Chapter 7: The End of the Banquet

"Oh, right, I almost forgot. We need to let The Magical Menagerie... No, wait, wrong line. I must formally introduce to you our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for this term..." Dumbledore suddenly remembered something midway through dinner. He stood up and gestured toward the far-right end of the staff table, where Gilderoy Lockhart was seated. "...You might have already guessed it—he is none other than Professor Gilderoy Lockhart!"

Dumbledore's sudden announcement instantly electrified the banquet hall. The students' reactions were sharply divided: nearly all the young witches screamed in excitement, while the young wizards collectively booed, jeering loudly.

Lockhart adjusted his robes, calmly pulled out his chair, stood up straight, and flashed his signature smile. Waving to the crowd, he greeted them, "Hello, young wizards and witches!" The screams and boos grew louder, almost shaking the ceiling. Yet, Lockhart seemed completely oblivious to the disdain in the boys' voices, interpreting all the noise as adoration. Smiling, he bowed. "Thank you, thank you for your love and support. I am deeply honored to have been personally invited by Professor Dumbledore to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts this year. To show my gratitude for your enthusiasm, I have a few announcements to make!"

"First of all..." Lockhart began his impassioned speech, but the author has no intention of writing filler content, so we'll skip that part.

Hermione, eating her meal, rolled her eyes. Lockhart's image had completely crumbled in her mind. She pulled out her wand and cast a Muffliato spell on herself. "Muffliato." A faint glow appeared, and it seemed that a transparent membrane had formed over her delicate ears.

The Gryffindor boys nearby clearly couldn't take it anymore either. Seeing Hermione use the Muffliato spell, their eyes lit up.

Fred and George were the first to rush over. "Hermione! Quick! Do us too!" The twins eagerly leaned their heads forward.

Hermione blinked, her clever mind quickly deducing their intentions. She smiled knowingly. Though she couldn't hear what the two jokesters were saying, she understood.

"Muffliato. Muffliato." With a flick of her wand, Fred and George's hearing was temporarily sealed.

"Haha, we can't hear anything now," George said, winking at his brother.

"I don't know what you're saying, but I think we should thank Hermione!" Fred gestured wildly, though even he couldn't understand his own hand movements.

The twins gave Hermione a big thumbs-up. She smiled and nodded, indicating it was no trouble.

Seeing this, the other boys exchanged glances before rushing over eagerly.

"Don't push, don't rush, there's enough for everyone!" Realizing she was about to be overwhelmed, Hermione stood up and shouted.

"Impedimenta." A cold voice rang out. Glenn was the first to step in front of Hermione. He tapped his cane on the ground, and the Hand of Sorcery he wore on his left hand glowed with a dark light. The magical circuit of the Impediment Jinx flowed through the Hand of Sorcery into his upgraded magic-conducting cane. Black light spread across the ground, forming a barrier that slowed and stopped the approaching crowd in their tracks.

Dumbledore, noticing the commotion, smiled faintly.

The boys, forced to halt, realized how rude they had been. Rushing like that might have hurt Hermione. Embarrassed, they scratched their heads.

Glenn lifted the jinx and walked over to Hermione.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the group of boys and chuckled, "There's enough for everyone. One at a time." The crowd cheered.

Even the boys from the other three houses, hearing about Hermione's spellcasting, looked at each other.

They confirmed it with their eyes—they were all equally annoyed by Lockhart.

Without hesitation, they joined the crowd.

The Great Hall was now completely divided into two camps. Despite it being dinner time, the house tables were deserted. All the boys had gathered around Glenn and Hermione, while the girls surrounded Lockhart, gazing at him with adoration as he continued his self-aggrandizing tales.

The professors were both amused and exasperated. Were the students skipping dinner entirely?

Dumbledore chuckled helplessly and announced, "Dinner time will be extended by half an hour. Make sure you eat, everyone!"

...

In the end, all the students got what they wanted—whether it was the boys silencing Lockhart's voice or the girls getting closer to their idol.

Everyone returned to their seats, satisfied, and resumed their meals.

Everyone was happy.

Well, almost.

