“Oh, your passion is so intense it’s about to burn me!”
The Sorting Hat spoke after only a single second.
“You will become the Lion King. Gryffindor!”
Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore smiled once again and applauded.
Fel casually walked toward the Gryffindor table and sat beside the excited Hermione.
After the last student had taken a seat, Dumbledore said a few brief words before leading everyone in singing the Hogwarts school song.
The Hogwarts school song had no fixed melody.
You could sing it however you wanted.
As a result, the entire Great Hall erupted into a chorus of horrifying off key singing.
Fel felt as though his ears were under magical assault, and his head began to spin.
No way.
I’d rather deafen everyone else than let everyone deafen me!
Fel stretched his neck and joined in at the top of his lungs.
If everyone was suffering, they could all suffer together!
When the chaotic singing finally came to a scattered end, Dumbledore waved his hand.
“Let the feast begin!”
Fel swore this was one of the moments he had been looking forward to the most.
Countless delicious dishes instantly appeared across the long tables.
Golden roasted chicken legs glistened temptingly, while pumpkin pies gave off clouds of steam and a sweet aroma.
Having been hungry for half the day, Fel grabbed a chicken leg and stuffed it into his mouth, finishing it in just a few bites.
Looking across the table, Ron was even more impressive.
He had practically switched into Berserker mode, dual wielding giant chicken legs as he devoured them from both hands.
Hermione, on the other hand, ate gracefully, carefully cutting the lamb chops on her plate into small pieces before taking delicate bites.
“Harry, don’t you like apple pie? Put it over here. I’ll trade you some pumpkin pie for it.”
Fel said.
Harry happily agreed, and the group chatted while also asking the older Gryffindor students all sorts of questions.
During the feast, there was also a brief incident where ghosts frightened a few of the younger students.
Overall, Fel thoroughly enjoyed the meal, and the group quickly became acquainted and began to think of one another as friends.
After the feast ended, Gryffindor Prefect Percy Weasley, Ron’s tall and slender older brother, led the first years toward Gryffindor Tower.
That was where their dormitories and common room were located.
The corridors were lined with magical portraits.
Some of the figures chatted among themselves, some greeted the young witches and wizards, while others had completely empty frames because they had apparently gone visiting.
“Watch out for the staircases. They change direction from time to time.”
Percy reminded everyone.
Fel had a terrible sense of direction.
There was no way he could memorize the route anytime soon.
Fortunately, he had the Granger Brand Human Map.
“Hermione, remember the route carefully. You’re leading the way tomorrow.”
Fel shamelessly assigned her the task.
Hermione gritted her teeth.
“Fel, tomorrow I’m leaving early and letting you get lost and arrive late!”
The two bickered all the way until they reached a doorway concealed behind a portrait of a plump middle aged woman.
“This is the Fat Lady.”
Percy introduced her.
“Password.”
The Fat Lady followed the rules faithfully.
She recognized only the password, never the person.
“Caput Draconis.”
Percy turned back toward everyone.
“Remember the password. It changes every Monday, and I’ll make sure to tell all of you.”
The portrait swung open.
As everyone climbed through, they let out amazed exclamations.
Even Fel nodded in satisfaction.
The common room was immediately beyond the entrance.
The room was decorated almost entirely in shades of red, giving it a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
Several tables and chairs filled the room.
Some held Wizard’s Chess sets, while others displayed Exploding Snap cards and various magical games.
“Welcome to the Gryffindor common room.”
“The staircase on the left leads to the boys’ dormitories on the second floor.”
“The staircase on the right leads to the girls’ dormitories.”
“Boys, don’t even think about trying to enter the girls’ dormitory.”
“The stairs will turn into a slide and send you right back down.”
Percy looked as though he had suddenly remembered some embarrassing experiences.
Apparently, almost every boy, especially every Gryffindor, would eventually try it.
Not because they actually wanted to sneak into the girls’ dormitory.
They were simply curious and wanted to experience the magical slide.
That was just how Gryffindors were.
Hermione deliberately avoided looking at Fel as she pouted and walked up the staircase on the right.
Fel chuckled and headed toward the staircase on the left.
Entering his dormitory, Fel nodded in satisfaction.
This place was really nice.
The room was spacious, yet only five students lived there.
