Of course, the premise is that no one maliciously lowers the score...

But then again, it doesn't matter even if there are some. I'm going to graduate next year and I have plenty of time to help them correct their mistakes.

…

An hour later, the pudding dessert on the table disappeared, and the golden plate became shiny as new again.

When Dumbledore stood up, the laughter echoing in the hall disappeared instantly.

"Good night everyone," he said with a smile, opening his arms as if wanting to hug everyone in the auditorium.

"Look at his hands," Mikel said suddenly.

Ryan turned to look, "It's normal, what's wrong?"

"I mean, Dumbledore wore a ring," said Mikel. "He never wore rings before."

Kyle also noticed that there was a very conspicuous gem ring on Dumbledore's finger. The black gem on it was only slightly smaller than the Golden Snitch.

Resurrection Stone! Kyle narrowed his eyes, but soon he didn't care anymore.

Because there was no obvious change in Dumbledore's hand, it still looked the same as before, which meant that the curse on the ring had disappeared.

And the fact that it can be worn on the hand also means that it is no longer a Horcrux... Dumbledore still has a contract on him. If the ring is still a Horcrux, he can't even touch it.

As if noticing Kyle's gaze, Dumbledore also looked over and winked at Kyle gently.

"It's great to see you here again, and no one is missing," he said loudly.

Everyone knew what he meant by this.

In the past two months, almost every issue of the Daily Prophet reported that someone was missing or even dead. It was indeed a blessing for them to escape.

Dumbledore did not exchange pleasantries, but instead announced a few notes to the freshmen as usual.

For example, freshmen are not allowed to go to the Forbidden Forest, and there is a selection time for the Quidditch team.

However, this year there is one more thing to note.

"…Filch, the caretaker, asked me to tell you all. This year, students are absolutely forbidden from bringing in any products purchased from the Weasleys' Joke Shop."

There was no doubt that Fred and George were targeted, and the entire store was blacklisted by the school... Simple, easy.

"Also," Dumbledore continued, "we are pleased to welcome a new teacher this year, Professor Slughorn."

He held his hand back and Slughorn stood up, his bald head gleaming in the candlelight.

At the Slytherin table, Malfoy looked at him waving and sneered disdainfully, but the next second, he couldn't laugh anymore.

"I am very happy that Professor Slughorn has agreed to return to his old job as the Potions teacher at Hogwarts."

"Potions?"

The entire auditorium seemed to pause for a second, and then a buzzing sound of whispers broke out.

"In the meantime," Dumbledore said, raising his voice, "Professor Snape will be in charge of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class."

"No!"

"Absolutely not!"

Two very abrupt voices were heard in the auditorium.

Said Harry and Malfoy, they stood up almost at the same time.

Harry couldn't accept Snape teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was his favorite subject.

As for Malfoy, he did not choose Defense Against the Dark Arts... This is easy to understand. As a person who is about to serve the Dark Lord, there is no reason for him to defend his own people.

But his mother reminded him several times before school started that he must choose Snape's class.

Malfoy didn't care at first, thinking that his Potions class performance would be fine. Who would have thought that Snape would teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, and the Potions class would be taught by Slughorn, whom he hated.

"Draco, the professor is watching you." Pansy pulled his robes under the table.

Only then did Malfoy notice that he and Harry Potter had become the focus of everyone's attention, and Snape on the stage was looking at him coldly.

Malfoy reacted and immediately sat back down.

After calming down, he realized that his course selection could be changed, and as long as Snape agreed, he could still continue to take Defense Against the Dark Arts.

As for Slughorn's Potions class... who cares.

"Ah, Snape got what he wanted." Kyle looked at Connor and said, "I remember he always wanted to be the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. It seems that the headmaster finally agreed this year."

Connor frowned and did not seem to be happy for Snape... After all, everyone knew that being the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts was not an easy job.

She couldn't understand why Snape insisted on teaching this subject, since Potions was obviously his strong point.

"Don't worry." Kyle seemed to see Connor's worry and said softly, "I guess after this school year is over, Professor Snape will probably return to the Potions classroom."

"Really?"

"It should be." Kyle said, "And this curse is not as terrible as you think. Look at Lupin, Sirius and Moody, aren't they all fine?"

Kyle's comfort seemed to have some effect, and Connor looked less worried.

There were many people like them, and everyone in the hall was talking about it. Everyone was concerned about this matter even more than Dumbledore's subsequent instructions.

However, it is also possible that he has said similar advice many times, and the meaning is almost the same, which is to suggest that everyone unite and face the enemy together.

