"Tell me it's not true, Ivy!" Ron looked worried, clearly convinced by Hermione's words, "I haven't even glanced at the textbooks!"
Hearing this, Harry immediately felt a little more at ease. After all, when they returned from Diagon Alley, Harry had at least skimmed through the textbooks. He hadn't memorized much, but it should be better than Ron's, right?
"Don't worry. I haven't looked much either." Harry comforted, "But Hermione's right. Maybe we should put on our robes."
"So…" Malfoy hesitated, "Is it true what the rabbit-tooth Granger said, Ivy? About the Sorting being based on exams?"
"Hmm…" Ivy shrugged, "I have to say, reading more books wouldn't hurt you."
"Damn it…" Malfoy frowned, "I should've worked harder at home... Although I'm not sure if it'll help, we should head back, Crabbe, Goyle. Anyway, thanks, Ivy." It seemed Malfoy took Ivy's words as a subtle piece of advice.
After the Malfoy trio left, Ron and Harry quickly began rummaging through their bags, pulling out their textbooks and robes.
Once they had hurriedly changed into their robes, the compartment was filled with the sound of silent reading. Ron was looking at A History of Magic, while Harry was reading Potions and Elixirs.
The soft muttering of spells didn't last long before it faded into a low, raspy murmur—Ron had fallen asleep.
————
"In five minutes, the train will arrive at Hogwarts. Please leave your luggage on the train; we'll have it delivered to the school," a voice from the loudspeaker echoed through the compartment, waking Ron and Harry from their sleep.
"Oh— I fell asleep!" Ron muttered with annoyance, "This is bad!"
"Me too…" Harry felt his stomach churn as the exam loomed ahead, but he forced a smile, comforting Ron, "Well, looks like we can only be sorted into one house now."
Though it sounded a little pessimistic, sharing the burden made it feel lighter, and Ron's pale face slowly regained some color.
They grabbed their textbooks from the floor and hastily stuffed them back into their bags, peering out of the compartment door.
The corridor was already crowded with people. Even though the train hadn't stopped yet, it seemed that every student, whether first-year or returning, was eager to get back to Hogwarts.
As the train slowly pulled into the platform, the crowd jostled and hurried to disembark. The night air immediately refreshed the two sleepy little wizards.
Ivy took a deep breath in the cool air. "Hogwarts, here we are again."
Then, a lantern swayed above their heads, casting a dim yellow light that illuminated Hagrid's thick beard. "First-years! First-years, come this way! Harry, over here, how are you?"
The little wizards on the platform shuffled their feet and gathered around Hagrid's large figure.
After confirming the number of students, Hagrid led them down a narrow path.
Soon, a vast, dark lake came into view—the Black Lake. This was the same path the four founders had taken when they first arrived at Hogwarts.
On the opposite shore of the lake, a towering castle stood, its spires reaching into the sky, and the flickering light from its windows shone like stars reflecting in the water.
"Each boat can carry no more than four people!" Hagrid pointed to the boats used to cross the lake, and everyone began boarding in pairs.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville sat together, while Ivy was invited onto a boat with the Malfoy trio.
Hagrid stood alone on his boat, and once all the students were settled, he began steering the boats across the lake.
Ivy ran his fingers across the dark surface of the water. A strange feeling of relaxation and peace spread through his body.
"I've never taken this path. Last time I enrolled, I rode a flying carriage, and on the way, we were attacked by a dragon."
Malfoy glanced at him, clearly interested in the mention of the dragon, but for now, he seemed more concerned with keeping his thoughts to himself.
"Head down!" Hagrid's shout rang out over the lake, and everyone ducked, except for Ivy.
He knew that only Hagrid, being half-giant, needed to duck; no young wizard would grow to 2.5 meters tall.
The little boats passed through the curtain of vines and arrived at a small dock.
Ivy recognized the damp, moss-covered shed as Hogwarts' boathouse. Few people came here because of the steep and slippery stairs.
But because of this, it had also become a popular meeting spot for some young couples.
Once everyone disembarked, Hagrid found Neville's toad. Neville cried out, "Thank Merlin!" and held up LeFou, which was making its first public appearance.
They climbed the stone stairs and reached a long corridor, the end of which led to the great hall, where the Sorting Ceremony and the opening feast would take place every year.
At the entrance to the hall was a massive, sturdy oak door. Hagrid raised his giant fist and knocked on it. To Ivy, it seemed more like he was smashing the door.
The oak doors immediately swung open, and a serious-looking witch appeared. Ivy recognized her—it was the famous Professor McGonagall.
Professor McGonagall led the first-years into the foyer and gave a brief introduction to the four houses and the hourglass used to determine the House Cup standings.
"In a few minutes, the Sorting Ceremony will be held in front of the entire school. I suggest you all take this time to tidy yourselves up a bit," she said.
Professor McGonagall's gaze briefly flicked over Neville's cloak, which was tied under his ear, and Ron's nose, before resting on Ivy's glowing Slytherin robe.
Ivy noticed her look and, with a flick of his wand, his robe transformed into the simple black school robe, blending in with the others.
Professor McGonagall's eyes widened in slight surprise but quickly hid the emotion.
"Very well," she said. "Once everything is ready, I'll come to fetch you. But please, remain quiet."
The crowd fell into silence, with everyone looking tense.
Hermione quietly recited knowledge she likely wouldn't need for the Sorting, while Neville eagerly watched her, trying to memorize a thing or two.
Ivy also noticed that Malfoy had subtly leaned closer to Hermione. Though he was facing away from her, his ears gave away his unease.