Chapter 261 Medal and Dinner
Newt?
The moment Mike heard the name, he felt a special sense of familiarity, as if he had seen the name before.
"Is this our protagonist today? It's all thanks to you, otherwise it would be difficult for me to meet Dumbledore."
Newt was obviously a very kind old man. He smiled and joked with Mike.
Mike couldn't even call out the other person's full name, so naturally he couldn't act too familiar, and could only smile awkwardly.
Dumbledore just reacted at this time and introduced them:
"Mike, this is Mr. Newt Scamander, the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. And this, you must have known this, Mike Townley."
"Oh, of course I know, the new generation leader of Ravenclaw." Newt looked at the exaggerated Ravenclaw symbol on Mike and joked, "I have to say, you are dressed really handsome today." Mike really remembered who the old man in
front of him was at this time, and his face immediately showed a look of surprise. He held Newt's right hand with both hands and said excitedly:
"You are the author of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them"? Oh my God, that's my favorite book!"
Mike's excitement was beyond words, and what he said was all true. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is indeed his favorite book, no doubt about it.
This book records Newt's experience of traveling around the world when he was young, and describes various magical animals in detail, from their appearance, living habits, special abilities, habitats to breeding methods, places to be careful, etc., everything is included.
Because the quality of this book is so outstanding, it was not surprising that it was selected as a textbook for Hogwarts.
Although Mike did not choose the Care of Magical Creatures class, he loved this book very much. The reason is very easy to understand. Compared with other cumbersome and boring magic books, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is obviously more interesting, especially with many exquisite magic pictures on it, which makes young wizards more interested in reading.
And Newt Scamander is also a legend. He has liked magical animals since he was a child. Later, after going to Hogwarts to study, he was sorted into Hufflepuff College by the Sorting Hat. Unfortunately, due to some accidents, he did not graduate but was expelled.
Dumbledore, who was not the principal at the time, tried his best to defend Newt, claiming that he was innocent, which prevented Newt from receiving additional punishment and kept the right to use the wand.
After being expelled, Newt began his journey and helped Dumbledore defeat the first generation of Dark Lord, Grindelwald during the journey.
But this was just the beginning of his legend. In 1947, he founded the Werewolf Registry and made outstanding contributions to the work of improving the lycanthropy in the UK.
In 1965, he wrote the "Prohibition of Feeding for Experimental Purposes" Act, which was finally issued after being reviewed by the Ministry of Magic.
This move protected the survival of magical animals and effectively curbed the prevalence of creating new untamable animals in Britain.
And his most outstanding achievement in his life was of course the writing of the series of books "Where Are the Artifact Animals?", for which he was awarded the Order of Merlin, Second Class.
Mike was obviously very happy to meet such a legendary wizard. He talked to Newt selflessly without any consideration for others.
Perhaps because he had no children in his life, Newt obviously liked young people very much. He was also very enthusiastic in the face of Mike's conversation. Dumbledore, who was on the side, was the strongest white wizard of this generation. He undoubtedly became the most dazzling star in the entire venue. Almost everyone present wanted to say a few words to him.
This also made Dumbledore a little exhausted.
To be honest, he didn't like such occasions. If Mike and Snape hadn't received the second-level medal, he wouldn't have come here to suffer.
During the conversation with Newt, Mike also noticed a medal pinned on Newt's chest.
It was a beautiful gold medal with a circle of purple ribbon around it, which looked extremely gorgeous.
"This is the second-level badge of the Order of Merlin. You will have one later." Newt noticed Mike's eyes and explained, "The only difference between the first and third-level medals is the ribbon."
Mike instinctively glanced at Dumbledore and found that the badge on his chest was indeed with a green ribbon.
"See, that's the Order of Merlin, first class, the highest honor a wizard can get." Newt said, "The first class ribbon is green, and many people think that this color represents Merlin's college in Hogwarts, which is Slytherin. But this is obviously wrong, because there was no Hogwarts when Merlin was a child. Haha. The
second class ribbon is purple (Newt pointed to his medal), and the third class is white."
Mike nodded, he didn't really know that much about the Order of Merlin.
And Newt was happy to explain when he saw that Mike was listening seriously, and said:
"The Order of Merlin is awarded by the Wizengamot to honor those who have made contributions. The history of the Wizengamot is much longer than that of the Ministry of Magic. It existed long before the Ministry of Magic was established, and now, the role of the Wizengamot in the Ministry of Magic is equivalent to the court and parliament in the Muggle society..."
As Newt's explanation gradually deepened, Mike also truly understood the true meaning of the Order of Merlin.
It turns out that each level of the Order of Merlin has its own different meanings.
The first-class Order of Merlin is awarded to those who "show outstanding courage or outstanding performance". The most famous winner is Dumbledore, who won the highest honor in the wizarding world for defeating the Dark Lord Grindelwald. The
second-class Order of Merlin is awarded to those who "have made extraordinary efforts and achievements", just like Newt who is explaining to him in front of him. His book "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is obviously an extraordinary achievement! The third-class Order
of Merlin is awarded to those who "have contributed to our knowledge reserves and entertainment". From this point of view, Lockhart, a best-selling author, is indeed worthy of this medal.
However, Newt also hinted to Mike that there are some shady things in the awarding of the medal.
Those who are favored by the Minister of Magic, especially those from the upper class, seem to always unexpectedly win the Order of Merlin.
And this is not the real hammer.
The most powerful evidence of the shady medal is that Fudge actually awarded himself the first-class Order of Merlin!
