After Dumbledore departed, the young wizards stood up one after another, a cacophony of voices echoing throughout the Great Hall.
"First years, follow me!" A tall red-haired boy shouted loudly from beside the Gryffindor table. "I am the prefect, Percy Weasley. First years, please remain by your seats and follow me back to the common room in a moment."
"I have something to tell Cho. Lynn, wait for me!"
Harley, having suddenly remembered something, spoke hurriedly to Lynn before running over to the Ravenclaw table nearby. The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables were right next to each other.
A short while later, after most of the other students had left, Harley squeezed her way back, her face beaming with a happy smile.
"What did you talk to Cho about?" Lynn asked casually.
"It's a secret. You'll find out tomorrow. Just remember to go to bed early tonight."
"Alright." Lynn, lacking super hearing, had no idea what Harley was planning, but since they didn't have classes the next morning, he didn't really mind.
Following Percy, the Gryffindor first years walked out of the Great Hall and climbed the marble staircase. The portraits hanging on the walls whispered occasionally as they passed. Lynn looked around curiously; he felt that everything at Hogwarts was novel.
The Gryffindor Common Room was not close to the Great Hall. They had to pass through doorways concealed behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries twice before finally arriving at the corridor on the eighth floor of the castle.
But soon, the line ground to a halt. It wasn't because they had reached their destination, but because a bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, which then whistled as they rushed toward the group.
"It's Peeves."
Percy ducked to avoid the collision with the walking sticks, and the group behind him dropped to the floor in a crouch.
"Show yourself, Peeves!" Percy shouted angrily, sounding like he was summoning a Pokémon.
The answer he received was a loud, ear-piercing sound, like the air sputtering out of a balloon—or as if something was letting out a continuous string of farts from the void. It was quite offensive.
"Do you want me to go find the Bloody Baron?"
Percy spoke with annoyance. Peeves materialized in midair, sticking out his tongue and spitting at him.
"Oooooooh!" Peeves let out a wicked cackle, shouting in a shrill voice, "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"
He grabbed the bundle of walking sticks and suddenly swooped down at them. But just as everyone crouched to dodge, Peeves abruptly vanished before their eyes. The walking sticks fell to the ground with the dull thud of wood hitting the floor.
"He's gone at last." Percy wasn't surprised by Peeves's sudden disappearance; after all, the poltergeist was elusive and always looking for trouble.
"However, you must be on your guard against Peeves in the future. The Bloody Baron is the only one who can control him. I chased him away today, but next time, there might not be a prefect by your side."
"Alright, the entrance to the Common Room is just ahead. This way."
Just as Percy led them to the entrance of the Gryffindor Common Room, inside a restroom not far away, Peeves shot out of a toilet bowl, spitting repeatedly. His phase rush hadn't hit the young wizards; instead, he had plunged headfirst into the depths of a toilet. As one of the few special spirits possessing a partial physical form, he had just received quite the baptism.
Peeves, who had never suffered such indignity, sat on the toilet baring his teeth in rage: "Who is playing tricks on Peevesy!!!"
He shrieked, but his impotent fury served no practical purpose. Just as he was about to charge back out—
"The password for this week is 'Caput Draconis'," Percy said to the portrait of the Fat Lady at the entrance. The portrait swung open to reveal a passageway. "You can ask a prefect about password changes later on; we will also write it on the notice board near the entrance on the day it changes. Remember to check it when you leave."
The first-year students scrambled through the entrance behind the portrait one by one, arriving in a spacious, circular room filled with squashy armchairs. The older students who had arrived before them had already gone to their dormitories; after eating and drinking their fill, everyone was incredibly sleepy.
The new students were no different.
Percy gave a brief introduction to the Common Room, then led the girls to the entrance of the girls' dormitories, followed by leading the boys to the spiral staircase.
"There will be nameplates on the dormitory doors. Your luggage has already been brought up to your beds. Go and get some rest now."
Lynn easily found the dormitory door bearing his name. Pushing the door open, he saw a spacious room with five four-poster beds with curtains. Inside, there was a washbasin and a bathroom with a shower.
After he entered, the rest of his roommates walked in one after another.
"Hello... Hi there..."
