Chapter 25: A Long and Cold Night

How lucky must one be...

To have a friend like Wilson Wright!

Everyone in the Great Hall followed Wilson's gaze towards the Hufflepuff table and saw the teary-eyed Cedric.

"Such a great friendship."

The Sorting Hat had no idea what Wilson was thinking.

After a sigh, the Sorting Hat's voice turned deep: "If you choose Hufflepuff, you must give up the Gryffindor sword that symbolizes courage. Are you willing to sacrifice your future for friendship? Gryffindor is where you truly belong..."

"..."

The entire Great Hall was silent.

For Wilson Wright, this decision required no contemplation, as he had already gained Gryffindor's greatest reward!

Wilson looked down at the Gryffindor sword in his hand, calmly loosened his grip, and let it go, signifying his decision.

"Very well, as you wish."

The Sorting Hat sighed deeply and began to tell the story of its creator: "The broken friendship with his friend was Godric Gryffindor's lifelong regret. If he were alive, he would be proud of your courage and loyalty..."

With these words, the Sorting Hat's voice suddenly became loud!

"Wilson Wright! Hufflepuff!"

"..."

The Great Hall was silent.

This silence lasted only a second before the Hufflepuff table erupted in cheers like a tidal wave!

Even Professor Sprout, the head of Hufflepuff, couldn't help but stand and applaud, celebrating the addition of a unique badger to her house!

A student who values loyalty and friendship!

This was the best start to the new school year for Hufflepuff!

"Hey, Wilson!"

"Welcome to our new badger!"

"Welcome to Hufflepuff!"

Every Hufflepuff student eagerly greeted Wilson Wright, standing up to shake his hand.

In the midst of these cheers, Cedric rushed over, grabbed Wilson's hand, sweating with nervousness!

"You scared me to death!"

Cedric, full of emotion, worry, and guilt, shook Wilson's arm: "Wilson, you should have gone to Gryffindor..."

"I told you."

Wilson firmly shook his head.

At this moment, his reputation in Hufflepuff was undoubtedly at its peak, and every wizard from Hufflepuff in the wizarding world would hold him in high esteem!

"Silence!"

Dumbledore's gaze slowly moved to Wilson, and he spoke loudly: "First, congratulations to Mr. Wright for joining Hufflepuff. May you continue to maintain your loyalty."

After a pause, Dumbledore continued: "However, as punishment for disrupting the Sorting Ceremony, Mr. Wright is to patrol the Forbidden Forest tonight with our gamekeeper, Hagrid..."

"Yes."

Wilson calmly agreed.

Many students looked at Hagrid, sitting at the staff table, whose half-giant face could barely contain his joy.

The Sorting Ceremony continued without further incident.

Even the mischievous Weasley twins, seeing Professor McGonagall's stern gaze, dared not cause any trouble.

Everyone knew...

Professor McGonagall was not in a good mood.

For the Weasley twins, there was a difference between liking mischief and seeking death.

Wilson no longer paid attention to the rest of the ceremony, focusing instead on the rewards for joining Hufflepuff.

[Main Quest Step 2: Join one of Hogwarts' houses (1/1). Chose Hufflepuff, reward: Increase life by 200 points, Magic Skill: Void Feast.]

[Void Feast: Consuming any substance in the world instantly restores your health and magic.]

"..."

What a bizarre skill!

Wilson had thought "Void Feast" would be a passive skill that increased vitality, but it turned out to be a simple restorative skill...

It's over.

He regretted it.

Is there still time to change?

Of course not.

Wilson could only console himself that the skill was still quite powerful.

As long as no one could instantly kill him with magic, even if he was chewing on dirt and sand, he could continue fighting.

At this moment, Professor McGonagall put away the Sorting Hat and announced the end of the Hogwarts Sorting Ceremony for this year.

With no more disturbances, the ceremony ended quickly.

When Dumbledore stood up again and announced the start of the feast, the tables in the Great Hall were instantly filled with a variety of sumptuous dishes.

These had been prepared in advance by Hogwarts' house-elves, who used magic to send the food to the tables at mealtime.

