It was nighttime.
Summer was coming to an end, and the Scottish Highlands were still stifling. The orange sunset shone faintly through the windows, casting dappled light and shadows across the third-floor room of the castle.
The room was even more spacious than expected, divided into two main areas: an office area with a desk and bookshelves, and a living area with a sofa and coffee table, perfect for entertaining visiting professors or confined students.
Further down the corridor was the living area, complete with a bedroom, storage and work space, and even a bathroom, perfectly suitable for apartment-style suites.
The bedroom was spacious and well-equipped with wardrobes. The bed was an oak canopy bed, its carvings and patterns of Elizabethan style, aged to a deep amber tone.
"All-inclusive accommodation, two days off per holiday, and winter and summer vacations each year. It's truly an exceptional package..." Melvin climbed onto the bed, then sat sideways and rocked a couple of times, satisfied with the results of his busy day.
The bed was neatly made, the mattress the perfect size. Despite the slight color contrast between the springs and the room, it remained quite comfortable overall.
It was a new Mill Creek mattress, with independently wrapped springs and coconut latex padding, offering just the right firmness.
Hogwarts provided a full range of amenities, but he wasn't used to them, so he brought his own.
There was also a gas office chair, a portable Panasonic turntable, a wind-up clock, and a pile of books, office supplies, snacks, and drinks.
"After all, I'm a Muggle Studies professor, so it's normal to carry some Muggle items..."
Melvin sighed, looking around the now-filled room.
He couldn't live without technological conveniences, but not without the wonders of the magical world either.
Nine months had passed since he left Ilvermorny and returned to the magic school as a professor at Hogwarts. Compared to his days on Broadway, although it was his first time stepping into the castle, he felt a sense of stability and security.
He was a little worried. If Director Fontana knew he had left Ilvermorny without even receiving his diploma, just to go straight to Hogwarts, he would be furious and bury him under the Snake Tree.
As he sat at Hogwarts, reminiscing about Ilvermorny, the sun had already set, and the pendulum of the clock vibrated faintly.
The start-of-term dinner was about to begin. Melvin got up, took off his coat, and pulled his suit from the suitcase.
According to Dumbledore, Hogwarts held several prestigious dinners each year, one of which was the start-of-term dinner. Professors were expected to arrive at the Great Hall before the students, and it was best to dress formally.
The magical world also has suits, although styles are not as elaborate as Muggle ones. In most wizards' minds, suits are uniforms for Ministry of Magic employees, making them more accessible to Muggles. Wizards' formal attire consists of wizard robes, with formal dresses used on particularly formal occasions.
Diagon Alley has shops like Tofan's and Madam Malkin's Robes. Hogsmeade has a boutique dedicated to elegant wizard clothing, and for those on a tight budget, there's always a second-hand robe shop. Melvin wore a suit and tie for the start-of-term dinner.
This professor had a bit of a Muggle vibe.
...
Learning about this castle from movie images and written stories is completely different from actually walking through its corridors and staircases.
The primary colors of the castle were dark, with sandstone and limestone walls and domes, eroded by time, creating a bluish-gray tone interspersed with black and gray speckles. Marble staircases offered a less austere neutral tone. The corridors were straight, flanked by hollow armors and busts of wizards, with their biographies engraved on pedestals.
Next to the hollow relief hung a green ribbon with the Slytherin House emblem printed on it. They had been the House Cup champions last year, and this color scheme would remain throughout the year until a new champion was decided the following summer.
Melvin descended the stairs more slowly. Memories of Hogwarts kept surfacing in his mind. The real scene before him gradually overlapped with the scenes of his distant memories, becoming vivid little by little.
He paused at the corner of the staircase for half a minute to understand the stair's rotation pattern before continuing downward.
There are a total of 142 staircases in Hogwarts, of varying widths and lengths. Some steps disappear suddenly, and others turn abruptly. If you enter in a hurry, it's normal to get stuck for half an hour.
The last step, not far away, led to the Great Hall, with two open, illuminated doors.
"You must be the new Professor Lewynter."
