As night fell, the little wizards and professors gradually gathered in the auditorium from all directions.
The ceiling of the auditorium projects the extremely bright starry sky outside. The four long tables under the starry sky are bustling with people. The little wizards share the wonderful time of the Christmas holiday with each other in high spirits. They all seem to have forgotten the memories of the attacks before the holiday. I was so anxious that I forgot to be clean.
This situation made Harry secretly relieved. The situation he was most afraid of was having everyone's eyes on him and pointing fingers at him.
At the professor's chair, most of the professors have already taken their seats, and Dumbledore has also stayed at his usual seat. Professor Lockhart is chattering to Professor McGonagall about how many fan letters he has received during the Christmas holiday. Professor Demag glared at Principal Dumbledore, but Dumbledore pretended not to notice.
This interesting scene made Harry purse his lips, but when he saw the extra empty seat next to Professor Snape, Harry's face became a little uneasy. He guessed a possibility, but he didn't want to believe it.
Ron was talking to his twin brother, "You came back early in the morning, why haven't I seen you all day?"
"Oh, dear little Ronnie actually learned how to inquire?" Fred, the twin, raised his head and looked at Ron and raised his eyebrows and said, "By the way, why didn't Miss Know-It-All come to the dinner party?"
Harry quickly kicked Ron under the table, fearing that he would say the wrong thing.
"This has nothing to do with you, Fred!" Ron said unhappily.
"Moreover, little Ronnie also learned to keep secrets!" George added after his brother's words, and then the two of them stopped paying attention to Ron.
At this moment, Harry noticed the uneasy gaze. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and found that it was Neville who was looking at him, but he was about to say something. He immediately knew what Neville was concerned about, but he couldn't tell him. Neville and Hermione were still in the school hospital getting treatment for the beautiful black hair on her face, so Harry quickly lowered his head and pretended to be interested in the silver spoon on the plate.
"I don't know, Draco, I wasn't in school yet!"
At the Slytherin table, Malfoy crossed Goyle and Daphne and was asking Marcus Flint, who looked exactly like a troll, something, but Marcus was very impatient.
"I did hear about that incident later, and it was said to be related to him, but the details were tightly blocked by Dumbledore, and the Gryffindor team didn't want to reveal a word... According to me, they also I don’t know anything, because they were all carried back by the professors that night!”
During the Christmas vacation, Flint participated in the selection for the Luxembourg Quidditch team, but the result was disappointing. In terms of his academic performance, this meant that after graduation, he had to accept the arrangement of his family and go to the Magic Academy. Be a small clerk in an unpopular department that no one cares about.
The little wizards who arrived in the auditorium sporadically quickly merged into the four long tables. The auditorium was noisy as if there were hundreds of Cornish elves crammed into it. Many little wizards were already craning their necks and looking at the professor's chair eagerly, as if they were watching. Asked why the meal was not served yet.
"Ah, here we come."
Snape heard Dumbledore mutter something under his breath, looked up and saw Amosta striding in from the hall and quickly approaching the staff table.
"Sorry, everyone, I was so busy that I forgot about the dinner." Amosta apologized quietly.
The professors smiled at him. Previously, Professor McGonagall had informed the professors of various subjects that there would be an additional security guard in the castle in the second half of the semester. Moreover, Amosta also visited them one after another in the past two days, except for Except for Lockhart, because he was the last professor to return to school.
"Sit down, Amostar," shouted Professor Flitwick in a high-pitched voice, "the little wizards are starving!"
"Do you need a word, Amosta?"
Dumbledore moved his silver beard and smiled at Amosta.
"Forget it, principal, I'm not a professor." Amosta politely declined the suggestion.
In almost an instant, several long tables were filled with sumptuous food, and the noisy auditorium was suddenly filled with a cheerful atmosphere. The clinking sound of the tableware colliding with each other was like a brisk music.
Of course, this harmony was only in performance. Amosta could feel at least a hundred pairs of eyes falling on him.
Five minutes after the meal started, basically all the little wizards knew the name of the handsome young wizard next to Professor Snape. The source of the information was the seniors in fifth grade and above, who were all in school with Amosta. Stayed there.
But there are different opinions about Amosta’s famous experience in school.
Some people say that Amosta secretly ran into the Forbidden Forest and set a fire one night before Christmas in fifth grade. As a result, the fire trapped him. If he hadn't been training in the Forbidden Forest at that time, Gryffindor team, where he would probably die.
Some people also say that the fire was actually set by the Gryffindor team, and Amosta was the rescuer.
Both views have their supporters, and no one can convince the other.
