HP: I beat the otome game at Hogwarts

Chapter 75 The Runaway Platinum Young Master

Lyra, George, and Fred hadn't even reached the Great Hall when they heard that Harry Potter had been frightened unconscious by Dementors on the train.

The twins exclaimed: "Truly, gossip is a savior; it spreads so fast!"

"When I went to Harry's compartment, Harry was already awake. Apart from not looking too good, there was nothing particularly wrong with him," Fred said. "Ron and Hermione didn't look good either, but then again, who would look good when they've encountered Dementors?"

Even after we sat down at the Gryffindor table, many people were still talking about Harry fainting.

Lyra searched around the long table but couldn't find Harry, or even Hermione—only Ron was sitting not far from her.

“Ron, where are Harry and Hermione?” Lyra asked.

"Professor McGonagall called me away." Ron looked particularly excited about having dinner early.

Not just Ron, everyone looked cold and hungry, and a hot dinner was exactly what they were looking forward to.

After the Sorting Ceremony, Harry and Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor long table, where Ron had reserved seats for them.

Thousands of candles floated in mid-air above the four house tables in the Great Hall, illuminating everyone's faces. Headmaster Dumbledore rose and spoke amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd.

"Welcome!" Headmaster Dumbledore's long beard gleamed in the candlelight.

Then, in his usual concise and clear style, the headmaster announced a few things: First, Dementors would be stationed at every entrance to Hogwarts to carry out the Ministry of Magic's duties.

Lyra and the others understood; it was all to catch Black. Although the headmaster hadn't said anything, they believed that by tomorrow morning, most of Hogwarts would know.

The headmaster also specifically mentioned that no trickery, schemes, or disguises could fool Dementors—including the Invisibility Cloak. Lyra saw Harry and Ron exchange a glance, their expressions somewhat unnatural.

The principal asked everyone not to give the Dementors any excuse to harm them, and hoped that the newly appointed student council president and prefects would take responsibility to ensure that no student would have a conflict with the Dementors.

Percy, sitting diagonally opposite Lyra, puffed out his chest and gave another impressive look around.

The twins made a funny face.

Afterwards, Professor Dumbledore introduced the new professor for the year: Professor Lupin, the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

A few scattered, lukewarm claps rang out in the Great Hall—only the students who had interacted with him on the train clapped enthusiastically, such as Lee Jordan sitting next to George, Ginny and her classmates from the lower grades, a few girls from the fourth grade, and Harry, Hermione, and Ron sitting not far from Lyra.

Professor Lupin looked so wretched that he stood out starkly among the other well-dressed teachers, prompting some of the more cynical and snobbish Slytherins to begin whispering among themselves at the table.

But Lyra wasn't paying attention to any of that; she and the twins were busy whispering to each other.

“Wow, Snape looks like he’d rather assassinate Lupin tonight—” Fred exclaimed, marveling at the look of Snape’s hatred toward Lupin.

“Then I took on the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor myself—” George hugged himself with his long arms, pretending to be scared.

"It's obvious who will win between the down-on-his-luck wizard Lupin and the Potions Master who's a master of dark magic." Lyra looked at the teachers' table with pity, feeling that Lupin was doomed.

"Want to make a bet?"

"Let's bet on how long the new Professor Lupin can hold out—"

The twins had already started placing bets with their classmates.

"I regret to inform you that our Professor Kettleburn, who taught the Conservation of Magical Creatures class, has retired, and I am pleased to say that none other than Rubeus Hagrid has taken over as the new professor."

"Wow—" The Gryffindor students all applauded enthusiastically, a stark contrast to the previous lukewarm applause.

“I knew it! Who else but Hagrid would let us make a book that bites?” Ron shouted, clapping his hands.

Lyra immediately remembered the grotesque monster books she and Harry had seen at Flourish and Blotts. She clapped enthusiastically, but at the same time, she was very glad she hadn't chosen the Conservation of Magical Creatures class this year. Hagrid was a nice guy, but he didn't seem like the type to be a good teacher.

“Well, I think I’ve said everything that’s important,” Dumbledore announced with a smile. “Let’s eat!”

The students cheered, and in an instant, the golden plates and goblets in front of them were filled with food and drinks. Laughter and the clinking of cutlery echoed throughout the auditorium.

*

The next morning, when Lyra, Fred, and George went to the Great Hall for breakfast, they saw that the Slytherin table was very lively.

Draco Malfoy was surrounded by a large crowd, seemingly telling an amusing story, while his two henchmen, Goyle and Claybe, were acting out Draco Malfoy's tale—constantly making the motions of fainting.

The Slytherin members burst into laughter.

"What are they doing?" Leila asked, sitting down in confusion.

“Those disgusting Slytherins—” Ron angrily crushed a pudding, “they’re copying Harry.”

“Ignore them,” Hermione said, sitting next to Harry to comfort him. “Just ignore them, they’re not worth it…”

"Hey, Potter!" A short-haired Slytherin girl, whom Lyra recognized as the one who often followed Draco Malfoy, jumped out and screamed at Harry, "Potter! The Dementors are here, Potter! Ho ho ho!"

Lyra really didn't understand. Making herself look like a screaming chicken, was this the demeanor of a pure-blooded Slytherin noble lady?

“The new third-year timetable.” George was distributing it to everyone when he saw that some Slytherin students were acting out Harry Potter’s fainting spell. Now even Malfoy had joined in, pretending to faint from fright.

“Harry, don’t worry about it. That little idiot Malfoy was even more pathetic than you last night,” George said calmly. “When the Dementors came onto the train last night, he was so scared that he ran into our carriage. He wasn’t as arrogant as he is now, was he, Lyra?”

Lyra nodded, then turned her gaze to the Slytherin table. She noticed that Draco Malfoy, who had just been mimicking Harry's fainting spell, jumped up from the table as if pricked by a needle the moment he met her gaze. His face first turned bright red, then immediately paled, and finally he lowered his head and hurried out of the Great Hall.