A Dinner Far Too Normal for a Magical School
The Sorting Ceremony continued as though nothing strange had happened.
Which was rather difficult for Harry and Percy to accept.
Tyson was already sitting at the Hufflepuff table, surrounded by several students who seemed to have welcomed him without the slightest difficulty. Some looked at him curiously because of his height, others with a bit of surprise, but the Hufflepuffs seemed far less intimidating than the other Houses when it came to welcoming someone new.
Tyson even seemed to be trying not to take up too much space on the bench, something that wasn't working very well.
Even so, that didn't stop him from smiling when a couple of students even began explaining where the different dishes were and passing him food before he had even asked for it, as though they had decided to adopt him the moment he sat down.
And that was enough for Harry and Percy to let out a small sigh of relief.
At least Tyson didn't seem upset about not ending up with them in Gryffindor, which, honestly, might not have been such a bad thing.
After all, Gryffindors could be...
Prejudiced.
Even so, that irritation still lingered in Harry's mind.
"It wasn't me," Harry repeated quietly.
Percy looked at him again.
"Are you completely sure?"
Harry gave him a flat look.
Percy raised his hands slightly.
"Alright. Stupid question."
Harry turned his attention back toward Tyson.
"When I tried to do it, someone beat me to it."
Percy frowned.
"Then was it ordinary magic, or did someone manipulate the Mist?" he asked.
Harry didn't answer immediately.
Because that was exactly the part that bothered him the most.
If it had been ordinary magic, there was no way it would have gone unnoticed right in front of Dumbledore.
So the only possibility left was the Mist.
But Harry hadn't sensed absolutely anything.
And if that were true...
Then whoever had done it might be an even better Mist manipulator than he was.
"The Mist doesn't feel like a normal spell. And if a wizard had used it that way, I think I would've felt something strange," Harry explained to his brother.
Percy thought for a few seconds.
Then he lowered his voice even further.
"A demigod?"
Harry didn't answer right away.
It was the only explanation that made any sense.
But at the same time...
"I don't think so," Harry finally said. "We met almost every demigod connected to magic at Camp Half-Blood. If there were one studying at Hogwarts, I think I would've recognized them. Or at least Chiron would've told us something."
"Well... We didn't exactly spend that much time at camp. And it's not like Chiron tells us everything, right?" Percy added.
Harry couldn't argue with that.
"The fact that something like this happened right after Dobby warned us about the great danger makes me think maybe we should've thought a little harder before coming back to Hogwarts," Harry said.
But Percy gave him a rather amused look.
"As if there was ever a chance you'd willingly miss coming here. Me? I wouldn't mind. I hate studying. But you..." he added.
Although they still had a lot to talk about, their conversation was interrupted as the Sorting Ceremony finally came to an end.
Professor McGonagall rolled up the parchment and removed the small stool along with the Sorting Hat.
The applause gradually faded as everyone's attention in the Great Hall returned to the teachers' table.
Dumbledore rose to his feet.
"Welcome," the Headmaster said with a kind smile. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. Before we can enjoy tonight's magnificent feast, I would like to say just a few words."
Dumbledore continued.
"To our first-year students, I must remind you that the Forbidden Forest is forbidden to all students."
His gaze swept across several tables before stopping at Gryffindor.
More specifically, on two well-known twins.
"And some of our older students would do well to remember that the word forbidden still has exactly the same meaning it had last year."
Fred and George immediately put on innocent expressions.
"Likewise, although the Black Lake is not entirely off-limits to students, it would be very wise not to disturb the creatures living within it too much, especially our Giant Squid. And it would be very, very wise not to attempt setting empty classrooms on fire," Dumbledore added.
This time his gaze settled on Percy, who, just like the Weasley twins, also wore an expression of complete innocence, while remembering how the Headmaster had somehow discovered his failed interrogation attempt involving a candle, Percy, Neville, and a satyr named Grover.
But seeing several portraits of former Headmasters behind the teachers' table solemnly nodding, Harry could more or less guess how the Headmaster had found out.
Though Harry himself had only learned about it from Grover.
"With that said... enjoy," Dumbledore said as he sat back down while making a small gesture with one hand.
The very next instant, the tables filled with every kind of food imaginable, bringing the Great Hall back to life all at once.
Especially Ron, who, without a second thought, attacked the chicken legs in front of him without the slightest hesitation.
Harry and Percy were hungry too.
After all, even though they hadn't traveled on the Hogwarts Express to reach the castle, they had ended up helping Hagrid quite a bit.
