Chapter 133: The New Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor

Lestrange’s boisterous shout caused the entire Great Hall to turn and look.

"Horace, keep your students in line!" Professor Merrythought’s expression was particularly grim as she spoke coldly.

Professor Slughorn did not look any better. He stood up from his seat at once and said sternly, "Mr. Lestrange, please come to my office tomorrow evening. If you do not know where my office is, feel free to ask your seniors."

He hesitated for a moment before adding, "Because of this, Slytherin will be docked ten points!"

A wave of murmurs erupted among the young witches and wizards present. No one had expected a student who had just been sorted to be docked ten points by his own Head of House on the spot!

Driven by curiosity, the ghost Xiwen, taking advantage of the fact that the main group of ghosts had not yet gone far, drifted silently to the entrance of the Great Hall. He glanced at the house point hourglasses, which had been completely cleared for the new school year.

The hourglasses for the other houses contained no gems at all, but the Slytherin hourglass held ten small, transparent gems—signifying a negative score, something quite rare in the history of Hogwarts.

Outside of Slytherin, however, the other houses were quite pleased. Many students from other houses felt a sense of schadenfreude.

During the previous school year, thanks to the Special Award for Services to the School that Xiwen had received, Slytherin had gained a large number of points. Furthermore, Slytherin had won the Inter-House Quidditch Cup last semester, earning them another significant boost.

Consequently, for the 1937–1938 school year, Slytherin had ultimately secured the House Cup with a massive lead. This had left many students from other houses feeling frustrated, eager to regain their pride in the new term. Because of this, Lestrange causing Slytherin to lose points on the very first day of school made many people gloat.

At that moment, Riddle had already removed the Sorting Hat and, maintaining a composed demeanor, walked elegantly toward the Slytherin table.

"I really don't know how a Mudblood like that ended up in Slytherin," Lestrange muttered under his breath, not daring to mock Riddle loudly after having just been reprimanded.

"Lestrange, since Riddle has been sorted into Slytherin, it means he is certainly not Muggle-born," Xiwen said, frowning as he looked at Lestrange.

Lestrange was about to retort when he suddenly caught Riddle’s cold, sinister gaze. For some reason, his black eyes looked like those of a cold-blooded snake, chillingly icy. This terrifying stare made Lestrange shiver violently, and he dared not say another word.

Xiwen noticed Lestrange’s strange reaction and looked curiously at Riddle, only to find him wearing a gentle smile.

"Senior, you just said that I couldn't be a Muggle-born, right?" Riddle asked Xiwen politely and gently.

"That's correct," Xiwen nodded slightly, explaining, "Because Salazar Slytherin, the founder of Slytherin House, never trusted Muggles and placed great importance on wizarding bloodlines, Slytherin House has never accepted students who are entirely Muggle-born."

Hearing this, a look of relief washed over Riddle.

Subsequently, a glimmer of hope appeared on his face as he looked at Xiwen and asked, "Then, may I ask if you have any way of knowing what kind of wizards my parents were?"

Xiwen shook his head, which left Riddle somewhat disappointed.

"You pure-bloods must be very knowledgeable; have you perhaps heard of the surname Riddle?" Riddle persisted, not giving up.

Xiwen thought for a moment and realized he had indeed never heard the name, so he tapped Abraxas beside him. "Abu, have you ever heard of the surname Riddle?"

Abraxas glanced at Riddle, shook his head, and said with a touch of disdain, "Never heard of it."

Riddle’s spirits plummeted completely.

"Don't worry, we are wizards, after all," Xiwen said, noticing his dejection. "Perhaps your parents left you with some unique abilities. You could start by looking into your own talents to find out about them."

Riddle was startled for a moment before he managed to force a faint smile. He bowed gracefully to Xiwen and sat down in a less crowded spot at the Slytherin table, lost in thought.

Xiwen looked at Riddle’s elegant posture despite his disappointment, then back at Lestrange, who was as crude in behavior as he was in appearance. He couldn't help but sigh—one could hardly tell who was of noble birth and who was from an orphanage if one didn't know the truth.

'Given the number of boys in this year's Slytherin class, they will likely be sharing a dormitory,' Xiwen thought with no small amount of worry.

...

After this interruption, the Sorting Ceremony returned to normal, making the sorting of the remaining students seem rather uneventful.

Following the ceremony, Headmaster Dippet gave a brief speech and introduced the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Halyer Enriques.

Professor Enriques stood up from the staff table and walked gracefully to the edge of the long table, bowing to the students in the Great Hall. His attire was impeccable: a gilded-lapel wizard’s robe, crisp dress trousers, and polished leather shoes, all of which signaled his wealthy status.

Professor Enriques’ hair was particularly striking—a mass of lake-blue curls, whether dyed or the result of unique magic, giving his face a certain exotic beauty. However, it was clear that Professor Enriques had no intention of explaining his hair to the students; he simply bowed elegantly and returned to his seat to begin enjoying the grand feast. Many young witches were mesmerized by his impeccable dress and unique hair color, staring at him so intently they forgot to eat.

Xiwen, of course, had no heart to pay attention to such things; he simply tucked into the sumptuous food provided after the ceremony.

...

After dinner, the first-years would be led by the fifth-year prefects to their respective common rooms.

Xiwen glanced at Ignatius, who was now a sixth-year prefect, hoping to see some sign of reflection on how time had flown. After all, this time last year, Xiwen himself had been led to the Slytherin common room by him. As it turned out, Ignatius was entirely preoccupied with chatting with Lucretia, paying no mind to the two new fifth-year prefects.

Indeed, people in relationships are different!

At that moment, Elciona’s voice sounded beside Xiwen.

"Xiwen, let's go!" she said briskly, hurriedly pulling Xiwen toward the exit of the Great Hall. "Let's head back to the common room together!"

Xiwen was about to agree, but seeing her hurried behavior, he immediately felt something was wrong. Recalling how weak she had seemed on the train, he reached out and pulled her back.

"Have you forgotten that you still need to go to the hospital wing?" Xiwen asked.

Elciona’s expression immediately fell.

...

At the staff table at the front of the hall, while the students were leaving in a chaotic stream, most of the Hogwarts faculty remained seated, chatting pleasantly and waiting for the hall to clear.

Xiwen pulled Elciona over and greeted Madam Dalail, who was sitting at the table.

"Madam Dalail, Elciona says she has been having intermittent spells of weakness recently, usually lasting a few hours before recovering. I thought she should come and see you," Xiwen said.

At the staff table, the new Professor Enriques showed a flicker of interest.