Chapter 806: The Start-of-Term Feast
From morning until evening, the Hogwarts Express chugged along at a pace entirely unworthy of its name.
As they neared Hogwarts, Professors McGonagall and Flitwick left for the Prefects’ compartment to give instructions, while Professor Sprout stayed behind, trimming excess branches from a pot of Christmas cacti.
Kyle sat in silence, gazing out the window, lost in thought.
Before all this, he had actually been worried about how the Start-of-Term Feast would be held this year.
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In the past, the Sorting Ceremony was undoubtedly the highlight of the evening. But this year, it was clearly Dumbledore’s appearance that mattered most.
It wasn’t that the Sorting wasn’t important—it was just that, given the current circumstances, people cared more about seeing Dumbledore.
He didn’t even have to do anything. Just showing up would be enough to reassure everyone.
That was probably why Dumbledore had made arrangements in advance for Kyle to impersonate him.
If he didn’t show up for the feast, it would inevitably stir up unease and speculation—perhaps even provoke some testing moves from the Death Eaters.
But as long as he made an appearance, all of that could be avoided.
Ever since a week before term began, Kyle had been wondering when Dumbledore would return.
To be honest, he’d been gone a bit too long, and the closer it got to the start of term, the more anxious Kyle became.