Staff Changes for the New School Year

"Not you?"

Bellows turned to look beside him, then compared Manus's position with the gaze he had noticed earlier.

"From that direction... it had to be you. He couldn't have been staring at Jasper across from you like that, could he? Even if he really was... he'd be more likely to look at Quirinus that way."

Jasper: ???

To be fair, Jasper wasn't ugly. He just, well... wasn't good-looking. His features weren't particularly striking, and his build was rather... ahem, well nourished.

A love-at-first-sight story involving him wouldn't be very convincing.

By comparison, Quirinus was fair-skinned, clean-cut, tall, and slim. He might not be extraordinarily handsome or charming, but anyone could call him a handsome young man without feeling dishonest.

Not that they could say that in front of Jasper.

"Bellows, don't you dare run off after the feast!"

Jasper forced the words through gritted teeth.

Bellows turned away from him and studied the first-year, who had already turned back to watch the Sorting Ceremony.

"If he wasn't looking at Manus, then what was he looking at..."

The remark about Jasper had only been a joke. Manus had no reason to lie about this, which made the first-year's expression rather strange.

"What he was looking at..."

Manus thought for a moment.

"Was probably the youngest recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class."

Bellows said, "...Isn't that still you?"

Are you messing with me?

"No. I mean that, given the way he looked at me, it didn't matter to him whether I was the youngest recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class."

After thinking it over, Manus added,

"And the emotion he showed wasn't entirely genuine."

Manus's explanation was still a little roundabout, but Bellows understood.

"That guy..."

He couldn't help frowning at the first-year. Just then, it was