You Might Get Beaten to Death Very Soon

Andy raised his hand.

Dumbledore looked a little surprised, but he still said with a smile, "Mr. Collins seems to have a question."

"Headmaster Dumbledore, if—I mean, if I wished to suffer a terrible accident and die a painful death, would that mean I could go in?" Andy joked.

He had grown used to teasing Isabel at home, and Andy felt that this habit of his really ought to change.

Laughter immediately broke out in the Great Hall. All the Little Wizards looked toward Andy, seemingly wanting to know who was bold enough to challenge Dumbledore.

Hermione shot Andy a fierce glare. She had known all along that Andy was not a good student.

Professor McGonagall, meanwhile, let out a breath of relief. She looked toward Professor Flitwick with a faint air of schadenfreude, though she also felt a measure of sympathy for him.

She seemed rather eager to see how Professor Flitwick would deal with a mischievous student.

Dumbledore froze for a moment and glanced at Andy. He really was a sharp Little Wizard.

"Ah!"

Dumbledore said with a beaming smile, "If such a misfortune were to happen, then all I could do would be notify your parents to come to the school and collect your body. I deeply regret that."

That was a threat, wasn't it? Andy blinked, hoping someone would notice that he was being threatened.

"If there are no further questions, then—before bedtime, let us sing the School Song together!" Dumbledore continued.

Andy noticed that every professor's expression seemed to stiffen at that very instant.

The School Song?

There did not seem to be a scene like this in the movies.

Andy was faintly looking forward to it.

With a light flick of Dumbledore's wand, a long golden ribbon drifted from its tip and coiled like a snake through the air above the Great Hall, forming line after line of words.

"Everyone, choose your favorite tune..." Dumbledore said like a conductor. "Ready, sing!"

All the teachers and students began singing at the top of their lungs.

At that moment, Andy had only one thought—I actually didn't bring a camera!

If he could take a picture of all the professors singing the School Song, Andy believed The Daily Prophet would pay an astronomical price for it.

Then a second thought surfaced in Andy's mind—If I did that, Hogwarts' professors would definitely murder me as a group!

Isabel had ruined him!

Andy ground his teeth in silent resentment. He had grown so used to teasing that little girl that now, no matter what he saw, he wanted to make a joke.

This habit had to change!

After the School Song ended, the Little Wizards left the Great Hall under the prefects' guidance.

"Watch out for the moving staircases. Don't go the wrong way, and don't walk too close to the edge."

The female prefect, Penelope, explained, "Hogwarts' ever-changing staircases were also proposed and personally designed by one of the school's founders—Rowena Ravenclaw."

Hearing that, Andy sighed. "Then Ravenclaw must have been the strongest Witch among the Four Founders."

"Why do you say that?"

Hermione looked at Andy curiously. "I've never seen any record of the Four Founders' strength in Hogwarts, A History."

The other Little Wizards, including the two prefects, also looked at Andy with curiosity.

Could it be that Andy knew some inside information they did not? "Just reading books isn't enough. You need to learn to think diligently."

Andy put on airs and lectured Hermione, then explained under her displeased gaze, "Think about it. Ravenclaw designed the school's staircases like this and still didn't get beaten to death by the other three founders. Doesn't that prove Ravenclaw was the strongest?"

Hermione's face darkened. She glared at Andy and said, "I don't know whether Ravenclaw would have been beaten to death, but I'd guess that you might get beaten to death very soon!"

Andy gave Hermione a provocative look. Want to go one-on-one? Hermione was so angry that her hair nearly stood on end! Penelope, however, somewhat agreed with Andy. "That guess does make a little sense. Every year, who knows how many Little Wizards want to beat the designer of those staircases to death."

Following the moving staircases, the group arrived at the very top of Ravenclaw Tower.

On an ancient wooden door hung a huge Eagle-shaped Bronze Knocker.

Penelope knocked lightly three times, and the knocker spoke in a mysterious voice, "What can you steal without breaking the law?"

"A smile."

Penelope answered quickly. "The other houses all have fixed passwords, but we do not. As long as you can answer the knocker's question—actually, these questions do not have a standard answer. As long as you can convince it, you may enter..."

After explaining how to enter the dormitory, Penelope led the First Years into Ravenclaw's Common Room.

It was a large circular room, with elegant arched windows set into the walls. Since Ravenclaw's Common Room was at the very top of the tower, they could see a great distance through the windows.

The Common Room was also hung with many blue and bronze silk draperies. Its ceiling was somewhat similar to that of the Great Hall, dotted with tiny points of starlight.

The room contained broad tables and chairs, rows of bookshelves, and a white marble statue of Ravenclaw standing opposite the door.

After standing before the Little Wizards and reciting Ravenclaw's history and the famous witches and wizards who had come from Ravenclaw as though memorizing a text, Penelope finally let out a long breath, then turned and entered the Girls Dormitory with her companion.

"Well then... see you tomorrow!" Andy waved at Hermione.

"Hmph! On the first day of school, you'd better not be late." Hermione gave a soft snort and followed a group of Little Witches into the Girls' Dormitory.

The dorm assignments had already been made.

Andy entered the dormitory and found the bed marked with his name. His suitcase had already been delivered.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Andy Collins." Andy introduced himself to his roommates.

"I know you! Oh, I'm Anthony Goldstein."

Anthony said excitedly, "You're really brave. Do you really want to go to that corridor on the fourth floor?"

Did he want to go together? Andy realized that, whether they were in Gryffindor or not, Little Wizards always had an exceptional passion for adventure.

"Of course I want to take a look—but only after I'm fully prepared," Andy said.

After all, bragging did not violate the school rules.

"Hello, I'm Terry Boot!"

"Oh, I'm Michael Corner. Hello."

Andy looked at Michael. "I remember you. We were on the same boat."

"Alright, I think we'd better unpack first, then wash up and go to sleep."

Andy was very grateful that Hermione had reminded him not to be late tomorrow. Otherwise, on his second day at Hogwarts, he might have ended up serving detention under a certain Potions Class Professor.

Andy picked up the timetable from the bedside table.

"We have two consecutive Potions Class lessons with Hufflepuff tomorrow morning. I have inside information that Professor Snape favors Slytherin."

Andy felt as though he had casually insulted every professor at Hogwarts. "But we aren't Gryffindor, so Professor Snape generally won't target us too much."