#12 - Section 12

Tonight's dinner was arguably the most lavish of the entire year at Hogwarts, featuring roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, steaks, boiled and roast potatoes, fried potatoes, chips, Yorkshire pudding…

Even the pickiest of young witches and wizards could find something to their liking, and even by Ethan's discerning standards, the food was indeed quite delicious.

Once Ethan had eaten his fill, he struck up a conversation with the attractive older student beside him: "Prefect Clearwater, what exactly did Dumbledore mean by 'nitwit,' 'blubber,' 'oddment,' and 'tweak?'"

"Those are supposed to be each house's views of the others. 'Nitwit!' is what we Ravenclaws think, believing ourselves to be the cleverest, and everyone else is just a nitwit.

"'Blubber!' is what Gryffindors think, seeing themselves as the bravest, and everyone else is just a crybaby, a blubberer.

"'Oddment!' is what Slytherins think, believing their superior pure-blood lineage makes them the elite of the wizarding world, and everyone else is just leftover scraps, oddments.

"'Tweak!' is what Hufflepuffs think, seeing themselves as loyal, honest, and united, while everyone else is just awkward and not team players."

Penelope paused for a moment to articulate her understanding.

Penelope Clearwater, a Muggle-born student in her fifth year, had been selected as a prefect over the summer due to her excellent grades and management skills, and she was responsible for welcoming the new students this year.

In Ethan's eyes, Penelope was a beautiful upperclassman with brown hair, blue eyes, delicate features, and a curvaceous figure. Compared to flat-chested little girls like Cassandra and Hermione, Penelope was far more alluring.

[In the original work, it is only mentioned that Penelope is one year younger than Percy, but they could also be in the same grade. Harry is also almost a year younger than Hermione, and the twins are in the same grade as Cedric, but the twins are not old enough to participate in the Triwizard Tournament.]

Chapter 21: The Ravenclaw Common Room

"Oh, now that everyone is full and satisfied, I have a few more words to say!"

After the remaining food vanished, Dumbledore stood up, faced the entire hall, and magically amplified his voice.

"As we begin another year, I would like to bring a few items to everyone's attention."

"First-year students, please note that the forest on the school grounds is strictly off-limits to all students, and of course, some of our older students should remember this as well."

As he spoke, Dumbledore glanced pointedly towards the Gryffindor table. Ever since those two little troublemakers arrived, there had been no peace at the school.

"Also, Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to remind you that magic is not to be used in the corridors between classes."

"Quidditch tryouts will be held during the second week of the term. Students who wish to represent their house team should contact Madam Hooch."

Upon hearing this news, the hall immediately erupted into excited chatter, with many students boasting about their skills and claiming that it would be an injustice if they weren't selected for the Quidditch team.

It was clear just how popular Quidditch was at Hogwarts.

"Finally, I must tell everyone that those who do not wish to meet a nasty end should not go to the fourth floor, right-hand corridor."

Ethan shook his head. Dumbledore was already setting a trap for Voldemort!

He was blatantly telling everyone that there was something in the fourth-floor, right-hand corridor, something that hadn't been there last year.

At the same time, this announcement would attract not only Voldemort but also the adventure-seeking Gryffindors, especially those twin brothers.

"Now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Dumbledore announced loudly.

The smiles of the other teachers seemed to freeze.

As Dumbledore waved his wand, a golden ribbon floated into the air, twisting and coiling like a snake above the tables, displaying the lyrics.

"Everyone choose their favorite tune."

"Ready, sing!"

And so, the entire student body stood up and sang at the top of their lungs:…

The school song was hijacked, and not by anyone else but the Weasley twins.

Because they had chosen the 'Funeral March.'

"New students, follow me. I'll take you to your dormitories."

Penelope stood up and gathered the young Ravenclaws, which numbered only ten.

Ravenclaw consistently had the fewest students each year, and this year was no exception.

