Hogwarts: I will not become the Dark Lord

The carriage moved slowly, its wheels creaking and groaning, the body swaying along the road.

Passing through the towering stone pillars that stood on either side of the school grounds' gate, the pillars were adorned with statues of wild boars with outstretched wings, dignified and solemn.

Harry leaned forward, trying to peer through the night to see if the windows of Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest showed any light, but only deep darkness accompanied him on the grounds.

Hogwarts Castle gradually revealed its silhouette in the haze, its towering spires appearing even more profound against the backdrop of the night sky.

The carriage finally swayed to a stop beside the wide stone steps leading to the castle's oak doors, and Harry eagerly jumped out. He looked back towards the Forbidden Forest again, trying to catch any glimmer of light from Hagrid's hut, but it remained silent and lifeless.

"Hagrid hasn't really left Hogwarts, has he?" Ginny asked with concern.

"I think we should celebrate if he's gone," Luna said in a nonchalant tone. "He wasn't exactly a brilliant teacher, was he?"

"No, Hagrid is a brilliant Care of Magical Creatures teacher!" Harry, Ron, and Ginny said almost in unison, their voices full of dissatisfaction and rebuttal.

Harry then glanced disapprovingly at the silent Hermione and Jerry. What do you two mean?

"Ahem!" Hermione cleared her throat lightly, quickly adding, "Yes, that's right."

Jerry also nodded in agreement.

"Well, students in our house just think Hagrid is a careless oaf," Luna said in a nonchalant and carefree manner.

"That just means you Ravenclaws have a terrible sense of humor," Ron retorted unkindly, his words sharp.

Luna was not angered by Ron's offense, but instead stared at him with interest for a while, as if Ron were a somewhat amusing television entertainment program.

"Jerry, did Professor Dumbledore tell you where Hagrid went?" Harry asked, lowering his voice cautiously.

"I only saw Dumbledore twice this summer!" Jerry replied, also lowering his voice. "But, do you remember when you asked me what the adults were busy with when we first met this summer? Hagrid is likely dealing with that thing I mentioned back then!"

Harry remembered. Hagrid was a half-giant, and the Order of the Phoenix wanted to win over the giants. Hagrid was the best choice, it must be!

"Harry, we have to go!" Ron urged from the side.

"Oh, okay." The worry in Harry's heart gradually dissipated, so they joined the bustling crowd, hurried up the stone steps, and strode into the castle.

In the Great Hall of Hogwarts, students sat at their respective house tables, loudly greeting friends they hadn't seen in a long time, while also carefully examining each other's new hairstyles and outfits.

Harry noticed once again that whenever he passed through the crowd, people would huddle together and whisper, casting strange glances at him. He gritted his teeth, trying to maintain a superficial calm and indifference.

Jerry also said goodbye to Hermione for the time being, and, holding Crookshanks who was unwilling to move, came to the Slytherin table and found a seat in the center of the table.

The girls at the Slytherin table suddenly became coy when they saw Jerry.

The previously unrestrained teasing suddenly lowered, some girls tucked the strands of hair that fell behind their ears, some played with the emerald-studded tie, no matter what they did, their eyes would occasionally peek at Jerry, who was teasing Crookshanks.

This year Miss Feres graduated from Hogwarts, does that mean they also have a chance…

A few minutes later, the doors of the Great Hall of Hogwarts slowly opened, and a line of first-year students, looking slightly nervous and bewildered, stepped into the hall led by Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall held a stool in her hand, and a wizard's hat was placed squarely on top of the stool. The hat was patched layer upon layer, and the brim was frayed.

The noisy conversations in the hall gradually subsided, and the new students lined up in front of the professors' table, their tender faces glowing palely in the flickering candlelight.

The Sorting Hat began to sing, a fixed part of the annual Sorting Ceremony, but this year's tune was different, it sang a new song about the deep friendship of the four founders of Hogwarts.

Usually, the Sorting Hat would only briefly describe the different qualities that the four houses of Hogwarts admired, as well as its mission to sort students, but this year it seemed a bit "off-topic."

"My duty is to sort you into four houses, but my heart is full of worries. I fear that such classification may not be entirely correct. I fear the division caused by sorting will plunge our Hogwarts into crisis."

The Sorting Hat fell silent again after singing. Sparse applause rang out in the hall, but interspersed with much whispering.

Many students thought there was something wrong with the Sorting Hat's idea, such as the Slytherin students from pure-blood families. The environment they grew up in and the education they received made them deeply believe in the idea of pure-blood supremacy. How could they possibly become friends with half-bloods, especially students from Muggle families?

Professor McGonagall gripped the list of first-year students tightly, her eyes sternly scanning those students who were still whispering, using her eyes to stop their whispering. Then, her gaze returned to the yellowed parchment in her hand, and she officially began the Sorting Ceremony.

"Meow ~" Crookshanks lazily lay on Jerry's lap, stretching comfortably.

A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted in the Great Hall. Dumbledore smiled and sat down, flicking his beard over his shoulder to ensure it wouldn't interfere with his enjoyment of the impending feast.

