Sterling had barely taken his seat at the long blue table when Hermione approached, bringing along a tall boy wearing round glasses.
"I'm Robert Hilliard, but you can just call me Robert. It's wonderful to see our House welcoming such an excellent Hatstall," Robert said warmly, extending his hand. Sterling politely shook it, and Robert returned to a circle of older students, apparently having come over simply to introduce himself.
"He's our Ravenclaw prefect," Hermione explained quietly. "Like a class monitor, but for the entire House."
Sterling suddenly understood. If Robert was indeed a prefect, it made perfect sense for him to make a special effort to meet a "potentially excellent student". According to Professor McGonagall's earlier explanation in the antechamber, there would be House Cup competition throughout the semester, so recruiting promising students was clearly beneficial.
But what was a Hatstall? Sterling had read about this phenomenon in the school's history. It was the nickname students gave to first-years whom the Sorting Hat couldn't definitively place within five minutes of deliberation. Such students often possessed traits from multiple Houses and tended to be more exceptional than average students.
"I feel like I only exchanged a few words with the Sorting Hat. It couldn't have taken five full minutes, could it?"
"That's completely normal. I felt like I wasn't talking to it for very long either, but the senior students told me I sat there for three or four minutes. Almost a Hatstall myself," Hermione shrugged with slight regret in her voice.
"Speaking of which, didn't you originally want to be placed in Gryffindor?" Sterling remembered her enthusiasm when discussing Headmaster Dumbledore earlier.
"I did want Gryffindor more initially. You know, since the Headmaster is a Gryffindor graduate," she whispered, lowering her voice to ensure no one else could overhear.
If any Ravenclaw upperclassmen heard such a comment, they might assume Hermione looked down on their House... though at the time she had essentially admitted thinking Ravenclaw wasn't quite as prestigious as Gryffindor.
Hermione averted her gaze, nervously twirling a lock of her curly brown hair around her pinky finger.
"That reasoning just means that among current famous graduates, Gryffindor's Dumbledore happens to be the most celebrated. Well, I'll admit your 'best personal fit' argument genuinely convinced me. Besides, I heard that only Ravenclaw's common room includes a separate library section."
"That doesn't surprise me at all," Sterling smiled. He was about to elaborate further when Professor McGonagall called out the next name, effectively interrupting their conversation.
"Harry Potter!"
The Great Hall instantly erupted with excitement. Even the typically composed Ravenclaw upperclassmen couldn't resist leaning forward as far as possible while maintaining proper posture to get a better look at the famous dark-haired boy.
Many students whispered among themselves with barely contained enthusiasm. Sterling caught at least seven or eight different voices saying "Harry Potter" and "the Boy Who Lived".
Under countless watchful gazes, Harry placed the ancient Sorting Hat on his head.
Suddenly, an absolutely irresistible urge surged through Sterling's consciousness. He rubbed his eyes quickly and reactivated his magical vision ability.
A tremendously thick, brilliant golden thread far surpassing any single thread he had observed before appeared around Harry Potter's form.
It connected downward directly to Harry, then pierced upward through the castle itself, seeming to burst straight through the enchanted ceiling into the night sky beyond. The thread grew thicker rapidly, shining with dazzling intensity until it completely enveloped Harry, making him appear surrounded by a magnificent pillar of pure light.
Sterling felt his own magical energy surge wildly in response, as if growing exponentially alongside this mysterious "thread". A strange, indescribable sensation blossomed within his heart. Something ancient and mysterious was definitely awakening...
"GRYFFINDOR!"
The Sorting Hat's decisive declaration shattered the hall's tense silence, and the Gryffindor table immediately erupted into thunderous cheers and applause.
In Sterling's enhanced vision, the towering pillar of light separated completely from Harry the moment "Gryffindor" was announced. It exploded spectacularly into tens of thousands of individual golden threads that flew in every direction toward each wizard present throughout the Great Hall, then quickly assimilated into the existing coloured threads surrounding each person's body.
Exactly like the threads Sterling had previously observed on various wizards throughout his experiences.
Sterling instinctively reached out and caught one thread as it flew directly toward him. Rather than entering his body like the others, this particular thread gently curled around his fingertips before gradually dissolving into sparkling motes of light.
At that precise moment, the mysterious sensations building within his heart suddenly coalesced, unveiling their true nature through the violent expansion of his magical core.
A completely new magic, one uniquely belonging to Sterling Page alone.
Its name was "The Witness of the Author".
This designation appeared directly in Sterling's mind without any spoken incantation or perceived limitation. As long as he wished it, this magic would manifest as naturally as breathing itself.
If they weren't currently in such a public setting, Sterling would have immediately called forth this power to discover exactly what it could accomplish.
Hermione looked at him with obvious puzzlement, clearly noticing how he had stared intently at Harry for an extended period, then reached out his hand before withdrawing it, then seemed to drift into some kind of daydream... She had absolutely no idea what he was doing.