The only difference is that there are more forbidden areas in the castle this year, which should be related to the newly added magical fortifications. Dumbledore also requires everyone to strictly abide by the new school rules set by the professors and restrain their behavior.

After the dinner, everyone pushed the benches behind them and began to file out of the auditorium and head towards the dormitories as usual.

Connor went to fulfill her duties as a prefect and take care of the first-year students. Kyle hesitated, then silently walked through the crowd and returned to the common room.

We are just guiding the freshmen. There is no need for so many class leaders. Two will be enough.

"Kyle, I've been looking for you." At this time, a man came running over from behind.

"Grace?" Kyle turned around and looked at the person who came and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Come with me." Grace grabbed Kyle's sleeve and was about to pull him in the direction where the professors were leaving. "They sent me the Quidditch captain badge by mistake. We should be able to change it back now that the professors are here."

Kyle stood there without moving.

Grace pulled it twice, but when she found that she couldn't move it anymore, she turned back and said, "Hurry up, the professors will be leaving soon."

"No, Grace, they didn't send the wrong person." Kyle shook his head, "In fact, you are the captain."

Grace stood there in a daze.

"But...how is this possible?"

"Why not?" Kyle smiled and said, "If you think about it carefully, even if the badge may be sent to the wrong address, the name will not be wrong.

I assume there was a letter sent with the badge announcing your appointment as Quidditch Captain."

"Ah, is there?" Grace blinked.

"You don't know?" Kyle asked puzzledly.

Grace shook her head.

In fact, when she found the captain's badge, she subconsciously thought it was sent to the wrong address, so she stuffed the item back into the envelope, planning to return it to Kyle after returning to school, without even realizing there was another letter inside.

"Never mind," Kyle said. "You should have kept the envelope with you."

Grace nodded and pulled an envelope from her robe pocket.

"Don't just stand there, open it and take a look." Kyle said with a smile.

Grace was still confused. She subconsciously opened the envelope and saw a folded parchment inside.

It's hard to say what Grace's mood is right now. She's definitely nervous, confused, and has a hint of anticipation that she herself isn't even aware of...

Grace opened the parchment and saw her name at the top and a line of words below it.

"Congratulations on becoming the captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Please register with Madam Hooch after September 1st to be the captain."

“See?” Kyle said. “That proves they didn’t send the wrong badge.”

"But why me?" Grace still couldn't believe it. "I mean, who? You are obviously the best person on the team."

"No, you got one thing wrong. The captain doesn't look at individual strength, but the role played by the entire team."

Kyle shrugged. "As you probably know, I also have a job at the Ministry of Magic."

Grace nodded. Almost all the students at Hogwarts knew that Kyle had become the Senior Minister's Assistant, and she was no exception.

"That's exactly what I was saying." Kyle said softly, "Because there are a lot of things going on in the Ministry of Magic, I may not have much time to participate in training or even competitions this year..."

"What?" Grace almost jumped up, "You want to quit the team?"

Kyle is Hufflepuff's trump card. If he withdraws, their strength will definitely be greatly affected.

"No, not quit."

Kyle shook his head and said, "I still want to help Hufflepuff win seven consecutive championships, but you should also know that seventh-year students not only have academic problems, but also now it is a special situation, it may be difficult for me to devote myself to the team's affairs.

"After all, whether it's arranging training or formulating game tactics, it takes time. If I really become the captain, then we probably can only use the tactic of improvisation."

Grace breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she didn't quit the team, it would be fine. As for the issue of training time, that could be solved.

"So don't be surprised." Kyle continued, "It's most appropriate for you to be the captain."

Grace was still a little bit incredulous and stood there not knowing what to think. When she came to her senses, Kyle had already returned to the common room.

As per Hufflepuff tradition, tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.

…

At breakfast the next day, almost half of the people at the Hufflepuff table were yawning non-stop... They had spent the entire night catching up on their homework and were now at their sleepiest.

The new timetable was distributed yesterday. The first class for seventh grade is History of Magic, which is just the right time to catch up on some sleep.

The professor of this course is a ghost who only reads from the textbook. You can do anything as long as you don't interrupt him.

Kanna sat in the last row of the classroom, looking around curiously.

Kyle was holding a magic wand and drawing something on a small round mirror... At this moment, the magic wand was like a feather pen dipped in ink, and a light stroke could leave a mark on the mirror.

Judging from the shape, it should be a magic rune, but it was too complicated. Kanna looked at it for a long time but couldn't recognize what it was.

"What are you doing?" she finally couldn't help asking.

"Review alchemy," Kyle whispered.

"Is this alchemy?" Kanna looked at the mirror covered with various magic runes and symbols with interest. "Why does it feel different from when you made the map before?"

