LRAB Page 445
Page 445
Gabrielle nodded with some skepticism, carefully lifted the hem of her robe, and followed the group of panicked first-year students toward Professor Glapland.
Levin stood on the rain-soaked, dark street outside Hogsmeade Station, watching Gabrielle's small figure gradually disappear from sight.
However, he did not rush to board the Thestral carriage parked next to the station, but remained in place and waited quietly.
It wasn't until the crowd gradually dispersed and most of the students had boarded the carriages that he saw Zhang Qiu and Hermione walking towards him.
As class leaders, they always stayed at the back of the line to ensure that no student fell behind.
So Levin joined them in the last few Thestrals.
Ginny was also in the carriage; she and Luna had been keeping Levin company.
At this moment, she was gazing intently at the Thestral standing between the shafts, lost in thought.
Thestrals are indeed somewhat bizarre in appearance. They have the bodies of enormous black horses, but without an ounce of excess flesh. Their black fur clings tightly to their 770 bones, making each bone clearly visible. Their heads resemble those of dragons, with white eyes that lack pupils, and they trail long black tails. Wings sprout from the bulges between their shoulder bones.
Harry's complaints came from the carriage next door: "I really don't understand why these carriages, which used to be able to move on their own, are being pulled by these horrible black winged horses this year?"
Harry found it very strange and ominous that these ugly animals stood motionless and silent in the deepening darkness.
"Walk by himself?" Levin quickly understood what Harry meant.
At that moment, Luna, who was sitting next to him, put down "The Quibbler" and looked at Harry with her silver eyes, saying, "You mean Thestrals? Being able to see them means you experienced something... related to death in the final match of the Triwizard Tournament?"
Seeing Harry's somewhat bewildered expression, Levin explained, "Thestrals are very special creatures. Only those who have truly faced death can see them. Don't be fooled by their intimidating appearance; Thestrals have an excellent sense of direction. Just tell them your destination, and no matter how far or complicated the journey, they will take you there accurately."
He paused, then added, "Actually, it's always been the Thestrals that have been pulling the carriage, but most people just can't see them."
Despite Levine and Luna's detailed explanations, Harry still couldn't bring himself to like these horrifying-looking creatures.
He frowned and looked away.
Harry wasn't the only one who felt this way. It seemed like there were many more people seeing Thestrals this year than in previous years, and Ginny was one of them.
While waiting for Cho Chang and Hermione, Levin heard the exclamations of the young wizards rising and falling.
This situation is understandable, after all, in the final of the Triwizard Tournament, Levin displayed his power in front of the entire school, killing more than one Death Eater. Now everyone has personally experienced death.
Chapter 500 One wand is easily broken, but ten wands are unbreakable.
As the Thestrals carriage made its way to the castle, Hermione suddenly brought something up: "Have you noticed that Hagrid doesn't seem to have come to greet the new students this year?"
Luna blinked and guessed, "I remember his course evaluations weren't very good last year. Maybe he received too many complaints and Headmaster Dumbledore fired him? Perhaps Dumbledore chose to have Professor Grappleland take over his course. After all, Professor Grappleland already taught Hagrid's class last semester, and everyone's feedback was good."
“That’s impossible!” Harry exclaimed again from next door. He glared at Luna and said with absolute certainty, “Professor Dumbledore would never fire Hagrid!”
“Hagrid’s lessons are actually quite interesting, and we all like him a lot. Right?” Harry looked around, seemingly searching for supporters.
But everyone tacitly turned their heads away, and no one responded to him.
"Oh, really? So you're planning to raise a few more tadpoles this semester?" Luna casually tossed out a question.
Harry was speechless for a moment, and his expression turned awkward.
He recalled the chaos and dangers of raising tadpoles last school year, vividly remembering the scene of being frantically chased by a group of tadpoles.
He stammered, "Uh, well... I probably won't raise them anymore."
Hermione also looked worried, but she wasn't concerned that Hagrid would be arrested and sent to Azkaban for illegally keeping and modifying dangerous creatures, because Onyxia would definitely tell them if that happened.
Just as everyone was discussing it, Levin revealed the final answer: "Actually, Hagrid didn't come to welcome the new students because he needs to visit his giant brother in the reserve from time to time."