Leaving the Great Hall, they walked down a long corridor to the west tower, and then began climbing a long, steep spiral staircase that seemed to go on forever.

Yes, very characteristic of Ravenclaw.

Or rather, each of the four houses' dormitories had its own unique characteristics: eagles soaring through the sky, lions overlooking their territory, snakes enjoying the shadows and dampness, and badgers residing underground.

At the top of the spiral staircase was a wooden door without a handle, with only a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle attached to it.

"Unlike the other houses, we Ravenclaws can only enter by answering the question posed by the bronze knocker."

"Who wants to try?"

Penelope looked at the group of new students.

They looked at each other, but no one volunteered.

Although those who were sorted into Ravenclaw were all intelligent (even if some were only clever, like Lockhart), they wouldn't put themselves in a potentially embarrassing situation without fully understanding the circumstances.

"Ethan, would you like to try?"

After looking around, Penelope turned her gaze to the young wizard who had been chatting with her so enthusiastically, even going so far as to call him by his first name.

Based on the Sorting Hat's quirks, Ethan was likely the most outstanding of the four houses this year.

"No problem!"

Ethan stepped forward, wanting to test the waters.

How could he not go out at night after arriving at Hogwarts? And when he came back, he would definitely have to open the door. He couldn't just wait for another Ravenclaw to answer and then follow them in, like during the day.

"Knock on the knocker three times, and it will ask a question."

Ethan did as he was told.

"What can demonstrate the existence of a thing?"

A mysterious and magnetic voice rang out.

"Use it!"

Ethan replied confidently.

"A good answer!"

The knocker gave Ethan an affirmative answer and opened the door to the common room.

Penelope gave Ethan an appreciative look. She had only seen Ethan answer the knocker's question so quickly and accurately among the new students.

Last year's group of new students had taken a long time to think and try several times before finding the correct answer.

Walking into the Ravenclaw common room, the interior had an overall circular layout. The floor was covered with a deep blue carpet, the ceiling was a star-studded dome, the walls had elegant round windows, hung with blue and bronze silks, and in the middle of the common room was a white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw.

Of course, the most eye-catching thing is the array of books. The walls are lined with bookshelves, and about eighty percent of the space is filled with books.

These precious collections include donations from Ravenclaw students after graduation, gifts from alumni, and contributions from successive headmasters.

Once all the young wizards had entered, Penelope stepped forward again to deliver the annual 'speech'.

"First of all, welcome to Ravenclaw..."

Mainly, she talked about Ravenclaw's glory, the honor of the house, and personal pursuits.

Having been fed a lifetime of motivational speeches in his previous life, Ethan didn't feel anything special, but the young wizards beside him were quite excited.

With the speech over, Penelope breathed a sigh of relief. Everything had gone smoothly today.

Before leaving, she mentioned a rule of Hogwarts, a universal one.

Boys are not allowed to enter the girls' dormitory, but girls can enter the boys' dormitory.

[Thank you to the generous patrons 109 ★Supreme★ and yjq9 for the monthly tickets]

Chapter 22: Roommates

The Ravenclaw dormitories are standard four-person rooms, with four-poster beds draped with bronze curtains, adorned with sky-blue decorations, similar to the common room, where the main colors are blue and bronze.

Through the windows of the room, one could clearly see the distant mountains and wilderness, as well as the Quidditch pitch below.

Ravenclaw has ten new students this year, and the boys just filled one dormitory.

Terry Boot, seemed to be sorted quite early, a slightly thin, dark-haired boy who talked a lot.

Michael Corner, brown-haired and lanky, was quieter.

Gin Croft, blonde and a bit chubby, liked to smile.

After putting away his luggage and washing up briefly, Ethan climbed into bed.

He certainly couldn't go out for a night stroll tonight. The staircases at Hogwarts move, and he wasn't familiar with the way. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to find his way back.

"Before this summer, I never imagined this day would come. I'm actually a wizard. My parents are Muggles. My dad works at a bank, and my mom is a full-time housewife. When we received the acceptance letter, we thought it was a prank."

