Malfoy leaned against the doorframe and spoke in his usual deliberately drawn-out tone, "We meet again, Ivy."
Ivy glanced at him briefly, then continued the sentence he hadn't finished earlier, "...and what Slytherin values most—ambition."
Upon hearing this, Malfoy wanted to argue but ultimately just pursed his lips. Ivy greeted him, "Good afternoon, Draco. These two are…"
Ivy turned his attention to the two chubby boys standing behind Malfoy.
"Oh, this is Crabbe, this is Goyle," Malfoy said dismissively, then nodded toward the others in the compartment, "Looks like you've made new friends. Care to introduce them?"
"The one with black hair is Harry Potter, the redhead is Ron Weasley, the lady beside me is Hermione Granger, and standing behind Crabbe and Goyle is Neville Longbottom." Ivy casually introduced everyone.
The little wizards in the cramped compartment nodded at each other. Both Ron and Malfoy looked at each other with disdain.
"Harry Potter," Malfoy said slowly, "A name known far and wide. Everyone's talking about you in this carriage... But you should be careful, whether it's about houses or… friends," (Malfoy glanced at Ivy as he said 'friends') "you always have better options."
"Hmph!" Ron let out a huff of indignation, "Are you talking about yourself or Slytherin? Come on, everyone knows which house the Dark Lord came from."
"Voldemort is from Slytherin?" Harry asked, and as soon as he said the name, everyone in the compartment gasped.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked, confused.
Ron exclaimed, "You said the name! People usually refer to him as 'The Dark Lord'! I knew it... only you would have the guts to say it!"
"People believe that the name of the Dark Lord is cursed with dark magic, and anyone who says it will be cursed," Hermione thoughtfully explained to Harry.
"Harry! You'll be sorted into Gryffindor!" Ron shouted excitedly, "Ivy just said it, bravery is the most valued quality in Gryffindor!"
"Just for saying Voldemort's—The Dark Lord's name?" Harry thought it sounded a bit silly.
"I have to point something out," Ivy interjected, "The four houses aren't ranked, and no matter which house you belong to, we are all part of Hogwarts. Slytherin won't be hated just because of one infamous Dark wizard. Besides, I was a part of Slytherin over a hundred years ago."
Ivy took out his wand and pointed it at his shoulder. His T-shirt shifted and transformed back into his luxurious Slytherin robes.
"Wow—" The appearance of the robes caused an outburst of surprise.
"You didn't cast a spell!" Hermione quickly noticed, "Is this also ancient magic?"
"No, this is the magical effect of my robes. They're self-cleaning, regulate body temperature, and can change form," Ivy said as he twirled around, showcasing every aspect of the robe.
"Wait! You said you were part of Slytherin over a hundred years ago?" Malfoy caught onto Ivy's words.
"Ha! You don't know, do you? Ivy is an ancient wizard; he went to Hogwarts over a hundred years ago!" Ron immediately jumped in, eager to make a good impression.
"Idiot!" Malfoy muttered, not wanting to argue further, and then turned to Ivy, "So you must know how the Sorting Ceremony works, right? I have to be sorted into Slytherin! If I end up in Gryffindor, I'll drop out and go to Durmstrang!"
"Save it! Gryffindor wouldn't accept someone as arrogant and narrow-minded as you!" Ron retorted, "But if I knew the exam questions ahead of time, I might've been sorted into Gryffindor… Fred and George said we'll have to duel a troll!"
"I think that's cheating! You shouldn't tell them the questions," Hermione interjected, clearly disapproving of any form of cheating and trying to stop Ivy from revealing any answers about the Sorting.
"Give it a rest, buckteeth!" Malfoy snapped, not having time to respond to Ron's taunt, so he directed his venom at Hermione, the last person to speak.
"I mean... if it guarantees we won't be expelled from Hogwarts..." Harry hesitated. Having lived his whole life in the Muggle world, his biggest fear was being forced to leave this new and magical world. So, which house he would be placed in wasn't something he was yet considering.
Even Neville, Goyle, and Crabbe, who had been silent, looked at Ivy expectantly.
Ivy sighed, "Alright… I have to say, that's a memory I don't want to recall…" He shook his head. "But, according to the rules, I can't tell you the details… though I can assure you, it will cause great harm to some of us."
"Again with this!" Malfoy muttered in frustration, "Everyone who knows refuses to tell me the truth! My mother just shakes her head, and my father tells me not to ask too much!"
"Are we going to fight a troll?" Ron asked, hopeful that Ivy would say "no."
"That's impossible!" Unfortunately, it was Hermione who spoke up, "It must be the exam! They'll separate us according to our scores!"
"But Ivy said there's no hierarchy among the four houses. If we're ranked by our grades, how do they guarantee that we'll go to the house we want?" Harry asked, having had some schooling in the Muggle world.
"Maybe the students with the best grades get to choose their house? And those with lower grades will be placed where they're needed?" Hermione mused, shaking her head. "Though it's been fun chatting with you guys, I need to go study. I need to make sure I get into Gryffindor or Ravenclaw."
Crabbe and Goyle, who had been blocking the door, stepped aside respectfully for Hermione, allowing her to see Neville, who had been waiting outside.
"Oh! Neville! We were coming to help you look for your toad!" Hermione suddenly remembered her purpose. "...Maybe we could... no, we'll help you look some more."
Though she hesitated for a moment, she chose to help her friend over studying.
But Neville declined her offer. "The toad's in the train... it'll come back. Studying is more important... if you'll let me study beside you…"
"That's great! I'll guide you through your revision!" Hermione said eagerly, grabbing Neville and leading him back to their compartment.
Before leaving, she turned back and said, "We don't have much time, you should probably get your uniforms on now, before things get too hectic."