[Dear Mom and Dad:
Even though I've just left home, I'm already starting to miss you. I hope you are healthy and in good spirits.
Yesterday, we arrived at Hogwarts on a crimson steam train. The school is a magnificent castle surrounded by meadows, forests, and lakes. I must say, the morning scenery here is truly enchanting.
When we got to school, it was already evening, and the first thing was the house sorting. I believe you're aware, Hogwarts is divided into four houses—brave and bold Gryffindor, honest and loyal Hufflepuff, wise and learned Ravenclaw, and ambitious Slytherin...]
Here, Vid paused slightly with his pen.
He suddenly thought that among the four houses, the other three focus on students' qualities when admitting them, but only Ravenclaw emphasizes ability.
So... smart and brave people might go to Gryffindor, like Dumbledore and Hermione; smart and loyal ones get into Hufflepuff, like Scamander (the protagonist of "Fantastic Beasts") and Cedric; those who are smart and ambitious end up in Slytherin, like Voldemort and Snape.
Then what about the "smart ones" in Ravenclaw? Perhaps they have keen minds and quick reactions, but smart people are often better at avoiding harm, and in the face of difficulties and danger, they tend to shrink back, choosing a more comfortable and beneficial approach for themselves.
To achieve something, besides having a mind, it's one's spirit that drives progress—either forging ahead, staying resilient, or being ambitious. Those who are smart but lost in their own worlds, doing their own thing, often end up being seen as oddities.
Thus, in the story, Ravenclaw has the least presence among the four Hogwarts houses. The members who appear from Ravenclaw—whether currently studying or graduated—apart from Cho Chang, are somewhat neurotic.
Recalling the Sorting Hat saying he was best suited for Ravenclaw, Vid frowned slightly. Then he thought—who he is isn't something a hat can decide. Furthermore, it's not the first or second time the Sorting Hat has been wrong, like when it sorted the cowardly Peter Pettigrew into Gryffindor.
Vid paused for a moment, then continued writing—
[A talking hat sorted me into Ravenclaw, which I believe is the best recognition of my intellect. I do plan to learn as much as possible during my seven years, because I've heard nowhere in the United Kingdom has a collection of books as rich as Hogwarts. It's undeniable that the Wizarding World is far less visionary than the Muggle government in this regard. There are no public libraries here, and valuable books are either stored at the school or collected in the private studies of certain families.
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore is an unusual person. He has long, silver-white hair and a silver-white beard, exuding the mysterious aura of a wizard, almost like a living Merlin. Can you imagine? His speech at the opening ceremony consisted of "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" Probably no one knew what it meant. But although it's confusing, it's much better than a lengthy and boring speech. Because after he finished speaking, many delicacies appeared on our table (yes, they appeared suddenly, magic is truly amazing), and by then we were all quite hungry.
Despite being quirky, this professor is also humorous, kind, and gentle, and he is the greatest wizard of our time. A fellow classmate from a wizard family told me that Hogwarts is recognized as the safest place on earth because of Dumbledore. So you don't need to worry about me encountering any danger at school. The students here don't cast evil curses on others without reason; they're no different from kids at ordinary schools.
Additionally, my house Ravenclaw has its own separate tower, located in the west of the castle. After dinner, the house prefect led us to the tower, and you have to correctly answer the door knocker's question to enter the common room. The common room is a very spacious circular room, with a dome of deep blue painted with many stars, and the thick carpet also covered with stars, showing tranquility and elegance. There are many arched windows around, with bronze silk hanging down. Through the windows, you can see distant mountains and fields, as well as the Quidditch Pitch.
The dormitory is in the turret adjacent to the tower—though I must say, returning to the dormitory requires climbing many stairs. But the older students say the stairs in the school are often friendly to Ravenclaw students; they don't move around to trick us, and sometimes even create a shortcut, saving at least half the distance—perhaps it's because the ever-changing stairs in the castle were designed by Ms. Ravenclaw, the founder of the house.
Ravenclaw has the least number of students among the four houses, and the dormitories are double rooms. Since there was just one extra spot among the boys... you've probably guessed correctly, I seized the opportunity to quickly put in a request, and I was lucky enough to get a single room.
The dormitory has a warm bed, wardrobe, desk, and bookshelf, and even a private bathroom. All living necessities are prepared. We don't need to do laundry or clean the room. There's a group of invisible little helpers in the castle, and they keep everything tidy when we wake up. My suitcase was presumably delivered to the dormitory by them. Thank goodness, I don't have to carry it up the winding stairs myself.
The classmates in the house are easy to get along with, and West Prefect takes great care of the freshmen. Concerned that students might get lost, he waited in the common room early this morning, and led us to the Great Hall for breakfast, while distributing our class schedules for the semester—I must say, the coursework is arranged very lightly, which is the least of our worries.
After breakfast, West Prefect took us around the school, showing us where to attend each class, which places are prohibited, and shortcuts to the library, the hospital wing, and the Quidditch Pitch.
Soon we'll have flying lessons, and I'll be riding a Flying Broomstick for the first time—it's quite exciting, isn't it? In the past, I never thought that we humans could soar in the sky like birds—of course, I will follow the professor's instructions, pay attention to safety, and avoid injuries.
Lastly, I want to say that Hogwarts is truly an amazing school! I really like it here.
Love you—
Vid Gray]
Living two lives, Vid is not as carefree as ordinary children. He knows well that when children leave home, loving parents will be deeply concerned. Therefore, Vid uses the spare time before class to meticulously write down everything about coming to school, even including a hand-drawn diagram of the school's layout inserted in the letter paper. After finishing the letter, Vid reviewed it again and changed "ambitious" Slytherin to "smart and proud".
It's not intended to praise Slytherin College, just to prevent his parents from discovering potential conflicts between the houses through the wording, which could lead to them worrying about his situation—because the Greys' impression of the Wizarding World still lingers in the time when the Dark Lord was rampant. Since Vid received his Hogwarts acceptance letter, they've been quietly feeling guilty and concerned about being a Dud.
Vid wants to tell them—it's okay, the war is over; bloodline theory is not mainstream, and everything at Hogwarts now is great. His origin is not his obstacle, nor are his parents his burden.
He is always filled with gratitude to be their child.