"A giant?" Luna's silver eyes widened instantly.
"Brother?" Hermione was also somewhat incredulous.
“Giant brother.” Levin nodded, his tone certain. “Remember those giants I brought back during summer vacation?”
“Oh, I remember it so clearly!” Zhang Qiu said with a lingering fear in his eyes. “I was woken up in the middle of the night by a deafening voice, and when I opened my eyes I saw a bunch of giants in my yard. I thought I was having a nightmare.”
"That's mainly because the Ural Mountains are too far from the Underworld." Levin scratched his head sheepishly. "I needed to make a transfer."
Compared to the [Teleportation Portal] that crosses space, the [Mansion Spell] that anchors to a demiplane is more mana-efficient.
First, use the "Mansion Technique" to send the giants into your own home, and then send them from Devonshire, where the tower is located, to the Isle of Man. This is indeed much easier than teleporting so many big guys directly to the Isle of Man from four thousand kilometers away.
He paused, then continued, "In short, among those giants, there was one who was Hagrid's half-brother."
"Hagrid actually has a giant brother who is his half-brother!"
This news was like a bombshell, causing a huge uproar in the carriage, but it does explain why Hagrid isn't at Hogwarts.
The Thestrals slowly drove into Hogwarts and finally stopped in front of the castle.
Harry jumped down from the carriage eagerly, nodded hastily to them, and then turned and ran towards the hall, impatient to find Ron and share what he had just seen and heard.
Inside the foyer, the flames of torches flickered and danced, illuminating the entire space in a crimson glow. The footsteps of students echoed in the empty foyer, accompanied by occasional whispers.
They walked across the stone-paved ground and headed to the right through the two large doors leading to the auditorium, where the opening banquet was to be held.
Inside the auditorium, four long college dining tables were neatly arranged.
Above the dining table, slender candles floated in the air, emitting a soft glow. Like twinkling stars, they complemented the magical ceiling filled with rain clouds.
After entering the hall, Levin parted ways with Hermione and Ginny.
He, Cho Chang, and Luna arrived at the Ravenclaw table, where the hawks had reserved his usual seat for them.
After taking his seat, Levin's attention turned to the faculty section. He saw Dolores Umbridge sitting next to Dumbledore. She looked like a mature young woman, short and stout, with short, curly, greyish-brown hair topped with a very ugly pink bow that clashed with the fluffy pink cardigan she wore over her robes—the whole thing looked rather mismatched.
Professor Dumbledore, dressed in a deep purple robe covered in silver stars and wearing a matching hat, sat in a high-backed golden chair. He tilted his head slightly, listening to Professor Umbridge's whispers, a faint smile playing on his lips.
They were both clearly annoyed with each other, yet they put on a harmonious facade. Anyone who didn't know better would think they had a really good relationship.
When Professor Glapland sat in the huge wooden chair that Hagrid usually sat in, Levin's gaze turned toward the entrance hall.
Now that Professor Glapland has appeared, it means that the first-year students must have crossed the Black Lake and arrived at the castle.
Sure enough, a few seconds later, the heavy wooden doors leading to the hall slowly opened, and with the creaking of the hinges, a group of seemingly shaken first-year students entered the Great Hall, led by Professor McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall was holding an old wooden stool with a worn-out wizard's hat on it.
The hat had weathered many storms, patched upon patched, its edges worn and frayed, and a wide tear beside the brim seemed to tell the story of its long history.
As the new students arrived, the buzzing conversations in the auditorium gradually subsided and eventually quieted down.
All eyes were on the group of freshmen, who were lined up neatly in front of the faculty desk, facing students from other grades.
Professor McGonagall carefully placed the stools in front of the new students and then stepped aside.
In the candlelight, the faces of the first-year students appeared exceptionally pale.
Most of them were nervously pursing their lips, while Gabrielle appeared quite calm, but her clenched fists betrayed her inner tension.
The members of the Genius Club tacitly adhered to the traditions of the wizarding world, and none of them revealed to Gabrielle how the Sorting Hat sorted the houses.
