The shrill whistle of the Hogwarts Express pierced the dusk of the Scottish Highlands, long and mournful.
The clatter of the train wheels gradually shifted from a sharp whine to a deep, rhythmic clang-clang. Steam billowed like a great white ghost from the engine, shrouding Hogsmeade Station in a veil of mist.
Thestral-drawn carriages rumbled along the road to the castle.
Inside one of them, Alan was tracing invisible diagrams in the air with the extinguished tip of his wand.
"No, Fred , every 'Light Block' must have a standardized hollow core for its energy chamber. We can't compromise modular integrity just to add personalized blinking effects."
His tone was calm, precise, and carried the weight of unshakable logic.
"But Alan," George leaned over, a mischievous gleam in his eyes, "what if we preset a few tiny disturbance runes inside the chamber? That way, without changing the base command, the light could flicker random colors every now and then. Imagine , a giant Snape portrait whose nose suddenly flashes green!"
"That would massively increase production complexity and cost , and introduce uncontrollable glitches. Our first product must prioritize stability and programmability." Alan rejected the idea decisively, then added after a pause, "However… a 'Random Color Module' could be part of our first expansion pack."
"Expansion pack! I love that term!" Lee Jordan rubbed his hands together excitedly, already assuming the role of a product manager.
"'Light & Shadow Matrix,' base version , nine Galleons!
'Quidditch Tactics' expansion pack , three Galleons!
'Mischief Flash' expansion pack , another three!
Merlin's beard, we're going to be rich!"
Their heated brainstorming filled the carriage, voices overlapping with excitement. Outside, the scenery blurred past , and in the distance, the countless lights of Hogwarts Castle gleamed like diamonds scattered across black velvet, drawing nearer and nearer.
When they stepped into the magnificent Great Hall, the air was thick with the delicious aroma of roast beef and pumpkin pie. Thousands of floating candles illuminated the four long house tables until they shone as bright as day. The enchanted ceiling mirrored the outside sky , a deep, starlit expanse.
The Sorting Ceremony was nearing its end. After a thin little boy was placed into Hufflepuff, the students erupted into cheers as he hurried toward his table.
Alan, Fred, George, and Lee quickly found seats at the bustling Gryffindor table. The fatigue from the long journey and their intense discussions was no match for the anticipation of the welcome feast about to begin.
Alan's gaze instinctively swept over the staff table , and there, he noticed a new face.
A very striking one.
The man was dressed in a dazzlingly bright forget-me-not blue robe that bordered on eye-searing. His golden hair was immaculately styled, each strand forming a perfect, elegant wave. His teeth gleamed white as pearls, and his smile , broad, brilliant, and painfully polished , looked like it had been practiced a thousand times in front of a mirror.
Unlike the other professors, who sat quietly or chatted with colleagues, this man was enthusiastically waving toward the student tables , especially the areas crowded with girls , posing and smiling as if he were soaking up the applause of adoring fans. The scene looked less like a teacher's introduction and more like a celebrity basking in his own fame.
"Oh my gosh , that's Gilderoy Lockhart!"
Lavender Brown, sitting nearby, covered her mouth in a futile attempt to muffle her excitement, though her sparkling eyes gave her away. Her whisper spread like ripples in a pond, quickly setting off a wave of squeals and murmurs among the surrounding girls.
Alan's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly.
He didn't even need confirmation.
That flamboyant bestselling author , known for his floridly written yet highly questionable "adventure memoirs," and that signature dazzling smile , could only be one man: their new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
Dumbledore, it seemed, had expected the commotion.
As the final new student was sorted into Ravenclaw, he rose from his seat. Instantly, the chatter died down, and the Great Hall fell silent.
"Welcome back to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said warmly, his voice both gentle and commanding, echoing clearly through the hall.
"Before we begin our feast, it is my great pleasure to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor , Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart."
Lockhart rose amid a wave of thunderous applause , mostly from the girls, whose cheeks glowed pink with admiration. He bowed gracefully, his golden curls sweeping through the candlelight in a perfect arc. He even lifted a hand and blew several extravagant kisses to the crowd.
Alan's eyes, however, were fixed not on Lockhart , but on the man sitting beside him.
Professor Snape's expression was darker than the stones of his dungeon walls. His lips were pressed into a thin, cutting line, and his eyes , cold and venomous , glared daggers at Lockhart's smug, preening face.
Snape's expression was one of pure revulsion , the kind you'd have if you were forced to swallow a live, wriggling slug whole.
The feast was about to begin. Golden plates shimmered into existence, already piled high with food.
Dumbledore raised his hand, and the hall instantly fell into a comfortable hush.
"Just one more thing,"
he said, his voice carrying easily through the Great Hall. The same gentle smile was on his face, but Alan noticed the faintest glint in the blue eyes behind those half-moon spectacles , a flicker that drifted ever so slightly toward the Gryffindor table.
That gaze was light as a feather , yet it carried undeniable weight.
"From this term onward," Dumbledore continued warmly, "in order to protect the delicate ecological balance within our castle, Hogwarts will strictly prohibit any student from performing unauthorized cross-species Transfiguration on non-magical creatures."
He paused, his tone still kind, but with a quiet authority that brooked no argument.
"For example… household cats, toads , or ravens."
A murmur rippled through the hall. Most students exchanged confused glances.
"Protect the ecological balance?" "Transfiguring cats and toads?" What sort of bizarre new rule was this? Had someone actually done that before?
But the moment Dumbledore uttered the words "cats" and "ravens," the smiles on Fred and George Weasley's faces froze solid.
Their eyes met , and in that single glance, countless unspoken emotions flickered between them. Shock. Bewilderment. And most of all, that unmistakable pang of guilt that comes from realizing your prank has just been caught red-handed.
Their faces went pale, almost comically so.
Alan lifted his goblet of pumpkin juice and took a calm sip.
But inside the mental palace of his perfectly ordered thoughts, information began to whirl , fast, sharp, and precise.
"Protect the ecological balance?"
A flawless, irrefutable official excuse.
Dumbledore's true meaning, however, was as transparent as glass.
This wasn't a universal school regulation.
It was a message.
A warning.
A polite, graceful, and undeniably effective warning , addressed specifically to a few mischievous Gryffindor students who, just last year, had transformed Filch's beloved cat, Mrs. Norris, into a rather bewildered raven.
Of course the great Headmaster knew.
He always knew.
He knew who did it, and why.
But he hadn't summoned them to his office for scolding.
He hadn't assigned detention.
He hadn't even deducted a single House point.
Instead, he had chosen this , a public "rule," harmless on the surface, but pointed enough that only the culprits would understand.
A gentle reminder, disguised as school policy.
A masterstroke.
It preserved their pride, spared them embarrassment , yet drew an unmistakable boundary:
You may play your tricks. You may test the limits.
But never forget , the rules still stand.
Alan set down his goblet and looked once more toward the Head Table.
Dumbledore had already declared the feast begun and was now cheerfully spooning pudding onto his plate, as though nothing of consequence had been said at all.
But Alan knew better.
He had once again witnessed , firsthand , the wisdom and quiet benevolence of the greatest white wizard of the century.
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