3 Chapter 3: The Sort Who Makes an Entrance

The summer went by quite quickly as the lessons continued. I worked virtually every day with Madam Rosmeta throughout the season, earning 3 galleons and a couple of sickles for myself, which was at least something.

The lessons with Professor Flitwick were a pleasure. He was able to explain the entirety of the first class materials on his own, whether it was potions, charms, transfiguration, or other important skills that all first-year students must learn. To say the least, he was an excellent teacher who explained everything simply and swiftly.

But one thing I noticed was that everything he taught was practical knowledge; there was no theoretical knowledge, and if there was, it was always an afterthought explanation. Of course, I asked him about it, and Flitwick said that the theoretical knowledge would be discussed in the special curriculum the school is currently creating for me.

I learned a great deal in one month, from the unlocking charm to the wand-lighting charm, and from the Wiggenweld potion to the forgetfulness potion.

It was quite fucking satisfying to learn that many things in just one month. To be honest, I'm rather pleased with myself.

It's August 31st, and the last private class I had to attend was today. Flitwick was staring at me, as he always did, and I was staring at a pineapple on top of the desk.

"Remember, Mr. Ashworth, focus," Flitwick urged. "The Severing Charm is a dangerous spell if used carelessly, therefore aim at the pineapple, not anywhere else."

I nodded at his advice and started to move my wand according to the wand movement that has been explained before.

As soon as I moved my wand like I was slashing the air, I recited the incantation.

"Diffindo!"

My wand's tip suddenly gleamed a light green, and it sent a crescent-shaped blade through the air, slicing the pineapple in half. The cut was precise and accurate; it was exactly in the middle of the fruit, with no defects or bumps in the sliced area whatsoever.

"You surely have a talent for casting spells; it's always a pleasure to watch a brilliant talent like you," the professor exclaimed joyfully. "It appears that this is the final lesson for the summer, Mr. Ashworth. I trust you've packed your things for tomorrow."

"I have, sir." I nodded, pocketing my wand. "But I must ask, where should I go? Should I follow the first years? Or simply went along with the rest of the students using the carriage?"

"You should ride in the carriage with the rest of the students." Flitwick informed. "Don't worry about not knowing where you are; I'll be waiting for you at the gate."

"All right, sir."

"These books are yours," he continued, patting the stack of books that was almost as tall as him. "So you should probably add this to your list of things to send to school."

"Sir, I'm afraid I don't have that much room in my suitcase." I laughed awkwardly. "I only purchased one."

"I'd always forgotten about your financial situation." Flitwick sighed and tossed something out of his bag towards me. "Here, don't tell anyone, including the ministry, that I gave that to you."

"What's this?"

"A pouch. I charmed it using the Extension charm," he explained.

What? Isn't that, like, illegal? And expensive? "Are you sure I can have this, sir? It must be expensive."

"Well, Mr. Ashworth, to me, it's just a simple charm," the professor said with a smile. "But, again, don't tell anyone, the use of that charm is heavily regulated, so you better keep it deep in your own pocket."

"Very well, sir. Thank you, sincerely."

"You are a genuinely outstanding student, Mr. Ashworth, and I hope you will continue to do well once the term begins," he remarked proudly, nodding at me. He then waved his wand, and his possessions floated after him. His books morphed into birds once more, and his bag into a dog-like creature. "So, good day to you; I'll see you tomorrow."

I nodded as the short professor went out of the room, heading to the school to prepare for the start-of-term feast.

======

As September arrived, it was time to depart for Hogwarts. After saying my goodbyes to Madam Rosmeta, I finally exited the inn after spending the summer there. It was wonderful to feel the air gradually cooling down, as I dislike the heat. Until today, I used to work all day and night, with the occasional study with Professor Flitwick, and even if I had free time, I would use it to practise magic, to at least catch up with the first year at the end of the month, and I had achieved that aim, at least in terms of practical knowledge.

It was still a long time before the Hogwarts Express arrived at the station, so I decided to explore Hogsmeade and see what it has to offer. I went carefully through the wizards and witches dressed in traditional wizarding garb, admiring the scenery with my uncolored Hogwarts robe.

I walked through Zonko's joke shop, merely seeing the products displayed in the window, and on to the plaza, where I see that, while not as colourful as in the game, it still exudes that warm vibe. Unlike the streets of busy cities, the air here is clean and refreshing. It's an incredible feeling to be here, however I still wish I was in a better situation.

I walked on, passing through the plaza and towards the village's outskirts, crossing a bridge before witnessing the wonderful fields that surrounded the town. Because fall is approaching, I could see the crops that had been planted being gently gathered by equipment that were plainly enchanted, as they moved on their own without being controlled by anyone.

