"In summary, these are the things you need to pay attention to. As long as everyone is careful, you won't lose any house points.
But even if you slip up occasionally and lose points, it's okay. We Hufflepuffs don't mind that as long as you're happy at Hogwarts."
Prefect Harris was speaking confidently among the crowd, while Kael sat at the outermost edge, silently with his head down.
"Kael, what are you doing here? I've been looking for you for a long time."
At this moment, Cedric came over and handed him a glass of juice. "Fresh orange juice, a great choice before bed."
Kael didn't take it, nor did he even look up. He just waved his hand at Cedric, indicating he didn't need it.
"What's wrong, aren't you feeling well?"
"No, I just feel a bit sleepy." Kael still didn't look up and said in a somewhat hurried tone, "Also, I don't like drinking anything before bed. Why don't you ask someone else?"
This unusual behavior naturally piqued Cedric's curiosity, so he took two steps to the left, only to find that Kael turned in the opposite direction almost simultaneously.
Something's not right, very not right.
"Alright, then I'll go ask some other new students." Cedric quickly walked to the side, then stealthily circled around to face Kael again and, after estimating the position, quickly lay down on the ground.
Kael was just thinking about when he could return to his dormitory when suddenly a furry head appeared in front of him.
The two of them locked eyes...
"Kael, what's with your eyes? Why do you have such a big black eye?"
"It's nothing!"
Kael quickly raised his hand to cover the area around his left eye, earnestly saying, "I just accidentally hit the table earlier. Getting a bruise is perfectly normal."
"Could a fall be that round?" Cedric sat on the ground, touching his chin, and said, "It looks like you got punched."
"Impossible. You're overthinking it!" Kael said seriously, "Even if you don't believe me, surely you believe in Hufflepuff? This is Hogwarts' warmest family; nothing so violent could happen here."
"That's true. Could it really have been just a fall?" Cedric nodded in deep agreement.
He couldn't believe anyone from Hufflepuff would beat up a new student on the first day—such things typically only happen in Slytherin.
But he still couldn't understand why the "black eye" was so perfectly round if it was indeed a fall.
Extraordinarily gifted?
Just as Cedric was pondering this mystery, Prefect Harris had finished his talk.
"Starting today, we're all classmates. If you need help with anything, just feel free to speak up; there's no need to feel embarrassed.
Hufflepuff is a warm family, and every senior student, myself included, is here to support you.
Now, you must be tired, so I'll take you to your respective dormitories. Patty, you'll take care of the girls."
Kael felt relieved like a heavy burden was lifted off him, and he quickly got up from the sofa, following the group. He didn't even say goodbye to Cedric before leaving.
Led by Harris, Kael soon arrived at his dormitory.
Like the common room, the main colors here were also yellow and black.
Bronze lamps cast a warm light onto the four-poster beds, and the walls were adorned with bronze bed warmers, keeping the young wizards' beds at the most comfortable temperature.
Two other students shared the dormitory with him.
Mikel Derek, a slender boy with dark hair.
The other was blond and relatively stronger, named Ryan Bagins.
Well, both seemed like unremarkable locals.
The remaining bed was empty, likely due to a shortage of new students.
Tilting his head, Kael greeted the two briefly before climbing into bed.
"Hey, isn't this amazing? I'm actually a wizard," Mikel said enthusiastically from the bedside. "My whole family can't do magic. My dad sells drilling rigs, and my mom works at a bank, so when I first got that letter, I thought it was just a prank, but it turned out to be real.
Haha, Hogwarts... I still feel like I'm dreaming."
"I'm half and half, what wizards call a half-blood."
Ryan, with his golden hair, chimed in, "My dad's a wizard, and my mom's a Muggle. She got quite the scare when she found out."
"Of course, people unacquainted with magic react that way," said Mikel. "You can't imagine how my parents almost called the police when that professor named Quirrell showed up at our house.
He just appeared in front of us out of nowhere and said something about translocation... movement?"
"Apparition," Kael quietly reminded him.
"Yes, yes, Apparition."
Mikel looked over and suddenly lit up, saying, "Hey, I remember you. You're the one who took twenty minutes to sort, Kael Chopper, right?"
"Yeah, nice to meet you," Kael replied.
"By the way, can you tell us what happened?" Mikel asked curiously. "Why did your sorting take so long, twenty minutes, longer than all the new students combined?"
"Nothing much," Kael thought momentarily before replying, "The Sorting Hat was just having a hard time deciding where to put me."
"I see," Mikel remarked, "You must be outstanding to have the hat think so long."
Kael just smiled and remained silent.
He was indeed impressive, but that had nothing to do with the Sorting Hat.
If Mikel knew the real reason for the Sorting Hat's hesitation, he probably wouldn't say that.
In the following time, Mikel kept talking non-stop, as if he were on adrenaline.
He chatted from Diagon Alley to Gringotts, and from Gringotts to choosing wands—it felt endless.
Becoming a wizard seemed to have made him genuinely happy.
Initially, Kael and Ryan could join in the chat, but gradually, only Mikel's voice filled the dormitory.
There was no helping it; they couldn't keep up.
Having eaten to the point of drowsiness, and after enduring over ten hours on the train, maintaining their energy to this point was already a feat.
Kael wanted to converse with his roommates to build some camaraderie, but the bed was just too comfortable, and he unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
Beside him, Ryan had already fallen asleep five minutes ago without a sound.
...
...