The young Wizards were enjoying their meal, chatting happily.
The Professors also exchanged a few words during dinner, fostering camaraderie among colleagues.
Of course, a certain greasy-haired man was an exception.
Snape swallowed his food in small bites, most of the time fixing his gaze on the Gryffindor table, or more precisely, pinning it on Harry.
"Minerva, congratulations, that boy joined your Gryffindor," Sprout said to McGonagall with a chuckle.
McGonagall gently put down her knife and fork.
"It seems the Sorting Hat wanted to put Harry in Slytherin."
Shaking her head, McGonagall said, as if inadvertently, "But I heard Harry kept muttering, 'Not Slytherin, not Slytherin…'"
Hearing McGonagall's whisper, Snape's face twitched violently. He slowly spoke, his tone slightly cold, "He doesn't belong in Slytherin either."
Snape's gaze on Harry then intensified, but Harry never looked towards the teachers' table, so Snape never saw those emerald eyes.
While Snape was sulking by himself, McGonagall had already clinked glasses with Professor Flitwick.
"Filius, I must also congratulate you; Ravenclaw has gained an excellent student."
Filius Flitwick, Dean of Ravenclaw, Master of Charms.
"Oh, Minerva, are you referring to the boy named Lucien?"
McGonagall nodded, taking a sip of red wine.
"Yes, I believe you will like this student."
"His talent, well, it's quite good."
At this point, McGonagall felt a pang of regret that Lucien hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor.
If Lucien had gone to Gryffindor, perhaps decades later, the Wizarding World would have another great Wizard who graduated from Gryffindor.
Hearing McGonagall's evaluation, Flitwick was very surprised.
He understood the personality of his colleague of many years; Minerva would praise a student's diligence and commend their efforts, but she rarely praised a student's talent so directly and clearly.
This indicated that Professor McGonagall not only approved of Lucien's learning attitude but also greatly admired his magic talent.
This piqued Flitwick's curiosity even more.
"Thank you, Minerva, I will pay more attention to that boy."
Sprout, who was nearby, suddenly turned her head and asked McGonagall,
"I just remembered, isn't Lucien the student who bought a huge pile of books at Flourish and Blotts that day?"
"Yes, Pomona."
"Hehe, it's good to like reading, truly a student of our Ravenclaw."
"…"
Ravenclaw table.
Lucien had finished his meal and took a sip of juice.
He looked up and saw Hermione looking at him, so he raised his glass and offered a toast from afar.
Hermione, discovered by Lucien, quickly lowered her head and likewise raised her juice to return the toast to Lucien.
Then Hermione drank from her cup, hiding her flushed little face.
Though at that distance, Lucien couldn't see it anyway.
The Asian girl to Lucien's right was suddenly patted by her roommate, who whispered in her ear,
"Hey, Cho, he's finished eating. If you don't talk to him now, I'll go."
The girl called Cho pushed away her roommate beside her, her pretty face slightly red.
"I know, I know, don't rush me!"
She gave her roommate a glare, then Cho turned to face Lucien.
"Hello, Lucien, nice to meet you. I'm Cho Chang, I started a year before you."
As Cho introduced herself, a hint of surprise flashed in Lucien's eyes.
This was Cho? She's quite different from her movie portrayal.
The Cho before him was a beautiful girl with typical East Asian features, a cascade of black hair accentuating her fair skin, and a few freckles on her nose that didn't detract from her beauty but rather added a touch of playful cuteness.
"Hello, Cho, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Lucien offered a polite, impeccable smile.
Cho smiled faintly, revealing her pearly white teeth.
"You've just started; if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."
"Mhm, thank you."
Cho's roommate suddenly pounced on her back, resting her chin on Cho's shoulder:
"Hey, hey, junior, are you interested in Quidditch?"
"Let me tell you, Cho isn't just a great beauty, she's also our house's Quidditch Seeker!"
"Want to try joining the team? We're short on players!"
A blush appeared on Cho's cheeks.
"Marietta!"
"Who asks someone to join a team right after meeting them? Why don't you join yourself?"
Marietta pressed against Cho's cheek and said with a look of course,
"Don't you know my Flying Class grades?"
"Besides, boys are better at sports, right, junior?"
Saying this, Marietta even winked at Lucien.
"Quidditch sounds interesting, but I never had the chance to try it before."
Lucien dodged Marietta's question, but she clearly wasn't letting it go.
"It's great that you're interested! Quidditch is so much fun!"