And seeing all that food spread out before them certainly made it impossible to think about anything other than filling their stomachs.
Harry let out a sigh.
Maybe it would be better to worry about who had enchanted the Hat later, since right now they didn't have a single lead to follow.
And perhaps after eating, he'd come up with better ideas.
Percy seemed to be thinking the same thing.
He couldn't help glancing toward the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, who appeared to be enjoying the feast a little too much.
Every time one of the girls looked at him, he responded with an elegant nod or a dazzling smile, as though he were posing for a photograph.
They could even overhear the conversation between the girls sitting in front of them.
"They say he wears a mask because, in the past, he fought an evil Dark Knight who left him with a terrible scar. Even so, the Masked Hero managed to defeat him with a single spell, but they say he didn't take his life. Instead, he spared him on the condition that, from that day onward, he would walk only in the light," said who appeared to be Angelina Johnson, wearing the same dreamy expression as the other girls. "Even with that mask, he won Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award five times, so he really must be incredibly handsome underneath it," she added.
"How can you say that? Maybe underneath the mask he's actually horribly disfigured or something, and the only thing he has going for him is nice teeth," Lee Jordan couldn't help adding, though the bitterness of jealousy was obvious in his voice.
That immediately earned him the disapproval of the surrounding girls, Hermione included, who couldn't help saying,
"I've read most of his books, and many of them are about genuinely dangerous Dark creatures he encountered during his travels. And none of his stories seem fake. Many things that used to be considered mere theories were proven thanks to his books, so he must be a great wizard. And a very powerful one too."
Harry couldn't help giving the Masked Hero another look, and honestly, other than wearing a mask, he didn't really seem all that special.
At that very moment, the Hero seemed to be telling Professor Flitwick something while making exaggerated gestures with his hands. Flitwick nodded politely, though he seemed far more interested in his goblet than in the story.
"Jealous?" Percy asked beside him with a teasing grin.
"Of what?" Harry asked immediately, looking at him in confusion.
"That someone else is getting all the attention?" Percy asked.
"Ah... honestly, no," Harry answered right away. "Honestly, I prefer it that way. You know I don't like it when people stare at me like I'm some animal in a zoo," he added.
"Mmm..." Percy merely hummed while looking at his brother with a smile that clearly didn't understand that way of thinking. "If you say so."
Fred and George tried to get Tyson's attention from the Gryffindor table.
"Hey, Tyson! If the badgers give you any trouble, let us know!" the twins shouted, having grown rather fond of Tyson during the visit to their house. Besides, they'd discovered he was genuinely good at making things, making him a very promising future accomplice for their plans.
Tyson looked up from the Hufflepuff table, where everyone was happily sharing food and chatting with him as though they'd known him for years.
"They're nice!" Tyson said cheerfully.
That made the badgers feel that Tyson, despite being so incredibly huge, really was a pure soul who deserved to be protected.
Someone even put another helping of meat pie onto his plate.
Harry and Percy couldn't help smiling at the sight.
And perhaps their worries about someone seeing through the Mist and discovering Tyson was a Cyclops faded considerably.
An older boy at the Hufflepuff table, with brown hair and a kind expression, said something to Tyson with a smile.
Tyson answered by nodding enthusiastically several times, apparently delighted.
Harry watched the interaction for several seconds without really knowing why.
The older boy, sensing the gaze for a brief moment, shifted his eyes toward Harry.
He wore a gentle smile and had a calm appearance.
He even seemed fairly popular.
But for just a moment, something about his eyes seemed familiar to Harry.
Though he couldn't remember where from.
Or why.
Then the older boy looked away again, and the strange feeling disappeared.
It had been so brief Harry almost thought he'd imagined it.
Harry frowned slightly.
"What?" Percy asked.
"Nothing, it's just... I was remembering that magic shop we passed in America," Harry said after a moment.
"The one owned by Roupe... Roupel or whatever?" Percy said, not quite remembering the name of that strange goblin.
"Ruopel. And I don't know... it's just..."
Harry looked back toward the Hufflepuff table, but the boy was already focused on his meal.
"Never mind. Maybe I'm just too on edge," Harry added, ending the conversation and returning his attention to dinner.
Percy also looked over, and his gaze rested for a moment on the same boy Harry had been watching.
But he merely shrugged before continuing to eat, listening to the girls arguing with Lee Jordan.
Or rather, listening to them scold him for insulting their beloved Masked Hero.