An old hat sat quietly on a four-legged stool in front of the new students. It looked dirty and worn.
"A hat? Is it going to turn into a rabbit or something?"
Harry and Ron were making random guesses when suddenly, the hat twitched and a mouth-like seam opened on its edge.
Then, the hat actually started singing!
Just when the worn-out Sorting Hat opened its "mouth" and began to explain its origins to the freshmen--
Uchiha Madara moved.
He didn't stare at his hat curiously or wring his fingers nervously like other freshmen.
Nor did Draco and other new students like Pure-blood look at this "ancient ritual" with a sense of superiority.
He didn't even glance at Professor McGonagall, who was maintaining order beside him.
He took immediate steps.
The pace is steady, not fast, but with a decisive and natural meaning, and the direction is clear--
It's the faculty chair high above where all the professors at Hogwarts sit!
The originally noisy Great Hall seemed to have the Shizune key pressed, and even Sorting Hat's singing became quieter.
"Stop!"
Professor McGonagall's voice was like thunder, breaking the silence instantly with anger.
The corners of her emerald green robe moved without any wind, and one hand was already holding the wand in her sleeve. Her eyes behind the lenses were as sharp as knives, locked tightly on Madara's back.
"Freshman! Return to your place! Now!"
However, Madara's steps did not slow down at all, or even slowed down a bit.
He seemed not to have heard it at all, or, perhaps, he had heard it, but thought the order had nothing to do with him.
He had only one target - the old man sitting in the center.
Just when the magic power of Professor McGonagall is about to burst out, the hearts of all the students in the Great Hall are in their throats--
"Minerva."
A gentle, calm voice that seemed to be able to soothe all restless voices sounded.
Albus Dumbledore.
He was still sitting peacefully on the high-backed chair, his long silver hair and beard shining softly in the candlelight.
He just raised his hand slightly, suppressing Professor McGonagall's anger that was about to burst out, and also suppressed the entire Great Hall's tense atmosphere that was about to boil.
His eyes, through the half-moon-shaped glasses, fell on Uchiha Madara, who had walked a few steps below the staff chair.
In the depths of those azure eyes, there seemed to be stars flowing. They were still gentle, but there was a faint, almost uncaptured surprise and a deeper scrutiny.
Madara stopped.
He raised his head slightly and met Dumbledore's gaze without hesitation.
The moment the two people's eyes came into contact--
Buzz...
An invisible, heart-stopping wave centered on the two of them and suddenly spread to all sides!
It was not wind, but it was more biting than the coldest wind!
It wasn't a sound, but it seemed to hit everyone's soul directly!
First is light!
Great Hall Thousands of candles suspended in the sky, the golden flames that were originally burning steadily, seemed to have been invisible frightened, and began to sway crazily, flickering on and off!
Kakkō is stretched and twisted, and the light and shadow projected on the walls and dome dance strangely, as if an invisible giant hand is stirring this ocean of light!
The flame color of some candles near the staff bench is even strangely icy scarlet!
Next comes space!
The bright and realistic starry sky dome on the ceiling, simulated by powerful magic, now has ripples and slight distortions like water waves!
The light of the stars became blurred, and the outlines of the constellations began to ripple, as if the false sky would break and collapse at any time!
Then there is the invisible magic field!
All those with magic perception - professors, outstanding senior students - feel that the magical elements around them are violently agitated and trembling!
The air seemed to be filled with invisible electric charges, making people's scalp numb and hairs standing on end.
Several ghosts shrank into the walls in fear, becoming more transparent than usual.
The weapons in the hands of the armored statues on both sides of the corridor made a subtle, tooth-piercing trembling buzz!
The source of all these visions is exactly those two lines of sight that collided silently!
Uchiha Madara's body, an indescribable terrifying aura is awakening and rising!
It was not a magic shock that he deliberately released, but a kind of life pressure that originated from his blood, from his soul, and from countless life-and-death fights and absolute power control!
Ancient, arrogant, with the heat that burns everything and the coldness that freezes the soul, it is like a sleeping ancient beast slowly opening its eyes. The mere "weight" of its existence is enough to "distort" the surrounding reality!
