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Meanwhile, in the auditorium.
Because Professor McGonagall was not there, the freshmen were sorted by Professor Flitwick, but few students around paid attention to the Sorting Hat.
They all stared in the direction of the teacher's seat and the side door entrance next to it.
"Dumbledore's not here." Ron muttered quietly, "What on earth is he busy with? He didn't even attend the Sorting ceremony."
"I don't know, and no one knows where he is." Harry said worriedly, "Is Hogwarts really safe without Dumbledore?"
"Don't worry, this castle not only has Headmaster Dumbledore, but also Professor McGonagall and the others." Hermione on the side was not so worried. "Besides, this place has existed for a thousand years and has various protective spells. The Death Eaters dare not break in."
"I hope so," said Harry.
He still felt that Hermione's ideas were a little too optimistic.
Without Dumbledore, the protective magic in the castle might not be able to stop Voldemort.
There are many people who share the same idea as him. From the time the freshmen came in until now, students whispering to each other can be seen everywhere in the auditorium, and it has been noisy all the time.
And as time went on, the sound got louder.
"Oh, look there!"
Just as Harry was daydreaming, he suddenly felt someone pushing him hard.
Ron was patting his shoulder excitedly and pointing in the direction of the side door.
"Look, Dumbledore is here!"
When Harry looked up, he saw Dumbledore who had just walked in. He was wearing a blue robe and was talking to Professor McGonagall next to him.
"They must have been delayed by something." Ron's voice was obviously more relaxed than before. "Remember? Professor McGonagall saw us get on the carriage and left in a hurry. I guess she must have gone to see Dumbledore at that time."
"That's obvious." Hermione said. He looked at Dumbledore and frowned in confusion. "Strange, why do I feel like the headmaster seems a little nervous?"
"How is that possible?" Ron said nonchalantly, "It's just a sorting ceremony. He has participated in it countless times. How could he be nervous?"
"That's true. Maybe I'm dazzled." Hermione didn't care.
"Go slower."
In the direction of the teacher's seat, Professor McGonagall said in a low voice with a tense face, without moving her mouth: "You are the headmaster, you don't have to walk so fast."
"I know, but I have no experience." Dumbledore... no, it should be said that it was Kyle who drank the Polyjuice Potion and said in a low voice.
Who had been a principal before this? How would he know how fast is considered normal to walk?
"Don't talk, follow me!" Professor McGonagall said again, then walked to the teacher's seat and pulled open the chair in the middle.
This served as a reminder to Kyle where to sit.
"Oh, Albus, why are you here so late?" Professor Flitwick asked with a wink.
"Something delayed me." Kyle took a deep breath and quickly recalled Dumbledore's previous performance. "I really wish I hadn't missed the Sorting Ceremony."
"Then you have to come ten minutes earlier," said Professor Sprout.
She performed much better than Professor Flitwick, and it felt like she was really talking to Dumbledore.
This was also what they had agreed upon, to speak proactively and prevent other professors from chatting with the principal as much as possible.
With the arrival of 'Dumbledore', the hall gradually became quiet, and the sound of the Sorting Hat could finally be heard.
"Gryffindor!"
A new student completed the sorting, and Kyle applauded along with the other professors.
He really wanted the sorting to be slow, preferably until the end.
Because when he was sorting the houses, he only had to sit and applaud, and he didn't have to do anything else.
But this idea is obviously impossible.
When the last new student was sorted into Ravenclaw, Professor Flitwick left with the Sorting Hat and the three-legged stool.
Kyle felt someone kick him from below. It was Professor McGonagall.
At the same time, he also remembered that according to the procedure, Dumbledore was supposed to speak at this time.
Then he stood up.
The eyes of hundreds of people in the audience turned to him at the same time. For no apparent reason, Kyle felt nervous.
"Welcome everyone to Hogwarts. I would like to say a few words before the banquet begins." He said subconsciously, and then reacted quickly.
"That's it. Eat it."
Kyle sat down, and there was thunderous applause all around.
The empty golden plates were immediately filled with sumptuous food, and the freshmen were so shocked that their mouths could not close.
Maybe it was because of his age, but looking at their surprised expressions, Harry was reminded of himself when he first entered school.
He was the same at that time, amazed at the delicious food that appeared on the plate.
