It had to be said that the Hogwarts start-of-term feast was exceptionally good.
When all kinds of meats were cooked to the right temperature, they were not only tender and juicy, but also full of flavor.
The judicious use of spices such as black pepper and rosemary brought out the rich flavor of the meat itself.
The same applied to various gravies, tomato sauces, and dipping sauces; applying a little to sausages or potatoes could enhance their flavor.
Vizette took another lamb chop, drizzled a spoonful of gravy over it, and the atmosphere at the feast grew increasingly lively.
The older students around them chatted and laughed, discussing all sorts of interesting stories, from current events to gossip about famous wizards, from spellcasting tips to their teachers.
Although Vizette hadn't systematically studied magic yet, he could still learn a lot from it.
Professor McGonagall had a good reputation and was very responsible toward her work and students;
As the Head of Gryffindor, she was exceptionally strict with her students and never hesitated to deduct points.
Professor Snape was the Potions professor and also the Head of Slytherin.
If Professor McGonagall was a positive example of strict self-discipline, then Professor Snape was a negative example.
Professor Snape was exceptionally lenient with his own house, but extremely strict with other houses, even nitpicking and deducting points for all sorts of trivial matters.
However, this behavior was mainly targeted at Gryffindor, which was why Gryffindor's house points had consistently been at the bottom.
Professor Flitwick, as the Head of Ravenclaw, was responsible for teaching Charms. His classes were very interesting, and all the students in Ravenclaw loved him.
Professor Sprout was a kind middle-aged woman who spent her days with various magical plants and had a good reputation among Hufflepuff students.
...
After the main course, there were desserts, including various pies and sponges, as well as puddings, jellies, and ice cream.
The syrup in these pastries was too thick, and the taste was far too sweet.
Vizette took a small scoop of ice cream and savored its rich, creamy flavor.
Desserts could lift people's spirits, and the older students changed the subject, talking about their summer vacation experiences and the recent Gringotts break-in.
"Have you heard about the recent Gringotts incident? The Daily Prophet has been making headlines about it for several issues."
"Robbing an underground vault, especially the highest-security one, I don't think any wizard would be stupid enough to do such a thing."
"I think so too. Maybe it's all a show orchestrated by goblins to demonstrate their so-called service spirit... Of course, it's only for wealthy pure-blood families."
"Maybe it's another goblin rebellion? During summer vacation, I visited The Mines' Eye, where some of the facilities from the goblin rebellion are still preserved. Their smelting techniques are indeed very interesting."
...
The disappearance of desserts from the plates signified the end of the welcome feast.
Dumbledore rose again and walked to the staff table once more. "Now that everyone has eaten and drunk their fill, why not listen to this old man ramble on for a few more minutes..."
Amid a burst of light laughter, he continued with a smile, "First, let me introduce you to the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor—Quirinus Quirrell."
Quirinus Quirrell stood up, his head wrapped in a heavy purple turban, his attire quite reminiscent of Indian garb.
He waved his arms somewhat awkwardly and stammered in a low voice, "G-Gentlemen! I...I am Quirinus Quirrell! I'm very...very happy to be in charge of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class!"
"Thank you, Professor Quirrell!" Dumbledore gestured for Professor Quirrell to sit down. "There are a few more things to keep in mind…"
"Attention first-year students: Students are strictly prohibited from entering the Forbidden Forest on one side of the campus. It is very dangerous there, and you must be absolutely certain of your safety if you want to go in."
"For more information on school rules and demerit point details, please contact our caretaker, Mr. Filch; he has a booklet available."
"In addition, the Quidditch team tryouts will be held next week. Please check the notice board in the common room for the specific selection time..."
Dumbledore added many more details, then cleared his throat, his smile fading as he became serious.
"There's one more thing, and it's the most important thing. If you don't want to encounter an accident and die a painful death, never go near the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side. Remember that!"
A brief silence fell over the Great Hall until Dumbledore smiled again.
He chuckled and pulled out his wand. "Before you all go back to the common rooms, let's sing the school song together!"
Bang!
A long golden ribbon flew from the tip of the wand, floating in mid-air in the Great Hall, twisting and turning like a snake to form lines of text.
Dumbledore used his wand as a conductor's baton, "Just play whatever tune you like—get ready with the lyrics... sing!"
The Gryffindors had the loudest singing voices, followed by the Hufflepuffs.
Ravenclaw's performance was similar to Slytherin's; they simply lip-synced, and very few of them actually sang aloud.
After the somewhat awkward school song segment ended, the prefects led the students out of the hall in single file to their respective common rooms.
As Vizette walked up the marble staircase, the portraits around him would whisper and point at them when they saw them.
Rumble rumble rumble...
A heavy thud came from ahead.
They were magical staircases, constantly moving, sometimes lengthening, sometimes shortening, sometimes leading to a door, sometimes clinging to a wall.
Leading the way was Penelope Clearwater, who proudly pointed to the magic staircase and said, "The designer of the moving staircases is Rowena Ravenclaw, the founder of Ravenclaw."
"As a magic school, the stairs can't be too ordinary. Moving stairs should be as free as a wizard's... Alright, it's time to go up now, let's go!"
She led the students up the moving staircase and continued the introduction to Ravenclaw's house history.
"Ravenclaw House is as free as the sky, and our common room is situated high up. Bronze and blue are the House's colors, symbolizing the eagle of freedom and the sky..."
"Our common room has a house library set up. Although it can't compare to the main library's collection, it's not much worse. At least we'll have more freedom when reading these books..."
The journey to the Ravenclaw common room was long and involved navigating numerous moving staircases.
During this process, many first-years began to feel confused and even dozed off while walking.
Vizette wasn't one of them. He looked around curiously at everything, from the moving oil paintings to the suits of armor—everything was so magical.
Cho Chang said with a smile, "It seems you're well-suited for Ravenclaw; you're not confused at all."
Vizette nodded. "This place is so interesting, I can never get enough of it... I hope I can sleep tonight."
Cho Chang reminded him, "You have classes tomorrow, so it's best to get up early and leave a good impression on the teacher."
Finally, they arrived at the tower where the common room was located.
A bronze door stood before them, topped with a bronze eagle statue with its wings folded.
The eagle statue looked so lifelike, as if it would flap its wings and take flight at any moment.
Penelope Clearwater walked to the bronze door, where the bronze knocker beneath the eagle statue trembled, and a melodious female voice emanated from it.
"I was completely unaware of my surroundings, and if I abandon this place, I will surely die?"
Penelope Clearwater looked at Vizette and the others, "Ravenclaw is different from other houses. We don't need a password. As long as we can answer the question correctly, we can enter the common room."
"Today's question isn't too difficult, so why don't we let the first-years answer it? Let's see who can guess... what the answer to this question is?"
She noticed that many first-years seemed at a loss, so she gently reminded them, "Remember, there isn't just one answer. As long as you can explain it, you've passed."
...
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