A New School Year Begins

"That, that guy?" Milani was a little worried, after all, Capen's curse had hit Young Lestrange squarely.

"It'll be fine. My Paralysis Spell isn't very effective—of course, if the seniors take me away, that's another story." Capen smiled helplessly. "The seniors are insurance that Mr. Wallop gave me. He greeted me in front of so many people on purpose. His reputation is so high that someone will definitely come to me to curry favor."

"Unfortunately, I originally wanted to take care of Lestrange before they arrived, but I couldn't resist... Even if I couldn't take them down, I could still leave a lot of backup plans. Getting to the school will only make things easier..." Capen looked quite remorseful.

Milani tilted her head and leaned closer. "Do you think you didn't do a good enough job?"

Capen sighed, "It's not just not good enough, it's far too bad. I wasn't calm enough. Even though I was trying to control myself, I was still swayed by my anger. And I took too long to think, giving Young Lestrange too many opportunities. I should have quickly assessed his emotional state and thoughts instead of choosing a less-than-ideal approach in a moment of panic and relying on other people's help..."

As Capen rattled off his actions with a look of regret, Milani slapped her forehead.

"Really..." the girl exclaimed, then jumped forward, bringing her face close to Capen's.

Capen was startled by Milani's sudden approach. He instinctively took a step back, his face slightly flushed. "M- Milani..."

"Listen, Capen, it's not that you didn't do well enough, on the contrary, I think you're amazing—oh, I'm starting to regret not learning my dad's way of speaking, forgive me for not finding good sentences to praise you. But—"

Milani looked at Capen intently. "You're really great."

Capen's face visibly flushed, not only because of the girl's sincere praise, but also because she was so close that he could even see Milani's long eyelashes.

But he had to admit that the other person's words gave him a lot of encouragement.

"Thanks..."

"Capen, don't be so serious. Well, it's good to be in the habit of thinking and reflecting, but there's no need to magnify all your shortcomings. Look at Mr. Wallop, he never does that. He thinks in order to do better next time, not to blame himself."

Capen stared at the other person in a daze, then laughed.

"I understand, Milani."

"Of course I understand. I've always thought you were very smart, and you even have someone as capable as Mr. Wallop to teach you—but now, shouldn't we start thinking about our strategy for the future?"

Capen nodded. "Indeed, Young Lestrange is about to be taught a lesson by the upperclassmen, but he is, after all, a freshman, so the upperclassmen won't go too far. Therefore, I will still be resented by him. Moreover, based on my judgment, he may have found a new backer, so when he comes to school, he may target us from the shadows."

Milani said thoughtfully, "Although you could ask Mr. Wallop for help, and the third-year students would probably be happy to help you too, you must have made your own decision..."

Capen gripped his wand tightly. "Well, Mr. Wallop has been teaching me for so long, and this is the first test he's given me. I want to rely more on my own strength."

"I can help too," Milani laughed.

Capen, who had instinctively wanted to refuse, hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Okay!"

"I have this idea..."

"Sean, three first-year boys were brought into the private room by a bunch of third-year guys."

On the train, which was gradually slowing down, Hermione, after a quick inspection, said to Sean with a headache.

"Huh? What's going on?"

"I don't know the specific reason. The boy who was taken in wasn't hurt, but judging from the way those kids looked, they must have been taught a lesson by some kind of harmless curse," Hermione said irritably.

"But both sides say nothing's wrong?" Sean asked.

"That's right. Whether it's first-year or third-year students, they all say that nothing happened, so I didn't press them further... You should know the third-year leader, the black-haired boy, named Bram Led."

"Bram? I know him—hmm, what do those first-year students look like? Isn't one of them..."

Sean described to Hermione what Young Lestrange looked like.

"Yes, that's him. He's the one who got the most scolding among those three first-year students— Sean, do you know what happened?"

"I can probably guess..."

Sean then recounted the feud between Capen and Young Lestrange in Diagon Alley to Hermione, concluding, "When I got in the car, I made a point of greeting Capone in front of Bram and Capen group. It must have been when they were about to meet Capen that they ran into him."

"That Lestrange guy is a bit annoying," Hermione said, frowning unhappily, then glanced at Sean. "But he's only a freshman, and hasn't even sorted yet. Sean, you need to tell your students not to go too far."

Sean smiled and said, "Don't worry, they should know what they're doing."

"I also think that Sean is very good at educating people. That Bram was a troublemaker at first," Daisy interjected.

"Bram is a bit arrogant and vain, but he has a good foundation and isn't a bad person at heart. I spent some time correcting him," Sean said, shrugging.

"You've been corrected to Professor Wallop's little fanboy~" Daisy laughed mischievously.

"Thanks for your addition, Professor Wallop's little fangirl." Hermione rolled her eyes at Daisy.

"You're welcome, Miss Granger, whom Professor Wallop admires."

"You're asking for it—"

Watching the two girls playfully frolicking, Sean smiled. He had a pretty good idea of what was going on, but Capen hadn't come looking for him yet. It seemed he was preparing to seriously tackle the first test he had given him.

That's good. Sean likes serious people like that, and he's also looking forward to seeing what Capen can achieve.

"Alright, ladies, we've arrived at our stop. We need to get off now."

Inside the bustling Great Hall, students chatted enthusiastically. After a summer vacation, returning to Hogwarts and seeing their friends again, everyone had so much to say.

"To be honest, I think you two could run for Head Girl/Boy. Professor Flitwick would be overjoyed, having both of you Head Girl/Boy in Ravenclaw."

At the long table, familiar friends were encouraging the new Ravenclaw Prefect, Sean and Hermione.

