The Secret Door to Delight

— "I can't believe it, we're actually in second place."

Dragging his weary body into the auditorium through the open door, Fred Weasley said to the two twin brothers beside him with a somewhat lifeless tone.

— You should say, it's a pity, there's a grade ahead of us.

George Weasley rolled his eyes weakly and nodded towards the back of the black-robed figure at the forefront of the line. "The devil Snape's looking after isn't the first to munch."

Just this morning, they renewed their understanding of the strength of Hogwarts' potion class.

It's as if they deliberately studied the laziness of all the students, whether it's coma, shortcuts, fleeing, pretending to be stuck, or even faking injuries... A solution can be easily found.

So much so that George and Fred even had a wonderful and terrible feeling, as if they were no longer facing old-fashioned teachers, but growing into adults, oh no, to be more precise, they're even more terrifying.

In the gap between the two speaking quietly, Professor Snape also sat with Professor McGonagall, who had just ordered the sixth grade students.

"Severus, it's nice to see you. Honestly, I always thought Professor Flitwick's seventh grade students would be the first."

McGonagall's eyebrows raised and a smile played on her tight lips.

It was only a little surprising if she received notice from Professor Dumbledore and was told that the sixth grade was in first place at noon today. Then, seeing Snape enter the auditorium with the third year for the second time, it really surprised Professor McGonagall.

"Not too much of a hassle. Professor Dumbledore has written in detail in the [Curriculum]."

Snape responded calmly, casting a glance at the third-year student sitting at the desks of various houses and subconsciously talking to the older students and sisters with excitement. The corners of his mouth were barely visible. Distorted.

It seems that the aerosolized brain agent mimicking the silver tableware from Dumbledore's office isn't bad. Although not as effective as consuming it directly, it can still play a certain role in relieving fatigue. A dose?

At the same time, next to the long Hufflepuff table, a curly-haired third-year boy described the scene in the potion classroom to the older students at the same table with fear.

"Oh my. You can't imagine what I experienced. In just one morning, I was hit with two petrifying spells from Professor Snape, a waking spell, not to mention a coma in that place, and even caused distress. It's a luxury."

As he said that, the boy yawned and left the potion classroom to breathe in the fresh air of the auditorium, feeling an infinite amount of drowsiness slowly flowing from every cell of his body, if it weren't for the anticipation of food and hunger, perhaps he would have opted to rest in the warm dormitory bed.

"What are you doing?"

A long-haired girl sitting across from the curly-haired boy pursed her lips, her eyes full of disdain.

"Professor McGonagall didn't use the petrified mantra, she directly turned everyone's robe into a hollow tree trunk. During the [Natural Liberation-Leap of the Frog], there was a Slytherin kid who didn't obey the arrangement. The professor turned a desk at the back of the classroom directly into a giant toad in front of everyone!"

"So, in the end, who is...?" The curly-haired boy imagined the scene and swallowed carefully, turning his head to look at the long Slytherin College table behind him, with an expressionless look in his eyes.

The older girl shook her head and sighed somewhat regretfully, "No, everyone moved frantically after that. If it really came down to physical strength, Professor McGonagall would be like Professor Snape, she would cast the [Rejuvenation] spell on everyone."

After a pause, the long-haired girl carefully looked at the faculty seat and waved her hand wearily.

"So... glad, at least Professor Snape won't turn you into a leaping frog, even if it's just a threat. And from a positive standpoint, at least we're the first batch of meals. Yes, you've done a great job, and Professor Snape must be very pleased."

"Not necessarily, I think Professor Snape's demeanor will only be more terrible tomorrow."

The curly-haired boy responded pessimistically, but his face softened a bit at the thought of the upcoming lavish lunch.

In the looming darkness of the week ahead, perhaps only the three meals at Hogwarts would help them continue to persevere.

Ding Ding Ding ~

There wasn't much time for the students to discuss. Seeing that all the students were already seated on the benches, Dumbledore tapped the glass and stood up, looking at the young faces of the audience with appreciation.

"It's been hard work. I believe everyone is hungry, so I won't say much about the boring congratulations."

Dumbledore smiled and clapped. All sorts of food appeared on the empty table. "Enjoy your rewards. As the first batch of winning grades, today's limited dishes are... Yes..."

I saw the pleasant smile on Dumbledore's face slowly freeze on his face. Unprecedentedly, the teachers and students present heard such an abrupt pause from Dumbledore's mouth for the first time, and followed the old man's gaze with curiosity.

Soon, everyone found something was amiss, there was hardly any decent meat to be seen on the entire table.

Toast, roasted potatoes, peeled potatoes, boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, french fries, and Yorkshire pudding with Scottish specialties... Food that still looked abundant quickly filled most of the space on the long table.

If not for the long empty trays usually used to hold the main dish in the center of each long table.

Meat! Missing!

This transition from hope to despair, almost instantly, left the entire auditorium silent, as if there were suddenly dozens of dementors floating at Hogwarts.

"Excuse me, it seems that a small problem has arisen in the kitchen. Please wait a moment, and new dishes will soon appear."

Without hesitation for much time, Dumbledore recovered in less than two or three seconds, smiled gently, and pressed with both hands to pacify the students who were about to cry.

"Is it the Pippi ghost?" Professor McGonagall frowned and looked at the table [Potato Eating Plate] with a disgusted tone.

"No... if the Pippi ghosts are causing havoc in the kitchen, we should have heard about it long ago. Furthermore, ghosts would not only destroy the food, but the students should continue training at this moment-"

Snape shook his head ~ ~ calmly analyzed, his expression also a little somber.

"Mileva, Severus, the students in the auditorium will be under your care for the time being. Let me go and see what the specific situation is."

Without hesitation, Dumbledore nodded to the wizards and witches to his left and right, stood up, walked through a stone door, and headed to the basement.

In fact, he could roughly guess...

Dumbledore squinted, and a small figure with long silver hair gradually became clear in his mind.

"The key is... how..."

.....

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