The boys secretly wished they could temporarily blind themselves to erase Lockhart's image from their sight. But that would mean they couldn't eat, and unlike Glenn, they weren't accustomed to living without vision. They reluctantly gave up on the idea.

Thus, the opening feast ended on a cheerful (or so it seemed) note, with everyone feeling content.

"Snap." With a casual snap of her fingers, Hermione lifted the Muffliato spell from all the boys.

Thunderous applause erupted.

On the staff table, Lockhart, ever the uninvited guest, stood up and bowed. "Thank you, thank you for your love and support!" he said graciously.

...

The boys were speechless. Even Hermione was silent.

Classic Gilderoy Lockhart.

As everyone prepared to leave for their respective common rooms, Dumbledore's voice reached Glenn and Hermione telepathically: "Come to my office. Let's have a chat."

The two exchanged glances and broke away from the crowd, heading toward the corridor guarded by the stone gargoyle on the third floor.

From afar, the gargoyle spotted Glenn and obediently moved aside, revealing the spiral staircase.

"Thank you," Hermione said sweetly, smiling at the gargoyle before following Glenn into the passage.

The stone gargoyle was stunned.

What was this feeling? So touched, it wanted to cry.

Sniff, sniff.

Pushing open the familiar door to the headmaster's office, the two walked in. Before Dumbledore could say anything, Glenn plopped down on the sofa, leaving Hermione standing awkwardly. She forced a polite smile at Dumbledore.

"It's alright, Hermione. Have a seat," Dumbledore said with a chuckle.

Hermione nodded and sat down next to Glenn. Her mischievous hands found their way to Glenn's side, pinching him lightly.

"I called you here to ask about your trip to the Dragon Kingdom. Did you have fun?" Dumbledore began cheerfully. "Of course, it's not just a casual chat. I've also received a message from your grandmother through her father, and I wanted to give you my response."

"Is it about the Teleportation Door?!" Hermione blurted out excitedly in Chinese.

Realizing her slip, she quickly apologized, "Oh, sorry, Professor..." She scratched her head, preparing to repeat herself in English.

"It's alright, Hermione. I know a little Dragon Kingdom language too," Dumbledore said with a smile, switching to fluent Chinese with a distinctive Beijing accent.

It was flawless. Absolutely flawless.

Glenn wasn't surprised. For someone as powerful as Dumbledore, nothing seemed impossible.

"Yes, it's exactly as you think," Dumbledore continued in Chinese, nodding. "Regarding the Teleportation Door... I agree."

"Really? Yay! Thank you, Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione was overjoyed and threw herself into Dumbledore's arms, hugging him tightly.

Over the years, Hermione had come to see Dumbledore as a grandfather figure.

"Haha, it's nothing, Hermione. It's a small matter," Dumbledore said, patting her head. Indeed, the fluffy texture of her hair was incredibly soothing. No wonder Glenn enjoyed patting her head so much.

Dumbledore felt his mood improve significantly after dealing with Lockhart's antics earlier.

Hermione returned to her seat, feeling a bit embarrassed by her excitement. She giggled sheepishly.

"I must say, what a coincidence it is. My old friend turns out to be Glenn's great-grandfather. I was truly surprised when I learned about it," Dumbledore said, his blue eyes twinkling as he looked at the two children with fondness.

So, Glenn is a descendant of Lin...

Meanwhile, Glenn was pondering something else. For Dumbledore to so easily approve of a device that could connect to another country, he must have his own reasons. It couldn't just be because of Hermione and me.

An alliance, perhaps? Or something else?

But it didn't matter. Dumbledore wouldn't harm us.

Glenn's expression remained calm and unreadable, betraying no hint of his thoughts.

If Dumbledore knew what Glenn was thinking, he'd probably smile wryly again.

Seeing that Hermione had calmed down, Dumbledore raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A rustic wooden door appeared out of thin air, standing upright on the ground.

"This is your Teleportation Door. Keep it safe. You don't need to install it in a fixed location; you can carry it with you and use it as needed," Dumbledore explained with a wink. "However, remember to periodically supply it with magic, especially if the distance between the two doors is too great."

Staring up at the wooden door, which was slightly taller than herself, Hermione was dumbfounded.

So the main functionality of the Teleportation Door... is literally just being a door?!

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