While Elavin was cheerfully spinning his tale, Harry and Ron were exchanging meaningful glances.
They communicated in silence.
Harry, do you think Elavin’s telling the truth?
Not sure, but I have a feeling it’s probably fake.
Why?
He’s so amazing.
Maybe it’s real?
I can’t explain it, just a hunch.
And remember?
He loves playing jokes on people he just met.
Now that you mention it…
Harry looked away and decided to test the truth of Elavin’s words with a “flaw” he’d noticed.
“Elavin, Hogwarts doesn’t have subjects like Maths, Foreign Languages, Chemistry, Physics, Music, or Art.
Why do you still spend time studying those?” Right.
Why study them at all?
Hermione also looked at Elavin in confusion.
Elavin kept eating and drinking without even lifting his head.
“Maths helps train our logical thinking, allowing us to think more clearly when casting spells.” “Wizards are spread all over the world, and we also have Apparition.
That means there’s a very good chance we’ll come into contact with wizards from other countries in the future.
Knowing a foreign language will make things much more convenient.” “Chemistry shares many similarities with Potions and Alchemy.
Studying it gives us a clearer understanding of the nature of things.” “Physics serves a similar purpose.” “As for Music and Art, besides improving our appreciation, they also cultivate artistic sensibility and enhance inspiration.” “Magic is a deeply mind-oriented power.
Sometimes, we need a little inspiration.” Harry had originally thought Elavin was simply talking nonsense, just another joke like the “silent wandless entrance exam” or “we ate Trevor.” But the longer he listened, the more reasonable everything sounded.
Could it be…
this time he really wasn’t lying?
Harry looked helplessly at Ron.
What do we do?
He actually sounds like he’s telling the truth…
Ron was equally astonished.
He didn’t know what “Physics” or “Chemistry” were, but just from their names, they sounded every bit as complicated as Potions and Charms.
Thinking about how Elavin had studied so many different subjects in the past made his scalp go numb.
As for Hermione…
The young witch trembled violently, staring at Elavin in horror.
This person was terrifying.
He was simultaneously mastering both wizarding studies and Muggle studies, then blending them together into his own unique path.
The entire compartment suddenly fell silent.
“Why’s everyone so quiet all of a sudden?” Why?
What else could it be?
They’d all been completely overwhelmed.
“Talk…
talk about what?” “Oh, right.
Do you know which House you’ll be sorted into?” Harry and Ron, the inseparable pair, tried to ease the atmosphere by changing the subject.
The tactic worked perfectly.
It finally drew the attention of Hermione and Neville, who looked as though half their souls had been scared out of them.
“I’ve already been asking around about that,” Hermione said.
“I hope I’ll be sorted into Gryffindor because everyone says it’s the best House, and I’ve heard Professor Dumbledore graduated from there.
But I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn’t be too bad either.” Her voice was still somewhat subdued, clearly showing she hadn’t completely recovered.
Neville thought for a moment.
“My dad was in Gryffindor, and my mum was in Hufflepuff.
I think it’d be best if I ended up in one of those two Houses.” Ron smiled awkwardly.
“Everyone in my family has been in Gryffindor, so I’ll probably end up there too.” “It’s not that Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff are bad.
It’s just that if I got sorted somewhere else, I don’t know what my family would say.” “But no matter what, as long as it isn’t Slytherin.” Harry seemed to realize something.
“Because that’s the House where…
You-Know…
Voldemort once was?” After deciding to become a true warrior, Harry no longer avoided saying Voldemort’s name.
Hermione and Neville, however, instantly turned pale with fright, unable to utter a single word.
Amazing!!
So this is the courage of the Boy Who Lived?!
Seeing their reactions, Harry couldn’t help feeling a faint sense of pride well up inside him.
Ron also shuddered when he heard the name “Voldemort,” but thanks to Elavin’s earlier words, he somehow found a little courage as well.
“That’s right!” “Back when V…
um…
Vo…
Vo…
Voldemort…
was wreaking havoc, Slytherin had more Death Eaters than any other House.
Everyone says it’s practically full of bad people!” Hermione and Neville instantly turned to Ron in astonishment.
There’s another fearless one?!
Ron also felt a little proud of himself, and he almost couldn’t keep the grin off his face.
Were all Slytherins really bad?
If that were true, then why would Dumbledore still allow the House to exist?
Ron’s words left Harry deep in thought.
“Elavin, which House do you want to be in?” Elavin thought for a moment.
“Me?
Anywhere except Slytherin.” “Why?
Is it because of Voldemort too?” In Harry’s eyes, since Elavin wasn’t afraid of Voldemort like everyone else, he shouldn’t have any prejudice against Slytherin.
“Of course not.” “Didn’t any of you look into the dormitory conditions of the four Houses beforehand?” The dormitory conditions?
Was that really something people needed to research in advance?
All four of them were completely baffled, staring at one another without knowing what to say.
They all turned toward Ron.
Logically speaking, he should have known the most about the Houses’ dormitories since he had five older brothers.
Ron scratched his head awkwardly.
“I’m not really sure either.
Percy and the others never talked about that kind of thing.” “Besides, they’re all in Gryffindor.
At most, they’d only know what Gryffindor’s dormitories are like.
As for the other Houses…
they probably don’t know much either.” So the four of them turned back toward Elavin once again.
“Do you really know what Hogwarts’ dormitories are like, Elavin?” “Oh, I know them extremely well!” The moment the subject came up, Elavin immediately perked up.
“You all know the four Houses’ animal symbols, right?
The ones on the acceptance letter envelope.” Hermione answered immediately.
“Yes!
Ravenclaw is the eagle, Gryffindor is the lion, Hufflepuff is the badger, and Slytherin is the serpent!” “Exactly.” “The locations of the four Houses’ dormitories more or less match the natural habitats of those animals.” Elavin pulled out his wand and began Transfiguring the rubbish on the table.
“Ravenclaw’s dormitory is located in Ravenclaw Tower.
The entrance to the common room is on the eighth floor.” With a wave of his wand, the plastic wrapper that had been used to wrap a hamburger instantly transformed into a miniature wooden tower, complete with an eagle carved on its peak.
“Such an exquisite Transfiguration Spell?!” Hermione and Neville were immediately stunned by Elavin’s display.
It seemed everything Elavin had said earlier about his terrifying daily study routine hadn’t been an exaggeration after all.