"Of course it's different." Kyle said, "The things I made before, whether it was the map or the waterproof and moisture-proof badge, could only be barely considered magical items.

"True alchemy is the combination of magic runes and magic."

Because he was distracted while talking, Kyle accidentally moved the wand in his hand a little more and wrote the magic word incorrectly.

Several cracks instantly appeared on the mirror surface, and it turned into a pile of fragments.

"Sorry." Kanna said embarrassedly.

"It's okay. I couldn't have succeeded in one go anyway." Kyle waved his wand nonchalantly, clearing the debris on the table, and then took out a new mirror.

This time Kanna didn't say anything, she just watched Kyle's actions from the side.

To be honest, this process is actually quite boring. Kyle draws the runes very slowly. It takes him about half an hour to draw a palm-sized mirror.

Then the runes would disappear, as if they were covered up, and at this time, Kyle would continue to draw new runes.

But if you make a mistake, the mirror will shatter and all your previous efforts will be wasted.

Kyle spent two whole days fiddling with this thing and ignored his classes.

However, most professors would pretend not to see his behavior, including Professor McGonagall.

Connor used to take a lot of notes for Kyle, but ever since Kyle completed Professor McGonagall's request with a wave of his wand in a Transfiguration class, she stopped doing such unnecessary things.

No wonder Professor McGonagall ignored his behavior of daydreaming in class; there was really no need to do so.

It was not until the morning of the third day after school started, when the first spells class was about to end, that Kyle put down his wand.

Kanna's first reaction was that she had failed again, but the next second she noticed that the mirror was still intact.

"Did you succeed?" she asked.

"I guess so. There's only one step left." Kyle took a deep breath and tapped the mirror with his wand.

In an instant, all the magic runes previously drawn on it emerged, overlapping each other layer by layer to form a complete symbol.

The mirror began to shake violently, and the noise was so loud that all the students and Professor Flitwick looked over.

The mirror that was shaking continuously cracked in the middle, but it was not a crack, but it split into two as if a duplication spell was cast.

Then silence returned, and the magic symbols on it disappeared again.

“Snap, snap!”

There was a burst of applause in the classroom.

"It's amazing." Professor Flitwick came over and looked at the two mirrors on the table. "To be honest, this is the first time I've seen the process of making a two-sided mirror. It's a very complicated alchemical product."

"Thanks for the compliment, Professor," Kyle said with a smile.

Hearing what Professor Flitwick said, the others craned their necks, trying to see more clearly.

At this time, the bell for the end of get out of class rang.

Kyle packed up his things and left the professor, and in the hallway, he handed one of the mirrors to Connor.

"For me?"

"Of course," said Kell. "Didn't you hear what Professor Flitwick said? This is a two-way mirror. Only two people can use it."

Kanna took the mirror and asked, "How do I use this?"

"You don't know?" Kyle was a little surprised. After all, a two-sided mirror was not considered a particularly precious thing in the magic world.

"I've only heard of it, but never used it," said Connor.

"It's easy," Kyle said, "Just shout my name in front of the mirror, and you'll be able to see me in the mirror, and then I won't have to worry about not receiving your reply.

"By the way, why didn't you write us a single reply during your vacation? Is the assessment so strict?"

"They said it was to prevent cheating." Kanna whispered, "I didn't receive a single letter during the entire holiday."

“Okay.” Kyle didn’t quite understand, but he hadn’t gone through the assessment of the Extraordinary Pharmacist Association, so he could only take it seriously.

"But don't worry now." Kyle continued, "If you need anything, just shout to me in the mirror. Even if Snape takes you somewhere else later, I can help bring you back."

Connor said in a small voice, "That's France. Can you Apparate that far?"

"It doesn't matter. Even if I can't Apparate, I have other ways." Kyle shrugged and said with a smile: "I know someone who has extensive experience in international travel. No matter whether it is legal or illegal, and no matter how far the distance is, he has a way."

Kanna didn't say anything, but her face turned slightly red. She looked at the small round mirror in her hand and whispered, "Kyle..."

The next second, the mirror in Kyle's hand reacted. He looked at Kanna's face in the mirror, and then looked at Kanna herself next to him.

"What's wrong? We're so close, can't you just say whatever you want to say?" Kyle asked in a teasing tone.

"What do you think? Can't I try it and see if it works?" Kanna turned her head to the side, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise slightly.

But then she quickly changed the subject and said, "Hurry up, class is about to start. The next class is Defense Against the Dark Arts. If you are late, you will be in trouble."

…

(End of this chapter)