“Oh, now that everyone is full and satisfied, I have a few more words for you all!”
After putting away all the uneaten food, Dumbledore stood up, facing the entire hall, and used magic to amplify his voice to reach everyone.
“At the beginning of the term, I want to remind everyone of a few important points.”
“First-years, please take note: The forest area on school grounds is off-limits to all students. Of course, our senior students should also remember this.”
As he spoke, Dumbledore glanced specifically towards the Gryffindor table. Ever since those two little ones enrolled, this school hadn't known a moment's peace.
“Also, Mr. Filch, the caretaker, asked me to remind everyone not to perform magic in the hallways between classes.”
“The tryouts for the Quidditch team will be held in the second week of this term. Any students wishing to join their house team should contact Madam Hooch.”
Upon hearing this news, the hall instantly erupted in noise. Many students boasted about their skills and how it was an injustice for the Quidditch team not to let them join, and similar topics.
It was clear how popular Quidditch was at Hogwarts.
“Finally, I must inform everyone, anyone unwilling to encounter an accident, a painful demise, please avoid entering the corridor on the right side of the fourth floor.”
Ethan shook his head. Dumbledore was already setting a trap for Voldemort!
He was openly telling everyone that there was something on the fourth floor, right corridor. If he hadn't said this last year, then it also marked that it was something new.
At the same time, this message wouldn't only attract Voldemort. For the adventurous Gryffindors, this would be a perfect place for exploration, especially for those twins.
“Now, before you all retire, let us sing our school song!” Dumbledore said loudly.
The smiles of the other teachers seemed to freeze.
With a wave of Dumbledore’s wand, a ribbon of golden light swirled in the air, like a serpent twisting and coiling high above the tables, forming rows of words.
“Everyone choose their favorite tune.”
“Ready, sing!”
Then, all the teachers and students stood up and sang with gusto: …
A perfectly good school song was ruined, not by anyone else, but by the twins.
Because they had chosen “Funeral March”.
“New students, follow me, I will lead you to your dormitories.”
Penelope stood up and gathered the newly-enrolled little Eagles together. There were only ten of them.
Every year, Ravenclaw was the house with the fewest students. This year was no exception.
They walked out of the Great Hall, along a long corridor, to the west tower. Then came a long winding staircase, seemingly endless and steep.
Well, it had the Ravenclaw touch.
Or perhaps every house dormitory had its own unique characteristic. The Eagles soared through the sky, the Lions dominated their territory, the Snakes reveled in darkness and dampness, and the Badgers dwelled underground.
At the end of the winding staircase, there was a wooden door without a handle, save for a bronze eagle door knocker embedded on it.
“Unlike other houses, we Ravenclaws only enter if we correctly answer the question posed by this bronze door knocker.”
“Who wants to try?”
Penelope turned to the new students.
They looked at each other, none of them willing to step forward.
Although all those who were sorted into Ravenclaw were intelligent (including those with a bit of cunning, like Lockhart), they wouldn’t easily put themselves in a potentially embarrassing situation without knowing the full details.
“Ethan, would you like to try?”
After scanning the room, Penelope focused her gaze on the young wizard who had been chatting with her so excitedly, even going so far as to address him by name.
Based on the Sorting Hat’s judgment, Ethan was very likely the most outstanding student among all four houses in this year’s intake.
“No problem!”
Ethan took a step forward, ready to give it a try.
How could he possibly come to Hogwarts without a nighttime exploration? And after a night exploration, he would definitely need to open the door. He couldn’t just wait like during the day. Even if he couldn’t answer, he could follow behind the other Eagles who managed to answer, and enter together.
“Knock on the door knocker three times, and it will ask you a question.”
Ethan did as he was told.
“Suitable for proving the existence of something?”
A mysterious, magnetic voice rang out.
“Use it!”
Ethan replied confidently.
“Correct answer!”
The door knocker confirmed Ethan's answer and opened the common room door.
Penelope gave Ethan an appreciative look. She had only seen Ethan answer the door knocker so quickly and accurately among all the new students.
Last year’s batch of newcomers took a long time to think and tried several times before finally finding the correct answer.
Stepping into the Ravenclaw common room, the overall layout was round. The floor was covered in deep blue carpets. The ceiling was a starry dome. Elegant round windows lined the walls, draped with blue and bronze silk. In the center of the common room stood a white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw.
Of course, what drew the most attention was the abundance of books. Bookshelves lined the walls, neatly arranged, with eighty percent of the space filled with books.
These precious collections were partly from the Ravenclaw students, who chose to leave them behind after graduating, and partly from donations by graduates and contributions from headmasters over the generations.
Once all the young wizards had entered, Penelope stepped forward again, delivering her annual customary ‘speech’.
“First, welcome to Ravenclaw…”
She mainly talked about Ravenclaw’s illustrious history, the glory of the house, and their own pursuit of knowledge.
Ethan had heard enough of this kind of motivational talk in his previous life and didn’t feel anything special. But the other young wizards were quite excited.
Penelope took a sigh of relief after the speech ended. Everything went smoothly today.
And before leaving, she mentioned a rule of Hogwarts, a universal one.
Boys are not allowed in girls’ dormitories, but girls can enter boys’ dormitories.
【Thank you to大佬109★至尊★ and yjq9 for your monthly tickets】