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    Chapter 16: On the Darkness of Dumbledore, I’m a Professional

    “Harry Potter!”

    The moment Professor McGonagall uttered the name, the Great Hall fell silent, followed by a low hum of whispers as everyone buzzed about Harry Potter.

    Andy saw many students stand, seemingly eager to see what was so special about the ‘boy who lived,’ the legendary survivor of Voldemort’s attack.

    Even Dumbledore fixed his gaze on Harry, appearing to anticipate his sorting.

    The prophecy concerning Harry Potter and Voldemort was a closely guarded secret within the wizarding world. However, in Andy’s previous life, it had spread like wildfire, known even to those unfamiliar with the Harry Potter story.

    Andy had initially wondered why a powerful wizard like Voldemort would believe in such a prophecy.

    At this moment, Andy finally cracked the case.

    It was Dumbledore who believed it.

    Think about it—an unknown witch (though Trelawney came from a family of seers, she was indeed obscure) prophesied the death of the great Dark Lord, Voldemort.

    Normally, Voldemort would’ve given her an Avada Kedavra (The Killing Curse).

    Yet, the witch who made the prophecy was hired by Dumbledore as Hogwarts’ Divination professor.

    Unbelievable!

    Voldemort saw that Dumbledore actually believed the ridiculous prophecy!

    Fine, then I’ll believe it too.

    That’s the so-called celebrity effect.

    Of course, Andy was even more hopeful that the prophecy would come true.

    Even if this world was already a chaotic mess due to the butterfly effect, the prophecy could still be fulfilled.

    This way, Andy could feel secure in leaving Voldemort to Harry, while comfortably enjoying the show from the sidelines.

    Harry Potter’s sorting took a long time. Harry whispered something to the Sorting Hat for a while, before the hat finally shouted, “Gryffindor!”

    “We got Potter! We got Potter!”

    Cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table, students vying to shake Harry’s hand, proud to have him amongst them.

    Andy glanced at the staff table. All the professors were pleased; Dumbledore looked on with a look of satisfaction.

    Only Snape—his already unpleasant expression seemed to worsen. It was as if, in his eyes, Harry Potter wasn’t a person, but a maggot from a sewer.

    Nauseating.

    Once all the new students were sorted, Professor McGonagall rolled up the parchment, and took the Sorting Hat away.

    Dumbledore stood, smiling at the students, his arms open wide, as if nothing pleased him more than seeing them all together.

    “Welcome!”

    Dumbledore said, “Welcome everyone to Hogwarts for the new school year. Before the feast begins, I would like to say a few words. Namely: Idiots! Crybabies! Remnants! Tighten!”

    “Thank you everyone!”

    Dumbledore sat down.

    Andy thought the leaders in his previous life should learn from Dumbledore on how to address people.

    Even when scolding, it’s better than endless rambling nonsense!

    Hermione poked Andy with her finger, hesitantly asking, “Is he a little…?”

    Hermione gestured towards Dumbledore with her eyes, then made a circling motion with her finger around her temple.

    The implication being: Is Dumbledore’s mind a bit…off?

    Andy nodded, giving Hermione a definitive answer. “Headmaster Dumbledore is over a hundred years old after all, we must understand him. Whatever he says, we just agree.”

    “What more can we expect from a centenarian?”

    Andy said, “He can still feed himself, that’s already pretty good.”

    “I thought he wore dentures!” Hermione’s parents were dentists, so she naturally assumed that a man Dumbledore’s age would’ve lost all his teeth.

    During their chat, various dishes suddenly appeared on the table.

    Roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, steak, boiled potatoes, roasted potatoes, potato chips, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and for some strange reason, mint candies.

    Having eaten eleven years of British food, Andy could tolerate it.

    While he missed Chinese food, Andy didn’t want to reveal his difference from everyone else just for a bit of culinary satisfaction.

    After all, Andy had never encountered those things in this life.

    The abundance of food instantly livened the atmosphere. Everyone chatted and laughed, sharing stories of their experiences.

    Once everyone was full, the remaining food vanished from the tables, leaving the plates spotless.

    After a while, pudding arrived, along with various ice creams and desserts.

    Andy gave Hogwarts a thumbs-up.

    As a tuition-free school, Hogwarts’ food was surprisingly lavish.

    Just the food for this school year alone, Andy figured he could afford three sets of robes, a wand, and textbooks.

    Hermione was chatting with the Head Girl, Penelope Clearwater, about the new student’s coursework.

    She was an ambitious girl. Coming from the Muggle world, she didn’t want to fall behind her peers.

    Especially after entering the wizarding world, the first peer she befriended was Andy—a top student who had practiced every spell thousands of times.

    When all the desserts disappeared, Dumbledore stood again, restoring quiet to the chaotic hall.

    “Oh! Now that everyone is full, I have a few more things to say. At the beginning of the term, I want to bring a few precautions to your attention…”

    “First-year students, take note: the wooded area on school grounds is strictly forbidden to all students. Our upperclassmen should also remember this.”

    Andy had already learned some information about the Forbidden Forest from the twins. In his first year, he had no intention of going in there.

    Dumbledore continued, “Also, Mr. Filch, the caretaker, wants me to remind everyone not to practice magic in the corridors between classes.”

    Andy already had a plan for this. Hogwarts had many abandoned rooms; he could easily find one to practice magic.

    “The Quidditch player tryouts will be held in the second week of this term. Any students interested in joining the house team should contact Madam Hooch.”

    Andy didn’t like Quidditch.

    “Finally, I must tell you all, those who do not wish to suffer an accident and die painfully should not enter the corridor on the fourth floor, to the right.”

    Andy keenly noted that Dumbledore’s wording here was different from that regarding the Forbidden Forest. The former warned against entering if one didn’t want to suffer an accident and a painful death, while the latter was a simple prohibition.

    (End of Chapter)

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