The tables in the Great Hall had been moved against the walls, and in the center stood a long table, large enough to accommodate a dozen people.
Dumbledore, Newt, McGonagall, Snape, Sprout, Flitwick, and "Professor Percival" sat around the table, along with caretaker Filch and his cat.
Filch had removed his usual old brown coat and was wearing a dark tailcoat that looked even older, a bit musty. Mrs. Loris, with her Christmas bow tie, was already eating ahead of time. Upon hearing the door open, she lifted her head from her lunch and greeted William, sounding much better than before.
There were only three other students, two very nervous first-years, and a fifth-year Slytherin with a sullen face.
"Merry Christmas!" Dumbledore said, lifting his head from his conversation with Newt as William approached the table. "With so few of us, using the house tables might look a bit silly... come, sit down, sit down!"
Since they arrived late, the last four could only sit at the end of the table.
"The last Christmas tree is up—"
Hagrid clapped the fir leaves off his hands and squeezed into a chair by the table. The stool clearly saved for him, the first-year student next to Hagrid seemed as tiny as a freshly unwrapped figurine, involuntarily shuddering when Hagrid took his seat.
"Crackers!"
Dumbledore suddenly exclaimed with enthusiasm, handing one end of a large silver cracker to Snape. Under Dumbledore's expectant gaze, Snape reluctantly pulled it. "Bang." A loud blast, and out came a tall pointed witch's hat with a vulture on top.
The little wizards around the table instinctively lowered their heads to suppress their laughter. Recent rumors about "Cross-dressing Snape" in the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class had spread widely. Besides, the scenario didn't even need to be witnessed firsthand; just hearing about it created enough of a mental image.
Snape's lips thinned even more, his face expressionless as he pushed the hat toward Dumbledore. Dumbledore happily swapped it with his own wizard hat.
"It suits you, Professor."
Newt complimented calmly, though his gaze swept toward someone else at the table. William squinted, noticing Newt's gaze surveying a Muggle Studies class professor. But with Grindelwald's "aged and faded" appearance, Newt, after a brief observation, merely frowned unconsciously.
Something felt off...
"Eat to your heart's content!"
Seeing that nothing untoward had happened, Dumbledore cheerfully announced, and the prepared food appeared on the table. In front of William, a carved roast chicken appeared, which he could tell was Dobby's "masterpiece" at a glance.
Since work in the Room of Requirement wasn't enough for him, Dobby had started helping out in the Hogwarts kitchen.
He even mentioned that Dumbledore recently discussed paying him one Sickle a week because he was thrilled to see a free elf.
"If all the elves were 'free,' it would be quite a financial burden."
William recalled saying as much at the time.
"But compared to the symbolism behind it, it's immeasurable... Besides, the school board will cover the cost."
Dumbledore's answer wasn't unexpected, but then William remembered... regarding expenditures and dealings with the school board, weren't those tasks mainly handled by Professor McGonagall? This Old Bee does seem to be a hands-off manager, huh.
As he pondered, William discreetly used his knife and fork to tuck pieces of the roast chicken into his sleeve. Norbert and Lina, the two dragons squashed together, eagerly received the lunch William passed over. Kabuda was still nestled in Hermione's arms, clutching the girl's collar and tearfully pretending it would starve without a few comforting words.
Once again rejecting Hermione's offering of roast potatoes, Kabuda's beady eyes drifted toward William.
But William continued to ignore it—for a simple reason. He had left for just two days, and the Starry Sky Circus had been turned upside down by this little troublemaker. Originally well-running projects came to a halt. Mundungus, unable to contact William, couldn't refuse Kabuda's demands...
After all, William thought he wouldn't be gone long, so he hadn't left any instructions before leaving.
And so the demon child came forth... Almost all the animals were let loose, rampaging around the park. Fortunately, the circus was surrounded by anti-Muggle charms, preventing the Erumpents and other large creatures from invading the city of Thessaloniki. Even so, it took Newt and William over three hours to capture them all.
After all, Uncle Newt was already old, no longer capable of imitating Erumpent mating dances. In the end, William had to step forward one by one.
Financial loss is small... crap, the financial loss was significant. So he planned for Kabuda to understand the gravity of the 2000 Golden Galleons' mistake; hence, grounding was necessary. He intended to lock up Kabuda and find something to watch over it—
Norbert wouldn't work; they were birds of a feather...
The Poisonous Snake Green Pepper wouldn't do either; the old fellow could be heavy-handed...
Fluffy... better not, it might be cajoled into confusion.