A variety of delicacies suddenly piled up in every corner of the long tables: great slabs of roast beef, fragrant pies, a dazzling array of vegetables, fluffy bread, sweet jams, and pitchers of golden pumpkin juice.

Jerry asked the Hogwarts house-elves for some dried fish for Crookshanks and poured him a glass of rich milk. Then, he picked up a tempting piece of roast beef and put it on his plate, ready to feast. Since waking up that morning, he had only eaten a chocolate bar on the train and was now ravenously hungry.

As the cheerful chatter in the Great Hall gradually turned into a noisy hubbub, accompanied by the satisfaction of a full meal, Dumbledore slowly rose to his feet again. The conversations ceased abruptly, and everyone's gaze turned to him in unison.

"Now, please allow me to take up a little more of your time before bedtime to go over some important points for the new term," Dumbledore began with his usual spiel, such as first-year students being forbidden from entering the Forbidden Forest and the prohibition of using magic in the corridors outside classrooms between classes.

"We are also very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be responsible for teaching Care of Magical Creatures," Dumbledore continued.

"At the same time, I am also very honored to introduce Professor Umbridge, who will be our new teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts."

As Dumbledore's words fell, a slightly lukewarm round of applause echoed through the Great Hall. The students didn't seem to show much enthusiasm for the arrival of the new teacher.

Jerry raised his head, his gaze passing through the bustling students, towards the professors' dining area at the front of the hall.

He saw Umbridge, a short and stout woman with mousy brown hair. Her face was pale, her eyelids drooped, and her eyes bulged, resembling a toad.

Umbridge also wore an exceptionally garish and unsightly pink bow on her head, which, however, formed a bizarre harmony with the pink cardigan she was wearing.

"Hem, hem." An untimely cough interrupted Dumbledore's speech. Umbridge stood up, cleared her throat, and seemed intent on interjecting.

A flash of surprise crossed Dumbledore's face, but it was fleeting. He then sat down, his gaze fixed on Umbridge, as if eagerly anticipating her speech.

The students and other professors in the hall were all surprised. It had never happened before that a new teacher interrupted Dumbledore's speech at the start-of-term feast.

Many students snickered to themselves. Clearly, this new teacher was not yet familiar with Hogwarts' rules.

"Thank you, Headmaster Dumbledore," Umbridge said, her face plastered with a fake smile. "Thank you for such a warm welcome."

Her voice was shrill and grating, with an unpleasant breathiness, like a little girl's voice, which made people feel repulsed.

"It's so good to be back at Hogwarts!" Umbridge cleared her throat again and continued, "It's wonderful to see all these lovely little faces looking up at me!"

"Professor Umbridge, does she think we're toddlers just learning to walk?" A student at the Slytherin table couldn't help but sneer.

"Keep your voice down, don't let Umbridge hear you!" A Slytherin student warned in a low voice, "I know her. She's one of Fudge's people. I heard my dad say in private that she's… nasty. Be careful not to get on her bad side!"

Umbridge paid no attention to the whispers of the students below and continued to speak as if reciting a speech:

"Minister Fudge has always believed that the education of young witches and wizards is a matter of vital importance to the Ministry of Magic. You are wizards, born with talents that Muggles do not possess. Therefore, you need rigorous and meticulous guidance."

At this point, Professor Umbridge paused her speech and gave a slight bow to the other professors beside her. However, none of them responded.

"It is right that successive headmasters of the school have brought their own, shall we say, improvements to bear upon the running of this ancient institution. But progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged…"

Umbridge continued her lengthy report, but the students in the hall were no longer in the mood to listen.

In stark contrast to the silence during Dumbledore's speech, the students were now whispering to each other and even giggling. The Great Hall was filled with a noisy atmosphere.

"Some changes are for the better, while others, in due course, will be proven to be mistakes. Meanwhile, some old habits are worth preserving, whereas others ought to be discontinued…"

Finally, Umbridge's speech came to an end, and she slowly sat back down.

Dumbledore was the first to applaud, and the other teachers followed suit, but they only clapped perfunctorily a couple of times before stopping. The professors, who had just listened attentively to Umbridge's speech, all frowned.

"Thank you very much, your speech was very enlightening, Professor Umbridge," Dumbledore politely gave her a slight bow. "Now, for the last matter, regarding the Quidditch tryouts…"

Jerry sat in his seat, carefully considering what was hidden in Umbridge's long string of nonsense. Clearly, the Ministry of Magic was preparing to extend its reach into Hogwarts.

What mistakes was Umbridge referring to in her speech? What was the appropriate time? What traditions of Hogwarts should be preserved? And what should be discarded? Who gets to decide?

As Dumbledore announced the end of the feast, the students stood up one after another, preparing to leave the Great Hall and return to their dormitories.

As a prefect, Hermione needed to show the first-year students the way, so Jerry entrusted Crookshanks, the cat who was too lazy to move after eating and drinking his fill, to Parvati, asking her to help take him back to the Gryffindor common room.