I eventually just rested on the boulder, savouring the scenery and relieving some of the fatigue from all of the work and studying.

I felt something as I breathed in the fresh air. When I switched my gaze to the ground, I noticed wisps of magic encircling my foot, producing a pool of magical bubbles.

I obviously frowned at the sight. These sorts of things happened when the protagonist of that Harry Potter game went near an ancient magic hotspot. When I looked around again, I realised the wisps were attempting to guide me somewhere, as I could see traces of a line travelling in a definite direction, towards the fields.

Curiosity got the best of me, and after hearing whispers and seeing wisps near these kinds of things, I couldn't resist the urge to look it up, so I stood up, and seeing that the sun was still shining overhead, I reasoned that I'd have plenty of time until the train arrived in the evening.

So, with my suitcase in my right hand, my wand in the other, and the charmed pouch tied to my waist, I proceeded towards the place to which the wisps were guiding me.

It forced me to travel across the dirt paths of the fields, through freshly picked pumpkins and grains. The sickle was moving on its own, the scarecrow was happily dancing in the centre of the field, and the birds were snatching grains from the farmers.

It wasn't long until I reached the area's true outskirts. I saw an abandoned castle that had been let to rot, devoid of life and activity. I passed through the castle's ruined gate, and there was that boiling pool of silvery magic again in the centre of the courtyard, to which I simply went up.

As I moved closer to the bubbling pool of magic, the intensity of the bubbling increased, and I took out my wand to inspect it. Suddenly, the tip of my wand shone silver, I pointed my wand towards the air, and I could see that the bubbling pool of magic cooled down, but then streaks of light appeared, heading in three different directions.

Obviously, I have to follow it.

"Revelio."

I waved my wand in the air, and the secrets of the place flashed before my eyes. I could see that there were three items inside the ruined castle, two on the ground floor, but one of them is underground, and I have no idea how to get there.

I approached the castle building's closed entrance and examined it. Scaffolding could lead me upstairs, and the ladder is still in place, so that's my best lead right now.

So I climbed the ladder, reached the scaffolding, and proceeded to walk for a couple of steps, before I spotted a blocked entrance to the upper floor. It was blocked by roots and plants, so it's probably easy to get rid of.

"Incendio."

When I cast the fire-making charm on the vines, it soon burned off, clearing the path to the interior. I walked in; it was dark and damp, but there were two faint silvery lights hovering in each corner of the room. That's my reward for my trouble, I suppose.

So I approached both of them. When I touched the silvery light in the air, it travelled straight to my body, as though absorbed by my constitution. It was only a tiny warmth in my chest. When I touched the other one, it performed the same thing.

Now, the problem is that I need to get to the last one underneath, so I looked for an entry and found a pulley in the middle of the room, with a platform obstructing the passage to below.

I couldn't see a way that the pulley could lower the platform, so there was only one way to do this: cut the rope and jump onto the hole. Thinking this, I cut the rope again with the severing charm, and the platform fell to the ground.

It was quite a long fall, but I just decided to go with it and throw myself into the hole, falling down. With my feet touching the ground first, I managed to reach the desired floor, and I could see the glowing silvery magic hovering in the air.

As I absorbed the final piece, I finally felt something. I felt like something was residing within me, probably that ancient magic that I just absorbed. It feels like I could control my emotions more and become stronger overall. I dropped to the ground, my vision blurry, and I was breathing heavily as the magic flashes through my body.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I felt the sensation of the ancient magic fade away, but then I realised that I did not know how to get out of here. The only way out was through the hole leading upstairs, which I obviously couldn't reach.

So I looked around again, and I spotted an old giant container on the other side of the room. I could use that to reach the upper floor again.

"Wingardium Leviosa."

I waved my wand again, this time casting the levitation spell on it before directing it towards the hole I had previously created. While the container isn't tall enough for me to reach the upper floor, I could apply the Levitation charm on it again while I was on it, effectively creating a temporary elevator.

The container raised me towards the upper floor, and I jumped away from it before it dropped to the ground again, serving its purpose. It was then I noticed that it was already dark, and was raining heavily, a storm had enveloped the area. I was confused of course, I didn't think that I was in that castle for too long. So I dashed through the rain, jumped down the scaffolding and returned to the earlier location where I had witnessed the boiling pool of magic.

Instead of the bubbling pool of magic, I could only see a bizarre mirror in the middle of the courtyard that wasn't there before.

