Morris is really looking forward to the start of school.
The dragon blood is ready; it's time to dig out all the fire dragon bones from the Forbidden Forest.
If he can restore all those bones to their original state, he might be able to obtain a deadly fire dragon.
Thinking about it carefully, I'm actually a little excited.
He can't wait!
Soon, September arrived, Hogwarts Express, puffing out steam, pulled up precisely at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
Morris saw the Weasley Twins and Lee Jordan on the platform. The four of them boarded the train and squeezed into one carriage, just like last year.
Fred and George were unusually excited as soon as the train started moving.
"Guess where we went for summer vacation?" Fred raised his eyebrows, a smug look on his face, and winked at Lee Jordan across from him.
"Stop keeping me in suspense," Lee Jordan said lazily. "It can't be Knockturn Alley, can it?"
"Uh," Fred's smug expression crumbled, "That was boring... Okay, we did go to Knockturn Alley."
Lee Jordan chuckled. "You two have been talking about this since last semester. So, what's it like inside?"
"We were all dressed in robes," George picked up the conversation, beginning his enthusiastic account. "You'd never guess what it was like inside. First of all, the streets were completely different from Diagon Alley ... and that shop—what was it called, Borgin and Burkes —it was gloomy inside, and we even bought a screaming music box... What do you think, Morris?"
"Not bad." Morris nodded. "Perhaps you can come find me at number twenty-one."
"What number twenty-one?" Fred asked, puzzled.
" Knockturn Alley," Morris said matter-of-factly. "That's where I live now."
The carriage was silent for a few seconds.
"You live in Knockturn Alley!?" Fred's voice rose involuntarily, filled with disbelief.
The other two had similar expressions.
Morris shrugged. "Yeah, it's a bit of a mess, but it's better than being in the orphanage. There's a decent boss there, I work there... Oh, don't look at me like that, Dumbledore knows about it, don't worry."
Then, another brief silence.
Fred slapped his thigh, his eyes lighting up. "That's awesome! We'll come visit you next summer. Mom can't stop us now; we'll just say we were invited by you."
You are welcome anytime.
Halfway through the train journey, the twins showed Morris their summer project—half-finished Skiving Snackboxes.
"This is Nosebleed Nougat," Fred, pulling something wrapped in bright pink wrapper from his pocket and handing it to Morris. "The effect isn't quite consistent yet, but you can take a look."
Morris unwrapped the candy; inside was a piece of nougat that looked quite ordinary.
"There might be side effects," George added from the side. "The main problem right now is that you'll definitely bleed after taking it, but the location of the bleeding might be a bit odd. Sometimes it'll come from your ears, or from your butt..."
After hearing the last part, Morris silently gave up the idea of eating the nougat.
Well, even if the finished product is made, he probably won't eat it.
The four chatted idly along the way.
Morris also learned from the twins that Gilderoy Lockhart would be their Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts for the semester.
He was not surprised by this.
After all, all their textbooks for this semester are Lockhart's works.
Next came the standard school opening procedure. After the train stopped, Morris followed the crowd onto the Thestral ' carriage and was taken to the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony.
When the last nervous freshman was assigned to Hufflepuff, Lockhart, dressed to the nines, stood up.
All eyes in the Great Hall instantly turned to him.
Lockhart, clearly used to this, gave Dumbledore a slight bow, then turned to the entire Great Hall, his Sonorus, "It is a great honor for me to be here at Hogwarts to teach the crucial course of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Trust me, you will learn a great deal from me..."
Although Morris had a good first impression of Lockhart, his long, rambling, and ultimately empty speech was quite unsettling.
The other people in the Great Hall were very enthusiastic, especially some of the female students.
For example, Hermione straightened her back, listened very attentively, and even started taking notes.
"I heard that Professor Lockhart graduated from Ravenclaw."
Morris turned his head at the sound of the voice and saw that it was a boy wearing glasses who was whispering to his companion, "I have an uncle who used to be his classmate."
"Then he must be very outstanding, right?"
"Hard to say." The bespectacled student's expression was subtle. "My uncle said he... well, he wasn't particularly outstanding academically... well, to be honest, my uncle told me Lockhart was a complete failure in school."
waste?
Morris raised an eyebrow.
To be honest, he really wanted to get along with Lockhart; after all, someone who could write that kind of book must have some real talent.
The adventure stories in the book are definitely not made up.
Lockhart finished his speech, and as Dumbledore announced the start of the banquet, the table was instantly piled high with all sorts of delicious food.
Finally, it was time for Morris's favorite part.
As Morris ate a cake drizzled with thick cream and raspberry jam, his gaze inadvertently swept over the Gryffindor table.
He paused for a moment.
Because he didn't see Harry and Ron.
This is unusual.
These two aren't the type to skip the opening banquet willingly, especially Ron, who has always been extremely dedicated to his cooking business.
Hermione was still there, munching on pudding and flipping through a book.
The next morning at breakfast, Morris immediately understood why Harry and Ron had missed the previous night's banquet.
... If they fire you for stealing the car, I wouldn't be surprised at all. Just wait and see how I deal with you then. You probably haven't even considered how your father and I felt when we found the car was gone.
"This is outrageous! Your father will be investigated at his workplace."
It's Howler.
A furious Howler from Molly Weasley.
As Morris sipped his sweetened Pumpkin Juice, Kevin beside him recounted gossip circulating in the Gryffindor Common Room.
The story goes that Harry and Ron missed their train, and in desperation, Ron drove his dad's flying car out. Not only did it get spotted by Muggle and make the news, but it also crashed into the old Whomping Willow in the schoolyard.
After listening, Morris was unsure how to respond.
All I can say is that this is very Gryffindor style.
It's just a pity for Mr. Weasley, having such a troublesome son.