"No, nothing," Snape said dryly. He waved his hand, and the glass shards and spilled liquid on the table quickly vanished.
Howl keenly noticed Harry's expression twitch, then he placed his hand on his scar.
Harry turned his head and looked over.
The few people in a row—Snape, Howl, and Hagrid—were all looking at him.
There was also Professor Quirrell, who had his back to him.
Hagrid waved at him, smiling and greeting him.
"Strange…" Harry covered his forehead, feeling something was off. His scar rarely hurt; what was the reason this time?
Not long after, the Sorting Ceremony concluded.
Dumbledore also stood up, smiling broadly at the students, opening his arms to them: "Welcome! Welcome everyone to Hogwarts for a new school year!
Before the feast begins, I'd like to say a few words. They are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you all!"
With that, he bowed slightly with a polite gesture, then took his seat. The hall erupted in warm applause.
To be precise, Gryffindor's applause made up for Slytherin's sparse, perfunctory clapping.
"My father said he was crazy this morning," Draco, sitting diagonally opposite Harry, said to Goyle.
When he turned his head after speaking, he caught sight of Harry again and snorted uncomfortably.
Harry sighed helplessly, unconcerned. More than this, he cared more about the upcoming dinner; he had only bought some snacks on the train at noon.
Just as he was thinking, suddenly his plate was filled with food.
It happened in the blink of an eye!
On Howl's side, seeing the things that suddenly appeared on the dining table, he was not polite either. He first poured himself a full glass of beer, then clinked glasses with Hagrid and began to feast.
After eating and drinking to their fill, as the various desserts on the table disappeared, Dumbledore stood up, somewhat reluctantly: "Oh, now that everyone has eaten and drunk their fill, I have a few more things to say.
First, I'd like to introduce the changes in our teaching staff for this semester. Our former Muggle Studies Class teacher, Professor Quirinus Quirrell, after a year of rest, has decided to return as the future Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor!"
The entire Great Hall once again erupted in applause.
Then, Dumbledore raised his hand again and, facing Howl, introduced: "This gentleman is the second librarian of Hogwarts, an unconventional pioneer of Transfiguration—Mr. Mu En Jones!"
"Ugh, cough, cough…" Howl choked, not expecting Dumbledore to actually insert that sentence so awkwardly.
He even feared some people wouldn't know what an Animagus was, so he directly changed it to Transfiguration.
After speaking, Dumbledore deliberately reminded: "You must be careful; a cat's ears and eyes are no less keen than Madam Pince's!"
Draco chuckled below, whispering, "Look at him with that head, it's really quite strange."
Harry looked at Draco, raising an eyebrow slightly, then slowly said, "Draco, you really should laugh."
Draco's face immediately fell, and he looked at Harry with displeasure: "Potter, what do you want to say now?"
"Your ears seem to be a bit off," Harry leaned forward slightly: "I said, you really should laugh! After all, even your father couldn't call him Mr. Jones, but you can."
"What exactly are you talking about?"
Harry looked at Draco seriously: "After all… your father could only call him [Captain]! Haven't you remembered yet?"
Draco looked at Harry, then nervously at the man at the head table, his gaze constantly shifting between the two. Gradually, Howl at the head table and the figure outside the robe shop that day began to overlap.
"So… so what? My father is on the school board. I'll have my father fire him tomorrow!"
His voice trembled slightly. The impression Howl left on him was too deep. It was the only time since his birth that he had seen his father completely overwhelmed, whether in aura or words, from beginning to end.
It completely shattered the unassailable towering image of his father in his mind.
"If you can do it, go try it," Harry said. He didn't think Draco's father could do it at all.
Uncle Howl had taught him a principle he hadn't understood before, a principle very applicable in the Wizarding World.
Strength is the capital for negotiation!
He didn't think a so-called school board member could arbitrarily interfere with the employment decisions of the second most powerful Wizard in this world—Dumbledore.
"But before that, don't let me hear any mockery about Mr. Jones, Draco," Harry declared very seriously.
Draco's pale face flushed purple: "Good, very good!"
"Next, I want to bring a few points to your attention." Dumbledore's words interrupted the discussions below. He stood above and said loudly: "First-year students are forbidden from going to… Also, Mr. Filch, the caretaker, also wants me to remind everyone…"
After a long string of words, Howl leaned back in his chair, feeling his bottom ache. Just when he thought this interminable speech was about to end, the old man suddenly said seriously:
"Finally, I must tell you all that anyone who does not wish to suffer a painful death should not enter the corridor on the right side of the fourth floor!"
—Huh?!
Howl looked at Dumbledore with confusion, observing his serious demeanor as he spoke. A sense of incongruity appeared.
Why would he make such an inexplicable emphasis? What mischief was this fellow brewing now?!
Well, he didn't care much. After dryly singing the school song, he immediately chose to slip away.
"Mr. Jones, don't forget to bring your book repair tools," Pince called out. She was already impatient. She had already collected and organized a good portion of damaged books during this period, which would be Howl's main work content in the future.
There wasn't much.
Probably… a few hundred books.
On the other side, Harry followed the prefect towards the common room. Their male prefect was named Redden Hewitt.
His silver and green Slytherin-colored tie was neatly tied at his throat, his hair meticulously combed back, and a green snake emblem was pinned to his chest.
On the way to the underground passage, he familiarly put his arm around Harry's shoulder: "Harry Potter, Slytherin welcomes your arrival. I am the Slytherin prefect. If you need anything, feel free to come to me anytime."
As he spoke, he puffed out his chest, and Harry then noticed a prefect badge next to the snake emblem.
"Uh… thank you." Harry nodded awkwardly. He was unaccustomed to such blatant special treatment.
So much so that he forgot all the subsequent rambling and boastful remarks from this prefect as soon as he heard them.
Before long, they arrived at the entrance to the Slytherin common room, in front of an empty, damp stone wall in the underground corridor.
Redden Hewitt finally stopped pestering Harry and turned to face all the Little Wizards: "I will only say this once, remember our password!"
With that, he faced the stone wall and spoke: "Pure-blood supremacy!"
The next moment, a stone door hidden within the wall slowly opened. Redden strode in, and the other Little Wizards followed in a stream.
Harry stood rooted to the spot, somewhat dazed.
"Pure-blood supremacy…"
He looked at the expressions on the faces of the Wizards passing by, his heart trembling slightly.
Why… were they so matter-of-fact about it?!