Harry Potter: The Bard of Hogwarts

The start of the feast marked the beginning of a new school year at Hogwarts.

Everything seemed to be back on track.

At the Gryffindor table:

As various delicious dishes appeared, Ron immediately began devouring them with gusto. After sitting on the train for most of the day, his stomach was starving.

Holding a large chicken drumstick in his left hand and a spoon in his right, he dug into a plate of mashed potatoes flavored with parsley and garlic.

Just by looking at him eat, one might think the Weasley family had been starving him.

Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor house ghost, drifted around nearby. Watching Ron's enthusiastic eating, he couldn't help but feel a bit envious. But as a ghost, he couldn't partake in the food of the living, so he could only watch.

"Hey! You lot are really lucky, you know. The feast almost got canceled tonight," said Nearly Headless Nick, his voice tinged with sourness.

Ron, too engrossed in his meal, didn't seem interested in responding, but Harry, sitting nearby, quickly picked up the conversation and curiously asked:

"Oh? What happened?"

"Earlier, there was a big mess in the kitchen. Peeves was causing chaos all afternoon for some reason."

Nearly Headless Nick sighed heavily, though the exaggerated motion made his nearly detached head wobble precariously.

"And then? Peeves always has a reason, right?" Ron asked, smacking his lips as he joined the conversation.

Ron knew well that information in the castle often came unexpectedly, and listening in was crucial. Otherwise, he wouldn't have enough to talk about later.

"And then? A reason?" Nearly Headless Nick floated in the air and turned around.

"Peeves was eventually chased away by the Bloody Baron. As for the reason? It's nothing new—Peeves has always wanted to attend the feasts. You'd think he'd have calmed down after all these years, but no, he started up again. The kitchen was a disaster..."

"That sounds awful!" Ron half-heartedly responded.

Without anything juicy to discuss, he lost interest in chatting with the ghost.

...

The start-of-term feast continued amidst chatter and laughter.

After about an hour, Dumbledore stood up once more.

"Alright, I believe you've all had your fill!"

As the headmaster's voice fell, the remaining food, half-drunk beverages, and all the tableware vanished in an instant. The long tables of the four houses were once again spotlessly clean.

"Two whole hours, it's like we were feeding Troglodytes!" Draco muttered under his breath.

Ino overheard the complaint but said nothing. Different perspectives lead to different conclusions.

What might seem like a lavish feast to some families could be just an ordinary meal to others.

But one thing was certain: even in Slytherin, families with house-elves were in the minority.

That might explain why the feast lasted two hours.

At the staff table:

Dumbledore repeated his usual reminders, mostly warning new students not to venture into the Forbidden Forest and not to use dangerous toys in the castle. Specific details were to be provided by Filch, the caretaker.

As he mentioned this, Dumbledore discreetly glanced at the Gryffindor table, focusing particularly on a pair of twins sitting there.

Sensing his gaze, George and Fred exchanged a look and then put on expressions of complete innocence.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with amusement as he shifted his gaze back to the young wizards in the hall.

"Aside from that, I am very sorry to inform you all that this year, there will be no Quidditch House Cup..."

Boom!

The announcement hit like a bomb, catching everyone off guard.

"What gives him the right!" Draco forgot all about decorum and angrily slammed his fist on the table.

Perhaps he had originally joined the Quidditch team for the attention, but over the past two years, he had grown to genuinely enjoy the sport.

Hearing that it was canceled filled him with dissatisfaction.

If even Slytherin was upset, the reaction from the other three houses was even more intense.

If it weren't for Dumbledore's longstanding reputation, the students might have started a rebellion on the spot.

Even though most of the students managed to keep their composure, the protests in the Great Hall nearly blew the roof off. Many turned anxious eyes toward Dumbledore, waiting for him to explain.

In response, Dumbledore raised both hands, gesturing for calm. The noise quickly subsided.

"The reason we are canceling Quidditch is that a major event will begin in October and last for the entire school year. We have no choice but to make the necessary adjustments..."

"But I believe you will all find it highly enjoyable. I am very pleased to announce that this year at Hogwarts..."

Dumbledore's voice echoed throughout the hall, but just as everyone was brimming with anticipation, a series of urgent thudding noises interrupted him.

These sounds also drew the attention of the young wizards in the hall.

Unlike the curious reactions of others, Ino was slightly surprised. Unlike the original story where Lupin was forced to leave, this time the werewolf professor was still sitting calmly at the staff table.

With a loud "bang," the door to the hall was pushed open, and an elderly wizard stood in the doorway, leaning on a special staff.

To emphasize the staff's purpose, the old wizard banged it forcefully against the floor, producing a dull thud as he limped into the hall.

Under the bright candlelight, everyone could see the intruder clearly—a man with thinning gray-white hair and a face covered in scars…

But what caught everyone's attention the most were his eyes—one large and one small, giving him an eerie and unsettling appearance.

His normal brown eye stared straight ahead, while the other, an unnerving blue magical eye, constantly whirled around, scanning everything around him.

"Mad-Eye…"

"How can it be him…"

The hall buzzed with hushed conversations among the older students.

Mad-Eye Moody, one of England's top Aurors, was accustomed to the attention. Being discussed behind his back was nothing new.

In fact, the more people talked about him, the more Moody seemed to relish it, brazenly sweeping the room with his magical eye.

But soon, Moody noticed something unusual—someone was boldly making eye contact with him.

At the same moment:

Ino, noticing that the magical eye had stopped moving, smiled politely and naturally shifted his gaze elsewhere.

After a brief stare-down, Ino felt that this Moody seemed to be the real deal.

Though there was no concrete evidence, a wizard's intuition can often be a reliable indicator.

Having confirmed this, Ino didn't feel the need to provoke the old Auror any further. Though powerful, Moody had his limits.

Now, Ino's curiosity turned to Dumbledore's plans.

Hogwarts was a large place, but the staff positions were few and far between. With no open slots, where would the headmaster place Moody?