Chapter 173: Chapter 173: The Commotion of the New School Year and the Serpent's Shedding in the Chamber
The Sorting Ceremony ended quickly.
As the last new student walked down the steps, the Great Hall erupted into enthusiastic applause, as everyone could hardly wait to enjoy dinner.
However, at that moment, Dumbledore stood up and approached the front of the hall. He surveyed each student in the Great Hall and began his welcome speech.
"Before you indulge in the delicious feast and your minds become muddled, there is something very important I need to remind you of."
"Today, Hogwarts has welcomed some Dementors from Azkaban. They were sent by the Ministry of Magic on official business, which you likely already know, as they searched the Hogwarts Express..."
As Dumbledore's words fell, a buzz of conversation arose.
But soon, the hall gradually quieted down, as everyone noticed the unprecedented seriousness in Dumbledore's demeanor.
Faced with the solemn Dumbledore, not even the Minister of Magic could remain calm, let alone the young wizards below.
"...So, rest assured! Someone will be held accountable for this incident, regardless of whose decision it was. Someone will pay the price, without a doubt."
Dumbledore spoke slowly, but each word was powerful and resonant.
The Dementors had run amok and blatantly attacked the train! That was the school train, carrying all the students of Hogwarts.
For the first time in many years, Dumbledore felt a surge of anger.
...
The Great Hall fell silent, with many young wizards frightened by Dumbledore's stern expression.
Perhaps noticing his own heavy tone, Dumbledore's brow relaxed slightly, and he revealed a faint smile.
"Alright, that's all I needed to remind you of. Now, let's move on to a more pleasant topic. This year, we have two new professors joining us!"
"First, we have Professor Lupin, who has graciously agreed to fill the vacancy for Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Dumbledore stepped aside, gesturing toward the staff table and leading the applause.
Lupin nodded to everyone, embodying the traditional English reserve, in stark contrast to Lockhart's flamboyance from last year, coupled with his performance on the train.
Despite his shabby attire, all the young wizards applauded. In their eyes, at least this new professor seemed competent, sparking anticipation for this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
Dumbledore waited for the young wizards to digest the previous news before continuing.
"And our second new professor is Rubeus Hagrid!"
Hagrid, as if suddenly switched on, stood up with a jolt. His massive frame caused the table in front of him to shift several inches.
Noticing everyone looking his way, Hagrid's cheeks flushed red. His large, rough hands fidgeted on the table before he lifted them again, unsure where to place them.
Seeing this, Dumbledore chuckled softly and stepped in to help Hagrid out.
"Due to the retirement of your previous Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Professor Kettleburn, at the end of last term, I have appointed Rubeus Hagrid to take over. In addition to his duties as gamekeeper, he will now also be your new professor!"
Another round of applause followed. However, compared to Lupin, the welcome for Hagrid was more perfunctory.
Nevertheless, this didn't dampen Hagrid's joy. Becoming a professor at Hogwarts and gaining Dumbledore's approval were his dreams come true.
As Hagrid sat down, Dumbledore tapped the table with his fingers, and an abundance of food began to fill the tables in the hall like a flowing river.
The start-of-term feast officially began.
...
Time sometimes feels like the mist over the Black Lake. It seems to linger, but a slight breeze can make it vanish without a trace.
The first weekend of the new school year.
After getting up in the morning, Ino didn't choose to go to Hogsmeade but quietly sat in his dormitory.
Most people, when unable to have something, go to great lengths to obtain it; but once they have it, it often feels somewhat dull.
Of course, Ino didn't fall into this majority.
For the first weekend of his third year, he chose to stay in his dormitory simply because the wind outside was a bit too noisy.
In the past week, the magical world of England seemed to be in turmoil.
On the first day of school, the Daily Prophet ran a full-page article on the incompetence of the Ministry of Magic and Fudge's dereliction of duty.
The article was sharp and insightful, accompanied by images of the rampant Dementors and the terrified faces of young wizards, igniting everyone's fury.
After all, every wizard in England was a Hogwarts graduate. Even those without children had parents or grandparents who were alumni. Dementors blatantly attacking the train carrying students touched a raw nerve for everyone.
However, Fudge, being an experienced minister, was quick to respond. Without any excuses, he immediately appeared to admit his mistakes and swiftly appointed a scapegoat—Gawain Robards, head of the Auror Office.
This high-ranking official instantly drew 60% of the fire.
The remaining 40%, Fudge deftly redirected by featuring a photo on the front page of the next day's paper: a blue phoenix in the night sky, with young wizards on the train holding their wands, lights converging to illuminate the dark carriage.
In the following days, the Daily Prophet's coverage became quite interesting.
