The Christmas holiday ended, and the students returned to school one after another. Everyone had already received the A Beginner's Handbook for Spellcasters delivered by owl post, and they were full of curiosity about this strange new magical tool. On the Hogwarts Express, every conversation revolved around the Handbook, the achievement system, the school map, magical e-books, and the most amazing artificial intelligence of all, Helena Ravenclaw.
Just listen to that name. Ravenclaw! The daughter of one of the original founders, the one and only woman who stole the diadem, though this sentence absolutely could not be written in the Handbook, was now the hottest magical encyclopedia in the entire school.
The young wizards of Ravenclaw were ecstatic. This finally proved that their house was the GOAT of Hogwarts. Lady Helena had become an artificial intelligence, and now the entire school, teachers and students alike, relied on her. Such honor and achievement made every Ravenclaw hold their heads high.
Gryffindor? Just a bunch of reckless jocks, all courage and no brains. Slytherin? Stubborn, outdated, nothing but old bones. Hufflepuff? A bunch of slackers and snackers, not worth worrying about.
Hah. Ravenclaw was king. Stay mad. Keep talking, and I'll file one tiny report to Lady Helena and have your Handbook shut down! Of course, that was impossible.
When the brats from the other three houses saw Ravenclaw walking around with their noses in the air, they were so angry their teeth itched. They were jealous. They were envious. They were so uncomfortable they gnawed their fingernails, their wands, and their sleeves. Hogwarts had so many ghosts, so why had it just happened to choose a Ravenclaw?
Gryffindor had Sir Nick. Hufflepuff had the Fat Friar. Slytherin even had the Bloody Baron. They were all famous ghosts.
It was all those old ghosts' fault for not trying harder!
"You Ravenclaw bastards! Do you dare settle this at the Dueling Club?!" a Gryffindor student shouted from one side of the train carriage.
"Who's afraid of who? All seven years of Ravenclaw can take on the entire British wizarding world. Anyone who has a problem can meet us in the dueling arena." On the other side, a "helpful classmate" from Slytherin accepted the challenge on Ravenclaw's behalf.
"Let's compare rankings instead. Whichever house holds the most spots in the top three on the leaderboards is the strongest house!" The Ravenclaw students reacted quickly and changed the subject, avoiding the possibility that they would actually have to go to the Dueling Club and face a three-house beatdown.
"That's a good idea!" a certain Head Boy shouted. "Slytherin, do you accept?"
The Slytherin prefects sneered and said, "Who's scared? Don't forget who won the House Cup six years in a row."
The Hufflepuff students muttered among themselves, also looking quite motivated.
When the train arrived, students from all four houses mixed together as they headed toward the castle. Whenever they met each other, they all gave cold snorts, sparks practically flying from their eyes.
The professors waited in the Great Hall to welcome the students back after two weeks apart, only to see a crowd of aggressive little gamecocks. Every face was excited and impatient, as if they could not wait to start a Hogwarts-wide brawl right there on the spot.
"What is going on?" The Heads of House looked at one another, having no idea what had happened.
Dumbledore hesitated for a moment, then smiled at the professors beside him and said, "A little fighting spirit is a good thing."
He stood up and first cast a [Sonorus] charm on himself, then began his speech.
"Welcome home, young ladies and gentlemen."
Thunderous applause erupted throughout the Great Hall. Everyone poured all the fire they had built up on the train into making cheerful noise. They clapped, stomped their feet, and knocked their cups against the tables, their faces shining with excitement.
When the applause finally quieted a little, Dumbledore smiled and continued.
"I believe all of you received Hogwarts's gift during the holiday. After several days of getting familiar with it, I imagine you have gradually begun to grasp how to use it. Allow me to say, without the least bit of self-praise, that the future of the wizarding world is in your hands!"
The applause thundered again.
Dumbledore raised a hand to press it down. His clear blue eyes reflected the bright candlelight, shining with vigor.
"Professor Gellert will demonstrate the specific operating details of the Handbook for you in Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Here, I would once again like to thank all the professors, wizards, and students who devoted their minds, energy, and labor to the creation of A Beginner's Handbook for Spellcasters. They are Professor Minerva McGonagall..."
Professor McGonagall's stern face looked rosy and spirited. She rose and bowed to the students, and the Gryffindors cheered with all their might.
