Once everyone was seated, Kael closed the door, and the carriage rumbled and jolted forward, albeit at a rather slow pace, soon lagging far behind the other carriages.
Kael noticed that the Thestral pulling the carriage turned its head in confusion to look at the compartment behind it, its dragon-like head seemingly filled with question marks.
Ever since Quirrell turned to dust in front of him, Kael had been able to see this magical creature.
The Thestral scrutinized the compartment carefully, and only after confirming that there was no difference from before did it snort and continue on its way.
Inside the compartment, Kael had already briefly explained the previous events to Conna and the others, including what Lupin had said to him.
"No wonder..." Cedric said, touching his chin, "Professor Lupin not only didn't stop you from selling those things but also helped you maintain order.
It seems he must have known that the Dementors would soon be permanently stationed at the school.
If the badges really have that effect, it's indeed a good thing for most students."
"Wait, what did you just say?" George suddenly interrupted, "Dementors... are going to the school?"
His voice was somewhat sharp.
"Yes, didn't Percy tell you guys before?" Cedric nodded, "When we were in the Prefect's compartment, he mentioned this.
The professors asked us to reassure the students as much as possible, especially the first-year freshmen, and find ways to help them overcome their fear."
"Are we going to attend classes with Dementors next?" Ginny's face turned increasingly pale.
She still clearly remembered the bone-chilling cold when the Dementors entered the compartment.
If they were in the classroom, they wouldn't be able to listen to the professor, let alone hold a quill.
"Of course not." Cedric quickly waved his hand and explained, "They will only guard each entrance of the school; they won't enter the castle."
Only then did everyone feel relieved.
Cho gave him an annoyed look, "Remember to get to the point next time."
Fred and George chimed in, criticizing Cedric.
They almost planned to turn back home; after all, a castle with Dementors promised no fun at all, staying here would only be a waste of time.
Seeing the indignant expressions of the others, Cedric understood that his explanation might have been a bit off and quickly bowed his head to apologize.
As if to validate his words.
When the carriage jolted toward the school's gates, they saw two hooded, eerie Dementors standing guard on either side.
As they passed them, a chilly sensation swept through the compartment.
It only faded as the carriage passed through the gates and accelerated up the path leading to the castle.
A few minutes later, the carriage finally stopped.
Kael was the last to disembark, restoring the space inside and feeding a packet of Murtlap jerky to the panting Thestral.
Consider it its overtime pay.
Pulling eight people at once was quite a task for the Thestral.
They were the last batch; everyone else had already entered the castle, and Hagrid's large silhouette was still faintly visible on the nearby path.
"The new students are arriving," Kael said, "let's go in quickly."
The group climbed the stone steps and quickened their pace into the castle.
Professor Sprout stood at the door and closed the castle gates once they were inside.
"Next time, be quicker," she casually remarked, "Head to the Auditorium quickly; the school feast is about to start."
To the right, the Auditorium doors were open, and the magically enchanted ceiling showed a dark, cloud-filled sky, looking rather oppressive.
It seemed that, except for the first year, the weather was always bad during the school feast.
The group parted ways at the Auditorium entrance and headed towards their respective house tables.
Soon, the new students arrived, led into the Auditorium by Professor Sprout.
The Sorting Hat, just like before, was placed on the Triangular Stool by Professor Flitwick and began to sing a song it had composed over the past year.
This time, it chose a country music style, and despite the bizarre lyrics, the performance was surprisingly good.
Yet, very few people paid attention.
Dementors had become the hottest topic, and almost everyone was discussing what had happened on the train.
"Kael, is it true?"
As soon as the Sorting Hat finished its song and the sorting began, Mikel leaned over, face full of curiosity, "Everyone says you drove off the Dementor on the train and saved Harry Potter."
"Drove off a Dementor? Who did you hear that from?"
"Susan Bones."
Mikel replied, "She said she saw you use your Wand to force the Dementor to the train window, and after Potter fainted, you went to his compartment, and then he woke up."
Kael remembered now; Susan Bones was also a Hufflepuff, from the same year as Harry, and loved being in the middle of things, with unparalleled information-gathering skills.
If you asked her anything related to exams, she might know nothing, even be clueless. But if you asked who argued with whom or who got detention for breaking rules... the girl had all the details, and she could talk for hours without repeating herself.
Kael guessed that when he tried to drive off the Dementor, she must have been in a nearby compartment and saw the whole thing.
"It's not true." He shook his head and explained, "The Dementor left the train after completing its task, and Harry was saved by the newly appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, none of which had anything to do with me."
"I see."
Mikel looked a bit disappointed, "What a pity, if you had driven off the Dementor and saved Potter, you might have earned another Merlin Order Medal."
"If only that were the case," laughed Kael, "And getting the Merlin Order Medal isn't that easy."
"At least you'd earn fifty points," suggested Mikel.
Kael shrugged, not sharing the sentiment.
Dementors were on the train to search for Blake, as ordered by the Ministry of Magic; if he had driven them off, he'd be in more trouble with the Ministry, never mind earning points.
"Hufflepuff!"
It was then that the Sorting Hat's voice echoed around them.
The first new student had been sorted into Hufflepuff.
Kael and the others clapped along with Mikel, who stood up eagerly to welcome the slightly shy new student.
Perhaps the Sorting Hat knew about the train incident and wanted the students to enjoy a rich dinner sooner; this year's sorting went exceptionally smoothly, finishing in under half an hour.
On average, it took about twenty seconds per student, quite efficient indeed.
After the last student was sorted into Ravenclaw, Professor Flitwick took the Sorting Hat and Triangular Stool and quietly left the Auditorium.
Then Dumbledore stood up.
"Welcome!"
He warmly addressed all the students, his beard glittering in the candlelight, "Welcome back to Hogwarts! I have a few announcements, including one very important one, which is best said while you're all still alert..."
Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "We currently have a few Dementors at our school, sent by the Ministry of Magic on official business. You must all know by now, as they searched the Hogwarts Express.
I must clarify that while they are here, no one is to leave the school without permission, and no trick, ruse, or disguise will fool a Dementor..."
While Dumbledore spoke from the stage, the Auditorium was disturbingly silent, as many were reminded of the two Dementors standing guard at the school gates.
According to Dumbledore, they would remain there until Blake was caught.
Some grew tense again, recalling their train journey.
"Let's switch to a more pleasant topic."
Having addressed the Dementor issue, Dumbledore's demeanor softened with a smile as he announced, "First, Professor Lupin has kindly agreed to fill the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts...
And Rubeus Hagrid will replace the recently retired Professor Kettelburn as your new Care of Magical Creatures teacher..."
Because of the Dementors, everyone was preoccupied, and the introductions of the two new professors by Dumbledore received only perfunctory applause.
For most students, these subjects were not considered particularly important, especially Defence Against the Dark Arts... a revolving door of teachers, classes consisting of textbook reading, it made no difference who taught.
Thankfully, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor managed to muster some enthusiasm, making the scene less dreary.
"Hagrid's always wanted to teach..." Cedric said happily, clapping, "He's succeeded!"
"Yes indeed," Kael replied, beaming.
He glanced towards the staff table, where Hagrid was dabbing his eyes with the tablecloth.