Very soon.
The raindrops fell like a torrent.
Flowing along the towering towers and winding walls of the castle, the night sky seemed to be torn apart by invisible hands, with dazzling lightning cutting through the darkness.
With the deafening thunder in the sky, the castle flickered between light and dark, while strange creatures still hid under the eaves in the downpour.
It quietly gazed at Ian inside the dormitory.
Eager to move.
Ready to strike.
The weak windows of the Ravenclaw Dormitory clearly couldn't prevent its entry.
However.
At this moment.
"Chirp!"
A crisp and resounding cry, a fiery red figure bloomed in the lightning, like a ray of morning sunlight breaking through the darkness. The strange creature felt threatened and fluttered its wings abruptly.
It hovered like a flying stingray, the fiery red figure in hot pursuit. In the blink of an eye, the two magical creatures vanished into the night.
Everything returned to calm.
As if nothing had happened.
The rain continued to fall.
Until the next morning.
As the deep night and raging storm gradually receded, the sky began to gently unveil its heavy black curtain.
The raindrops transformed from urgent and fierce to sparse, eventually ceasing, leaving only water droplets slipping softly from eaves and leaves with a pleasant ticking sound.
On the horizon, a gentle blue-violet spread quietly, signaling the start of a new day.
"Why are you still sleeping!"
Green-haired William was the one who slept the latest and also the one who got up the earliest in the dormitory, even earlier than Ian's highly disciplined internal clock.
"It's the first day of school. Do you want to be late? I've heard that Hogwarts doesn't allow little wizards who are late to enter the library!"
William's voice failed to wake the sleeping Ian, but his shaking of Ian's shoulders could. As Ian emerged from the depths of his dreams, he opened his eyes to a view of lush green hair.
"Where's the Green Grassland..."
Ian pushed William's head aside.
Somewhat sleepy, he sat up.
"It's my hair! Hair!"
William muttered as he turned to shake Michael, but the effect was negligible, as Brother Xiao Hei's sleep quality was always much better than others'.
"Maybe you should give him a slap."
Ian yawned while sitting at the edge of the bed.
He looked thoughtfully at William's hair.
Since green offers almost no UV protection and mammals lack the ability to synthesize green pigment, humans are unlikely to naturally have green hair.
Therefore.
Evidently, William's ancestors probably underwent extremely dangerous magic transformations similar to Voldemort, integrating some non-mammalian bloodlines.
They might be from reptiles or amphibians, either laying eggs or producing spawn.
"Good idea!"
William hadn't realized Ian was tracing his ancestry. He took Ian's suggestion and slapped Michael's chest with vigor.
"Pfft!"
Michael sat up, wide-eyed.
"I meant slap his face, not break his ribs!" Ian was astonished, thinking his green-haired roommate might belong in Gryffindor, not in Ravenclaw.
"I just thought it would be more efficient and perhaps more polite." William responded with an awkward smile, attempting to touch Michael's chest.
"I don't want courtesy, I just want my life!" Michael dodged in fright. He was more awake than anyone, incredibly energized.
Adrenaline proves mighty.
"Sorry."
William apologized sincerely, making Michael's face… alright, his expression slightly better.
"Next time, slap my face. My mom wakes me up like that, don't worry about being impolite." Michael instructed William repeatedly while rubbing his sore chest, watching Ian sprint into the bathroom to seize its use.
The interlude ended.
The three little wizards soon washed up before heading to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Oatmeal, bread rolls, orange juice, pickled fish, eggs and bacon, toast, buttered jam bread, cornflakes… these were Hogwarts' classic breakfast offerings.
Nutrient-rich.
Quite tasty too.
The key point was it included Ian's favorite morning lemonade. After a glass he was energetic, competing with his roommates over breakfast quantities.
No surprise.
Michael, the robust one, won the contest, Ian came second, William last. The green-haired boy attributed his ranking to last night's chicken leg.
"Friend, chicken legs are innocent."
Michael seemed still to savor last night's deliciousness.
Feeling content.
The trio dashed to the castle's seventh floor—the first class after the start of the term was Professor McGonagall's Transformation Class, attended by both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students.
Each class involved two houses without fixed pairings.
This arrangement allowed for competition to inspire enthusiasm, and indicated Hogwarts' annual freshman intake wasn't particularly large.
Despite the seemingly bustling classroom, even with two houses' freshmen convened, there were only about thirty students altogether.
"There's actually a cat in the classroom!"
Upon entering, the three found a spotted tabby cat lying on the lectern.
Faced with such a legendary scene finally before them, Ian—who had anticipated this for over a week—instantly produced the dried raw meat he had prepared.
However.
His motion was a bit slow.
"Little kitty, soft and fluffy, obedient cat! This must be the professor's cat!"
Michael sang softly and used his mysterious advantage to swiftly sidestep and reach Ian's front, ready to pet the cat.
"Good morning, Professor McGonagall." Outdone by Michael, Ian immediately made a decision.
While bowing slightly to the cat, he tucked his dried meat back into his robe.
"What!"
Michael had yet to react.
Professor McGonagall reverted to her human form.
Before the stern-faced older Cat Lady, Brother Xiao Hei stood awkwardly, his raised hand frozen mid-air, visibly at a loss.
"Good eye, Mr. Prince."
Professor McGonagall didn't mind Michael's blushing. She looked at Ian oddly, hesitated a moment, then offered Ian a small word of caution.
"Though eating isn't strictly prohibited in class, deteriorating food can affect your health; I recommend not excessively economizing in this area."
As she spoke.
Professor McGonagall's gaze grew even more peculiar.
She felt Ian's earlier actions seemed less about snacking.
[ps: The protagonist will have his own Phoenix by mid-semester, which will be somewhat special.]