Finally, as the desserts disappeared amidst Tewell's regretful gaze, Dumbledore rose once again, and the hall returned to its original quiet demeanor.
"It seems everyone has had their fill, but I hope you still have the energy to listen to a few words from this old man," Dumbledore said. "First-year students, and indeed all students, should take note: students are prohibited from entering the forest on the school grounds."
"I am pleased to see everyone making good progress in their magical skills, but please refrain from indulging your creative thoughts in the corridors during breaks," he continued. "Secondly, do not enter the corridor on the fourth floor to the right if you wish to remain safe and sound within the castle for your studies."
The hall fell silent in an instant. Lower-year students initially thought Dumbledore was joking and chuckled along. But seeing the serious expressions of the older students, their laughter quickly faded.
Dumbledore noticed the students' reactions but offered no explanation. Instead, he moved on to a more pleasant topic.
"Let's switch to a happier subject. I have some good news to announce. In this academic year, we will be welcoming two new teachers!"
"They are Professor Fawley and Professor Quirrell, who will share the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
Sparse applause echoed in the hall, but as Tewell stood up and signaled to the crowd, the applause intensified.
Taking in Tewell's handsome appearance, a bold young witch below shouted out, "Professor Fawley, do you have a girlfriend?"
"Alright," Dumbledore clapped his hands, redirecting the lost attention. "The new courses will begin tomorrow, giving you plenty of time to get to know these two professors."
Dumbledore then waved his wand towards the sky, conjuring a long golden ribbon, his voice suddenly becoming more exuberant.
"Now, for the final tradition before the end of the banquet, let's sing the school song together!"
Tewell looked on in surprise at Dumbledore's actions, unaware that Hogwarts had this tradition.
So it seems that there are quite significant deviations between the plot and real life.
But as soon as everyone started singing, Tewell understood why this part was omitted from the movie.
Hogwarts' school song has no melody; besides the lyrics floating above their heads being consistent, each person sings in a different tune.
Under Dumbledore's magically guided conducting, this product of chaotic melodies surprisingly harmonized, resembling a musical ensemble.
It was indeed something Muggles couldn't perform. After the song ended, students followed their prefects back to the common rooms.
Tewell, having eaten and drunk his fill, bid farewell to his colleagues and returned to his office.
At this moment, the office was not decorated at all and needed to be arranged by Tewell himself.
The cleanliness of Hogwarts' castle was taken care of by house-elves, but only in public areas.
In private places like professors' offices, unless you have a specific need, the house-elves wouldn't appear, even though they could apparate inside.
Tewell placed his wallet on the table, opened it, and then waved his wand. The contents floated to their designated places according to his command.
Besides books, there were a few cages containing some nice little creatures used for teaching students.
After spending ten minutes tidying up the entire office and bedroom, Tewell chose not to rest but sat solemnly in his chair.
He extended his right hand, and the small black dot on it turned into a tiny skull with a snake emerging from its mouth—the Dark Mark.
However, it was much smaller than the actual Dark Mark.
The skull seemed to come to life as the snake extended, attempting to coil around Tewell's wrist.
In Tewell's perception, the dark magic within it was so intense that it almost broke through his protective spells.
Immediately, he grabbed his wand with his left hand, aiming it at the Dark Mark. It was a small technique reserved for duels.
When your opponent in a duel cannot determine your dominant hand, they are more likely to misjudge your strength.
"Life Shield!"
As Tewell finished chanting the spell, a surge of magic surrounded his wrist, forming a thin, golden membrane.
The golden membrane gradually merged into the surroundings of the Dark Mark, and then the black snake seemed to hit a wall, slowly being squeezed back, leaving only its head outside.
This was a variant of the Shield Charm that could exist for a long time, blocking the erosion of dark magic.
Fortunately, he had chosen Durmstrang, and fortunately, his teacher had an extraordinary research on the Shield Charm.
Speaking of which, besides studying dark magic, Tewell had learned the Shield Charm the most.
But his heart did not relax because of this.
There was only a year and a half left.
This was unexpected for Tewell as well.
The curse of the Dark Arts Defense course he knew should not be so aggressive.
It was probably touching upon the original curse on him, all set by Voldemort himself.
The two curses worked together, instantly creating a synergistic effect greater than the sum of its parts.
He was too impatient, choosing the Dark Arts Defense course, which was the easiest to apply for, in order to get the Philosopher's Stone as soon as possible.
To ease his mind, Tewell decided—
to go to the fourth-floor corridor tonight.
Now that his life was almost gone, how could he not be anxious?
Before leaving, he glanced at his class schedule: two classes per week, three grades, four houses. Well, there was at least one class every day.
Truly worthy of Hogwarts.
With a sigh, Tewell left a protective spell in his office.
One should always be cautious.
The castle was quiet at this moment, with only the torches in the corridor crackling softly.
Relying on the light of the torches, Tewell cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself and quietly made his way to the fourth floor. Along the way, he was briefly interrupted by the moving stairs, but Tewell also sensed the mystery of the stairs. If you infused a bit of magic into the stairs and silently focused on where you wanted to go, the stairs would take you there. Conversely, if you were in a hurry, you were more likely to be fooled by the stairs. Tewell estimated that many young wizards could fall for it.
Upon reaching the fourth floor, the corridor here lacked torches. After the distant light disappeared, it became pitch black. "Lumos." A blue light emanated from Tewell's wand, illuminating the path ahead for him. This was a variant of the Lumos Charm; the blue light wasn't actually visible to others, and to them, the corridor remained dark. In reality, the blue light expanded his perception, allowing him to see in the dark without drawing attention.
The corridor here was not as deep as others, or perhaps it was noticeably shorter, as if a section of the corridor had been awkwardly cut off. And there, right in front of him, was the separated door. Tewell's hand reached for the handle, but suddenly pulled back. There was a disturbance!