Harry Potter: I am the Legend

A freshly graduated student taking up the position of Hogwarts' Transfiguration teacher sparked intense discussion among the students. But they forgot that Headmaster Dippet's announcement wasn't over yet.

"Silence!"

Dippet said heavily.

After speaking, he couldn't help but cover his mouth, coughing uncontrollably.

Acting Deputy Headmaster Dumbledore immediately stood up, patted Armando Dippet on the back, and whispered a few words in his ear.

While they conversed, the entire hall fell silent.

Armando Dippet shook his head, pushed Dumbledore away with one hand, signaling that he didn't need help.

Straightening his back with a determined gaze, he swept his eyes across the room and said, "This year, there's one more minor change.

Due to the turbulent state of the wizarding world across various countries, the Ministry of Magic has stationed a significant number of Aurors in the Forbidden Forest. Furthermore, every teacher at Hogwarts bears a heavy responsibility to reform the school. Therefore, I hereby announce that this year, every teacher will invite a student to serve as their assistant.

Students who become assistants will gain access to resources and privileges corresponding to their teacher, but they will also take on equivalent responsibilities and duties.

Students who successfully fulfill this role will have the honor documented in their personal records for life. I hope every student here will strive to earn this distinction."

With that, Headmaster Dippet sat down, and the hall erupted in a round of applause. Hoffa clapped along but couldn't help feeling puzzled.

An assistant?

A student assistant?

He had never heard of such a thing before.

Hoffa thought to himself, That kind of role? It sounds like a thankless job.

"I want to be one!!"

Aglaia slammed her knife and fork onto the table and turned around excitedly. "It must be the top students who get chosen for that role. Just imagine—if every teacher lines up to invite you to be their assistant, wouldn't that be amazing?"

Her face flushed with excitement, and her bright blue eyes stared fixedly at the teachers' table, as though envisioning the scene of them queuing up before her.

Miranda and Hoffa exchanged a glance, each seeing the helplessness in the other's expression. Oh well, as long as it proved she was better than others, Aglaia would attempt anything.

However, this competition wasn't just among a few second-year students. There were students from third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and even seventh years at Hogwarts, and older students were bound to be stronger.

Aglaia wanting to stand out as a second-year and become an assistant seemed highly unlikely.

Once Dippet finished his speech, food appeared on the tables, no different from before. The house-elves' cooking had the same familiar recipes and flavors.

But Hoffa thought this might be the last time. In a few years, when the war fully broke out, the world would inevitably face food shortages.

As the banquet began, the tense atmosphere eased. The changes among the faculty became the topic of hushed conversations among the students.

Aglaia whispered, "Is Dumbledore really that good at charms? I've never seen him publish a charms paper."

Miranda replied, "Honestly, he is. He just doesn't like to show off."

Not long after they started eating, Armando Dippet left the staff table. As soon as he stood, Dumbledore stepped in to support him, and the two left the Great Hall together. After the headmaster's departure, the atmosphere in the hall grew even livelier.

Some students boldly stepped out of their seats, circling the dazzling orb in the center of the hall. What exactly this object was and how it worked, Dippet hadn't mentioned a single word. He acted as if it didn't exist.

The Slytherin and Gryffindor tables were particularly animated. Three Gryffindors who had been punished in the Forbidden Forest were treated like heroes, standing on their benches and enthusiastically raising their goblets toward the Ravenclaw table.

"Hey, Ravenclaw! When will you ever produce a Gryffindor-worthy Head of House?"

The Ravenclaw prefect was furious and didn't hesitate to throw an orange, which transformed midair into a bombshell that exploded into a cloud of yellow powder in front of the Gryffindor table, leaving several Gryffindors teary-eyed.

They laughed heartily but retaliated with a few fruit bombs of their own toward the Ravenclaw table.

Meanwhile, the Slytherin table was the most cheerful. They whistled and waved excitedly toward the staff table, trying to catch the attention of the newly appointed young and beautiful professor.

Among them, Hoffa spotted Malfoy, the troublemaker he had encountered in Diagon Alley. Malfoy whistled and made a heart gesture on his chest toward Osyvia at the staff table, looking utterly unabashed.

The cheers from the Slytherin table grated on Hoffa's ears.

Why her?

Of all the people to teach Transfiguration, why her? Was it so hard to find a professor skilled in Transfiguration?

Hoffa wondered how he'd manage in her classes.

