At Hermione's question.
Douglas shook his head and pointed at Professor McGonagall, who was leading the first years into the Great Hall.
"I'm sorry, Miss Granger. I think only Professor McGonagall, as Head of Gryffindor, can answer that question."
Seeing the first years enter, Percy patted Hermione on the shoulder, then immediately turned and headed back to the Gryffindor table.
The Sorting Ceremony was about to begin. However anxious he was, he couldn't bother the professors now.
Besides, Professor Snape had already gone to look for Ron and Harry.
Although Professor Snape had always been rather unfriendly toward Gryffindor students, that did not interfere with his responsibilities as a Hogwarts professor.
Of course, the ones Percy trusted more were Dumbledore and Douglas.
Not a single student had come to harm since Dumbledore became headmaster.
Hermione bit her lip and followed Percy back to her seat.
Dumbledore watched Douglas with interest and said with a smile:
"Douglas, it seems you're still as popular as ever..."
Professor Sprout, beside him, also wore a fond, aunt-like smile.
Douglas rolled his eyes at the two irreverent old people.
"That's because I met the Weasley and Granger families in Diagon Alley yesterday, and we all had a meal together.
That's why Miss Granger instinctively asked me!"
Back when he was at school, quite a few young witches had pursued Douglas.
One Christmas, someone had even secretly given him little cakes laced with Love Potion.
If Douglas, who had stayed at school that year, hadn't happened to pass the cakes on to Dumbledore as a Christmas present.
He might really have fallen for it.
Er, as for whether Dumbledore had fallen for it...
In any case, it was Dumbledore who later told him about the Love Potion, and because of that, at the start of one term.
Dumbledore had even specifically stressed that students were not allowed to use potions on their classmates at will without a teacher's supervision.
The Sorting Ceremony soon began.
Professor McGonagall called the first years into the space between the four long tables.
At that moment, they were the stars.
In the flickering candlelight, the hundreds of faces throughout the hall looked like pale lanterns, all watching them.
Amid the little ones' nervousness.
As she did every year, Professor McGonagall gently set a four-legged stool in front of the first years.
Then she placed a pointed wizard's hat on the stool. The hat was patched, badly worn, and extremely dirty.
I don't know what I'm going to say
My name is the Sorting Hat
I know my body's a little dirty
But that's all the wisdom the years have given me
When I say Gryffindor, you say brave
When I say Ravenclaw, you say learned
When I say Slytherin, you say shrewd
When I say Hufflepuff, you say loyal
The students at the Four Houses' tables all shouted excitedly.
Douglas looked surprised. He had thought the Sorting Hat would change its style back after he graduated.
The first time he had been in the Headmaster's Office, he had taught the Sorting Hat some not-quite-proper rap.
He hadn't expected the Sorting Hat to take a liking to it ever since.
Although the stern Professor McGonagall had initially disapproved strongly of the Sorting Hat's behavior, she wasn't the headmaster and could only let Dumbledore indulge it.
Until, during that school year, Douglas had once been given two weeks' detention for being one minute late to Transfiguration.
At the start-of-term ceremonies afterward, Professor McGonagall had never tried to stop it again.
Seeing the bewildered first years standing in the middle of the hall, the second years smiled knowingly.
After all, they had worn the same expressions themselves.
When the song ended, thunderous applause filled the hall. The twins at the Gryffindor table even led the whistling.
The Sorting Hat bowed to each of the four tables, then went still.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward, holding a roll of parchment.
She addressed the first years:
"When I call your name, put on the hat, sit on the stool, and wait to be sorted."
While the Sorting Ceremony proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Douglas suddenly spotted two little heads appearing at a window of the hall. By the faint candlelight, he recognized the missing Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.
Then he saw a man with shoulder-length hair emerge behind them, wearing an eerie smile.
Douglas raised his wineglass toward the window and smiled.
The gesture also aroused the other teachers' curiosity.
"Severus?"
A little over ten minutes earlier.
Harry and Ron had just survived a crash landing and narrowly escaped death beneath the Whomping Willow.
Dragging their battered trunks, they struggled up the grassy slope toward Hogwarts Castle.
This was nothing like the triumphant arrival they had imagined. All they felt now were stiff limbs, cold, and pain.
As they neared the hall entrance, Ron dropped his broken trunk at the foot of the steps.
He ran beneath a brightly lit window and said to Harry Potter:
"The feast has already started. Hey-Harry, look, they're doing the Sorting.
It's such a shame we missed the Sorting Hat's song. I'd been hoping to shout along with it this year, like those older students..."
Harry Potter ran over with an equally regretful expression and joined Ron at the window to peer into the Great Hall.
Just as the two were discussing why they couldn't see Snape at the High Table.
An icy voice sounded behind them.
"Perhaps he's waiting to hear you two explain why you didn't take the school train!"
When Harry and Ron turned around shakily, Severus Snape stood before them, his black robes fluttering in the wind.
He watched them with a strange smile on his face.
At that moment, Professor Snape looked up and happened to see Douglas through the window, raising his glass to him with a smile from the High Table.
His face fell, and he snorted coldly.
"You two! Follow me!"
With that, he swept his robes around and turned toward the dungeon classroom.
Harry and Ron followed Snape, trembling, and cast a reluctant glance back at the warm, brightly lit Great Hall.
Perhaps this is the last time we'll ever see this Great Hall.
The two thought pessimistically.
Before the Sorting Ceremony ended.
Professor Snape hurried to his seat.
He murmured into Headmaster Dumbledore's ear for a while.
After the Sorting Ceremony ended.
Albus Dumbledore rose. Although he was very old, he always looked so full of energy.
Beaming at the students, he spread his arms toward them, as though this were the happiest day of his year.
"Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts.
Before the feast begins, I'd like to share something rather cheering with you...
This year, I am delighted to welcome a new teacher to our ranks.
He is Professor Holmes. Quite remarkably, after all these years, he is one of the few teachers to have voluntarily applied to teach Defense Against Dark Magic..."
Douglas stood to greet everyone.
Thunderous applause immediately filled the hall.
The applause began among the older Hufflepuff and Gryffindor students.
Then some of the older Ravenclaw and Slytherin students seemed to remember something, though their faces looked reluctant.
Still, they clapped.
The younger students didn't know what was going on.
They could only join in the applause.
At the High Table, only Snape looked as though he had swallowed a fly.
Once the applause subsided, Dumbledore said with a smile:
"Well, I think that covers the important matters. Let the feast begin!"
The golden plates and comical cups on the four long tables suddenly filled with food and drink.
Douglas glanced at the students' tables and nodded in satisfaction.
Professor Sprout, beside him, said with a smile:
"Although you've graduated, the school hasn't removed any of the dishes you suggested back then. They're unique to Hogwarts.
Some traditional wizarding families have even sent their House-elves here to learn how to make this food."
While the two were talking.
At some point, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Snape had left the table.
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