The new students were all amazed by Dumbledore's magic, but they were already so hungry that they were more concerned about the delicious food in front of them than trying to figure out how the Headmaster did it.
Albert knew how it was done. Dumbledore used the magic left behind by Hufflepuff to transport it from the kitchen underneath the Great Hall, and Hufflepuff's Golden Cup, which was the first of Voldemort's Horcruxes, was the first vessel in Hogwarts to assist House-elves in the magical transport of food.
Albert naturally did not forget to test the prefect sitting next to him on this matter, but the other person's mouth was full of food and obviously did not intend to answer the question.
While the dinner was plentiful, it was not sophisticated, but it would definitely fill everyone's stomachs.
Albert got himself a steak and cut it up slowly. He was not very hungry, as he had been eating on the way.
Everyone else was eating with gusto.
When the feast began, the ghosts also appeared, emerging from various parts of the castle to say hello to the new students and causing quite a stir.
The ghost of Gryffindor was a male nobleman, who was supposedly the legendary Nearly Headless Nick.
"Mr. Ghost," Albert said, swallowing his beef, and greeted Nearly Headless Nick.
"I think I prefer it when you call me Sir Nicholas de Mincieux-Porpington," said the Ghost.
"Sir Nicholas de Mincieux-Porpington," Albert finished the long name, impressed with his own memory for remembering Nick's name. "Can you take a photo? I mean, can you appear in a photo?"
"What? I don't understand what you're saying, boy," said Sir Nicholas, delighted that someone had pronounced his name correctly. He hated it when the new students called him 'Nearly Headless Nick'.
"Photos," said Albert. "Please come and take a photo with me sometime."
"Well, if you want to take a photo of something, oh, I mean, if you want to take a photo of me, you can come and see me," said Sir Nicholas, who was very impressed by the polite little boy.
"Can I ask you one more question?"
"Go ahead, my boy."
"What is a ghost? A spirit after death?"
"Wizards can leave their mark on the world, and they can walk the places they walked in life, but only a few wizards choose this path." Sir Nicholas did not answer Albert's question directly.
"A memory? That's not quite right either, so... is it really a soul?" Albert said to himself, knowing that souls existed in the world of magic.
After all, Voldemort had chopped up his own soul into eight pieces.
When he came back from his thoughts, he noticed that everyone nearby was staring at him?
"What's wrong?" Albert asked, puzzled.
"Nothing?" The others quickly withdrew their gaze.
"I still think you should have been sorted into Ravenclaw." Fred mumbled.
"Swallow before you speak," Albert snapped.
"Why are you so curious about ghosts?" another student asked.
"In the Muggle world, there are no such magical creatures as ghosts." Albert said calmly. "Now that I have the chance to learn about them, I don't want to miss it. By the way, it feels cold when you're passed by a ghost, so you'd better be careful in the future."
He had just secretly poked Nick with his finger, and it felt very cold. Passing through them would be like getting drenched in ice water.
That would not be a pleasant experience in winter.
"Indeed, there are no ghosts in the world of Muggles," said a young girl sitting two chairs away from Albert. Her name was Shanna Wilson.
"To be honest, when I received the letter, my family thought it was a prank. When Professor McGonagall came to visit, they almost kicked her out." Shanna Wilson thought it was funny. "In fact, they didn't want me to come here."
"My situation was similar. My mother almost called the police to have Professor McGonagall arrested." Albert said with a smile. "People who live on the science side are usually less accepting of the unusual. My parents wanted me to go to Eton College."
"Eton College, is that the Eton College?" Shanna Wilson was surprised.
"What is that?" Lee Jordan asked in confusion.
"It's one of the best schools in Britain." Shanna Wilson explained.
"Hogwarts is the best:" George said, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course I know that, because there's only one Wizarding School in Britain, and Hogwarts is naturally the best." Shanna Wilson said with disdain. "There are thousands of schools for ordinary people, or what you call Muggles, and Eton is in the top three. I don't need to tell you what that means!"
"It sounds impressive:" George said, unconvinced. In fact, he didn't really understand.
"Don't just talk about us, tell us about you 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 confessed to each other very early on. But 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."
Alicia Spinnet, who was sitting next to her, said, "I was born into a family of Wizards, so I've been exposed to magic since I was a child. There was nothing new about it. When I received the letter, my family was very happy and bought me an owl."
After everyone had eaten, the remaining food on their plates disappeared and was replaced by desserts.
Albert took a pudding and listened to the new students tell interesting stories
After the feast, the plates on the table were cleared away.
Professor Dumbledore stood up again and announced to the crowd, "I am very pleased that the school has a new professor. Professor Bud Bulstrode will be the new professor of defence against the dark arts."
The Great Hall began to applaud sparsely.
Professor Bud Bulstrode was an elderly man.
"There are a few more things I'd like to mention:" said Dumbledore, looking down at the students. "First Year students, please be aware that the Forbidden Forest is off-limits to students. Also, the caretaker, Mr Filch, has asked me to remind you that no magic is to be performed in the corridors during break times. Finally, the Quidditch try-outs will be held during the second week of term. Any students interested in representing the House should see Madam Hooch."
"Why can't we go into the Forbidden Forest?"
"Probably because there are dangers in the Forbidden Forest." Albert glanced at the twins, who were eager to go.
"If you dare to go to the Forbidden Forest, I'll write to my mother." Percy Weasley glared at his younger brother. He knew their personalities too well.
"We won't." the twins promised.