"In short, these are all the things you need to watch out for. As long as everyone pays a little attention, we won't lose House points."
"But even if you slip up and lose some points, it's no big deal. Here in Hufflepuff, we don't stress about that. As long as you're happy at Hogwarts, that's what matters."
Prefect Harris was speaking at length in the crowd. Kael, meanwhile, was sitting on the very edge, head down, completely silent.
"Kael, what are you doing here? I've been looking for you everywhere."
At this moment, Cedric came over and casually handed him a glass of juice. "Fresh orange juice— having a glass before bed is definitely a good idea."
Kael didn't take it; he didn't even look up, just waved his hand at Cedric to show he didn't want it.
"What's up with you? Not feeling well?"
"No, I just feel a bit tired." Kael still kept his head down and said, a little hastily, "And I don't like drinking before bed anyway. Go offer it to someone else."
This out-of-character behavior naturally piqued Cedric's curiosity. He tried taking two steps to his left, only to find that Kael turned in the opposite direction at the same time.
Something's up, and not just a little bit—I'm twelve out of ten suspicious.
"Alright, I'll go ask some other first years then." Cedric quickly walked to the side, held his breath and stepped as quietly as he could, then quickly looped around in front of Kael and, once he'd found the right spot, flopped down on the ground.
Kael had just been thinking about when he could get back to the dorm, when suddenly a fluffy head popped up right in front of him.
Their eyes met...
"Kael, what happened to your eye? How did you end up with such a big black eye?"
"It's nothing!"
Kael immediately raised his hand to cover his left eye and said seriously, "I just accidentally bumped into a table just now. It's perfectly normal for it to get all bruised like this."
"You got a bruise that's that perfectly round from a fall?" Cedric sat cross-legged on the floor, rubbing his chin. "It looks like you got punched."
"No way, you're overthinking it!" Kael replied sternly. "If you don't believe me, can't you at least believe in Hufflepuff? This is the warmest family in all of Hogwarts! No way anyone here is that violent."
"You're right… so it really was just a fall?" Cedric nodded in deep agreement.
He didn't believe anyone in Hufflepuff would rough up a first year on their very first day. That kind of thing only happens in Slytherin.
Still, he couldn't get his head around why the 'black eye' looked so perfectly round if it was just a bump.
Natural talent?
While Cedric was having a hard time figuring it out, things had just wrapped up over by Prefect Harris.
"From today on, we're officially classmates. If you need anything, just ask. No need to be shy."
"Hufflepuff is one big, warm family. Including myself, every older student is here to help you."
"You all must be tired, right? Now I'll take you to your dorms. Patty, you're in charge of the girls' side."
Kael felt as if he'd just been pardoned, leaping up from the sofa and following the group. He didn't even say goodbye to Cedric before leaving.
Under Harris's lead, Kael soon arrived at his own dorm room.
Like the common room, the main colors here were yellow and black.
Bronze lamps cast a warm glow on the four-poster beds, and there were bronze bed-warmers on the walls as well, keeping the young Wizards' beds perfectly cozy.
Kael had two roommates.
Mikel Derek, a small, skinny, black-haired boy.
The other was blond and sturdier—his name was Ryan Bagins.
Yeah, both of them were pretty much nobodies, all things considered.
The last bed was empty—probably because there weren't enough first years this year.
Kael tilted his head, greeted the two of them briefly, and climbed into bed.
"Hey, isn't this all just amazing? I'm actually a Wizard!" Mikel sat on the edge of his bed, chattering excitedly. "No one in my family can do magic. My dad's a drilling machine salesman, and my mom works in a bank. I thought getting that letter was some kind of prank—never thought it was real."
"Haha, Hogwarts… I still feel like I'm dreaming."
"I'm half and half—in other words, what wizards call a Half-Blood."
Ryan, the blond, chimed in, "My dad is a Wizard, my mom's a Muggle. She freaked out when she found out."
"Of course she did. Nobody who's never seen Magic before takes it well," Mikel said. "You can't imagine—when that Professor Quirrell guy showed up at our house, my parents almost called the police."
"He just sort of... appeared in front of us, and said it was something like side-away... movement?"
"Side-Along Apparition," Kael softly interjected from the side.
"Yes, that's it! Side-Along Apparition!"
Mikel looked over at him, suddenly lit up. "Hey, I remember you! You're the one who took twenty minutes to get Sorted—Kael Chopper, right?"
"Yeah, that's me. Nice to meet you guys," Kael replied.
"So, can you tell us what happened?" Mikel asked, brimming with curiosity. "Why did your Sorting take so long? Twenty minutes! That's more than all the other first years put together."
"It's nothing, really," Kael thought for a moment. "The Sorting Hat just couldn't decide where to put me. It kept hesitating, that's all."
"Wow, is that so…" Mikel marveled. "If you made that Hat think for so long, you must be really impressive."
Kael just smiled and didn't say anything.
He was definitely impressive, but it had nothing to do with the Sorting Hat.
And if Mikel knew the real reason the Sorting Hat was so indecisive, he probably wouldn't be saying that.
For the next while, Mikel was like a hummingbird on sugar, chattering away without stopping.
From Diagon Alley to Gringotts, then from Gringotts to picking out wands—it was nonstop.
It really did look like becoming a Wizard had made him incredibly happy.
At first, Kael and Ryan could keep up with the conversation, but gradually, the only voice left in the dorm was Mikel's.
Couldn't be helped—they just couldn't keep up.
They were all drowsy from a full meal, and after ten-plus hours on the train, just managing to stay awake till now was already pushing it.
Kael actually wanted to chat with his roommates too, maybe work on building a bit of friendship, but his bed was just too comfortable, and before he knew it, he was asleep.
Ryan, next to him, fell asleep even faster—he'd gone quiet five minutes earlier.
...
...