The door of the underground classroom opened and closed, leaving only Professor McGonagall and her two useless students in the room.
Her chest heaved violently as she glared at them like an angry eagle.
Finally, it was Ron who broke the silence.
"Professor, was that just now... a Phoenix?"
"Yes, it was a Phoenix!" Professor McGonagall seemed reluctant to elaborate, simply nodding it away.
"You'd better go to the Hospital Wing, Weasley, your eye is swollen."
"It's nothing." Ron hastily covered his eye, "Professor, did Headmaster Dumbledore just say that the Sorting is over?"
"Yes, just now..."
"Then where's my sister!" Ron asked nervously.
"Also in Gryffindor."
Hearing Professor McGonagall's answer, Ron said happily, "Oh, that's great."
Even though he hadn't seen it himself, the result was still satisfactory.
But mentioning Gryffindor, Harry seemed to suddenly remember something and quickly said, "Professor, when we took the car, school hadn't started yet, so Gryffindor shouldn't lose any points, right!"
Professor McGonagall gave him a stern look, but Harry noticed her lips weren't as tightly pressed anymore.
...
... As it turned out, Harry's words were effective.
Professor McGonagall did not deduct points from Gryffindor.
Although they were given detention and could only eat in the underground classroom, it was still much better than Harry had expected.
As she had to return to the feast, Professor McGonagall soon left.
Once the door closed again, Ron let out a long whistle.
"Lucky us..." He grabbed a sandwich sent by Professor McGonagall, "Just detention, it's much better than being expelled, and we didn't lose any points."
"I think so too." Harry also grabbed a piece.
"By the way, how's your wand."
"That's not my wand." Ron mumbled, mouth full of chicken and ham.
He pulled a rubber black codfish from his pocket and said, "It's a Trick Wand made by Fred and George, they probably wanted to prank me, so they swapped it with my wand."
"Luckily they did." Harry said with a smile.
"Yeah... It nearly snapped when we crashed into that tree." Ron thankfully put the black codfish back in his pocket.
"But we need to be more careful next time."
Harry took a sip of pumpkin juice, "I really wish we could join the feast..."
"Professor McGonagall didn't want us to show off," Ron said wisely, "She didn't want others to think coming to school in a flying car is something glorious."
"But Kael gets to go to the feast..."
"It's different, he came to school with a Phoenix, that's definitely worth showing off." Ron shrugged, "If it were me, I'd brag about it all year... anyone would."
"Phoenixes are rare, right?" Harry asked.
"Very rare, much rarer than Fire Dragons." Ron picked up a second sandwich, "Many people go their whole lives without seeing one, I've only ever seen one once at the Quidditch Pitch, remember? The match that was postponed."
Harry nodded...
He certainly remembered and was deeply impressed.
Just as the two were discussing the Phoenix, Kael was also brought to the Auditorium by Dumbledore.
As soon as he entered, he eagerly walked over to the Hufflepuff table.
Snape's face along the way was worse than Hagrid's dirty rag; he was uncomfortable being stared at.
By the time Kael arrived, the feast had already begun, but upon seeing him, everyone paused their actions, then suddenly became lively again.
Only now, mixed with some buzzing whispers.
But Kael didn't care about those, heading straight to the Hufflepuff table.
Cedric had saved him a seat.
As soon as Kael sat down, Cedric eagerly asked, "Did you also come here like Potter, in that flying car?"
"What flying car." Kael said absentmindedly, "If it were possible, I really wish it had."
"That was no joke." Conna frowned, "That car crashed into the Whomping Willow outside the castle, they were nearly squashed."
Hogwarts never kept secrets, before the Sorting was even done, Harry and Ron's escapade was already known to everyone.
"All the same..." Kael muttered softly, "Whether the Whomping Willow or being treated like a Bludger... all the same."
"What Bludger..." Cedric scratched his head, not understanding what Kael meant.
"Since you didn't take the car... How did you get here? Fred and George said you weren't home on the first day of school."
"It was Fawkes." Kael explained, "Dumbledore's Phoenix, it brought me from Dorset back to Hogwarts."
Afterwards, Kael briefly recounted his encounter with Newt, leaving those around him stunned.
Oh boy, an unexpected visit from a Phoenix, a Nundu giving birth, and being transported back by the Phoenix as a Disillusionment... Kael's recent experiences were more exciting than theirs in two years.
"A Phoenix..." Cedric exclaimed, "That must be amazing..."
Mikel and Ryan beside him nodded in agreement, they too wanted to have a close encounter with such a legendary magical creature.
"Trust me, you definitely wouldn't like the feeling." Kael waved his hand, speaking earnestly.
He still felt uncomfortable, with little appetite despite a table full of delicious food, he only nibbled on a pie and asked for a double lemon lemonade.
However, the Little Elves' lemonade was sour enough, but not bitter... not as effective.
Seeing him in this state, Cedric refrained from mentioning the Phoenix and instead pulled out a parchment saying:
"We received your letter during the holiday, this is the new map we made on the train following your method."
His voice carried a hint of excitement, "It's much more complicated than simply copying last year, but very popular... Fifty freshmen have already placed orders.
But those more expensive custom maps require your touch, as we lack experience in that area."
"How many are needed?" Kael asked.
"Twenty-five." Cedric replied with a smile, "There's a lot more demand for these maps this year, and they've all chosen us."
With another batch of Galleons coming in, Kael's mood improved a bit.
He turned to look at the head table, finding Professor McGonagall had returned, speaking with the flamboyantly dressed Gilderoy Lockhart.
But her expression was serious, lips pressed tightly, she didn't seem particularly happy.
...