While waiting outside the Great Hall, Gabrielle overheard many rumors circulating among the young wizards: those about to be sorted out were speculating about the mysterious tests they would soon face. Various far-fetched ideas passed between them, growing increasingly bizarre and unsettling, making Gabrielle even more anxious.
Just then, the tattered hat on the stool suddenly opened its mouth and began to sing its newly composed song.
The song for the Sorting Hat is different every semester, with both the lyrics and melody changing year after year. The only thing they have in common is that they are all equally awful.
However, this year's song is quite different; it goes like this:
"...History has taught us a warning: our Hogwarts is in danger, and enemies outside the school are eyeing it covetously. We must remain closely united, or everything will crumble from within...~"
In short, the gist is that Gryffindor and Slytherin are half-brothers, and their friendship is stronger than gold.
Or perhaps Ravenclaw, along with her two useless men and her gluttonous best friend Hufflepuff, will create a great magic school.
Then, changing the subject, it tells everyone how the four leaders had disagreements and left Hogwarts.
Finally, the Sorting Hat told a story about how one wand is easy to break, but ten wands are hard to break.
—But Levin thought that if Hagrid were here, the Sorting Hat would never have dared to say such a thing.
If it were one of those wooden wands made by Ollivander, Hagrid could break it, let alone ten, or even twice as many.
Of course, it would be a different story if it were the fairy silver wand made by Levin.
In short, the Sorting Hat's message is good; it's about everyone uniting as one to achieve unbreakable friendships. Only in this way can Hogwarts overcome all difficulties and continue to stand tall.
When the Sorting Hat finished singing its newly composed song, insincere applause erupted in the auditorium; no one wanted to hear its awful song again.
Unlike usual, this time the applause was mixed with many whispers, and many people, like Levin, showed surprised expressions. Usually, the Sorting Hat's song mainly describes the qualities valued by the four houses of Hogwarts and its mission of sorting students into houses, but this time, it unusually offered advice to the school.
But when Professor McGonagall began announcing the list of first-year students, everyone's attention was immediately drawn to her, and the buzzing in the hall vanished instantly.
Everyone listened intently, afraid of missing a single name.
As the list was announced one by one, the long line of first-year students gradually shortened. All four houses had already accepted their new students. It was quite late when Levin heard Professor McGonagall call out Gabrielle's name.
Gabrielle stepped forward with steady steps, her face showing no sign of tension or panic.
"Look everyone, this is Fleur Beauxbatons' sister. She came here last semester too," Levin introduced to the Ravenclaw students. "She loved it here, so she transferred from Beauxbatons to Hogwarts this year."
Gabrielle was already seated on the stool. She took a deep breath and put the Sorting Hat on her head.
Unlike the young wizards who were quickly chosen for their houses by the Sorting Hat before, this time the Sorting Hat seemed to fall into deep thought, as if exploring something in Gabrielle's mind.
After a long while, the slit beside the brim of the Sorting Hat slowly opened, loudly announcing, "Slytherin!"
The announcement immediately caused a sensation in the Great Hall, with the Slytherins, led by Malfoy, erupting in enthusiastic cheers and applause.
However, Gabrielle didn't seem too satisfied with the outcome. She dragged her heavy steps and reluctantly walked towards the Slytherins' table. Along the way, she kept giving Levin, who was sitting at the Ravenclaw table, a pitiful look.
------------------
The image shows Gabrielle Hogwarts.
Chapter 501 Special Observer of the Ministry of Magic
“Eh… Slytherin…”
Levin was quite surprised when the Sorting Hat announced the result.
He always knew, of course, that beneath Gabrielle's adorable exterior lay a devilish girl, adept at using her cuteness to achieve her goals, but these traits seemed insufficient to earn her a place in Slytherin, a school known for its cunning and ambition.
However, when he saw Gabrielle surrounded by enthusiastic Slytherin students, his regret was gradually replaced by relief.
It seems Gabrielle will be very popular in Slytherin, and with Astoria looking after her—they were already good friends last semester—it looks like Gabrielle will be well taken care of.
Levin knew, of course, that the Slytherin students' enthusiastic welcome of Gabrielle was largely a gesture of goodwill towards him.
However, he didn't care about any of that. As long as Gabrielle was doing well, he was at ease.
It took quite a while before all the new students were assigned their places.