The magic particles in the air were like a flock of disturbed birds, stirring uneasily.
This coercion was so pure and overbearing that several professors who were slightly closer (except Dumbledore) involuntarily tightened their bodies, and their magic power spontaneously operated to resist.
Severus Snape's fingers under the black robe tightened slightly, and his eyes became deeper;
Professor McGonagall straightened his back, his face extremely solemn.
The students in the audience were even more miserable. The senior students were all pale and sweating profusely. Among them, the timid ones almost slipped under the table.
However, facing this terrifying pressure that is enough to cause even Great Hall's magic structure to fluctuate--
Albus Dumbledore, still sitting quietly.
No confrontational light or wave erupted from him.
It is not an overt power, but the earth that exists from ancient times, the boundless and tolerant ocean, and the sky that covers all things!
Madara's pressure, which is full of aggression and can tear apart the minds of ordinary wizards, is like a huge wave hitting a dam, it is huge but cannot move forward.
Dumbledore's magic field is gentle and stable, with an almost "law"-like toughness that silently absorbs, tolerates and dissolves the destructive aura.
It was this power that seemed calm but was actually as deep as an abyss that firmly protected the core of the entire Great Hall, preventing Madara's unconscious coercion from causing more substantial damage.
Dumbledore Half-moon Spectacles's eyes flickered slightly.
It was not fear or anger, but a kind of extreme concentration and exploration, as if a top scholar suddenly discovered a rare phenomenon that had never been seen before and went against common sense.
He was indeed surprised - not by the strength of the power (he had seen more powerful darkness), but by the unique "quality" of this power, and the aloofness and indifference of the young man in front of him who was completely inconsistent with his age, as if he was standing at the end of the world.
At this moment, under the Hogwarts thousand-year-old Great Hall dome, two beings from different worlds, standing at the apex of their respective powers, completed their first silent meeting, but it was enough to make the entire Wizarding World tremble.
Time, in this silent but earth-shattering confrontation, seemed to be stretched infinitely.
Finally, Uchiha Madara spoke.
His voice was not high, but it had a strange metallic texture. It clearly penetrated the crackling sound of candlelight and the suppressed breathing of everyone, and echoed in the silence Great Hall:
"Albus Dumbledore..."
He pronounced the name in a calm tone, but with a condescending look, as if two kings were exchanging names.
Madara looked at Dumbledore. The pair of Sharingan, which could see through all things, seemed to penetrate the gentle appearance and look directly at the core of power and the essence of the soul.
"Your light is indeed dazzling enough."
This sentence is not a compliment, but a cold statement and assessment.
Immediately, he changed the subject and his gaze seemed to penetrate Dumbledore, casting it towards the shadow of the older castle behind him.
Or maybe, looking at the old order that the entire Wizarding World adheres to:
"But the darkness rooted in the rotting giant trees..."
He paused, and the corner of his mouth curled up in a very faint arc that made everyone who saw it feel heart-stopped.
There is no frivolity in that arc, only an almost cruel declaration after understanding the essence:
"You... how long can you stop me?"
After the words fell, he did not wait for an answer, nor did he provoke further.
Scarlet eyes finally glanced at the shocked, solemn, or deep-thinking faces on the faculty bench, leaving behind a silent, cold smile.
That smile seemed to say, "I saw it, I evaluated it, and I took note of it."
Then, he folded his arms across his chest again, and just like that, calmly and abruptly, he stood in the space where no one should be standing between the faculty bench and the freshmen team.
He did not retreat to the freshman queue, nor did he take another step forward.
He just stood there with his arms folded, like an accent suddenly inserted into a harmonious movement, announcing that a variable that could not be ignored had arrived Hogwarts.
Great Hall It was still dead silent, with only the sound of heavy breathing and the uneasy crackling of candlelight.
All the teachers and students held their breath. Even after Madara's provocative speech, Dumbledore still had a gentle smile on his face, as if he had just listened to a harmless joke.
[The first meeting between Madara and Old Bee was like a confrontation like a meteor hitting the earth. Are Hogwarts ready to face the fate of being ruled by the king?! The wizards secretly recommend votes to Shushu, collect them]