C21 Chant Together! 3000 Words!

At that moment, Malfoy's face was beet red, a stark contrast to his usually pale complexion, as if white smoke was wafting from his golden locks. Liang Mu was taken aback; he had never expected the typically haughty Malfoy to exhibit such a steamy demeanor!

Liang Mu sensed something amiss with Malfoy's posture and glanced beneath the table, only to discover a foot clad in a dainty leather boot caressing Malfoy's calf—the foot belonged to none other than Mary Jian.

Wow! Liang Mu's scalp tingled at Mary Jian's covert maneuver. It was incredibly slick!

"Malfoy, come with me to the restroom," Liang Mu urged, tugging at Malfoy, who remained unresponsive.

Great, the overload of information had caused Malfoy's brain to crash.

Liang Mu discreetly slipped Duobao out of his pocket. The creature leapt onto the table and began a frenzied dash, stuffing a gold-wrapped chocolate ball into its pouch.

Simultaneously, Liang Mu wisely covered his ears.

"Ah!" Mary Jian's shriek sliced through the hall, shattering the glass cup before her.

Meanwhile, Malfoy, who had been out of it, regained his senses, clutching his ears in agony.

Prof. Snape, seated at the head of the table, had a look of thunder on his face. With a light tap of his wand, he sent a stream of pale gray magic towards Mary Jian. As if muted, her continued screams were now silent, clearly the effect of a silencing spell.

"Settle down, Miss Mary Jian," said Professor Grappler, who had risen from his seat to comfort her with a reassuring pat on the shoulder, promptly lifting the spell.

It would have been preferable if the professor, known for his protection of magical creatures, wasn't so fixated on Duobao.

Unperturbed, Liang Mu drew his wand and addressed the shattered glass cup, "Restore."

A crisp sound emanated from the cup as a white light sparkled at the wand's tip, and the fragments reassembled as if time had reversed.

"Exquisite spellwork, ten points to Slytherin."

Professor Grappler chuckled warmly, reminiscent of the kindly old man next door.

"I simply wish to avoid ingesting glass shards."

Liang Mu shrugged nonchalantly.

Professor Grappler wasn't bothered by Liang Mu's demeanor. It seemed that Slytherin's Little Wizards were often like this, even humble at times.

If it were any other Little Wizard who had cast a complete Magic Spell before even starting school, they would be over the moon with pride.

But for Liang Mu, he had already completed the second-grade curriculum. It was just a matter of reading through it once for him, and as a result, his Magic Spell proficiency had reached level one.

Liang Mu had noticed something interesting: initially, when he learned a Magic Spell, the skill bar displayed its name, like 'Return to Normal.'

After finishing the second-grade lessons, the multitude of Magic Spells was replaced by Magic Spell Level 1.

Following the professors' cues, the Little Wizards resumed their meal with renewed vigor, and Professor Grappler stayed put.

"Is this your Niffler?"

"Yes, his name is Duobao."

Liang Mu watched Malfoy teasing Duobao with a Golden Galleon, then glanced at Mary Jian, who seemed a bit frightened, and couldn't help but feel bemused.

He had intended to use Duobao to capture Malfoy's attention, but instead, he had inadvertently charmed Mary Jian.

Professor Grappler fished a golden piece from one of his many pockets and held it in his hand.

Attracted by the Golden Galleon, Duobao's black eyes sparkled with golden light as he leaped into Professor Grappler's palm, abandoning Malfoy to gnaw on the golden piece.

Liang Mu, well-versed in the Niffler care manual, was intrigued; he had never encountered such an item before.

"What do you think about letting him stay with me for a while? You know the school has strict regulations about students keeping magical creatures."

Professor Grappler's suggestion brought to mind the spider Hagrid had cared for in the Forbidden Forest.

When Liang Mu didn't respond, Professor Grappler mistook his silence for reluctance and reassured him.

"Don't worry, I'll make a home for him in the clock tower on the west wing. He'll find plenty of friends there, and Hagrid will look after him regularly."

Liang Mu graciously accepted the professor's suggestion, understanding that it would allow him to sidestep the trio and connect with Hagrid. Both parties were quite pleased with the outcome of their discussion—one secured the rights to care for a rare magical creature, while the other earned the goodwill of several professors.

Mary Jian, the unfortunate victim in this scenario, had already moved to the opposite end of the dining table.

The spread included braised beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, steak, boiled potatoes, baked potatoes, French fries, Yorkshire pudding, pea shoots, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and the peppermint candies that Dumbledore was particularly fond of—all of which were delicious.