Sean shrugged. "Let nature take its course, but I don't think Hermione will have any problems."

"No problem at all. You two have always been first and second in your year, and Sean is even a teaching assistant—" Sean's roommate, Michael Corner, chimed in. "Look, the Slytherin Prefect are Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, Gryffindor is Neville and Parvati Patil, Hufflepuff is Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott. In terms of competitiveness, you two have already reached the top."

"Hey Michael, don't say that. It's still a long way off. There are still two years to go," Hermione said.

Although she said that, judging from her expression, she was clearly somewhat tempted.

Sean chuckled silently. He wasn't particularly interested in any positions at school, and besides, by seventh grade, he'd probably be fully focused on battling his Pride...

As they were talking, the Great Hall doors opened, and Professor McGonagall led the new students in.

The students consciously shut their chatter and looked at the ever-growing group of new students.

The freshmen nervously and curiously looked around every corner of the Great Hall, while the upperclassmen, as in previous years, looked at the freshmen with a slight sense of superiority—a phenomenon that probably occurs in every school around the world.

As the freshmen stood in place, the Sorting Hat grinned and began to sing.

Like last year's song, however, the Sorting Hat seems to have emphasized the lyrics that stress unity among people.

"No new songs for the first time—" Daisy said softly.

"Maybe I didn't have enough time to write the song..." Sean replied.

"You two, shut up!" Hermione turned around and glared at the two of them.

Sean and Daisy exchanged a knowing look that said, "Just as we expected," and then obediently shut their mouths.

By this time, the freshmen had already begun to choose their colleges.

"Mike Alfonso".

Slytherin!

The first student was assigned to the emerald green flag, and the Little Snakes applauded.

Having learned from the previous experience, Professor McGonagall significantly accelerated the process given the increased number of new students.

One by one, students were assigned to different colleges amidst enthusiastic applause, receiving a warm welcome from their seniors.

"Henry Lestrange".

Upon hearing the familiar name, Sean looked up. Young Lestrange seemed a bit listless, and what was most interesting was that behind Young Lestrange was Milani, and behind Milani was Capen.

The Sorting Hat didn't take long to call out Young Lestrange's house.

Slytherin!

The Little Snakes applauded, Sean looked over to see Young Lestrange walking straight toward Malfoy.

"Wow, you really know how to find things, this is interesting..." Sean's lips curled up slightly.

"Milani Locke".

The exquisitely beautiful Milani attracted a lot of attention. She glanced back at Capen, who was right behind her, and then quickly ran over.

When the girl put on the hat, the Sorting Hat experienced its first "hat embarrassment" of the season, taking a full seven minutes before finally letting out a shout.

"Ravenclaw!"

Milani took off her hat and let out a long sigh of relief, then ran towards the Ravenclaw table with undisguised joy on her face.

Sean clapped and looked at Capen. The little boy seemed a bit nervous and kept pursing his lips when he looked at Milani.

"Come here, Milani." Daisy beckoned Milani over, and the girl sat down next to the Little White Flower, excitedly greeting the people around her.

Sean leaned over and greeted her, "Welcome, Milani."

"We'll be in the same college from now on, Mr. Wallop!"

"It would be an honor—but why didn't you go to Gryffindor?" Sean asked casually.

Milani's eyes widened immediately. "How did you know?"

Sean shrugged. "Obviously."

Milani's personality is actually closer to Gryffindor, but she ended up in Ravenclaw, which can only mean that she bargained with the Sorting Hat, and that bargaining was obviously to be in the same house as Capen...

Although Capen had only just sat on the high stool, it was almost a no-brainer that the kid was Ravenclaw.

It wasn't Sean's deliberate guidance; he hadn't even mentioned the sorting system. But it was clear that Capen would prefer Eagle House after learning that Sean was Eagle House student.

Milani came to Ravenclaw to be with her friends, Capen obviously knew this, which is why his expression was slightly strange.

However, Sean's opinion is: it's not a big problem.

Hogwarts has now adopted a large group class teaching method. Apart from Slytherin, the other three houses are becoming more and more integrated. Moreover, Sean has always felt that which house you are in is not important; what matters is the future you choose.

At that moment, the Sorting Hat made a sound.

"Ravenclaw!"

Milani immediately clapped her hands happily.

Capen scratched his head and jogged over quickly, his first gaze falling on Sean.

Sean just smiled faintly and gave him a thumbs up.

Capen immediately relaxed and finally had time to talk to Milani.

The sorting process for freshmen continued rapidly until the last student was sorted into Hufflepuff, at which point the Great Hall returned to calm.

The elderly man sitting at the teachers' table stood up and smiled kindly.

"Welcome! Welcome!" He looked delighted. "With the start of the new school year, Hogwarts has also welcomed new blood. Before the banquet begins, I'd like to say a few words!"

"Idiot, crybaby, trash, twist!"

"Now, let's start enjoying the food!"

After the usual brief opening remarks, the food appeared on the long table, and the clinking of knives and forks began.

"Professor Dumbledore looks very happy," Hermione said as she picked up some food.

After cutting a piece of sausage and putting it in his mouth, Sean glanced at Dumbledore and chimed in, "Hmm, he looks very happy."

Amidst casual conversation, the pleasant dinner concluded with desserts such as Pudding and maple syrup tarts.

Dumbledore stood up again.

"Before your blood rushes to your stomachs, I have something to tell you, otherwise you'll start to feel sleepy."

He stretched out one hand to the side.

"First, please allow me to introduce our new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Professor Alastor Moody!"

Mad-Eye Moody, with his magical prosthetic eye and wooden limbs and a ferocious face, stood up.