Kyle noticed that the Night Thestral pulling the cart turned its head in confusion and looked at the carriage behind it. Its head, which looked like a fire dragon, seemed to be full of question marks.

Ever since Quirrell turned into ashes in front of him, Kyle has been able to see this magical animal.

Ye Qi looked at the carriage carefully, and only after he was sure that there was no difference from before, he snorted and continued walking forward.

In the carriage, Kyle had briefly told Kona and the others what had happened before, including what Lupin had said to him.

"No wonder..." Cedric stroked his chin and said, "Professor Lupin not only did not stop you from selling those things, but also helped you maintain order.

It seems that he also knows that the Dementors will be stationed in the school permanently.

If that’s the case, then it’s a good thing for most students.”

"Wait, what did you say?" George interrupted him suddenly, "Dementors...are going to school?"

His voice was a little sharp.

"Yes, didn't Percy tell you before?" Cedric nodded, "He told you about this in the prefect's box.

The professor asked us to comfort the students as much as possible, especially the first-year students, and to find ways to help them overcome their fears. "

"Are we going to have a class with Dementors next?" Ginny's face became paler and paler.

She still clearly remembered the biting cold that the Dementors brought when they entered the box.

If they were in a classroom, they wouldn't be able to listen to the professor's lecture, and they might not even be able to pick up a quill.

"Of course not." Cedric waved his hand quickly and explained, "They will only guard every entrance of the school and will not enter the castle."

The others were relieved.

Qiu glared at him unhappily, "Remember to get to the point first next time."

Fred and George chimed in, scolding Cedric.

They were all planning to turn around and go home. After all, there was no fun at all in a castle with Dementors in it, and it would be a waste of time even if they stayed here.

Seeing that everyone else was indignant, Cedric realized that there was something wrong with his statement just now, and quickly bowed his head to admit his mistake.

As if to confirm his words.

As the carriage lurched towards the school gate, they saw two hooded, eerie Dementors standing guard at the door, one on each side.

As we passed by them, a chilly feeling suddenly came over the carriage.

This feeling gradually dissipated until the carriage passed through the middle of the gate and accelerated on the ramp leading to the castle.

After a few minutes, the carriage finally stopped.

Kyle was the last one to get off the car. He restored the space inside to its original state and took out a bag of Mothra rat jerky to feed it to the panting Thestral pulling the car.

It's considered as overtime pay.

Pulling eight people at a time is a big job for Ye Qi.

They were the last group, everyone else had already entered the castle. On the path not far away, Hagrid's tall figure could still be vaguely seen.

"The new students are coming," Kyle said, "Let's go in."

Several people stepped onto the stone steps and walked towards the castle at a quick pace.

Professor Sprout stood at the door and closed the castle gate after they entered.

"Remember to hurry up next time." She said casually, "Hurry up to the auditorium, the opening banquet is about to begin."

On the right, the door to the auditorium was open, and above the enchanted ceiling was a dark, cloudy sky that looked a bit depressing.

It seems that except for the first year, the weather has been bad during every start-of-term party.

Several people separated at the entrance of the auditorium and walked towards the long tables of their respective colleges.

Soon, the freshmen arrived and walked into the auditorium under the guidance of Professor Sprout.

Just like before, after being placed on the tripod stool by Professor Flitwick, the Sorting Hat began to sing the song that had taken a year to create.

He chose the style of country music this time, and coupled with those weird lyrics, it was surprisingly good.

It's just that few people listened.

Dementors became the hottest topic, and almost everyone was discussing what happened on the train.

When the Sorting Hat finished singing and began to sort the houses, Mikkel leaned over and asked curiously, "They all said that you drove away the Dementors in the car and saved Harry Potter in the process."

"Drive away the Dementors? Who told you that?"

"Susan Burns."

Mikkel said, "She said she saw you use your wand to force the Dementor up against the car window, and then went to Potter's box after he passed out, and then he woke up."

Kyle remembered that Susan Burns was also a Hufflepuff, in the same class as Harry and the others. She was a girl who liked to join in the fun and had an excellent ability to collect information.

If you ask her questions related to the exam, she may not know the answer, or even know nothing about them. But if you ask her who quarreled with whom, or who was punished by the professor to be put in solitary confinement for making a mistake, she will know everything and answer the same questions for two hours without repeating herself.

Kyle estimated that when he was trying to drive away the Dementors, she must have been in a nearby box and happened to see it.

"That's not true." He shook his head and explained, "The Dementors left the train after completing their mission, and Harry was rescued by the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. It has nothing to do with me."

“I see.”

Mikel looked a little disappointed. "What a shame. If you had driven away the Dementors and saved Potter, you might have won the Order of Merlin again."

"It would be nice if that were the case." Kyle said with a smile, "Besides, it's not that easy to get the Order of Merlin."

"At least it can add 50 points," said Mikel.

Kyle shrugged. He didn't think so.

The Dementors went to the train to search for Black, which was originally an order from the Ministry of Magic. If he had driven them away, let alone extra points... it would have been good enough if he hadn't been in trouble with the Ministry of Magic.

"Hufflepuff!"

At this moment, the sound of the Sorting Hat was heard all around.

The first new student was sorted into Hufflepuff.

Kyle clapped along with everyone else, and Mikel stood up, warmly welcoming the somewhat shy freshman.

I don’t know if the Sorting Hat knew what happened on the train and wanted the students to have a sumptuous dinner as soon as possible, but this year’s sorting went particularly smoothly and was finished in less than half an hour.

On average, each person only took about twenty seconds, which can be said to be quite efficient.

When the last student was sorted into Ravenclaw, Professor Flitwick left the hall from the side, holding the Sorting Hat and the tricorne stool.

Then Dumbledore stood up.

"welcome!"

He smiled at all the students, the candlelight sparkling on his beard, "Welcome back to Hogwarts! I have a few things to tell you, one of which is very important, so I think it's better to tell you while you are still awake..."

Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "Our school is currently welcoming several Dementors, who are sent by the Ministry of Magic to perform official duties. I'm sure you all know that they searched the Hogwarts Express.

I must make it clear that when they are here, no one can leave the school without permission, and no tricks, gimmicks or disguises can fool the Dementors..."

When Dumbledore was speaking on the stage, the hall was eerily quiet. Many people thought of the two Dementors on guard that they encountered when passing by the school gate.

According to Dumbledore, they would all be there until Black was caught.

Some people suddenly became nervous as they thought about their experience on the train.

"Let's change the subject to something more cheerful."

After finishing the question about Dementors, Dumbledore's expression was not so serious anymore. He smiled again and said, "First of all, Professor Lupin has gladly agreed to fill the vacancy of Defense Against the Dark Arts..."

"And Rubeus Hagrid, he will replace Professor Kettleburn who retired last semester and become your new Care of Magical Creatures teacher..."

Because of the Dementors, everyone was worried and only clapped their hands perfunctorily at the two new professors introduced by Dumbledore.

For most students, these two courses are not very important, especially Defense Against the Dark Arts... The professor is a once-in-a-year course, and the lessons are the same no matter who attends.

Fortunately, the applause from Hufflepuff and Gryffindor was quite enthusiastic, so the scene didn't seem so deserted.

"Hagrid always wanted to be a professor..." Cedric clapped his hands happily, "He succeeded!"

"Yeah." Kyle said with a smile.

He looked towards the head table, where Hagrid was wiping his eyes with the tablecloth.

(End of this chapter)