Noticing Malfoy gorging himself without a care for appearances, Liang Mu tapped him on the shoulder, signaling him to slow down or risk a sleepless night. Liang Mu suspected that every first-year Little Wizard would be too excited to sleep tonight. Fortunately, it was Saturday, and they could look forward to an extra day of rest on Sunday—this had been thoughtfully planned in advance.

*Ding, ding, ding~*

At the head table, Dumbledore noticed the Little Wizards beginning their desserts and tapped his spoon against a small golden cup. The clear, ringing sound captured everyone's attention, and they all paused to look up at the venerable, bearded gentleman.

Dumbledore rose from his chair, his tall frame overlooking the Little Wizards with eyes full of kindness and satisfaction.

Liang Mu swiftly slipped a note onto an empty plate, which vanished along with the remnants of the meal.

"I believe everyone has had their fill," Dumbledore began, his voice now carrying a more authoritative tone and his expression serious. "As we start the new term, I'd like to remind everyone of a few important matters. First-year students, please note that the Forbidden Forest is strictly off-limits. Our older students should also keep this in mind."

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes briefly scanned over to the Weasley brothers.

Additionally, Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to remind everyone to refrain from using magic spells in the corridors between classes.

Tryouts for the Quidditch team will take place in the second week of the term. Those interested in representing their house should get in touch with Ms. Holly.

Lastly, I must inform you that if you wish to avoid accidents or a ghastly demise, please steer clear of the corridor on the right side of the fourth floor.

Many from Gryffindor, including Harry Porter, burst into laughter.

"He can't be serious, can he?"

Harry whispered to Percy.

"Impossible," Percy replied, furrowing his brow at Dumbledore. "What's odd is that he usually gives us a reason for the places we're not allowed to visit. For instance, everyone knows about the dangerous creatures in the Forbidden Forest. I think he should at least clarify it for us Praepostors."

"Now, before we all head off to bed, let's sing the school song together!" Dumbledore announced, his voice booming. Liang Mu noticed the other teachers' smiles seemed to freeze, while Lodge sported a mischievous grin that hinted at nostalgia.

With a gentle flick of his wand, Dumbledore sent a long golden ribbon swirling out, twisting high above the dining tables like a serpent, unfurling into lines of text.

"Choose your favorite tune," Dumbledore instructed, his gaze fixed on the Weasley twins with a sly smile at the corner of his mouth.

"On my mark, sing!" And with that, the entire assembly burst into song.

At that moment, a prompt appeared before Liang Mu:

Notification: Authorization complete. The panel has changed. Please review promptly.

Liang Mu glanced at the updated panel while casually observing those around him belting out the school anthem.

The song, in fact, was as familiar to the Wizard Realm as 'Two Tigers' is to the Muggle world. Each Slytherin student sang with a grave solemnity, their pitch perfect and harmonious, the most disciplined of all the houses.

Following them was Hufflepuff, albeit a bit less coordinated. Ravenclaw's contribution was the softest, likely due to their numbers, while Gryffindor's was the loudest and most boisterous.

The Weasley brothers led the singing of the "Funeral March," which thrilled all the little lions. They joined in the chorus, with only the Praepostor showing some restraint, his voice a touch quieter than the rest.

In response, Dumbledore conducted the final bars with his wand. As the song ended, Gryffindor received a thunderous round of applause, as if they had triumphed in battle.

Prof. McGonagall shot them a stern look, but Dumbledore did not intervene, and she held her peace.

"Ah, music," Dumbledore said, wiping her eyes, her demeanor noticeably more lively than before. "It holds more charm than all our endeavors here! Now, it's time for bed. Everyone, back to your dormitories."

At Dumbledore's command, the Praepostors from each house led the little wizards out of the Great Hall.

The Ravenclaw common room was actually located in a tower on the west side of the main castle, prompting them to hurry along.

Gryffindor's common room was situated in an annex tower of the main castle, accessible only by climbing past the portrait of the Fat Lady on the eighth floor.

Consequently, the four houses split into two groups: Gryffindor and Ravenclaw ascended, while Slytherin and Hufflepuff descended.

Hufflepuff's common room, closest to the Great Hall, was located next to the kitchen of the family elves.

However, before long, the streams of Slytherin and Hufflepuff students diverged in the underground passageways.

Liang Mu sensed the tension between Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Notably, Slytherin's gentlemanly Praepostor, Nick Phil, did not yield the way to the female Praepostor of Hufflepuff.