The moment Ian put down the Sorting Hat, today's ceremony came to an end.
…
At this time, Headmaster Dumbledore also stood up. Like all headmasters, he had to give a speech at the last moment, but fortunately, he always said only a little bit.
"Welcome, everyone! Welcome to Hogwarts to start the new school year. Before the banquet begins, I would like to say a few words, which are: Idiot! Crybaby! Scum! Twist! Thank you, everyone!"
After saying only these few words, Dumbledore sat down again.
…
"Looks a bit crazy, right? My name is Robert Siad, and I'm in the fifth year," a Ravenclaw student sitting next to Ian said with a smile.
"Ian Titus, transfer student, third grade."
Ian always responded to kindness and friendliness with the same friendliness. Since the banquet had just begun, he only exchanged a few words with the fifth-year student before ending the conversation.
Interestingly, while they were chatting, Ian clearly noticed that the girls within a five-meter radius of him were silent, elegant, and quiet like ladies, though their slightly erect ears somewhat ruined the atmosphere.
Looking at the variety of food that had suddenly appeared on the plate in front of him—roast beef, fried lamb chops, pork chops, roast chicken, sausages, French fries, boiled potatoes, baked potato chips, Yorkshire puddings, pea sprouts, carrots, gravy, ketchup, various breads, and even mint candies—Ian simply picked up some food that was close to him: a few pieces of roast beef, some bread, and ketchup, and slowly began to enjoy his dinner.
…
Compared to the noisy Gryffindors next door, Ravenclaw seemed much quieter. But quietness didn't mean slowness. Ian noticed that the speed of the long table in his own house even surpassed that of Gryffindor.
This was because once the plate was empty, the food would be replenished immediately in the next second. So, it wasn't easy to notice without careful observation.
Not many people talked during the first half of the banquet. Everyone was focused on the food in front of them. After about half an hour, everyone had filled their stomachs.
The remaining food disappeared from the plates, even though there was still a lot of food that had only been moved once or twice. But it seemed that the little wizards never thought about where the food came from or where it went afterward.
But Ian was quite interested in all this. The countdown that kept flashing through his mind seemed to constantly remind him that there was still an apocalypse waiting for him—one where even the problem of food and clothing could not be solved.
…
Turning the scene, the plates were now clean as before. In a few breaths, desserts came up again: ice creams of various flavors and shapes, apple tarts, strawberry syrup cakes, chocolate cakes, berry donuts, jelly pudding, rice pudding...
After the desserts were served, everyone started chatting. Except for the freshmen who were a little reserved and didn't talk much, most of the seniors hadn't seen each other for the holiday. At this moment, they seemed to have turned into village intelligence agents, with countless exclusive news to share.
But this had nothing to do with Ian. At this moment, he truly felt like a soaring raven, hidden in the sky, overlooking all living things on earth.
The owl he had been looking forward to as a child and the dream of entering Hogwarts—now all of them had come true. He remained silent, like a real audience, watching the familiar yet unfamiliar scenes unfold before him.
But this made it difficult for the girls around him who wanted to gather information. Looking at Ian, who was silent and exuding an ethereal aura, even though they repeatedly signaled Robert, he just shrugged his shoulders and said he couldn't help.
Time passed quietly, and when the last dessert on the table disappeared, Professor Dumbledore stood up again. Without any orders, everyone silently fell quiet and listened to him.
"Before you all get sleepy, I'll tell you a few more things to note, especially for first-year students. No student is allowed to enter the Forbidden Forest behind the school.
Secondly, our castle warden, Mr. Filch, also asked me to remind everyone not to cast spells in the corridors during breaks. There are also 23 new magic tricks that are prohibited from being brought into school this year. You can go to Mr. Filch's office for the specific details.
Quidditch tryouts will start in the second week of this semester. Students in their second year and above who are interested in joining the house team, please contact Madam Hooch to sign up.
Finally, I must tell everyone that if you don't want to encounter an accident or a painful death, please don't go into the corridor on the right side of the fourth floor."
After Dumbledore finished speaking, he winked at everyone and said loudly:
"Before everyone goes back to their dormitories, let's sing the school song together."
As soon as these words came out, the other professors' faces were obviously a little stiff. If there is anything that Hogwarts cannot compare with other schools, it is the school song. Of course, the student subsidies are not as good as Beauxbatons'.
Once, Newt Scamander, an outstanding dropout from Hogwarts, was bullied by a pair of sisters from Ilvermorny because of the school song.
The singing began in all sorts of strange tunes:
Hogwarts, Hogwarts…
Please teach us something, no matter if we are bald old men.
As a young man with a scar on his knee, we need to put some fun stuff in our heads.
Because now it is empty and filled with air.
Dead flies and niggling things, So please teach us something worth learning and bring back our long-forgotten memories.
Just do your best and leave the rest to us. We will study hard until we are reduced to dirt.
The lyrics are actually more important; the key is the accompaniment. Our great Professor Dumbledore chose "Funeral March" this year...*
No matter whether it was the old students who had been tortured for a long time or the confused freshmen, it was obvious that no one was interested in the school song. They sang it in a fragmented and perfunctory manner. Only the Weasley twin brothers sang the entire song.
Professor Dumbledore was also considerate and directed the two throughout the whole process. The three of them emphasized that as long as I was not embarrassed, then others must be embarrassed...
After the song was over, Professor Dumbledore announced the end of the opening banquet, and the headmasters of each department stood up and led the students of the college back to their dormitories for bed.
Unlike the red-haired prefect of Gryffindor, who immediately began to gather the freshmen.
In comparison, Ravenclaw seemed slow and leisurely. The male class leader, who had just finished giving a science briefing to the freshmen, now just asked the freshmen to gather together.
After completing the headcount and making sure that no student was left behind, he began to lead the students back to the dormitory calmly.
Ian was also walking slowly with the large group at this moment. He walked out of the restaurant, and after walking for about a quarter of an hour, he finally arrived at a tower of the castle.
There was a spiral staircase in front of them, very steep. After passing through this dizzying spiral staircase, they arrived in front of a wooden door without a handle. The bare wooden door had no handle or keyhole, only an eagle-shaped bronze door knocker.
The male class leader at the front stretched out his left hand and gently knocked on the door. The eagle's beak on the bronze door knocker immediately opened, and a gentle and soothing voice came out: "Where is the lost time?"
The class leader did not answer immediately but turned to the freshmen this year and smiled cheerfully:
"It's very easy to enter the Ravenclaw common room. We never use passwords. We only need to answer a question on the door knocker. As long as the answer is correct, even if they're not a Ravenclaw student, they can enter our common room."
"This is why Ravenclaw is better at thinking than the other three houses," this year's new female head teacher, the famous Miss Shimizu - Penelope, also said.
The clear voice added: "Is there anyone who wants to try to answer this question?"
As she spoke, she glanced at Ian secretly without leaving a trace.
Ian turned a blind eye to this. It's not that he didn't know the answer, he just didn't want to be in the spotlight. He just wanted to study magic quietly and enjoy this hard-earned life.
"Where does time disappear?" This obviously open-ended question was similar to Zen Buddhism, and there were countless possible answers.
The simplest and smartest answer was—'The time that disappears is in time.'
But it was obvious that the freshmen had just arrived in Ravenclaw and were more willing to use this opportunity to prove their wisdom.
"In our memories!"
This was the answer from a first-year girl with some baby fat.
"Correct answer!"
The soft and soothing voice rang out from the bronze door knocker again, and the door opened in response, as if welcoming all the freshmen who were sorted into Ravenclaw.