Malfoy just lowered his head to deal with the lamb chops on the plate and did not participate in the discussion at all, because his father had sternly warned him in a letter today not to offend Amosta Brain.
Lucius Malfoy knows who got Amosta into Hogwarts. Malfoy must have heard of Karkus Foley. As long as he has a little imagination, he can guess Where did Karkus find Amosta? There were not many wizards who came out of that place without blood on their hands.
Even without his father's warning, Draco Malfoy would not dare to provoke Amosta.
Because of what happened in the dormitory at noon that day, Malfoy has been having nightmares for half a month. Every time he closes his eyes, the image of the cat that was neatly divided into two halves, with its intestines and internal organs scattered everywhere, will appear clearly in his mind. Eight-eyed spiders all over the place.
"Please, Harry, can I tell those things!"
"Of course, Ron, if you want me to be resented or even retaliated by him for revealing his secrets..., if I am imprisoned in Azkaban, you and Hermione must remember to visit me often. !”
During the Christmas holidays, Harry, Ron and Hermione had made a pact not to tell anyone about what they had heard from Hagrid about Amosta Brain.
Because regardless of whether Mr. Blair was sent by the Ministry of Magic or the School Board, his purpose in entering Hogwarts was to find the heir of Slytherin. As Harry, the most suspicious target in everyone's eyes, he wanted to try his best to find out the heir of Slytherin. Avoid doing anything that might cause Mr. Blaine to be unhappy.
But for Ron, it was indeed a torturous thing. After all, there were not many opportunities for him to shine.
After another ten minutes, the focus of the little wizards' private discussion gradually changed from 'who is he' to 'what is he here to do'.
"Maybe the Defense Against the Dark Arts course will finally consume two professors a year?"
Millicent Burst, a kind-hearted girl who once had a 'wandless duel' with Hermione in Lockhart's dueling class, shook her fat chin and laughed meanly.
Millicent's good joke indeed caused a burst of laughter at the Slytherin table. Of course, the focus of their ridicule was Professor Gilderoy Lockhart. Most of the Slytherin students could clearly see that Lockhart Hart is just a charlatan who can tell stories.
Malfoy shrank his shoulders. He glanced quickly at Amosta, who was talking to Dumbledore at the staff table, and then quickly lowered his head, pretending not to recognize the person laughing next to him.
"There's something wrong with you tonight, Draco?" Pansy, who was sitting on the other side of him, stretched her head over to observe Malfoy, who was a bit too quiet, and asked with concern.
"Shut your mouth, Pansy!" Malfoy said urgently without even looking at her, "Unless you want to be neatly cut in half by someone!"
"You seem to be very popular with the kids, Amosta."
Dumbledore shook his silver beard stained with thick mushroom soup, turned his head and looked at Amosta, who was dealing with a grilled sausage, with a smile on his face.
"They are simply curious about a stranger who suddenly appears, Headmaster Dumbledore."
Amosta nodded politely in response. In front of Dumbledore, he tried not to say too many words. It was not unreasonable for him to say that disaster comes from his mouth.
Dumbledore didn't pay attention to his deliberate restraint and still talked to him cordially.
"Severus informed me that you have been awake for several nights... and I want to express my gratitude to you, Amosta, for your efforts in keeping the children safe."
Amosta smiled modestly, but Dumbledore still planned to continue.
"--Although I am very old, Amosta, but fortunately, I am not a pedantic old guy. Your opinion is right. The safety of the children is the most important thing--"
Professor McGonagall, who was sitting on Dumbledore's left side with her ears perked up, pursed her lips and looked unhappy.
"I think that's a genius idea, Amosta, I mean, you arranged that set of alchemy items in the office, even though there were voices saying that it violated the privacy of the little wizards..."
Dumbledore finally tactfully expressed his attitude towards Amosta's surveillance of the young wizard.
"Thank you for your understanding, Principal Dumbledore. If you are willing, after the secret room attack is resolved, I can move the surveillance system to your office---"
Amosta nodded gratefully.
Guaranteed to be much easier to use than using images to monitor the school --- this is what Amosta did not say.
They exchanged some more pleasantries, and Dumbledore hoped that Amosta would hang around more and communicate with the little wizards when he was free.
"The children would love to get to know you, Amosta."
Dumbledore ended the conversation with a trivial request.
"traitor..."
In the process of withdrawing his gaze, Amosta muttered something quietly.
Snape, who had been expressionless between Amosta and Dumbledore, darkened, obviously knowing who Amosta was speaking to.
On the other side of the faculty table, Lockhart, who had not been able to hear the conversation clearly but was eager to join the conversation, secretly glanced at Amosta, who picked up the silver fork again, and suddenly felt a strange crisis for no reason. . . .