He lowered his head, mechanically picking at his pudding, shoveling it into his mouth without much thought.

At the staff table, Osyvia ignored the Slytherin cheers entirely. She barely ate anything and left the table less than three minutes after Dippet had departed.

The shouting from the Slytherins finally died down.

Not long after she left, Dumbledore returned.

After the feast ended, he, as always, led the students in singing the school song.

When the song concluded and the students were preparing to head back to their respective common rooms, Dumbledore clapped his hands and stopped them.

"Hold on a moment, I have something to say," he announced in his resonant voice. "I imagine you're all curious about the orb in the center of the hall, aren't you?"

The hall immediately fell silent as everyone waited for his explanation.

After pausing for about five seconds, Dumbledore smiled and said, "I'm curious too."

The hall erupted in laughter.

After the laughter subsided, Dumbledore raised a hand to quiet the room.

"This magical artifact was forged by the four founders of Hogwarts. It contains Gryffindor's imbued courage, Slytherin's infused power, Hufflepuff's bestowed loyalty, and Ravenclaw's sealed command.

For over a thousand years, no one has been able to truly activate this artifact. So, if any of you can manage to trigger it, I imagine Headmaster Dippet wouldn't mind."

Wouldn't mind?

The hall was abuzz with chatter. At first, everyone had kept their distance from the object, not daring to touch it. But after Dumbledore's comment, nearly everyone's curiosity got the better of them, and they surged forward, eagerly reaching out to touch it.

Some young wizards muttered all sorts of random incantations.

"Grant me power!"

"Summon a magical beast!"

Hoffa even saw one student bite his finger, smear blood on the glowing orb, and quickly get scolded and thumped by his prefect.

Hoffa didn't go up to touch the orb. He knew it wasn't going to be that simple. And how did he know? He reached that conclusion by observing Tom Riddle's reaction.

He saw Tom Riddle—the future Dark Lord with a compulsive penchant for collecting artifacts—standing on the edge of the crowd, arms crossed, watching the students pawing at the orb with a disdainful expression.

Riddle's gaze was clear, without a hint of greed—only calm scrutiny.

Hoffa knew Tom Riddle had stayed at school during the summer break. He must have witnessed the orb's placement and likely investigated it himself. If the orb could be activated, the Slytherin heir would probably have done so already.

Noticing Hoffa's gaze, Tom Riddle turned his head and nodded at him with a faint smile.

That smile carried little warmth, and Hoffa quickly looked away.

After half an hour, the orb remained unresponsive. It still radiated its dazzling light and emitted a faint magical pulse, but that was all.

The initial mystery and excitement began to fade, and the novelty wore off. Disappointed, the curious young wizards shook their heads and headed back to their common rooms.

By eight in the evening, Hoffa returned to the Ravenclaw common room, which he hadn't seen for nearly three months.

The common room was as warm and tranquil as ever. Under the statue of Rowena Ravenclaw, a few senior students sat reading or meditating.

After briefly bidding his friends goodnight, Hoffa headed straight for his dormitory and flopped onto his bed.

Here, at last, Hoffa felt a long-lost sense of relaxation and safety.

It was like a wanderer who had been away for years finally returning home.

His four-poster bed still seemed to hold the warmth from last term. Hoffa buried his face in the pillow, as though sinking deeper and deeper into it.

His dormmates trickled in, one by one. William and Antonio were heatedly discussing the changes at school.

They questioned Dumbledore's capability as the new head of Gryffindor, admired the beauty of the foreign professor, and speculated endlessly about the mysterious orb.

Hoffa rarely joined his dormmates' discussions, and tonight, he only wanted a good night's sleep, free from any worries.

But just as he was dozing off, William suddenly asked, "Hoffa, do you know how to use that orb?"

Yawning, Hoffa mumbled, "I don't know. Maybe it requires some kind of heir or something."

"Heir?"

Inspired, William launched into a boastful monologue about his illustrious ancestry to Antonio, who came from a Muggle background.

Hoffa lay on his bed, struggling against the sleep overtaking him.

In his drowsiness, he thought of Tom Riddle and his infamous Chamber of Secrets. Dumbledore had said the orb contained Slytherin's magic. Perhaps Tom Riddle could activate it with Parseltongue.

Parseltongue.

Snakes.

Hoffa rolled over with a muffled sigh.

Snakes everywhere.

(End of Chapter)

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