"Gryffindor!" McGonagall said without hesitation. "I see extraordinary courage in him. As the head of Gryffindor, I naturally hope he can enter Gryffindor."
"That's what I think too," Dumbledore nodded, and the two Gryffindors reached a consensus at this moment.
"However…" he changed the subject, "perhaps he was also suitable for Ravenclaw. The calmness he showed when encountering something like the Runespoor aligned very much with Ravenclaw's requirements."
"That's true!" McGonagall nodded subconsciously. "I don't think it will be an easy thing for the Sorting Hat to sort Vizette."
"The Sorting Hat is in a bind!" Dumbledore stroked his beard with interest. "I remember when the Sorting Hat was sorting you into your house, it hesitated for a long time between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw."
"School starts in less than two months!" McGonagall's voice was full of anticipation. "I remember Harry Potter… was going to start school this year too, right?"
"Almost there." Dumbledore picked up the document again. "Harry's birthday is at the end of July. I will arrange for someone to deliver a letter to him then."
"Time flies!" McGonagall remarked. "Have you found a suitable candidate for the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?"
"This is no easy task!" Dumbledore sighed softly. "Fortunately… Quirinus sent me a transfer application."
"A transfer application?" McGonagall adjusted her glasses. "He was teaching Muggle Studies before, and now he's transferring to Defense Against the Dark Arts... Won't that be too much pressure for him?"
"Since he's willing to try, we should give him the opportunity." Dumbledore picked up his quill and made annotations on the document. "I will interview him in a couple of days."
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After Vizette and Luna's family accepted each other, he learned that the family's financial situation was worse than he had imagined.
Despite the success of "The Quibbler," Xenophilius could barely make ends meet with Luna.
Vizette's arrival made Xenophilius's economic situation even worse.
Xenophilius rummaged through his belongings, finding only some loose change, mostly silver Sickles and bronze Knuts.
Fortunately, Hogwarts had a scholarship program that allowed Vizette to receive thirty Galleons to buy school supplies.
Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts were the wizarding currencies, used to purchase various magical items in the wizarding world.
...
Early in the morning, when the sun was just beginning to peek out, Vizette had already finished washing up and came downstairs to wait quietly.
A commercial street exclusively for wizards—it was something to look forward to no matter how you looked at it.
Luna had also gotten up, holding a gnome sculpture in her hand, which was a piggy bank she had made.
"Take this with you! I know you might not have enough money... to buy the items on the list."
Vizette stared at Luna's silvery-white eyes, momentarily lost in thought.
Having experienced the separation from her mother by the time of her death, Luna was undoubtedly a precocious child, at least more precocious than Xenophilius had imagined.
"I applied for a scholarship, and I'll go to Diagon Alley to collect it today." Vizette shook his head slightly. "I've heard Diagon Alley is very interesting. What gift would you like?"
"I lack nothing." Luna smiled slightly at Vizette and shook her head gently in return.
Knock knock knock!
A series of thunderous knocks on the door shattered the morning's tranquility.
A giant over three meters tall stood outside the door, wearing a fur smock with several pockets sewn on it.
The giant had thick beards and hair, and his dark, shiny eyes resembled those of black beetles.
"You must be Vizette, right?" The giant's beard twitched, and his voice was full of kindness.
"I am Hagrid, the gamekeeper at Hogwarts. Today I will take you to Diagon Alley… I think it should be written in the letter."
Vizette nodded. "Hello, Mr. Hagrid. I didn't expect you to arrive so early."
"Mr. Hagrid!" Luna rubbed her eyes and appeared beside Vizette. "Please come in!"
It was a magical world. As Hagrid approached the door frame, the two-meter-high frame suddenly widened and lengthened, its size just large enough to accommodate Hagrid's size.
"Want some cookies?" Luna asked familiarly, handing over a box of pastries. "I'll go wake Dad up..."
"No need! No need!" Hagrid waved his hands repeatedly, and a gust of wind almost blew Luna over. "I'm here to take Mr. Vizette to Diagon Alley."
"As first-year students, we have a lot to buy! We need to hurry... Is there a Floo network here?"
"No." Luna shook her head gently. "Dad said that we don't usually need that, so he didn't have the Ministry of Magic set up the Floo Network."
However, the real reason was that setting up a Floo network was not cheap, and Xenophilius could not afford it.
"Well, there's nothing we can do about that!" Hagrid shook his head. "Luckily, I arrived early enough to find another way to get to Diagon Alley."
"Then take the cookies with you." Luna stuffed the snacks into Vizette's arms. "You haven't had breakfast yet."
With the cookies in hand, Hagrid led Vizette along a dirt path.
Vizette saw Hagrid holding an umbrella, his arm raised high, and tentatively asked, "Are we... waiting for the bus?"
"That's right! That's why I don't eat cookies, and you shouldn't either..."
Before Hagrid could finish speaking, a three-story purple bus suddenly appeared and stopped in front of the two of them, its body trembling.
"Welcome aboard the Knight Bus. I'm your ticket seller... Just stick out your wand and get on the bus, and we'll take you wherever you want to go."
This was an old, decrepit ticket seller, his eyelids drooping and his expression listless, seemingly having no hope for the future.
Just like the door frame of Luna's house, the narrow car door opened wide enough for Hagrid to easily enter the carriage.
Vizette felt as if he had entered an old, dimly lit dormitory, with no chairs or small windows, only six brass-framed beds, and the only lighting coming from small candles on either side.
The ticket seller asked listlessly, "Where are you going?"
"Diagon Alley, London." Hagrid found a bed and sat down; the bed immediately groaned, as if it might collapse at any moment.
"Thirty-four silver Sickles, or two gold Galleons if you prefer." The ticket seller finally put a bit more effort into reaching out his hand.
The conversion of wizarding currency was quite complicated. One Galleon was equal to seventeen silver Sickles, or four hundred and ninety-three bronze Knuts.
Hagrid reached into one of the smock pockets, pulled out two gold coins, and stuffed them into the ticket seller's pocket.
Vizette sat on the bed opposite Hagrid. "I'll pay you the fare when we get to Diagon Alley."
Hagrid covered his mouth, his voice unusually muffled, "Remember to hold on tight to the railing, this vehicle is going to be very bumpy. We can talk about anything else after we get off, we're about to leave..."
Before he could finish speaking, the Knight Bus had already started moving and shot off like an arrow.
Vizette quickly grabbed the railing to avoid being carried away by the enormous inertia.
Hagrid gagged, his bright eyes closed, showing signs of motion sickness.
Vizette reacted much better, looking at the windshield at the front of the carriage with great curiosity.