The boys entering the dormitory greeted each other and introduced themselves.
"I'm Neville Longbottom."
"Seamus Finnigan."
"Dean Thomas."
"Ron Weasley."
"I'm Lynn."
Lynn didn't have any particular thoughts about Ron. As long as Ron didn't disturb his reading, he had no issue with him. After all, the fact that Ron didn't like studying had nothing to do with him.
"Hey, Lynn!" Dean, who had a very cheerful personality, greeted Lynn familiarly. He then looked at him with a gossipy expression. "There's something I'm curious about. Can you tell me?"
"Hm? What is it?"
Lynn pulled a book from his backpack; the bookmark was inserted about four-fifths of the way through.
"It's about Harley," Dean said curiously. "I heard about Harry Potter on the train. Everyone says he's the Boy Who Lived. So is Harley... him? Or does she have a brother or something?"
"Harley doesn't have a brother. As for whether she's the 'Boy' or 'Girl Who Lived' you're talking about, I'm not clear on that."
"Aren't you close with her?"
Ron suddenly spoke up, the urge to gossip making him unable to resist asking, "You were in the same compartment with her before, right? I saw it!"
Stared at by Ron, who wore an expression that said "Don't try to fool me," Lynn simply shrugged. "I've only known Harley for two months. How would I know so much about all that?"
"What about her forehead? Does she have that scar?"
Ron, unwilling to give up, continued to press the issue.
"Maybe I'm not close enough with her to just casually lift up a girl's bangs, check if she has a scar on her forehead, and then gasp, 'Wow, you're the Girl Who Lived' or whatever."
A look of embarrassment flashed across Ron's face, but his rebellious streak flared up. Boys of this age cared a lot about their pride, and Lynn's answer had just caused him to lose face.
"You were hugging each other and you still say you aren't close? Tsk, keep pretending."
"Do you not have any close female friends?" Lynn glanced at Ron, too lazy to say much more to him. "Or have you never spoken to a girl outside of your family before? No wonder you can't understand."
Seamus and Dean couldn't hold back their snickers. They looked at Ron teasingly, their gazes seeming to say, "Have you really never talked to a girl before?"
Seamus and Dean, who had lived fairly normal lives, weren't without playmates. Even if they didn't have childhood sweethearts of their own, they had certainly seen others with them.
Sulking, Ron pulled the covers over his head. Seamus and Dean got ready to change into their pajamas and go to sleep. Lynn, however, wasn't in a rush to lie down. He planned to finish the book in his hands before sleeping. The basics of Wandlore required reading a booklist that dragged on the floor; the books Ollivander gave him were just a small fraction. He planned to scan those hundreds of books into his brain before the first-year holidays.
"Are you still going to read, Lynn?"
The two boys, who had already changed into their pajamas, asked curiously as they saw Lynn stand up and head for the door.
"Yeah, there's only a little bit left of this book. I'll sleep after I finish. I'll turn off the lights for you."
Lynn stood up with his book and switched off the dormitory's pendant lamp. Although Hogwarts didn't use electricity, the lamp shone without power—a simple application of the Lighting Charm and a very practical alchemical item.
Walking alone into the empty Common Room, Lynn pushed open the door and turned right. He then made his way unimpeded to the stretch of blank wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to teach trolls to dance.
"I need to go to the Hogwarts kitchens."
Murmuring this phrase softly, Lynn paced back and forth three times in front of the blank wall. When he opened his eyes, a mysterious wooden door had appeared before him.
Pushing the door open and entering, he was met with a bustling scene. The house-elves were busy cleaning the kitchen, but upon seeing Lynn arrive, they immediately gathered around enthusiastically, asking what service he required.
Lynn ordered a cup of coffee, then bade farewell to the cute, enthusiastic elves. He pushed the door open and returned to the corridor on the eighth floor.
"Being in Gryffindor is actually a good thing; getting to the kitchens is even more convenient than it is for Hufflepuff."
Back in the Common Room, Lynn stirred the sugar cube into his coffee and happily took a sip of the silky, rich brew.
The sound of turning pages was the only music in the room. The fire in the fireplace burned quietly, occasionally letting out a soft crackle to remind those still awake late at night to hurry up and crawl into their warm beds.
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