"Welcome to Slytherin!"
While receiving greetings from the upperclassmen, I took a seat beside a Slytherin boy who had already sat down. He was a good-looking Black guy with a flashy, carefree vibe.
"Hey, I'm Blaise Zabini. Nice to meet you, Elaina!"
He used my given name right away. It seemed my first impression of him had been spot on.
"You were the girl looking for someone's toad on the train, right? I remember you because you were the most beautiful girl on that train."
The most beautiful, huh. Well, he does seem to have a good eye for people. Then again, with beauty like mine, it would be hard to forget after seeing it once.
"But honestly, I thought you'd end up in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor."
"Oh? And why would that be?"
"Because people who help others usually end up in one of those two houses. I was disappointed, thinking such a beauty would be taken away from us, so I'm really happy!"
I see. So this is how handsome guys win girls over. Just praise them endlessly. To be honest, very few people dislike being complimented.
More than that, by constantly using embarrassingly sweet lines, both the speaker and the listener get used to them, making such exchanges feel as natural as greetings. Definitely something to watch out for.
"Elaina, so you ended up in Slytherin too."
After a while, Malfoy sat down beside me. I had been half-heartedly brushing off Blaise's flirting while watching from afar, but Malfoy had also been sorted into Slytherin instantly, just as he'd hoped.
"I'm glad it worked out the way you wanted," I said.
"Of course it did. If I'd been put into Hufflepuff or something, I'd have withdrawn immediately."
Does Malfoy have some kind of grudge against Hufflepuff?
After that, the Sorting Ceremony continued smoothly. In the end, a little over a hundred students were sorted, with just over thirty assigned to each house in fairly even numbers.
Hermione, Neville, Ron, and Harry all went to Gryffindor. Crabbe and Goyle ended up in Slytherin. As for the others, the tall and taciturn-looking Theodore Nott joined Slytherin later on, as did girls like Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass.
＊＊
As soon as the Sorting Ceremony ended, Headmaster Dumbledore, who had been seated until now, rose to his feet. Judging by the flow of things, he was about to give some words of celebration before the feast.
(A speech, huh…)
Honestly, I just wanted it to end quickly. Hardly any students seriously listen to the headmaster's profound words anymore. After a long journey, I was hungry and wanted the feast to begin as soon as possible.
"New students, congratulations on your admission. Current students, it has been some time. Before we begin the welcome feast, there is only one thing I have to say. There, wasshoi, korashoi, dokkorashoi! That is all."
I take that back. Headmaster Dumbledore is an amazing teacher.
"Now then, let us begin the feast."
As Dumbledore raised his hand, a huge amount of food appeared atop the golden plates floating in the air.
Roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops, lamb chops, sausages, bacon, steak, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, French fries, Yorkshire pudding, baked beans, gravy sauce, ketchup, mint candies, and more.
Even I was a little surprised, but when I looked at the upperclassmen, they were already helping themselves to the food and starting the feast as if it were perfectly normal.
I picked up the roast beef in front of me, cut it into pieces, and brought it to my mouth.
"…Delicious."
Perfectly tender and wonderfully juicy. The doneness, the salt, and the sweetness of the sauce were all spot on. Paired with horseradish, an exquisite harmony of sweetness, spiciness, and saltiness spread through my mouth.
"Well, it's not bad. Of course, the food at my house is far better," Malfoy said beside me, somehow trying to assert dominance over the meal.
"I see, Draco really loves his mother's cooking."
"Th-that's not it!"
"Then does your father cook?"
"That's not what I meant either! At my estate, we have top-class chefs!"
"Even if you're just being shy, saying things like that will make your parents sad."
"Ugh…"
Oh? An unexpected weakness discovered.
I had suspected it ever since we first met at Madam Malkin's shop, but this kid probably has a bit of a mother complex and father complex, doesn't he? Well, with broken families being such a social issue these days, it's nice to see such a harmonious one.
"But if you boast that much, it does make me curious," I said.
"S-see? It really is amazing! When we host a party, my father even invites three-star chefs all the way from France."
Three-star French chefs. Sure, the roast chicken, lamb chops, Yorkshire pudding, and baked beans in front of me were delicious, but everything was brown overall. Well, that is British cuisine for you.
"What is it, Elaina? Do you want an invitation?"
"…No, not really."
"There was a pause just now. You don't have to hold back, you know."
"Urgh."
Is this rich brat trying to bait me with food? Unfortunately for him, I'm not the kind of cheap woman who can be lured by food alone. I was merely a little intellectually curious about these so-called three-star chef dishes, that's all.
"If you like, I could even invite your whole family."
"Mmgh…"
"Last year, if I remember correctly, the highlights included a confit salmon pie, aged wagyu fillet stuffed with foie gras, a scallop and black truffle terrine served with white asparagus mousse, and even a pan-seared Spanish mackerel with lobster sauce. All of it was exquisite."
I could practically picture my gourmet-loving father clapping his hands in delight while savoring every bite. My mother occasionally says things like, "I'd love to have French food on someone else's dime," so this might turn out to be a good opportunity to show some filial piety.
"…I'll think about it."
"Sure. Just tell me anytime if you feel like it. Hmph."
That last part was a snort, wasn't it?
Feeling inexplicably annoyed, I secretly dumped some extremely spicy sauce into his pudding. Watching Malfoy, completely unaware, take a bite and then turn from pale to bright red in an instant was quite a sight to behold.
＊＊
When everyone had finished eating, Headmaster Dumbledore stood up.
"You have all eaten and drunk well, I trust. Before you return to your dormitories, there are a few words I must say. First, to the first-years: you must not enter the Forbidden Forest on the school grounds. Of course, that applies to upperclassmen as well."
A brief glance, from behind the half-moon spectacles, sent his blue eyes toward Gryffindor. Perhaps someone came to mind.
"Next, a reminder from our caretaker, Mr. Filch, that magic is not to be used in the corridors. Also, anyone wishing to join a Quidditch team should contact Madam Hooch. Lastly, anyone who does not wish to suffer a very painful and terrifying death should stay out of the corridor on the right-hand side of the fourth floor for the entire year."
A school that has areas dangerous enough to threaten students' lives. As expected of a magical school, it piqued my interest in its own way.
…Maybe I should provoke Draco sometime and egg him on.
"Just so you know, Elaina, I'm not going."
"Oh? For a first-year to use Legilimency, that's quite impressive, Draco."
"I can more or less guess from that smug look on your face."
It seems my thoughts were written all over my face.
After Headmaster Dumbledore finished speaking, the entire school proceeded to sing the mysterious school song together.
Hogwarts, Hogwarts
Hog hog, wats wats, Hogwarts♪
Please teach us, do tell us,
Whether old or bald or still green,
There's something you can stuff in our heads,
Something interesting you can cram in♪
Right now they're empty, full of air,
Stuffed with dead flies and bits of junk♪
Teach us what is worth knowing,
Teach us what we've forgotten,
Do your best and leave the rest to you,
Learn, O brain, until you rot away♪
Good grief, how awful… no, rather, what an extremely distinctive song. One might question the lyricist's sense… no, it is simply far too unique, perhaps too advanced for humanity.
On top of that, everyone sang to whatever melody they liked, so the timing of the ending was spectacularly out of sync. The Weasley twins even went with an exceptionally slow funeral march.
"Ah, music, a magic that surpasses all others!"
Only Headmaster Dumbledore was moved to tears, but his sense of taste was beyond my understanding.
(End of chapter)
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