"What does he mean by that?" Hermione couldn't help but ask.
"Who knows? Isn't Dumbledore always like this? Crazy and mad, always saying things that people can't understand." Ron, who had been hungry for a long time, grabbed a chicken leg. "But he is right about one thing."
"What?" Harry asked.
"He did say two brief sentences."
At the Ravenclaw table next door, Luna Lovegood looked at Dumbledore sitting at the teacher's table, tilted her head, and then looked at the person next to her.
"After graduating from Hogwarts, can you become the headmaster directly?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" said the person she asked with some disgust.
She glanced at the carrot earrings on Luna's ears and couldn't help but move them to the side, leaving a large space.
She didn't want to talk to Luna, and she didn't want others to misunderstand that she was friends with this famous crazy girl.
But Luna didn't care about her actions. She never cared about other people's attitude towards her, whether it was disgust or disdain, what did it have to do with her.
Luna glanced at Dumbledore on the stage again and said softly, "No? How strange."
But because there was no one around her, no one heard this sentence.
As the students started eating, the professors were also eating.
Kyle had already set his eyes on a piece of fragrant grilled steak. The steak was grilled to a light brown color and served with garlic. It must be delicious.
But before he could make a move, the steak was taken away by Professor McGonagall, who calmly moved a plate of frosted raspberry pie over.
Kyle finally reacted.
Yes, he is Dumbledore now, and this identity must be kept secret not only from students, but also from most professors.
But Dumbledore doesn't like steak, he only likes sweet food.
Kyle looked at the thick layer of frosting on the pie... If he took a bite of this, his throat would probably be choked up.
At this moment he really regretted it.
Whether it was Voldemort or those robes that did not conform to his aesthetic taste, they only made Kyle hesitate, but now, he really regretted taking this job.
I can tolerate clothes and stuff like that, but my taste... sorry, as a Hufflepuff, I really can't tolerate that.
Kyle smiled and silently put down his cutlery.
"Albus, what's wrong with you?" Astronomy professor Aurora Sinistra, who happened to see this scene, couldn't help but ask, "No appetite?"
Professor McGonagall also looked over, with a hint of nervousness in her eyes.
"No, I was just thinking that I really shouldn't have gone to see Newt this afternoon."
"Newt Scamander?" Professor Sinistra asked.
"Yes, his wife Tina fell in love with making cookies, and I ate them for a whole afternoon. I thought they tasted good at the time, but now it seems that this was a really wrong decision."
Kyle sighed and looked at the frosted pie with a reluctant look, "Would it be a bit rude if I took it away?"
"Of course not." Professor Sinistra had no doubt. "To be honest, you're the only one who likes this."
……
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 807: Opening Ceremony, First Decision
At the opening banquet, students and professors alike were enjoying delicious food and chatting about their holiday experiences, with the exception of Kyle.
Because he didn't like to eat anything too sweet, but he had to maintain his Dumbledore persona, so he could only find an excuse to eat a full meal in the afternoon and sit there and watch.
The process was extremely torturous, especially when the aroma of steak and fried meat wafted over, Kyle felt as if someone was holding a concert in his stomach.
But he couldn't show it, so he could only hold it together. When he really couldn't stand it, he could only pretend to be indifferent and eat a few bites of pudding.
This went on for an hour.
Finally, the last piece of orange pudding on the plate disappeared, and the noise in the auditorium gradually died down.
Kyle knew it was his turn again.
To be honest, by now he had gradually gotten used to Dumbledore's identity and was not as nervous as he was at the beginning.
Kyle stood up and silence returned to the auditorium.
“I know that everyone has eaten and drunk enough and wants to quickly return to the warm beds in the dormitory and have a good night’s rest.
"But before that, please allow me to take up some of your time. At the beginning of the semester, I need to give you a few points of attention."
Professor McGonagall turned her head in surprise.
Both his expression and tone were so similar that for a moment she even thought this was the real Dumbledore.
But Kyle didn't notice this, he was looking at everyone in the audience.
"Let me think about it. First of all, let's talk about the game activities that everyone is most concerned about. Some people suggested that in this tense situation this year, it would be best to cancel Quidditch so that everyone can concentrate on their studies..."
At this point, the auditorium suddenly exploded.
"Oh, no!"
"Can't cancel Quidditch!"