At the end of the term, Dumbledore seemed to revert to his usual, off-kilter, genial self, wearing a crooked wizard's hat.
"Let us sing the school song together before we go to bed!"
As soon as Dumbledore finished speaking, Ivan could see the expressions on the faces of the professors on the stage change, and several of the older students seemed to have constipation.
Dumbledore, on the other hand, was waving his wand, and a long golden ribbon floated out of it and formed words.
Like a conductor's baton, the entire school sang the Hogwarts anthem at Dumbledore's direction.
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hogwarts, please teach us that our heads can be stuffed full of new and interesting things, whether they're old or bald, or if they're just boys with stupid legs…"
All kinds of versions and tunes were put together, and the Weasley brothers, who were trying their best to lead everyone astray, took advantage of the chaos and sang a few lines. After singing, they were surprised to find that the mixed tone… seemed quite pleasant.
Ivan wondered if there was something wrong with his musical sense…
The Headmaster, Dumbledore, a highly respected white wizard, was moved to tears by the music, and it took him a while to break free of the melody.
Ivan followed the flow of Gryffindor freshmen up the spiral staircase to the highest level.
At the end of the corridor, Percy stopped at a wall with a portrait of a fat woman. Before the new students could ask questions, the woman moved, changed her position, and spoke solemnly.
"What's the password?"
"Dragon scum," Percy replied.
The fat woman nodded and moved aside, revealing a circular hole in the wall that Ivan knew was the Gryffindor common room.
It was only after entering that Ivan realised it was much larger than he had imagined.
The flag of the Gryffindor Red Lion was suspended in mid-air, and several long tables were arranged neatly in the large lounge. Comfortable wing chairs were placed under the tables, and a dark brown fireplace was placed against the left wall. The flames of the fireplace illuminated the room and dispelled the chill of the night.
The Gryffindor dormitories were made up of five people per room, with five four-poster beds in the spacious room, and their luggage placed under the beds, neatly stacked to the side.
Due to the lack of memories, Ivan could not even recognise his own suitcase and bed.
As Ivan waited for his roommates to get to the bed first, a grayish-white owl suddenly flew over the top of the west railing and perched on his shoulder, pecking him affectionately on the cheek.
"Makka?" Ivan asked, the name popping into his head.
"Coo-coo~" The grayish-white owl responded.
"Whether it is or not, I'll call you Marka from now on." Ivan reached out and tickled the owl's neck, causing Marka to squint in pleasure.
With Marka's directions, Ivan was soon able to confirm that the bed on the west side, next to the wall, was his own. There was very little around, apart from bedding, pillows, clothes, and other daily necessities, as well as a few textbooks to carry.
It is worth noting that Ivan found a small sign next to his bed, which was lovingly engraved with the name Ivan Hales.
The other beds had similar signs on them, but Ivan hadn't noticed.
Ivan had not been alone in the room for long when the door opened, followed by a familiar voice.
"I didn't think the Sorting would be anything more than a hat. I thought we were going to have to fight trolls hand-to-hand. I knew I shouldn't have believed George's nonsense."
The one who pushed the door open was a young wizard with fiery red hair and freckles across his nose. He was talking non-stop, and the boy behind him was thin and bespectacled.
Harry? Ron?
Ivan was more or less surprised, and then he thought of something. There were not many new students at Hogwarts every year, and he was at Gryffindor House, so of course he was in the same dormitory as Harry.
"Hello, I'm Ivan Hales!" Ivan greeted them as he approached.
"Hey, I'm Ron Weasley." Ron had only just noticed Ivan's presence.
"Hello, I'm Harry Potter." Harry extended his hand.
Ivan shook hands with Harry, then looked at Ron and smiled. "Your brothers George and Fred told me about you at the meeting."
"Oh, shit, I don't believe they're going to say anything nice about me." Ron was furious at the thought of George and Fred teasing him.
Harry, on the other hand, was rather pleased with Ivan's unusual attitude; after all, every time he entered the wizarding world, other wizards either made a fuss about it or tried to get a look at his lightning-bolt scars.
Harry had to admit that he thought this was a stupid move.
Friendship between young wizards could sometimes be forged in a short period of time, not to mention that Ivan, who had read the book, knew everything about the two of them. After some communication, they naturally became friends.
In the dormitory, Harry talked about the mistreatment he had suffered before coming to the wizarding world, Ron talked about one or two of the funny things the Weasley twins had done to him, and soon Neville and another young wizard from the same dormitory joined them, chatting until late at night before going to bed.
The events of the night had left Ivan exhausted. As soon as he touched the bed, his body went limp, and he could not get up again.
The only sound that could be heard was Ron counting the rats. Ivan looked up and then pulled the blanket over his head.
Hello, Hogwarts!
…
Early the next morning, Ivan woke up from his dream and looked around in a daze.
Ivan was having a hard time adjusting to the sudden shift from his hospital bed to his classroom.
However, Ivan had no intention of being late for his first lesson at Hogwarts, and despite the early hour, he felt that it would be best if he left early, considering how naughty the stairs were.
Of course, he did not forget to call Ron and Harry, who were still in bed.
Perhaps due to the influence of Harry's Saviour's Halo, or Ivan's bad luck, the stairs disappeared twice on the way down, and Ron crashed into the wall disguised as a door!
Fortunately, it was Ron's personal demonstration that saved Ivan and Harry…