"If you want to learn later, ask Cho to teach you."
Marietta even pushed Cho forward, bringing her a bit closer to Lucien.
Lucien, however, leaned back slightly, maintaining a polite distance.
"Hehe, if there's a chance."
Suddenly, the leftover food on the table vanished with a whoosh, and the tabletop became clean as new.
Dumbledore's booming voice echoed through the Great Hall:
"Children, the feast is about to end. I have a few announcements."
"First, the Forbidden Forest is strictly forbidden to students."
"Second…"
Since they were all full and satisfied, the young Wizards listened patiently to old Dumbledore's speech, though it wasn't long, just the usual old rules.
"Alright, to conclude the feast, let us sing the school song!"
Dumbledore used his wand as a conductor's baton, and dancing, ethereal musical notes flowed through the air, weaving among the teachers and students.
After the chorus ended, Dumbledore even wiped away tears from the corner of his eye.
"This sight always moves me."
Lucien, watching this scene from below, couldn't help but smile wryly.
He's an old man who's lived for a century, yet his emotions are still so rich.
Well, actually, that's right; a large part of the magic effects in this world depend on the Wizard's emotions.
Dumbledore himself proclaimed that the most powerful magic in the world is love.
As the strongest Wizard of his time, it seems there's no problem with old Dumbledore being full of emotions.
Dumbledore announced the end of the feast, and the first-year students were to be led back to their respective house common rooms by their prefects.
Ravenclaw's prefect was a tall boy named Robert Hilliard, with golden curly hair and thick-rimmed black glasses, yet he didn't have a bookish air; instead, he introduced himself to the first-years with a cheerful expression:
"Welcome, everyone, to Ravenclaw."
"Our house emblem is an eagle, an eagle soaring high in the sky."
"I'm not exaggerating, but our house truly has the smartest Wizards and Witches…"
Amidst Robert's eloquent introduction, the first-years arrived at Hogwarts' West Tower.
Climbing the spiral staircase to the very top, an eagle-shaped bronze knocker appeared before everyone.
"If five exceptionally intelligent Wizards obtain 100 Galleons and propose solutions in order. First, the first person proposes a distribution plan, then the five people vote. The plan is only passed if more than half agree, otherwise, he will be thrown into a Dragon's nest."
"As the first Wizard, how should you distribute it to get the most Galleons?"
As if sensing someone approaching, a mysterious, hollow voice suddenly emanated from the knocker.
Robert stepped forward and patted the knocker.
"Everyone, behind this door is our Ravenclaw common room."
"But to enter, you must correctly answer the question it poses."
"Well, would anyone like to try?"
A group of young Wizards began to whisper.
"Is entering the Ravenclaw common room this troublesome?"
"If we can't answer, will we have to sleep outside?"
"For this question, no matter how the first person proposes a plan, won't it ultimately be rejected by the others, and then they'll be fed to the Dragon?"
"Merlin's socks, is it too late for me to switch houses now?"
"…"
A young Wizard timidly said,
"I don't want any Galleons, I'll give them all to others, is that okay?"
The hollow voice still came from the knocker:
"Incorrect answer."
The young Wizard's face turned awkward, and he retreated.
Another young Wizard with a buzz cut stepped forward, looking disdainful:
"That's not simple? Just four Reductos, and aren't all the Galleons mine?"
Silence. The whole hall was silent for a few seconds.
A voice once again came from the knocker:
"Azkaban."
Immediately, an empty circle formed around the buzz-cut young Wizard.
Lucien also sized up this buzz-cut little brother.
This is a Gryffindor or Slytherin prospect, how did he end up here?
The Sorting Hat really isn't reliable.
Robert shook his head and smiled, trying to ease the tension:
"Haha, sometimes strength is the most direct way to solve a problem."
"In the Wizarding World, knowledge and power are often equivalent."
Robert also felt that the question posed by the knocker today was a bit difficult, at least not something these 11-year-old children could solve.
So he turned around, ready to answer the knocker; he had to lead his juniors back, after all.
Just as Robert was about to open his mouth to answer, a boy's voice sounded behind him.
"Give the fifth Wizard 2 Galleons, and the third Wizard 1 Galleon."
"The remaining 97 Galleons."
"Are all mine."
Hearing this answer, Robert was greatly surprised and was about to turn back to see which junior it was.
The common room door had already slowly opened.
The hollow voice came from the knocker:
"May your wisdom shine like the stars!"