When the students arrived in a noisy crowd at the entrance to the Quidditch pitch, they were instantly stunned by its setup.
They had assumed Sirius had summoned them to the Quidditch pitch to burn off their excess energy, but that no longer seemed to be the case.
Hovering broomsticks formed an archway at the entrance, with a banner reading "Hogwarts lecture" hanging above it.
Beyond the archway, a wooden platform twenty feet in diameter rose from the pitch, its edges twined with ivy.
A leather chair stood on the stage, with a small lectern in front of it and a crystal ball resting on top.
Rows of wooden benches stood in front of the platform, thoughtfully covered with soft cushions whose colors divided the entire seating area into four sections for the Four Houses.
Behind each section stood a giant flag bearing the corresponding house crest. The animals on the flags occasionally blinked or flicked their tails.
Banners in four colors also hung along the left and right sides of the pitch, displaying the Four Houses' mottos.
Sirius was the first to step onto the platform. He sat down in the chair and lightly tapped the crystal ball with his wand.
An enormous projection suddenly appeared above the stage.
Besides showing Sirius himself, the projection had a banner across the top that did not exist in the real world: "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry school rules lecture."
Watching the young witches and wizards still chattering below the stage, Sirius curved his lips into the hint of a smile.
"Good morning, troublemakers. Oh, sorry, I should say 'future distinguished witches and wizards.' Hurry up and find your house's section, then sit down."
"I have a bad feeling about this!"
"I heard Director Black and Professor Holmes are very close."