"This… isn't in the game…" I mumbled to myself as I approached the mirror with caution. Instead of seeing my reflection, I could see the scenery of a dark forest and a gate where students were exiting carriages. This is definitely a portal or some sort.

And what's the deal with this mirror? I don't believe those magical hotspots have such things...

Without a second thought as I was already soaked because of the rain, I touched the mirror, and in an instant, I was transported to the forest near the Hogwarts gate. When I turned around, the mirror had vanished, and there was nothing left.

I rapidly walked up to the gate, emerging out of the forest that is honestly giving me the chills, temporarily dispelling my bewilderment.

In front of the gate, I could see a worried Flitwick casting an umbrella charm at himself, holding his wand tightly as he looked around the gate, seemingly trying to find something, which of course was me.

"Goodness! Ashworth, where have you been?!?" He inquired loudly, also covering me with his umbrella charm. "The students are already in the castle, and the sorting ceremony is about to begin— Why did you emerge from the forest? And your trousers are dirty!"

"I- I got lost…" I chuckled awkwardly, and couldn't think of a good lie.

"Lost?! In the forest?! You could've died!"

"Well, I was out exploring, got lost, lost track of time, the rain started, and by the time I returned, the carriage had already left, so I could only walk here." I continued, building up slightly better lies.

Flitwick sighed. "You should've stayed in the station, and someone will come for you. Everyone's on edge, Mr. Ashworth, as an accident in the world cup just happened. Very well, let's proceed to the great hall before it's too late, but don't do it again."

======

After a long trek through the massive castle while the rain fell severely outside, the professor and I arrived in front of the great hall's door. As we neared, two living armours saluted us, and we came to a halt in front of the entrance. Flitwick peered inside, and it appeared that the sorting ceremony was about to end, so he coughed and looked at me.

When he saw my soaked apparel, he aimed his wand at me, and a stream of hot air hit my body, instantly drying my attire.

"All right, now just follow me," he said as he opened the door to the large hall.

As the professor and I entered the hall, the entire student body turned towards the door, staring at both of us, making me feel uneasy. The last first-year had already been sorted, and now it was my turn.

Flitwick nudged my back with his wand, urging me to approach the dissatisfied-looking McGonagall beside the tiny stool, and I just bore with it, approaching her gently as if I was approaching a hungry lion.

I've never heard the sound of my footsteps as loud as they are right now, and I could feel everyone's gaze on me as I continued walking through the great hall, staring at me curiously and intently. I could see the candles above; thunder roared outside; and the sound of heavy rain hitting the castle windows was audible, but again, I've never felt the sound of my footsteps as loud as it is right now.

Eventually, I noticed a certain boy looking at me as I passed by him. He was wearing his round glasses and had a peculiar scar on his head that was quite distinct. Of course, this boy was Harry Potter.

As I arrived at the stool and sat upon it, the still disappointed-looking Professor McGonagall then approached me, holding the sorting hat.

"Please be on time next time in class, Mr. Ashworth," she added quietly.

"I'll make certain of it, professor..." In embarrassment, I murmured.

McGonagall only sighed as she placed the Sorting Hat above my head, and the hat immediately performed what he was supposed to do: sort.

"A bit of an older one, I see..." The sorting hat laughed heartily. "Hm… Interesting, interesting..."

"What's interesting?" I inquired.

"You have a curious mind," he said. "It looks like your curiosity nearly caused you to be late for the sorting... But I cannot see anything else. You had an accident, correct?"

"You mean you can't see any of my memories? Yes, I was obliviated; it was an accident." Hm, he seems to be unable to tell me about my memories from before that cave.

"That's rather unfortunate. Well, I could only base what sort of house you would fit in on your recent memories... Therefore, RAVENCLAW!"

As the sorting hat announced the house I was sorted into, the table of Ravenclaws gave me a barrage of applause, but all of them seemed to be confused, as I certainly did not look like a first-year student. I could see Flitwick, though, excitedly clapping his hands near the door.

My hat was immediately removed from my head, and I rose off the stool. Professor McGonagall then waved her wand at me, and the previously uncolored parts of my robe turned blue, along with the Ravenclaw house insignia.

"Off you go." McGonagall urged, and I walked over to the Ravenclaw table, taking the only free spot. I saw the professor remove the stool and hat from the front, and Dumbledore rose from his seat, smiling at the students, hands spread wide in welcome.

"I have only two words to say to you," he told us, his deep voice echoing around the hall. "Tuck in!"

Foods of various kinds appeared on the table in an instant, and an appetising scent permeated the hall, urging everyone who smelled it to feast on the cuisine. The room quickly became raucous as teenagers of various ages devoured the food in front of them like creatures who hadn't eaten in a month.