"Fortunately, Professor Sprout came to explain everything, otherwise I might not have been able to come to Hogwarts."

Terry Boot leaned against his bed, excitedly talking to the two of them.

Freshly entering the magical world, he was too excited to sleep.

"As for me, I don't know if I count as a half-blood. My mom is a witch, but also Muggle-born. She said that after graduating from Hogwarts, she returned to the Muggle world, and my dad is just an ordinary person."

"It's just that before receiving the acceptance letter, my mom never revealed that she was a witch. The moment she said it, my dad was terrified."

"Also, my mom originally attended Hufflepuff. I thought I would be going to Hufflepuff too."

Michael Corner wasn't as excited. On the contrary, he seemed preoccupied.

He learned from his mother that Muggle-born wizards don't have an easy time finding jobs after graduating from Hogwarts. Even if they do, they aren't good positions. So, not many Muggle-born wizards remain in the wizarding world. For example, his mother hadn't used her wand in over a decade.

That day, to prove she was a wizard, his mom rummaged through boxes at home to find her wand, finally finding it in the innermost part of the storage room.

"My parents are both wizards. Mom graduated from Slytherin, and Dad graduated from Gryffindor. They both work at the Ministry of Magic now. According to my dad, my mom was the one who pursued him first. Before coming here, they were always discussing whether I would end up in Gryffindor or Slytherin. I didn't expect..."

Listening to Gin Croft, Ethan felt that this was a standard protagonist template from a wizarding family. If he had some talent, it would be even more so.

"Terry and I are in the same situation. Both of our families are Muggles. Professor McGonagall came to deliver the acceptance letter."

Ethan also briefly described his situation.

"By the way, Ethan, you took over ten minutes to be sorted today. I heard from the older students that this is a Hat Stall. How did you do it?"

Terry was curious about this. He learned from others that this was quite an extraordinary thing.

"I didn't do anything. The Sorting Hat was just struggling with which house I should go to."

Ethan naturally wouldn't say that the Sorting Hat was trying to sell him on Azkaban.

"If the Sorting Hat struggles, it must mean you're suitable for multiple houses. You must be very talented. No wonder the older students are so excited."

Terry said with admiration. He had only worn the hat for two or three seconds before being sorted.

However, being sorted into Ravenclaw was also good.

Next, the four of them chatted about various topics, from Diagon Alley, Gringotts, choosing wands, vacation life, all the way to today's Hogwarts Express.

But most of the time, Terry was talking, while Ethan, Michael, and Gin occasionally chimed in.

Before long, the dormitory gradually quieted down. First, Michael fell asleep, then Gin stopped making noise, and Terry couldn't hold on any longer. After saying good night to Ethan, he also fell asleep.

They had rushed to the station early in the morning, then taken a train for over ten hours. Now that they were full, they were naturally prone to sleep. It was already good that they had held on until now.

Ethan was staring at his panel at the moment.

After entering Hogwarts, he had completed two achievements so far.

[Hogwarts]

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, Teach us something please, Whether we be old and bald Or young with scabby knees, Our heads could do with filling, With some interesting stuff, For now they're bare and full of air, Dead flies and bits of fluff, So teach us things worth knowing, Bring back what we've forgot, Just do your best, we'll do the rest, And learn until our brains all rot.

Achievement Objective: Arrive at Hogwarts (1/1)

Achievement Reward: Random Talent

[Ravenclaw]

We come from the lakeside, we are wise and knowledgeable, we love to study, we are different, we are visionary, we never give up, we are Ravenclaw

Achievement Objective: Join Ravenclaw House (1/1)

Achievement Reward: Improved Thinking Ability, Spell Talent, Alchemy Talent

These rewards are quite generous. Talent abilities are definitely stronger than rewarding a spell.

And the reward for joining Ravenclaw can only be described as amazing.