19 Chapter 19: Start-of-Term Feast
Unable to read Alaric's thoughts, the Sorting Hat couldn't make a judgment about him.
After hesitating for a while, it finally yielded to Professor McGonagall's urging.
'Well, well, I'll make an exception this time. It's up to you to decide where you want to go boy. Which house do you choose?'
'Ravenclaw,' Alaric replied.
"Ravenclaw!" the Sorting Hat shouted loudly. Then, it left a parting message in his mind, "I will remember you, child."
Most Ravenclaw students were girls. When they saw such a handsome guy sorted into Ravenclaw, they erupted in joyful cheers, warmly welcoming Alaric.
Alaric sat among the girls, politely dealing with their enthusiasm. Most of them wanted to get to know him, and the older students, especially the girls, were eager for a romantic date with him.
Alaric had to gracefully decline one after another. During this time, he overheard Hermione and Cho Chang complaining, "Shameless."
Others inquired about the source of his cloak, and Alaric introduced his design and Madam Malkin's shop to them, earning admiration and praise.
This was his first time facing so many girls at once. If it were in his previous life during college, he would have been too nervous to speak. Now, however, he could handle it with ease—of course, dealing with college girls was much more challenging than dealing with the girls at Hogwarts.
The last one to cause a stir during the Sorting was, of course, Harry Potter.
Everyone wanted to see the boy who survived a deadly encounter with Voldemort. When he was sorted into Gryffindor, cheers erupted from that table.
The Weasley twins shouted, "We've got Potter! We've got Potter!" Even the Gryffindor ghost welcomed him.
The last three students were sorted:
- Lisa Turpin became a Ravenclaw.
- Ron Weasley was sorted into Gryffindor.
- Blaise Zabini was sorted into Slytherin.
Dumbledore stood up, looking at the students with a smile, spreading his arms wide. It seemed that nothing made him happier than seeing the students gathered.
"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you."
He sat back down. Everyone applauded and cheered.
However, in reality, all the young wizards were puzzled by his last words.
"What does that sentence mean?" Hermione frowned.
"Never mind that," Cho Chang replied. "Dumbledore is a great wizard, just a bit crazy."
"He's not crazy," Alaric interjected. "Read those words backward in Latin, and it's 'I am up to no good.'"
"You know Latin too?" Hermione was extremely surprised, even dropping her pumpkin pie without noticing.
"Yes, the day after I decided to go to Hogwarts, I started learning Latin—" Alaric replied while enjoying a plate of roasted lamb in front of him.
"I also studied Ancient Celtic and Old Norse, which are historically significant and have a mythological flavor. I thought learning magic might require them, and it turns out I was right."
"Old Celtic and Old Norse too! I don't even know what they are!" The girls were amazed at his genius and erudition, especially Hermione.
As a fellow top student, she genuinely admired Alaric, feeling defeated in the face of such a prodigy.
Next was the time to eat. Alaric thoroughly enjoyed the delicious food at Hogwarts, despite the universally known fact of British cuisine.
Although it was well known to the world, the wizarding world in Britain is completely different from the Muggle world. He is overwhelmed by these delicacies. Aside from being a bit too sweet, he found every dish praiseworthy.
"If I were from the modern world, I would love them even more," was Alaric's final evaluation. However, even Cho Chang didn't catch the meaning.
After everyone had their fill, Dumbledore casually waved his wand, and instantly, all the dishes disappeared.
He stood up, and the hall returned to silence.
"Oh, now that everyone is full and had enough to drink, I have a few more things to say. First-year students, be aware that the Forbidden Forest on the campus is strictly off-limits. Some older students should also take note of this."
"Also, Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has reminded me to tell you not to use magic in the corridors during breaks."
"The Quidditch tryouts will be held in the second week of this semester. Those who want to join their house teams, please contact Madam Hooch."
"Lastly, I must inform you all that anyone who doesn't wish to encounter accidents, painful deaths, please do not enter the corridor on the third floor to the right."
The new students were in discussion, and even Hermione was asking Cho Chang for explanations. But even Cho Chang found the last rule inexplicable, claiming it was newly added this semester.
Only Alaric knew that the biggest surprise of the school year would come from that corridor.
However, judging by the lively discussions among the students, legends like "Hogwarts' Seven Wonders" were popular both in both worlds.
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