"Professor Severus Snape..."
The old bat rose unhurriedly and also gave a bow, while the Slytherins looked smug. Before sitting down, he glanced at Lily beside him. The female teaching assistant seemed distracted, with a mysterious smile at the corner of her mouth.
"Professor Filius Flitwick, Lady Helena Ravenclaw..."
The short goblin-like professor looked so excited that he seemed about to faint. The Ravenclaws lifted their chins slightly, saying everything without saying a word.
"Professor Pomona Sprout..."
After the kind Herbology teacher finished bowing, she waved repeatedly to her little badgers, and the Hufflepuff table filled with flowing laughter and cheers.
"Professor Hagrid, Professor Gellert, Mr. Jim Hacker, and..."
Amid scattered applause and cheers, Dumbledore said the last name.
"Mr. Skyl."
Skyl sat at the Gryffindor table. The classmates and roommates around him, along with the teachers and students of the entire school, all turned their gazes toward him.
He also stood, took off his hat, placed it over his chest, and nodded politely in all directions. In the next instant, a tidal wave of discussion, whistles, and applause erupted in the Great Hall, so loud that the hanging magical candles seemed as if they might be shaken loose.
"He's my roommate! Did you hear that? He and I are good mates!" Percy shouted loudly at the prefects from the other houses.
A Ravenclaw prefect looked at the transfer student and frowned. "If Skyl competes in the rankings too, won't he take up one spot on every single leaderboard? That's not good..."
Most of the Slytherin students looked at Skyl with reverence. The prefects whispered among themselves, "Mr. Skyl has now successfully infiltrated the professors' circle. He must be brewing a great plan to rule Hogwarts. When the time comes and he raises his arm, we will immediately join his banner and serve him like loyal hounds..."
Skyl once again enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention. His companions excitedly grabbed his hands, hugged his arms, massaged his shoulders, and pounded his back. One after another, they begged him to reveal some development secrets, or to tell them about hidden functions in the Handbook.
The transfer student only said that he had made a tiny, insignificant contribution, and that the professors had done most of the work.
Dumbledore declared loudly, "Let the feast begin!"
After spending the New Year's party together, the house-elves in the kitchen had become even warmer and more lively, and the food they presented was of an even higher standard. They had poured their feelings into their magic, and that emotion was reflected in the results of their labor. The dishes looked, smelled, and tasted even better than before, making everyone eat with great satisfaction.
After the feast, on the way back to the common room, Skyl found himself surrounded like a star by a circle of admirers. He felt puzzled and asked, "Why are you all acting like bootlickers today?"
"Oh, Skyl, that sounds awful. What do you mean, bootlickers? We're just concerned about our great hero." The students laughed it off while making provocative faces at students from other houses as they passed.
"Haven't I always made great contributions to the house? How many house points have I earned since the start of term? Why didn't I see you all sucking up to me then?" Skyl teased with a smile.
"Ahem, actually..." Percy put on a serious act.
Wood picked up the thread. "Fine, I'll just say it. Because Helena is now the magical spirit of the Handbook, those Ravenclaw brats have been acting way too arrogant! We Gryffindors are blessed with heroes and talent. In the lower years, we have Harry the Savior. In the upper years, we have you, a great wizard. Are we supposed to just swallow this insult?"
Skyl more or less guessed what they wanted to say. Although he had not experienced the students' dispute on the Hogwarts Express, he had already expected competitive pressure to appear in the school. Now the fire had burned its way to him.
"I'm not joining any ranking competition," Skyl refused.
"Don't say that, Skyl! Without you, how are we supposed to win?" The students immediately put on miserable faces. Several witches pleaded softly, while the boys acted even more dramatic, making Skyl's skin crawl.
"All right, all right!" Skyl finally grew annoyed by their pestering, though the corner of his mouth still lifted. "Let's be clear ahead of time. I won't compete for every single leaderboard. At most, I'll participate in three events. That's enough, isn't it?"
"With that one sentence from you, we're set." Percy looked invigorated. "All right, we've already secured three leaderboard champions. The rest of the positions are up to us. Everyone needs to put their heads together and knock down Ravenclaw's arrogance. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!" The carefree students gave exaggerated salutes. Then they looked at one another and laughed at the same time. Every one of them knew that this was the golden age of their lives.
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