Sterling snapped back to normal awareness just as Blaise Zabini took his seat at the Slytherin table, and Professor McGonagall collected her parchment and departed with the Sorting Hat.
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore rose gracefully with a warm, welcoming smile, spreading his arms wide. Sterling watched him with careful attention. Although his magical vision had been primarily focused on Harry initially, he had caught a glimpse of the threads surrounding Dumbledore's form.
The sheer quantity of magical threads was nearly equivalent to what he'd observed at Ollivander's wand shop. This was undoubtedly the greatest concentration he had seen on any living person.
"Welcome!" Dumbledore declared warmly. "Welcome to Hogwarts for the start of a new school year! Before our feast begins, I wish to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
"Thank you very much!" He sat back down cheerfully, leaving the young wizards completely bewildered by this peculiar introduction.
"What did he just say...?"
Hermione pondered this mystery while Sterling quickly transferred food that had magically appeared on the tables after Dumbledore's speech onto his own plate.
"I have no idea what he meant, but I do know that there aren't enough lamb chops for everyone at the Ravenclaw table to have one."
Sterling gestured toward a platter of delicious-looking lamb chops that had already lost five portions to hungry students in the brief time since their appearance.
Hermione immediately set aside her confusion and quickly claimed one for herself.
After spending the entire day travelling on the train, having consumed only some candy and sandwiches, and still being growing adolescents, everyone felt genuinely ravenous.
Sterling proved the most enthusiastic eater among them, having just experienced a significant magical event that had consumed considerable energy. Though using his magical vision previously had required no effort, simply staring at that pillar of light had left him feeling more exhausted than running around his entire house ten times.
After the magnificent feast concluded, Headmaster Dumbledore rose once again to emphasise several important school rules, including the rather ominous restriction regarding the fourth-floor corridor. The Forbidden Section, he warned gravely, should be avoided by anyone who didn't wish to die a most painful death...
If such a genuinely dangerous place existed, perhaps it shouldn't be located within a school?
Or did magical schools simply not prioritise student safety as highly as Muggle institutions?
When Sterling shared these concerns with Hermione, her eyes widened with alarm. She declared she would immediately check "Hogwarts: A History" upon reaching their dormitory.
Finally, Headmaster Dumbledore led the entire student body in singing the school song... Sterling firmly decided he would bring earplugs next year or learn some spell to temporarily block his hearing.
Honestly, even the dwarves in the dream world didn't sing quite so badly. They might sound unpleasant, but at least they managed to stay reasonably in tune...
Afterward, Robert led the new Ravenclaw first-years toward the castle's western tower.
"Our common room is located at the very top of this tower. The sky itself is Ravenclaw's natural home, just like our House emblem suggests," Robert explained while guiding them, his gentle tone helping to dispel some lingering unease among the young wizards. Away from the lively atmosphere of the Great Hall, the loneliness and anxiety of leaving home for the first time were beginning to surface.
"Many people claim that Ravenclaw is the wisest House, and I must say that reputation isn't merely rumour. While every House produces students to be proud of, if you examine historical academic records, you'll discover that Ravenclaws consistently earn the most 'Outstanding' grades and almost never receive 'Poor' marks."
Robert glanced back, offering an encouraging wink to a particularly nervous-looking young witch.
"I should mention that 'Outstanding' represents the highest possible grade, while 'Poor' indicates... well, poor performance. Though of course, 'Poor' isn't actually the lowest grade possible. I believe none of our students have ever received a 'Troll' grade before graduation."
They climbed a seemingly endless spiral staircase to reach the tower's peak, where they found themselves facing a smooth oak door decorated with a bronze eagle-shaped door knocker.
"Our common room possesses a very distinctive feature..."
"The private library..." Hermione whispered excitedly, but Robert's sharp hearing caught her words, and he smiled while nodding approvingly.
"Oh, our private library collection is indeed unique among the Houses, but our most special characteristic isn't that particular feature. It's actually our door knocker."
He positioned himself beside the bronze eagle, speaking with theatrical flair:
"Ravenclaw never rejects those who possess genuine talent. Knowledge recognises no boundaries whatsoever. Therefore, we don't use a password system like the other Houses. Instead, we rely entirely on this enchanted knocker."
He rapped firmly on the bronze eagle, and an ethereal voice emanated from it:
"When you speak my name, I disappear completely. What am I?"
"Silence," Robert answered without the slightest hesitation.
The door opened soundlessly, but Robert immediately closed it again for demonstration purposes.
"This is our Ravenclaw 'gatekeeper'. We don't reject visitors from other Houses, provided they can successfully answer the knocker's riddle. Similarly, even Ravenclaws themselves must wait sadly for someone to assist them if they cannot solve the puzzle."
"But be warned! Visitors who answer correctly and enter on their own merit will be welcomed warmly, but those who are simply brought inside by others will not be treated kindly. Ravenclaw welcomes only the truly intelligent."
Robert stepped aside to provide access to the bronze knocker.
"So then, would anyone like to volunteer to go first?"