This incident made almost everyone angry, and everyone thought that Fudge's career achievements were far from excellent.
Other people who were not quite worthy of the medal included Sirius' grandfather Attalus Black, who was believed to have bought his medal.
Newt's tone was a little sour when he said these words, which was not surprising, because to be honest, he was completely worthy of a first-class medal with his achievements, but now he only got a second-class medal.
However, Mike felt a little embarrassed, because in fact, he was one of those "hypocritical people who did not deserve the name" in Newt's mouth, and his medal was strictly speaking bought.
Since this award ceremony was in the form of a free banquet, compared to the award ceremony, this banquet was more like a gathering of members of the Merlin Order. Everyone talked and laughed wantonly, completely weakening the presence of the protagonists of the night, Mike and Snape.
However, Mike, who may be the youngest winner of the Merlin Order of the Second Class in history, obviously aroused the interest of many people, especially the exaggerated Ravenclaw logo on his body, which won the favor of many Ravenclaws.
So there were quite a few people who came to greet him.
Snape was very miserable in comparison. Almost no one went to talk to him. Mike even felt that everyone was avoiding him intentionally or unintentionally.
So Snape could only huddle in a corner and drink alone, looking a little sad.
This was not surprising, as Snape was once a notorious Death Eater, and was naturally class-opposed to those present.
To be honest, Fudge's giving Snape the Order of Merlin, Second Class, must have caused a lot of dissatisfaction, and it was fortunate that these people did not cause trouble for Snape in public today.
As time went by, the banquet finally reached its climax.
Under the illumination of a beam of light, Fudge, who had changed into a coquettish dress, appeared on the stage amid the applause of the crowd. On his chest, a Order of Merlin, First Class, with a green ribbon, was shining.
Behind him, two white women in waiter costumes were holding two wooden trays, and on the trays were the Order of Merlin, Second Class.
Mike in the crowd was a little at a loss, and Newt kindly pushed him, motioning him to go to the stage to receive the award.
Mike smiled, and walked onto the stage under the kind eyes of the people around him.
Of course, Snape didn't remind him. In fact, a vacuum zone magically appeared around him. Obviously, no one wanted to stay with him.
So he could only come to the stage alone.
After the two stood still, Fudge spread his hands and pointed at the two people and said to the audience:
"Today, we welcome two new members! Mike Townley! This young Ravenclaw has eagle eyes. He keenly discovered the mistakes of old Barty and saved the last dignity of the Black family! Therefore, after discussion, the Wizengamot Council believes that he deserves this second-class medal of the Order of Merlin!"
Perhaps because everyone present was powerful, Fudge's speech was straightforward and concise, not at all like his usual procrastination.
When he finished speaking, he took out a second-class medal from the wooden tray in the hands of a waiter behind him and solemnly put it on Mike's right chest.
The golden medal echoed the Ravenclaw badge on his left chest, and was greeted with warm cheers and applause.
After awarding the medal to Mike, Fudge turned his attention to Snape.
"Next is the famous potion master, Severus Snape!" Fudge said, "Mr. Snape has been working hard on potions all his life, which has made him achieve outstanding achievements! He not only improved many common potion formulas including hemorrhoid potion, but also restored the long-lost Dragon Roar Potion! (A potion that can communicate with dragons after drinking) Therefore
! After discussion, the Wizengamot Council decided to award him the Order of Merlin, Second Class!" After
hearing this, Mike realized that the reason why Snape won the award was not because he also participated in the capture of Black.
Originally, because they both won the award at the same time, he thought that the reason for their awards should be the same, but now it seems that compared with Snape's achievements, his medal is even more worthless.
Snape's awarding process was exactly the same as Mike's, but after Fudge gave him the medal, few people applauded him, as if everyone deliberately ignored his existence.
But Snape obviously didn't care about these people's reactions. He stiffly bent his neck to the audience, indicating that he had finished bowing, and then stood behind Fudge like a puppet.
Snape didn't care, and Fudge obviously didn't care even more. He spoke enthusiastically, telling about the contribution of their Merlin Sir Group to the world.
Finally, he took Mike and Snape to bow hard to the audience and said:
"Magic is glory!"
The audience was also aroused, and they returned the greetings and shouted the slogan "Magic is glory".
At this point, the entire awarding ceremony was over.
Mike and others returned to Hogwarts after accepting the blessings of the people who came to watch the ceremony.
And here, there is still a banquet waiting for them.
Unlike the usual banquets, the initiator of this banquet was not the professors of Hogwarts, but the students of Hogwarts.
Compared with the serious and earnest dinner at the Ministry of Magic, Mike obviously liked this celebration among classmates more.
As soon as he entered Hogwarts, he let out a long sigh and followed Dumbledore into the auditorium with a smile on his face.
As soon as they appeared in the auditorium, there was a deafening cheer. Everyone was desperately applauding Mike and Snape, even the Slytherin who was the coldest in the past was no exception.
Snape's feelings should be similar to Mike's. He looked at the students who were like quails in front of him and now applauded him enthusiastically, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
This smile only appeared for a moment, but it was noticed by the students of Slytherin.
As a result, they applauded more enthusiastically, especially Malfoy, who desperately waved his hand that had just been untied, hoping that his godfather Snape would see him.
The protagonists of this dinner were undoubtedly Snape and Mac. Dumbledore had no intention of stealing the show. He sat back in his seat after speaking a few words.
This made everyone present have more fun.
Now that their exams were over and the results had not been announced, everyone was immersed in a short and crazy joy, and could ignore all the enthusiastic carnival outside.