Before Melvin entered the Great Hall, a short, plump, middle-aged witch with long gray hair approached from the foyer. A kind smile lit up her face. "Pleased to meet you, Professor Lewynter. I'm Pomona Sprout, the Herbology professor."
She was the same witch he had seen busy in the greenhouse when entering the school.
"Hello, Professor Sprout."
"I saw you in the greenhouse this morning, but you were covered in mud and the smell wasn't pleasant, so I didn't call you. Come along, I'll introduce you to the other professors."
"Yes, ma'am..."
Melvin couldn't help smiling and followed her into the Great Hall.
The feast had not yet begun, and the four long house tables were empty, with only fruit and snacks. The guest of honor table was also empty. As he approached, he heard a voice coming from the adjoining room.
Following the voice, he entered the side door next to the guest of honor table and saw the other three Heads of House at Hogwarts.
The witch in front stood upright, dressed in an immaculate emerald green robe with the collar buttoned to the top. Her gray and black hair was styled in a tight bun. The calm gaze behind her square glasses paused on his suit for a few seconds and nodded:
"Welcome to Hogwarts, Professor Lewyn. I am Minerva McGonagall, the Transfiguration professor."
"Pleased to meet you, Professor McGonagall."
A thin figure, with a straight, hooked nose, greasy black hair falling on both cheeks, remained expressionless beside her. When he looked at Melvin, he gave a cold glance and said a name:
"Severus Snape, Potions."
Melvin nodded: "Hello, Professor Snape."
"Look! Filius Flitwick, I am the Charms professor!"
Professor Flitwick was a half-elf, short, just over a meter tall, but very agile. He approached in the blink of an eye and examined his suit with interest: "Is that Muggle clothing? It's really beautiful!"
"Yes, formal Muggle suits for men can be tailored to body shape. If Professor Flitwick is interested, we could go to London together this weekend. I know a very good prêt-à-porter shop."
"London? I thought it would be New York."
"Does Professor Flitwick know me?"
"Of course, it's been mentioned in the newspapers. I want to hear about Ilvermorny. How are your Charms classes? What do you teach?"
"I also want to know more about Hogwarts..."
The four Hogwarts heads and the new Muggle Studies professor gathered to chat. They asked about Melvin's experiences, and he also inquired indirectly about their pasts.
The four Hogwarts heads each had their own stories. One professor resisted revealing theirs, so the topic turned to Professor McGonagall's youth.
Professor McGonagall was a half-blood witch. Her father was a Muggle Church priest, and her mother, a witch who hid her identity, fell in love with a Muggle.
Minerva showed exceptional magical talent shortly after birth. As a baby, she couldn't control her own magic, which soon exposed her mother Isobel's identity as a witch. However, the family stayed together. Soon after, Minerva had two younger siblings, also witches and wizards.
There were no disturbances at the time, and Minerva successfully entered Hogwarts and graduated successfully.
While talking about the past, several professors became interested. Flitwick recalled excitedly:
"I still remember the Sorting Ceremony that year. When they put the Sorting Hat on her, she hesitated between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, and it took five and a half minutes to decide. The result was Gryffindor. What a pity!... By a hair, Ravenclaw could have had this exceptional witch."
Sprout added respectfully: "I enrolled during Minerva's fifth year. She was the Gryffindor prefect, top of the class, and demonstrated incredible talent in Transfiguration, being chosen as the best newcomer by Transfiguration Today..." McGonagall pursed her lips, with a slight smile.
"Filius was also quite good. The Sorting Hat nearly put him in Gryffindor. By fifth year, no student his age could last more than three minutes in a duel training session with Filius, not even the seniors. Soon after graduating, he became the Champion of the Wizard Duelling Tournament, a title he held for several consecutive years."
"And Pomona. She was only twelve when I graduated and had already tamed all the dangerous plants in the greenhouse."
"That was decades ago."
"Those wonderful school days... how nostalgic..."
Snape remained silent, observing the few people chatting and laughing. He had been listening but suddenly intervened:
"It's a pity that Professor McGonagall left something to regret upon graduation."
Melvin unconsciously asked: "Regret what?"