It resembled a turn-based game: one day of attack, one day of defense. It was just one newspaper, yet it gave off two entirely different vibes.
But this couldn't be blamed on the Daily Prophet. After all, they had no autonomy, serving merely as a battleground for two opposing forces.
In this smokeless battle, there were only two winners: one overt, one covert.
Ino gained public acclaim, while Colin reaped hidden benefits, as all the photos came from his camera.
Reliable sources suggested that Colin had already been offered a position as a special correspondent, ensuring a job at the Daily Prophet after graduation.
A special correspondent—a highly respectable position. For a Muggle-born wizard like Colin, the future seemed promising.
However, these changes were insignificant in the grand scheme.
After a week of back-and-forth between the two forces, whether due to Dumbledore's influence or the widespread outrage, the final result was Fudge's defeat.
Not only were all Dementors around the castle withdrawn, replaced by Aurors and Hit Wizards, but many key positions in Fudge's faction were also relinquished.
Yet, thanks to the week's delay, Fudge managed to retain his ministerial position.
...
Ino remained uninterested in the external chaos.
After putting down today's newspaper.
In the quiet dormitory, a blue light suddenly flashed.
On the previously empty table, there now lay a five-foot-long, slightly damaged and irregular piece of leather.
"Finally found it!"
Seeing the leather, Ino immediately recognized its source—the shed skin of the basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets.
Ever since the start-of-term feast, he had sent his phoenix to search for the chamber through the pipes in the bathroom.
Perhaps due to being born of chaotic and negative emotions, his phoenix's mind was not very sharp.
Though it could execute commands perfectly, it lacked the ability to communicate and could only express its emotions superficially.
To use an inappropriate analogy, if Fawkes was a Border Collie, his phoenix was like a Husky—energetic yet somewhat dim-witted.
Of course, this was just Ino's perception.
In others' eyes, Dumbledore had made a clear request after seeing it: avoid letting this blue phoenix appear before any young wizard.
Seeing the old headmaster's serious expression, Ino understood the gravity of the matter. What he saw as a foolish Husky, others might see differently.
After a brief contemplation.
Ino turned his attention back to the present, looking at the basilisk skin. He decisively picked up his wand.
"Diffindo!"
A red beam shot from the wand, striking the skin, accompanied by a sharp cutting sound.
Despite not withstanding the magical attack, Ino's face lit up with joy.
Even an old, unknown piece of basilisk skin still had considerable defensive properties, proving it to be a rare magical material.
...
Having confirmed the location, the rest was easy.
"Fid!"
Ino, wearing thick goggles, softly called out into the air.
Fid was the name he gave his phoenix, meaning to fade and die—a fitting name.
As his call ended, the dormitory was suddenly bathed in a blue glow. An elegant phoenix, about a foot and a half long with long tail feathers, appeared beside him.
Of course, if one ignored its dead, cold, black eyes.
Ino avoided looking into those eyes for too long, as prolonged eye contact, despite their bond, still caused discomfort.
He turned his gaze away and instructed:
"Take me to where you found this skin!"
...
In the blink of an eye, the blue light flashed again in the dormitory.
Instantly.
Ino found himself in a dilapidated, damp place.
The ground was littered with small animal skeletons and various disgusting fungi.
Facing the basilisk's lair, he didn't act rashly. Despite wearing goggles, he didn't want to risk a direct confrontation.
After all, those deathly eyes were still intimidating.
But he had long planned a method to deal with cold-blooded serpents.
He immediately swung his wand:
"Winter is coming!"
As the voice fell, countless snowflakes danced in the air, and a cold mist spread forward along the ground.
Wherever the mist passed, whether walls, stone pillars, or the bone-covered ground, thick frost visibly formed.
"Keep an eye on it. If it gets frozen, call me," Ino turned and instructed the phoenix beside him.
At the same time, he began collecting the snake sheds on the ground.
Although he didn't need them at the moment, leaving such rare magical materials unused would be a waste.
Time passed slowly, roughly half an hour.
After collecting all the relatively intact snake sheds, a blue light flickered beside him again.
Sensing the emotions transmitted to his mind, Ino grabbed the phoenix, and in an instant, his figure vanished from the spot.
...
Sanctuary.
A huge figure, about ten meters long, lay on the wide path.
A fresh basilisk corpse.
Looking at the intact basilisk corpse, Ino confirmed his suspicions.
As long as no new paths were opened and the life was not hatched in the Sanctuary, it truly seemed like one would die for sure if brought here, adhering to the strict rules.
Now, with the phoenix's mobility, the Sanctuary's mechanism could finally be used as a trump card.
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