Instead of bunk beds, everyone had a large single bed with a soft mattress and a perfectly comfortable temperature.
Fel shared the room with Harry, Ron, Seamus, and Neville.
The five of them chatted excitedly for a long time and simply could not fall asleep.
Finally, at eleven o’clock, someone could no longer stay awake.
One after another, they returned to their beds.
After all, they were still children and needed plenty of sleep.
Lying in bed, Fel spent some time thinking about his future study plans.
When he turned his head, he saw Harry sitting by the window in his pajamas, staring absentmindedly outside while his owl Hedwig stood beside him.
“Can’t sleep, Harry?”
Fel sat cross legged beside Harry and looked at the bright moon outside as well.
“Did I wake you? I’m really sorry.”
Harry came back to his senses and apologized.
“No.”
“I couldn’t sleep either.”
“I was thinking about some things.”
Fel shook his head.
“What are you thinking about?”
Harry pressed his lips together.
“It all feels like a dream.”
“I’ve made so many friends, I have my own pet now, and I can even learn magic.”
Fel gazed at the bright moon.
Under its silver light, Hogwarts Castle looked hazy and dreamlike.
“I feel the same way, Harry.”
“But this isn’t a dream.”
Fel placed his right hand over his heart.
“Feel your heartbeat, Harry.”
“Everything here is real.”
“Just relax.”
Harry copied Fel, placing his own right hand over his heart.
As he felt his heartbeat gradually steady, his entire body slowly relaxed.
“Thank you, Fel.”
…
Thanks to his excellent body clock, Fel woke up right on time.
He looked at the mechanical watch beside his bed.
Seven o’clock sharp.
After checking the dormitory wall clock to confirm the time, it seemed that mechanical watches really did work at Hogwarts.
“Hey, Harry, Ron, Seamus, Neville.”
“Time to get up.”
Perhaps Harry had truly relaxed the previous night because he remained fast asleep.
Ron struggled to open his eyes and glanced at the clock.
“Oh, Fel… it’s only seven.”
“Our first class isn’t until nine.”
With that, he buried his head back under the blankets.
Neville, however, obediently sat up.
His eyes stared blankly into space with a completely confused expression.
“Alright.”
“Just don’t be late.”
“Our first lesson is Professor McGonagall’s Transfiguration class.”
Fel was not anyone’s babysitter.
As a roommate, waking them once was already enough.
After washing up, he picked up his school bag and headed downstairs.
The first thing he saw was a small figure sitting on one of the sofas in the common room.
Most of her tiny body had sunk into the soft cushions.
Only her fluffy brown hair was visible.
From behind, she looked just like Garfield.
Clearly, Hermione’s threat about leaving early and letting Fel get lost had only been a joke.
She had been waiting to walk with him all along.
“Let’s go, Hermione.”
Fel called out.
Hermione lifted her chin and simply started walking ahead.
As for Miss Beaver’s little temper, Fel had plenty of ways to deal with it.
“Hermione, our first class is Transfiguration.”
“Did you prepare for it already?”
Hermione could not resist answering.
“Of course.”
“And after breakfast, we’re going straight to the classroom.”
“We’ll still have another hour to review.”
Once the conversation started, the two naturally resumed chatting as though nothing had happened.
The staircases of Hogwarts were absolutely Fel’s least favorite part of the castle.
He still failed to remember the route.
Those cursed staircases never stopped moving.
With Hermione leading the way, the two entered the Great Hall.
Quite a few people were already eating breakfast at the long tables, but they were mostly older students.
The first years were still sleeping soundly.
The two sat down at the Gryffindor table.
In the blink of an eye, several plates of food appeared before them.
There were pumpkin pies, milk, sausages, and other breakfast dishes.
The two quietly began eating.
“You’re not going for your morning run?”
Hermione asked.
Fel usually exercised every morning.
Fel smiled bitterly.
“I’m still not familiar with Hogwarts.”
“I’m afraid I’ll get lost.”
“I’ll wait a few days until I know the castle better.”
“If I end up late, that’ll be a disaster.”
“I don’t want to leave Professor McGonagall with a bad first impression.”
Hermione nodded in complete agreement.
She admired Professor McGonagall quite a bit.
After breakfast, the two headed toward the Transfiguration classroom.
Their very first class at Hogwarts was about to begin.