"As captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, I lost the last match against Slytherin before graduation. Even now, I still want to reclaim it, but unfortunately, I never have."
"..."
Flitwick and Sprout remained silent.
Melvin also stayed quiet. Why had he answered just now?
Snape knew how to talk.
Professor McGonagall frowned slightly: "That's because a Slytherin player committed a foul, which caused me a concussion and several broken ribs, and I couldn't continue the match."
"He received the sanction he deserved, and yet Gryffindor lost."
"Gryffindor defeated Slytherin many times afterward."
"Not counting the last five years..."
Flitwick and Sprout listened to their conversation, not wanting to interrupt or persuade. After all, in recent decades, the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup had mainly rotated between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Hearing them discuss these topics, they felt secret joy in their hearts.
They only felt slightly guilty for neglecting the new Professor Lewyn.
With mixed feelings, Flitwick rolled his eyes and reached to pull the corner of Melvin's clothing:
"Melvin, do you want to try the Sorting Hat?"
"Huh?"
"It can also help with teaching. We all went to Hogwarts as young students and experienced Sorting. Students in the same house are more willing to cooperate with us. Why don't you try it too?"
It was rare to see an adult wizard with a Sorting Hat. When Flitwick mentioned it, Sprout also became interested, even more eager than the person in question:
"Yes, try it."
"..."
Two professors surrounded Melvin, left the room, and headed to the open space in front of the guest of honor seats.
Each year, at the opening feast, a Sorting Ceremony is prepared for first-year students. A triangular stool is placed in the open space in front of the guest of honor seats, and the Sorting Hat is placed on it.
This is a pointed, wrinkled wizard's hat. The faded fabric is gray and brown. The folds are slightly bleached by starch, like crumpled, dry parchment. The tip of the hat tilts to the left, and the surface is covered with stains of varying depth. There is a twisted crack on the hat's brim. The thread ends at the crack's edge have worn into fuzz, and the composition of the speckled stains... is unknown.
The Sorting Hat is dirty and worn. Melvin lifted the hat's brim and examined it carefully inside and out. After several turns, he tried to mentally prepare himself and put it on.
The hat's brim swayed, darkening his vision.
His mind was a tangle of thoughts.
He had not used Occlumency; those memories did not reside in his brain but were hidden deep within his soul.
Seven years ago, when he set foot in Ilvermorny, the statues of the four houses reacted simultaneously. While Ilvermorny's house traits did not strictly match Hogwarts', in general, he likely met the requirements of all four houses.
The hat's brim radiated a faint, cold magical energy, barely brushing his hair. It did not penetrate deeply nor probe his mind's depths, as if capturing the chaotic thoughts overflowing from his brain.
"Oh!"
A weak voice echoed in his ear. "It has been years since... I've worn it on an adult wizard's head, and yet your thoughts remain so chaotic. When will you finally understand that thinking of dozens of things at once doesn't make you think faster or more efficiently; it only disorganizes your mind?"
Melvin was completely defenseless: I agree too, but the brain has its own ideas.
The Sorting Hat seemed to sense his thoughts and whispered:
"Do not be impatient, control your thoughts, and you can control your magic."
"Thoughts... magic?"
Melvin wanted to ask again, but the Sorting Hat changed the topic:
"Let's see, let's see, oh, complex adult wizard, not lacking courage, good heart, exceptional talent... complex, very complex..."
Melvin gradually calmed down. Just as he thought the Sorting Hat would hesitate for a moment and finally ask for his opinion, it seemed to sense something extraordinary, and suddenly shouted:
"Slytherin! Absolutely Slytherin!"
"??"
No, why did you suddenly choose Slytherin?
Haven't you asked my opinion yet?
Melvin looked up and found Flitwick and Sprout looking at him with complicated expressions, as if they were about to speak.
The other two professors had stopped arguing and stood side by side. Professor McGonagall said nothing, but her brow was slightly furrowed and her lips pressed.
Only Snape's expression seemed to soften, and he looked much more pleasant.
"Wow! Wow!"
The whistle of a train came from outside the window.
Just... still delaying.