Cheers still resounded from the Hufflepuff Long Table, as each house gave a warm welcome to their new students.
Watching the girl bouncing toward the Hufflepuff Long Table, William's sixth sense concluded she was coming for him, but the problem was...
As expected, the girl sat down in the empty seat to his right, looking at William with an excited expression.
"Hi, where's your Niffler?"
"..."
Alright, there was a slight issue with the sixth sense. This was clearly a Hogwarts social butterfly at work—weren't these two just recently in a relentless relationship akin to a victim and a thief? When did they become so close?
"Not here..."
William shook his head, but before his denial was complete, a small silhouette jumped from beside Cedric onto the chair. It gripped the edge of the table with its hands and hoisted itself onto the tabletop, strutting with a swagger and plopping down right in front of William.
"..."
The absolute prison break king... He distinctly remembered stuffing it into the suitcase and locking it tight before disembarking because he housed some dangerous creatures. The magic he used to prevent them from escaping was constantly being updated and iterated. The latest version could even lock the Magic Wand of Lupin—
Oh, don't ask about the results of the experiment.
And yet, a powerless Niffler managed to escape?
What is this? "The Shawshank Niffler?"
But before William could speak, a puzzled Kabuda started rummaging through its pockets. Soon, several bottles and jars were laid out in front of it. Looking at those oh-so-familiar bottle designs, William knowingly nodded—very good, all without exception, were Snape's products.
Good lad, it seems the skills didn't get rusty over the summer—
He grabbed the bottle of Veritaserum and stuffed it into his pocket, patting Kabuda's head with satisfaction, and just as the man and Niffler were about to split the spoils, the Sorting for the new students ended, the great hall doors were once again pushed open, and Professor McGonagall walked in, followed by a jubilant Hermione—
"What are these?"
On William's right, Astoria looked curiously at Kabuda, who was exchanging magic potions for Galleons with William.
"Uh, just some potions—"
William paused; at that moment, he was haggling with Kabuda over how many Galleons he should pay for these magic potions, so he pushed Kabuda, who was bargaining with him over two Golden Galleons, toward the girl, "Oh, right, didn't you have something to ask it? Now it's yours; feel free to ask anything—"
"Squeak squeak!"
Seeing William trying to avoid paying, the Niffler did not compromise and instead waved its claws indignantly, determined to defend its rights to the utmost.
"What do you mean several Galleons aren't worth pursuing? Aren't a few Galleons money too? Even Acromantulas work really hard, you know—"
In response to the Niffler's protest, William retorted in a low voice, righteously, "And besides, the market's really bad lately; you know that even the venom prices have dropped. Now you're trying to skyrocket prices with empty paws? Swindler, are you planning to insult yourself with that term?"
"Squeak squeak squeak!"
"How does a price drop mean I should find my reasons? Should I be responsible for the United Kingdom's black market inflation too? Why didn't you empty Snape's storage cabinet, use hundreds of bottles of potion to milk my wallet dry? Why don't you find your reasons? Besides, I only sold eighty Galleons in the first month—"
"Squeak!"
It seems the shamelessness of William utterly shocked the Niffler, as it played dead, collapsing with a "gah" sound onto the table.
"...Is it alright?"
Astoria reached out to poke Kabuda, who was playing dead in an attempt to awaken what little conscience William had left, yet she hadn't anticipated that someone had already abandoned such concerns the moment they decided to become a capitalist—
"It's fine, just pretending—later, just give it a couple more rolls of parchment."
"Squeak!"
Upon hearing this, the Niffler immediately sat up, startled back into action...
And while the man and Niffler bickered, seeing everyone had gathered, the Headmaster stepped down from the staff table to begin his annual opening speech—
"Ahem."
Dumbledore stepped behind the owl podium, and in the next moment, his clear cough resonated throughout the hall, causing the little wizards, still excited from just finishing their sorting, to cease their chatter, their eyes converging on the elder—
"Welcome!"
Dumbledore waved, the candlelight illuminating his beard with a sparkling light, "Welcome back to Hogwarts! I have a few matters to discuss, one of which is extremely important, so I think it's best if I make this clear before enjoying the feast clouds your minds..."
Then, Dumbledore cleared his throat again and continued, "Our school has currently welcomed several Dementors from Azkaban, sent by the Ministry of Magic to perform their duties, which I'm sure you are all aware of, as they also searched the Hogwarts Express..."
...and then they vanished.
As for who the culprit might be?
Wow, what a mystery.
No need to think at all; Dumbledore immediately locked onto the culprit, but with his eyes meeting William's, the old man had no intention of saying anything, merely continuing his speech—
"They will be stationed at every entrance to the school from now on, so I must make it clear that as long as they are here, no one is to leave the school grounds. No tricks, gimmicks, or disguises will fool a Dementor—of course, this includes Invisibility Cloaks and Disillusionment Charms."
Seeing the students below remain silent with chills, Dumbledore nodded with satisfaction and continued, "Moreover, the nature of Dementors does not understand pleas or bargaining, so I must remind everyone present not to give them any reason to harm you. I hope each house Prefect, and our newly elected Head Boy and Girl, ensures that no student gets into conflict with the Dementors!"
As Dumbledore said this, Cedric, sitting next to William, tapped him excitedly, gesturing to him to look at his chest—
Indeed, there was a Prefect Badge pinned there.
Dumbledore paused again, scanning the great hall with a very serious expression, and no one dared to move or make a sound.
"Well, let's switch to a happier topic," he continued, "I am delighted to welcome three new teachers joining us this term."
Three?
Which three?
With the serious topic over, the students became lively again, almost unanimously looking toward the teacher's table behind Dumbledore, trying to spot those new faces.
"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly agreed to fill the vacancy in our Defense Against the Dark Arts class."
A round of applause echoed through the hall, starting not overly enthusiastic but not shabby either—except for the Slytherin Long Table, almost the other three houses began clapping, the Gryffindor students even getting more vigorous, showing signs of not stopping—
Yes, people began to notice Snape's expression, which looked like he was ready to devour. The reason Slytherin wasn't applauding was right there—everyone knew Snape had always wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position, and being in a bad mood was entirely understandable.
"Ah, do they not get along well?"
Ron was the first to notice, whispering to Harry by his ear.
"It seems pretty obvious—"
Harry nodded, starting to speculate about the source of Snape's hatred-filled expression because, even with Lockhart, Snape's expression was never this sour. This look of loathing was all too familiar to Harry—
Because every time Snape's gaze fell on Harry, he wore such an expression.