Smiling, Charlotte walked over and took a seat at the Ravenclaw table.
Although Ravenclaw had relatively little screen time in the original story, the students of the House were by no means weak.
Luna Lovegood alone was proof enough of that.
She never sought the spotlight, yet whenever the critical moment arrived, she always managed to amaze everyone.
Just then, Charlotte felt someone’s gaze resting on him.
He turned his head— Only to meet the deep, unfathomable eyes of Albus Dumbledore.
Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat.
He immediately lowered his head respectfully.
Dumbledore smiled warmly in return and gave him a slight nod.
“What an interesting young man.” “Such keen intuition…
even among fully grown wizards, it’s exceedingly rare.” “No wonder Mad-Eye Moody described his talent as something seen only once in a century.” “It seems this child possesses not only the gift to become an Animagus, but perhaps the talent of a Seer as well.” “The Sorting Hat made the right choice.” “He truly belongs in Ravenclaw.” Once the Sorting Ceremony concluded, Dumbledore rose to his feet.
“Now then…” “Let the feast begin!” The instant he finished speaking, the empty golden plates were suddenly filled with an astonishing variety of food.
Roast chicken.
Fresh fruit.
Cakes.
Pies.
Countless delicious dishes appeared all at once, leaving Charlotte dazzled.
He had barely eaten anything all day.
Not because he wasn’t hungry— He had simply been too excited.
Now, faced with such an irresistible feast, he could no longer hold back.
He dug in enthusiastically.
The sight drew plenty of laughter from the students around him.
After dinner, each House Prefect led their new students back to their respective common rooms.
The Ravenclaw common room was located in the westernmost tower of the castle.
Its entrance stood at the very top of the tower.
Instead of a hidden doorway, there was only an old wooden door fitted with a bronze eagle-shaped knocker.
Standing before it, the Ravenclaw Prefect, Penelope Clearwater, addressed the first-years.
“Ravenclaw’s entrance is completely different from the other three Houses.” “We don’t rely on hidden entrances.” “This door leads directly to our common room.” “When you knock, the bronze eagle knocker will ask you a question.” “If you answer correctly, you’ll be allowed inside.” “It’s perfectly normal in Ravenclaw for ten or twenty students to end up locked outside because they can’t answer.” “It’s also an excellent opportunity to meet students from other years.” She smiled.
“As newcomers, I only have one piece of advice.” “Before leaving the common room, always double-check your school bag.” “Never forget anything you’ll urgently need later.” “In the thousand years since Ravenclaw House was founded…” “No one except Rowena Ravenclaw herself has ever bypassed this simple test.” With that, Penelope knocked on the door.
The bronze eagle knocker spoke.
“Which came first…” “The phoenix…” “Or the fire?” Penelope turned to the first-years.
“Does anyone know?” “It’s a cycle.” “There is no beginning.” Charlotte answered calmly.
The instant he finished speaking— The door swung open.
Penelope and several older Ravenclaw students looked at him in surprise.
Truthfully, that was considered one of the more difficult riddles.
Some upper-year students still couldn’t answer it.
Yet Charlotte had solved it immediately.
“Excellent.” Penelope led everyone inside.
“Welcome once again to Ravenclaw.” “Congratulations.” “You are now members of the cleverest, quickest-thinking, and most interesting House at Hogwarts.” After a brief introduction to the common room, Charlotte made his way to his dormitory.
True to Ravenclaw’s ideals of freedom, wind, and open skies, the dormitories occupied the uppermost level of the tower.
Through the windows, Charlotte could see the Black Lake…
The Forbidden Forest…
And the Quidditch pitch.
The view was simply unparalleled.
“Charlotte, that answer earlier was incredible.” “Even the older students were impressed.” The speaker was Charles Anthony, a lively boy from Ireland.
He had short, slightly curly chestnut hair and unusually bright green eyes.
Ever since dinner, he’d been chattering away beside Charlotte without pause.
Charlotte sighed helplessly.
“Charles…” “If you don’t want to be late tomorrow and end up in detention…” “I’d suggest going to bed right now.” The moment Charles heard the word detention, he immediately fell silent.
Charlotte himself was exhausted after such an eventful day.
Yet lying in bed…
He simply couldn’t fall asleep.
The excitement of finally being at Hogwarts refused to fade.
Besides…
Several magical creatures he desperately wanted were already here.
Dumbledore’s phoenix, Fawkes.
The giant Basilisk hidden within the Chamber of Secrets.
Unicorns in the Forbidden Forest.
Every one of them possessed extraordinary magical abilities.
The phoenix’s power of rebirth alone was enough to make anyone envious.
If I could obtain that bloodline…
Wouldn’t that make me effectively immortal?
The Basilisk was equally terrifying.
One glance from those deadly eyes…
And its victim would die.
Unfortunately…
Charlotte wasn’t nearly strong enough to challenge it yet.
If Fawkes hadn’t blinded the Basilisk in the original story…
Harry Potter would never have survived.
The following morning, Charlotte arrived at the classroom bright and early.
His first lesson at Hogwarts was Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall.
It was one of the subjects he had been looking forward to the most.
In Charlotte’s opinion, Transfiguration possessed more potential than any other branch of magic.
If mastered properly…
You could transform virtually anything.
Who knows…
Maybe one day I could even transfigure something as incredible as a giant magical mech.
No sooner had he sat down than Hermione walked over.
With obvious dissatisfaction, she demanded, “Why didn’t you choose Gryffindor?” “Why Ravenclaw?” Charlotte smiled.
“It wasn’t my choice.” “It was the Sorting Hat’s.” “But you clearly—” Seeing Hermione puffing up in annoyance, Charlotte couldn’t help laughing.
“Whether it’s Ravenclaw or Gryffindor…” “We’re both still at Hogwarts.” “We’ll see each other every day.” “So what difference does it really make?” Hermione opened her mouth— Only to realise she couldn’t think of a proper rebuttal.
She shot Charlotte a glare before huffing back to her seat.
The lesson officially began shortly afterwards…
With Harry Potter and Ron Weasley arriving late.
After giving the pair a stern reprimand, Professor McGonagall addressed the class.
“Transfiguration is taught as a separate subject at Hogwarts because it is one of the most dangerous…” “…most complicated…” “…and most difficult branches of magic you will ever study.” She swept her gaze across the classroom.
“So let me make one thing perfectly clear.” “If anyone chooses to fool around during my lesson…” “I shall turn them into a football and kick them out of this classroom.” “And once you’re out…” “Don’t expect to come back.” With that, Professor McGonagall pointed her wand at the teacher’s desk.
In an instant— The wooden desk transformed into a plump little white pig.
The classroom fell into stunned silence.
A moment later, every student burst into excited whispers.
“Oh, wow!
That’s incredible!” “I want to learn that!” “If I master Transfiguration, I can turn rocks into gold!” “Professor McGonagall is amazing!” Listening to their amazed reactions, Professor McGonagall allowed herself a satisfied smile.
She gave her wand a light wave.
The classroom immediately fell silent again.
“Now…” “Let’s begin with the fundamental principles of Transfiguration.” “Take careful notes.”