suddenly saw Riddle's cold and sinister gaze. For some reason, his dark eyes were like those of a Coldblood snake, exceptionally icy.

Those terrifying eyes sent a chill down Lestrange's spine, and he didn't dare say another word.

Xiwen noticed Lestrange's strange behavior and looked at Riddle curiously, only to find Riddle wearing a gentle smile.

"Senior, you just said I wouldn't be Muggle-born wizard, right?" Riddle asked Xiwen gently and politely.

"That's right." Xiwen nodded slightly and explained to him, "Because Salazar Slytherin, the Founders of Slytherin House, never trusted Muggle, and he valued wizarding bloodlines highly. Therefore, Slytherin House never admitted wizards who were entirely Muggle-born."

Riddle looked relieved upon hearing this.

Then, a hopeful expression appeared on his face as he looked at Xiwen and asked, "Do you have a way of finding out what kind of wizards my parents are?"

Xiwen shook his head, which disappointed Riddle.

"You Pure-blood should be quite knowledgeable, I wonder if you've ever heard of the Riddle name?" Riddle persisted, asking again.

Xiwen thought for a moment and realized he had never heard of this surname before, so he patted Abraxas next to him.

"Abu, have you ever heard of the surname Riddle?"

Abu glanced at Riddle, shook his head, and said with a hint of disdain, "Never heard of it."

Riddle's spirits plummeted.

"Don't worry, we are wizards." Seeing his disappointment, Xiwen comforted him. "Perhaps your parents left you some unique abilities; you can start by exploring your talents to find your parents."

Riddle paused for a moment before managing a weak smile.

He then bowed gracefully to Xiwen and sat down at a quiet spot at the Slytherin table, lost in thought.

Xiwen glanced at Riddle's elegant demeanor despite his disappointment, then at Lestrange, whose manner and appearance were equally rugged, and couldn't help but sigh—it's hard for someone who doesn't know them to tell which of these two is of noble birth and which came from an orphanage.

'Given the number of male Slytherin students this year, there's a high chance they'll be assigned to the same dorm room,' Xiwen thought with some concern.

The Sorting Ceremony returned to normal after this brief interlude, so much so that the Sorting of the remaining young wizards seemed rather uneventful.

After the Sorting Ceremony, Headmaster Dippet gave a brief speech and introduced the newly appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Harry Enriques.

Professor Enriques rose from his professor's seat, gracefully walked to the long table, and bowed to the young wizards in the Great Hall.

His attire was impeccable: a gilded wizard's robe with a turned-down collar, crisp formal trousers, and gleaming leather shoes, all indicating his wealthy status.

Professor Enriques's hair, however, was particularly striking. His lake-blue curly hair, whether from perming and dyeing or from some unique magic, gave his face a distinctive beauty.

However, Professor Enriques clearly wasn't going to bother introducing his hair to the young wizards; he simply gave an elegant bow and returned to his seat to enjoy the sumptuous dinner.

Many of the little witches were captivated by his impeccable attire and distinctive hair color, staring intently at Professor Enriques, so much so that they forgot to eat.

Xiwen, of course, had no time to pay attention to so much; he simply ate heartily the sumptuous meal that followed the Sorting Ceremony.

After dinner, the freshmen will be led by their fifth-year Prefect to their respective college's common room.

Xiwen glanced at Ignatius, who was now the Prefect of the sixth year, wanting to see his reflections on the fleeting nature of time.

After all, at this time last year, it was he who guided Xiwen to the Slytherin Common Room.

When Xiwen glanced at him, she found that he was completely oblivious to the behavior of the two new fifth-year Prefect, and was only focused on chatting with Lucretia...

Sure enough, people who have found partners are different!

Just then, Elshiona's voice rang out beside Xiwen.

"Xiwen, let's go!" she said cheerfully, quickly pulling Xiwen towards the Great Hall exit. "Let's go back to the lounge together!"

Just as Xiwen was about to agree, seeing Elshiona's hurried demeanor, he immediately sensed something was amiss.

He then remembered how weak she had been on the train, so he reached out and pulled her back.

"Have you forgotten that you're supposed to go to the Hospital Wing?" Xiwen asked.

Elshiona's expression immediately fell.

While the young wizards were leaving the Great Hall in a chaotic manner, most of the Hogwarts faculty and staff remained seated in their places, chatting and laughing happily, waiting for the young wizards to leave before departing themselves.

Xiwen pulled Elshiona over and greeted Mrs. Dallaire, who was sitting at the long table.

"Mrs. Dallaire, Elshiona says she's been experiencing intermittent weakness lately, which usually lasts for a few hours before subsiding. I think she needs to come see you," Xiwen said.

Meanwhile, in the professor's seat, the newly arrived Professor Enriques showed a hint of interest.