Volume 3: A Tombstone Stained with Sin and Blood Chapter 120 Welcome Banquet
"you you you……"
Hermione looked at John in disbelief as the Polyjuice Potion had lost its effect and his face had returned to his original appearance. She could only utter one syllable in a row subconsciously.
Jon smoothed his hair. He had no time to get a haircut in the castle. After drinking the Polyjuice Potion, his appearance as Randy was fixed, so he didn't need to take care of his original hair. This resulted in his hair being noticeably too long.
Of course, the banquet was not a good time to trim the hair, but leaving it disheveled like this really affected his image. Jon could only use Transfiguration to temporarily produce a rubber band and planned to tie his long hair into a short ponytail.
Hearing Hermione's shocked voice, he put his hands behind his head to gather his long hair together, blinked and asked.
"What is the problem?"
"You, how old are you?" Hermione took a deep breath, suppressed the disbelief in her heart, and asked the question as calmly as possible.
"I entered school in the same year as you." Jon tied his hair with a rubber band and raised his head to gesture to where Lily was. "Did you see that professor? She's the teacher who teaches our Potions class and is usually in charge of the admission of new students. When she found me and was about to recruit me, she actually went to your house first, but she was a little late. Otherwise, we might have been classmates by then."
Hermione's expression was a little complicated. She didn't expect that she was only one step away from heaven and hell at that time, but she quickly came to her senses and stared at Jon.
"So, you are only 12 years old this year?"
"It was already 1993, and I was already 13 years old. It's even a stretch to say I was 14 years old."
After hearing Jon's answer, Hermione was silent.
She was a thoughtful woman, and right after she escaped, she was able to infer from the attitude of professors like McGonagall towards Jon that he was most likely deceiving her and was not a professor from another Hogwarts but a student.
But the limit of Hermione's imagination was that anyone who dared to sneak into that "prison" and do tricks in front of so many notorious adult wizards should at least be a sixth or seventh grade student close to adulthood. She had never thought that Jon was actually the same age as her!
Jon had just tied his hair up when an arm tightly wrapped around his neck, almost untying his ponytail, which he had not done well in the first place.
"We didn't find out what you did until noon today, Jon!"
Ron said excitedly.
"Professor Dumbledore had been keeping it a secret from us. Even when he went out this morning, he lied to us and said he was going to meet two old friends. Then at noon, Hagrid brought us to this place and started to set up the venue. Only then did Professor Flitwick tell us who we were going to welcome in the evening and why we were going to welcome them!"
"I'm glad you came back safely." Neville looked scared. "To be honest, I can't figure out why Professor Dumbledore sent you on such a dangerous mission, but fortunately the result was good."
The second-year students gathered around Jon, while Lavender and Justin were curious about what the other Hogwarts was like. They couldn't imagine what kind of danger Jon had experienced.
The welcome dinner began.
Although the students were much happier in the carriage than in the castle, being confined in one space day after day made them feel bored. So no matter what the party was for, every student would be extremely excited.
There was no possibility of xenophobia for the students on the carriage.
Without branches and competition, and with such great pressure from the outside world, unity has become their instinct.
The children who were rescued from the castle were pulled to both sides of the long table by students who were either the same age or older than them. The enthusiastic attitude even made these children feel a little flattered.
As if they had been warned in advance, no student, even if curious, asked them what life would be like in the other Hogwarts. The students in the carriage only introduced them to the life they would face in the future and the professors in the school.
These rescued children all had special arrangements after they entered school. When Jon and Dumbledore determined the time of the escape plan through the fireplace in the Hog's Head Inn, the carriage had already been prepared and empty rooms and classrooms had been vacated.
After they officially enter the carriage and obtain their wands, professors will allocate time for them to tutor them on the magical knowledge they have previously missed until they catch up with the progress of normal students.
The atmosphere of the dinner was very lively, and just as the party was coming to an end, Dumbledore clapped his hands lightly, attracting everyone's attention.
"I'm glad that there are so many new students joining us today even though it's not the first day of school. Although everyone has expressed their welcome to you before the banquet began, allow me, a nagging old man, to say one more thing: welcome to Hogwarts!"
The students on both sides of the long table cheered, and smiles appeared on the faces of the children who had just arrived here today.
"First of all, I have to thank Jon Green for his efforts. To be honest, no matter who knew I asked him to go undercover, they thought I was crazy, but his outstanding performance proved that I am not a lunatic."
"Then, we would like to thank Miss Hermione Granger for her fearless selflessness in providing precious opportunities and time for this evacuation. This is something that makes me and everyone present here worthy of admiration."
The students applauded them. Jon had just been choked by Ron , and now he was being choked by the excited Neville. His face turned red and it was impossible to tell what his expression was at the moment.
Hermione lowered her head somewhat at a loss. She was not used to such praise and welcome.
“Finally, we would like to welcome a new professor.”
Dumbledore's words made the scene quiet, and a pale middle-aged wizard walked out from the flowers . He looked like he had just arrived here, just as Dumbledore was about to introduce him.
"After Horace left us, we need a new professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic. Remus Lupin, a wizard who once graduated from Hogwarts with excellent grades, and today he and a group of other people also accomplished an unprecedented feat. After today, he will join Hogwarts and become an excellent professor."