As with all Hogwarts feasts...

Other creatures residing in the castle naturally wouldn't miss out.

Ghosts that roamed Hogwarts flew into the Great Hall, laughing and joking. Some even appeared right on the tables, startling the new students with their ghostly forms.

Students had to get used to these ghosts, as they would be a constant presence in their school life at Hogwarts.

Hufflepuff was relatively better off.

The ghost active in Hufflepuff was a kind and portly friar.

Gryffindor was more lively.

Their ghost enjoyed chatting with students, discussing their holiday experiences. The brave Gryffindors weren't scared at all.

Ravenclaw was quieter.

Many Ravenclaw boys blushed because the ghost in their area was a quiet and elegant lady. She sat calmly at the table, watching the students dine.

Slytherin was more eerie.

Perhaps because the Slytherins had their own agendas and didn't form deep friendships, they often plotted in secret.

For example, Morris Flint, who had been reprimanded by Wilson on the train, was now whispering to an older student, glaring hatefully at Wilson's back.

That was his brother, Marcus Flint, a third-year Slytherin and a Chaser on the Slytherin Quidditch team.

After the feast ended.

Students from each house followed their Prefects to their dormitories, especially the new students who needed to find the stairs leading to their rooms.

Since the stairs at Hogwarts constantly changed, taking the wrong one could easily lead to getting lost in unknown parts of the castle...

Hufflepuff's dormitory was next to the passage to the basement. They entered through a still-life painting, with the house-elves in the nearby kitchen as their neighbors.

No wonder Hufflepuff was known for their love of food...

After all, they could easily go to the kitchen for snacks anytime.

And...

Hufflepuff students indeed often did this.

Wilson saw an older girl with pink hair calling out to a house-elf in the passage, asking for a late-night snack...

The feast had just ended!

These Hufflepuffs sure loved to eat!

Wilson recognized the pink-haired girl as Nymphadora Tonks, a fifth-year student. Although not a Prefect, she was well-respected in Hufflepuff.

If he remembered correctly...

Tonks had eaten quite a bit during the feast!

While Wilson was pondering Tonks' peculiar behavior, she suddenly approached him, cheerfully patting his shoulder.

"Hey, Wilson."

Tonks smiled sweetly, pride in her eyes: "I've already asked the house-elves to prepare something for you. After your patrol in the Forbidden Forest, remember to grab a snack in the common room."

"...Thank you..."

Wilson nodded, feeling awkward.

He had thought Tonks had a big appetite, but she was just being considerate, preparing a snack for him—a kind senior indeed...

"Are you worried about patrolling the Forbidden Forest tonight?"

Tonks bent down to look into Wilson's eyes, smiling as she reassured him: "Don't worry, Hagrid is a kind-hearted giant, and the Forbidden Forest isn't as dangerous as Professor Dumbledore makes it sound..."

"...Yes."

Wilson still felt a bit tense.

"If you're really scared..."

Tonks thought for a moment, her pink hair falling over her ears as she pondered seriously.

The next moment.

Tonks looked up, winking playfully at Wilson: "I could sneak into the Forbidden Forest with you. I'm quite familiar with it and am friends with Hagrid..."

Clearly.

This senior loved to break school rules.

And she was determined to continue doing so.

A mischievous girl like her should have been sorted into Gryffindor!

"Uh..."

Wilson stiffened for a moment and quickly shook his head: "No, I'll go alone. The Forbidden Forest shouldn't be that scary..."

He couldn't let Tonks follow him.

Because Wilson had important things to do tonight.

He suspected Dumbledore had a reason for sending him to the Forbidden Forest.

The old man never did anything without a purpose.

Obviously.

Dumbledore might have already told Hagrid that a new student would soon need to place a never-before-seen ice bird in the Forbidden Forest for Hagrid to take care of.

Before that.

No one knew.

When the Ice Phoenix Anivia appeared at Hogwarts, it would bring ingredients for the Polyjuice Potion, prepared in advance by Crouch Sr. for Wilson.

Tonight...

Would indeed be a long and cold night.