Of course, I participated in the feast because I never say no to free food. At the very least, I believe it is free food.

I was eating the meal I had taken up when I observed this girl next to me, peering at me suspiciously while she ate pudding. It was only the beginning of the feast, but this girl had already eaten the dessert, so I knew who she was.

"Aren't you too old to be participating in the sorting ceremony?" She queried, appearing to be in a daze.

"I'm starting in the fifth year." I elaborated. "Late bloomer."

"I've never heard of anyone starting in their fifth year," she wondered, tilting her head.

"Well, I believe there were a number of incidents similar to mine, although it was centuries ago."

Instead of responding with words, the girl simply hummed before returning to her business of eating her pudding and without continuing the conversation.

When I saw this, I, of course, continued to eat my dinner. It was quite an unpleasant feast. People continued staring at me, as though they wanted to ask me something but lacked the guts to do so.

As the feast continued, the food on the table began to run out, but by that time, all of the students had finished eating, so the dirty dishes vanished, and the table was now spotless of any grease or otherwise.

Finally, Dumbledore stood up, this time in front of the owl lectern, where the owl statue suddenly stirred, extending its wings and signalling the students to be silent. Of course, after a few seconds, the owl had completed its mission, the students' attention was fully focused on Dumbledore, and its wings returned to normal.

"So!" The old headmaster smiled at his students, his voice quiet yet confident. "Now that we've all been fed and watered, I'd like to draw your attention to a few announcements—"

The headmaster then went on to say a few notices, such as the quidditch cup being cancelled this year, students below third year not being allowed to leave the Hogwarts castle, Mr. Filch's complaint, and other things that he would've said at the start-of-term feast this year.

But as he got to the part where he wanted to announce the Triwizard Tournament, "Moody" came in dramatically as he practically slammed the great hall's door open. Of course, the students' attention was drawn to him straight away, as if they were wondering about who he was. Dumbledore then introduced him to the students, and they whispered towards one another.

After that, the headmaster announced the tournament, and as expected, the students went wild. They were stopped short, however, when Dumbledore informed them that no one under the age of seventeen is permitted to enter.

Between objections, Dumbledore simply dismissed the students, and everyone stood up from their benches and headed towards the Great Hall's exit.

But I was called by McGonagall and Flitwick, who were standing in the hall's corner.

"Professor?" I responded to their call by approaching the school's two teachers.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Mr. Ashworth." McGonagall gave a restrained smile. "As you are sorted in Ravenclaw, Professor Flitwick here will be your head of house, so you can come to him if you ever need anything."

"I must admit, I expected you to be sorted into my house." Flitwick smiled.

"For the time being, Professor Flitwick will lead you to the Ravenclaw common room." McGonagall elaborated. "But, tomorrow, I will come for you first thing in the morning to explain the special curriculum that we have designed for you. So I expect that you will be awake by the time I arrive in your common room."

"Will do, professor." I agreed by nodding.

"Come." Flitwick said as he walked away from McGonagall towards the great hall's door. "It's quite a long walk from here."

======

After solving the Ravenclaw common room entrance riddle, Professor Flitwick and I walked up the stairs, and I noticed that the room was quite spacious and airy; the white marble statue of a woman stood proudly as I arrived at the floor; the bronze and blue curtains were neatly hung; and the domed ceiling displayed the night stars, coupled with the midnight blue carpet.

"Use the stairs to the right to get to the boys' dormitory." Flitwick explained, pointing at the staircases on the other side of the room, and by this time, the students who were still in the common room were looking at us. Flitwick then turned towards me, looking at me with a not-so-threatening smile. "The girls' dormitory is by the left, if you don't want to be impaled by the guards' halberds, then I suggest you avoid being near it."

Oh wow, that's... not alarming at all...

Hearing his not-so-subtle warning, I just nodded and smiled halfheartedly.

"Professor, is this a new student? A first year? He doesn't look like one though." A slightly older girl suddenly approached us, seemingly curious. It seems she was a prefect.

"Ah, he's indeed a new student," said Flitwick. "However, he will begin in the fifth year."

"Fifth year? Is that even possible?" the prefect asked again.

"While it is a rare case, it is indeed possible," answered Flitwick. "Anyway, Mr. Ashworth, you should be able to find your own dorm room now, as your suitcase will be in front of it. Professor McGonagall will find you in the morning, as she informed you."

"Professor, of course. Thank you." I said. The professor then left, and I strolled back to my dorm room, capping off a long day.