The new students were amazed by Dumbledore's magical abilities, but they were too hungry to care about the delicious food in front of them, rather than trying to figure out how the headmaster had done it.
Albert knew how it was done. Dumbledore used magic left behind by Hufflepuff to transport the food from the kitchen beneath the Great Hall. The Hufflepuff Cup, which became Voldemort's Horcrux, was the first vessel in Hogwarts used to assist house-elves in transporting magical food.
Albert naturally didn't forget to test the prefect beside him on this matter, but the prefect's mouth was full of food and he clearly had no intention of answering the question.
The dinner was very lavish.
While it may not be considered refined, it will certainly fill everyone's stomachs.
Albert prepared a steak for himself and began to slowly cut it. He wasn't actually very hungry; he had been eating the whole way.
Everyone else started eating heartily, and Lee Jordan, sitting opposite, was gnawing on a chicken leg in one hand, which looked quite comical.
After the banquet began, the ghosts also appeared one after another, emerging from all parts of the castle to greet the new students, causing a commotion.
The ghost of Gryffindor is a male nobleman, who should be the legendary Nick who almost lost his head.
"Mr. Ghost." Albert swallowed his beef and greeted Nick, who was almost headless.
"I think I prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Minsie-Poppinton," Ghost said.
"Sir Nicholas de Minsey-Popington." Albert finished the long name, and he was quite impressed with his own quick memory to remember Nick's name. "Can you take a picture? I mean, can you be in the picture?"
"What? Child, I don't understand what you're saying?" Sir Nicholas was pleased that someone could pronounce his name; he hated it when newcomers called him "almost headless Nick."
"Take a picture," Albert said. "Please make sure you can take a picture with me another day."
"Alright, son, if you ever want to do that, oh, take a picture, you can come find me." Sir Nicholas agreed; he took a good liking to the polite young fellow.
"Can I ask one more question?"
"Ask, child."
"What is a ghost? Is it a soul after death?"
"Wizards can leave their mark on earth, and can wander ethereally in the places they have been in their lives, but very few wizards choose this path." Sir Nicholas did not answer Albert's question directly.
"A memory? It doesn't quite seem like it, so… it really is a soul?" Albert muttered to himself. He knew that souls existed in the magical world.
After all, Voldemort had ripped his own soul into eight pieces.
When he snapped out of his thoughts, he realized that everyone around him was staring at him.
"What's wrong?" Albert asked, puzzled.
"Nothing?" The others quickly looked away.
"I still think you should be assigned to Ravenclaw," Fred said, his words slurred.
"Swallow it before you speak," Albert said irritably.
"Why are you curious about ghosts?" a freshman asked.
"In the Muggle world, there are no such magical beings as ghosts," Albert said calmly. "Now that I have the chance to learn about them, I certainly don't want to miss it. By the way, it feels very cold to be passed through by a ghost, so you'd better be careful in the future."
He had just secretly poked Nick with his finger and felt that his finger was very cold. Passing through them would probably be like being doused with ice water.
This would definitely not be a pleasant thing in winter.
"Indeed, there are no ghosts in the Muggle world," said a girl two chairs away from Albert. Her name was Shanna Wilson.
"To be honest, when my family received the letter, they initially thought it was a prank, and when Professor McGonagall came to visit, they almost kicked her out." Shanna Wilson found it amusing. "In fact, they didn't really want me to come here."
"My situation was similar; my mother almost called the police and had Professor McGonagall arrested," Albert said with a laugh. "People living on the scientific side are usually less able to accept the unusual, and they wanted me to go to Eton College."
"Eton College, is that Eton College?" Shanna Wilson asked in surprise.
"What is that?" Lee Jordan asked, puzzled.
"That's one of the best schools in Britain," Shanna Wilson explained.
"Hogwarts is the best," George said, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course I know, because there's only one magic school in Britain, and Hogwarts is naturally the best," Shanna Wilson couldn't help but say disdainfully. "There are thousands of schools for ordinary people, what you call Muggles, and Eton College is in the top three. I don't need to explain what that means!"
"It seems pretty impressive." George was unconvinced; in fact, he really didn't understand it either.
"Don't just talk about us, tell us about your situation too." Albert changed the subject, looking at the other girl.
"I'm half and half; my mother is a wizard and my father is a Muggle," Angelina Johnson said. "They came out to each other a long time ago. However, we've always lived in the Muggle world. I've been exposed to magic since I was a child, so my family wasn't too surprised when I received the invitation."
Arya Spinnet, who was standing next to her, said, "I was born into a wizarding family and was exposed to magic from a young age. There was nothing new about it. When I received the letter, my family was quite happy and bought me an owl."
After everyone had eaten their fill, the remaining food on the plates disappeared, replaced by desserts.
Albert took a pudding and listened to the freshmen tell interesting stories.
After the banquet, the plates on the table were emptied again, like plates Tom had licked.
Professor Dumbledore stood up again and announced to the crowd, "I am delighted that the school welcomes a new professor, Professor Bard Broad, who will become the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor."
Sparse applause began to ripple through the auditorium.
Professor Bud Brod is an elderly man.
"There are a few more things to inform you," Dumbledore said, looking at all the students below. "First-year students, please note that the woods on campus are off-limits to all students. Also, Mr. Filch, the caretaker , asked me to remind you not to cast spells in the hallways during breaks. Finally, the Quidditch player selection process will take place in the second week of this term, and anyone interested in joining the House team should contact Mrs. Hooch."
"Why can't we enter the forbidden forest?"
"There's probably danger in the Forbidden Forest," Albert said, glancing at the eager twins.
"If you dare go into the Forbidden Forest, I'll write to Mother." Percy Weasley glared at his brother, knowing their personalities all too well.
"We won't," the twins quickly assured them.