The Strange Girl

As night fell, the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station.

Lin Yue listened to the announcement over the train's speakers without a change in expression. It said she could leave her luggage on the train, but she should take her books with her. She shouldn't waste the time on the way, either. She could read as she walked.

Carrying her book, Lin Yue left the compartment and silently followed the crowd off the train.

The moment she stepped down, a loud voice reached her ears.

"First-years! First-years, come over here!"

Lin Yue turned toward the source of the voice and thought about it with the stillness of a deep well.

I haven't encountered magic before. This is my first time at this school, so I'm a first-year.

When she reached the source of the voice, Lin Yue spotted the speaker through a crowd of children about her age.

He was much taller than an ordinary person. Judging by his size, Lin Yue thought he might have gigantism.

She looked away, opened the textbook in her hands, and prepared to keep reading. But in the lightless surroundings, she couldn't make out a single letter.

Closing the book, Lin Yue silently thought, I'll have to waste study time again. I need to make it up. I should sleep a little less tonight.

"All right, first-years, follow me." Hagrid waved and led the way.

There wasn't a single lamp along the entire path. The only light came from the lantern Hagrid carried, and all the students stumbled along.

Lin Yue struggled along as well. When they followed Hagrid to the Black Lake side and saw the little boats with lamps glowing at their bows, all the first-years breathed a sigh of relief.

"Four to a boat. Climb aboard!" Hagrid called loudly, then got into one of the boats himself.

Lin Yue stared blankly at the boats around her, then casually stepped into one and sat at the bow. She opened her book and began reading by the light.

The three young wizards who climbed aboard after her looked at one another in disbelief.

She's reading on the boat ride to school?! She must really love studying. She's definitely a Ravenclaw!

"Everyone settled? Off we go!"

At Hagrid's words, the little boats began moving slowly across the Black Lake.

Lin Yue focused intently on her book. The other three young wizards chatted among themselves, exchanging names and talking about what their lives had been like before coming to Hogwarts.

As for Lin Yue, who was sharing their boat, she kept reading. They weren't sure whether they should disturb her, so not one of them said a word to her the whole way.

Only when the boat reached the opposite shore did Lin Yue close her book and look up. She stepped out, then followed Hagrid and the other first-years to the entrance of Hogwarts Castle.

Hagrid raised his hand and knocked heavily on the door three times. It opened, and a little light spilled out.

The professor who opened the door to welcome the new students looked very stern, but Lin Yue felt nothing in particular about her.

After glancing at her calmly, Lin Yue lowered her head and went back to reading by the light. The new students beside her stared in astonishment.

Hermione had noticed it too. She looked at the girl who had made her feel a little afraid on the Hogwarts Express: Lin Yue.

Lin Yue's face was still completely expressionless, and she was still holding the same Transfiguration textbook she had been reading on the train.

But she had clearly reached the end. Did she really never put the book down, even now?

Hermione silently wondered whether she wasn't studying hard enough...

Following the crowd into Hogwarts, everyone else looked around curiously, sometimes letting out a gasp of amazement or chatting happily with their classmates.

Lin Yue merely raised her head and swept her vacant gaze around the room before lowering it to her book again.

"All right, everyone. Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall announced, turning to face the young wizards.

Her gaze paused when she saw Lin Yue. Everyone else was looking around, while Lin Yue was the only one reading. She stood out terribly. And this child... had distinctly East Asian features, but Professor McGonagall didn't recall any children from East Asian wizarding families starting school this year.

Could she be from a Muggle family? Perhaps Sprout or Flitwick went to collect her.

Professor McGonagall looked away. She had no time to dwell on it. Facing the many young wizards, she introduced Hogwarts' four houses and explained how points could be gained or lost in the House Cup.

As Professor McGonagall explained the four choices and the House Cup system, Lin Yue raised her head and listened carefully.

I need to listen carefully when a teacher is speaking, especially when it concerns school rules.

After Professor McGonagall finished, Lin Yue lowered her head again and focused on her book.

Professor McGonagall gave them a few more instructions, then left the room to prepare for the Sorting Ceremony.

Not even the ghosts' entrance or the argument between Harry and Malfoy could make Lin Yue look up from her book. It was as if they belonged to another world.

When Professor McGonagall returned, the students in the room fell silent at once.

Without raising her head, Lin Yue followed her into the Hogwarts Great Hall, where their Sorting Ceremony would take place.

The young wizards around her occasionally gasped in amazement, but Lin Yue remained oblivious. All she could think about was the book in her hands as she frantically committed its contents to memory.

Among a crowd of curious young wizards looking everywhere, one girl stood out as she walked with her head down, reading. The older students in the Great Hall couldn't help whispering to one another in surprise.

"Merlin's beard, she has to be a Ravenclaw!"

"Seriously? She's still reading when she's about to be sorted? I'm a Ravenclaw, and I don't even do that. She's making me wonder if I'm a fake Ravenclaw."

Name after name was called. At last, Lin Yue heard Professor McGonagall's voice.

"Yue Lin."

Lin Yue slowly raised her head, closed her book, and walked stiffly and mechanically to the Teachers' Table. She sat in the chair beside Professor McGonagall.

The Sorting Hat was placed on her head, covering her eyes and plunging her into darkness.

Lin Yue kept recalling the contents of the book she had just read, racing to engrave the knowledge in her mind.

The Sorting Hat had never seen a young wizard like this. It was on her head, yet she didn't seem the least bit nervous or excited.

She could still frantically commit knowledge to memory? The Sorting Hat was puzzled. The Sorting Hat was baffled. The Sorting Hat was utterly shocked.

It didn't need to think any longer. If she was still studying at a time like this, where else could she go?

She could only go to... "Ravenclaw!"

Professor McGonagall lifted the Sorting Hat from her head. Lin Yue stood up and, to the applause of the Ravenclaws, walked stiffly over to the Ravenclaw table. Without missing a beat, she opened her textbook again.

Qiuzhang, who had been about to greet her and get to know this fellow Chinese student, quietly withdrew.

Well... it looks like this younger student, um, really loves studying...

The Sorting Ceremony ended, and Headmaster Dumbledore stood up to say something cryptic. Lin Yue automatically committed his words to memory, and then the feast began.

Looking at the lavish food on the table, Lin Yue didn't hesitate. She quickly grabbed food with her knife and fork, then wolfed it down as fast as she could.

Her frantic movements startled the Little Eagles at the Ravenclaw table.

Qiuzhang swallowed nervously, staring at Lin Yue in shock.

Marietta nudged her friend, looking dazed. "Qiuzhang... is she that hungry?"

"I think... maybe," Qiuzhang replied, nodding in bewilderment.

Spending more than five minutes eating meant cutting into study time. Lin Yue knew that perfectly well. In fact, even during those five minutes, she had been reading while she ate.

She ate quickly with her head bent over her book. The result was that she had no idea what she was putting in her mouth. It didn't matter what she ate, as long as she ate quickly, got full, and didn't interfere with her studying afterward.

Three minutes and fifty seconds later, Lin Yue put down her knife and fork, ending her whirlwind dinner. She picked up her book again, glanced over it twice, then closed it and began reciting its contents.

Watching her stuff food into her stomach as if her life depended on it, quite a few Ravenclaws covered their stomachs in discomfort.

Merlin knew that just watching her eat like that made their stomachs hurt. Could she really not get sick from it or something?

Seeing Lin Yue muttering to herself, Marietta couldn't resist leaning past Qiuzhang to listen.

A moment later, she drew back with a horrified expression. Qiuzhang, sitting beside Lin Yue, looked just as horrified.

"I think this year's top student... is already a sure thing."

Marietta managed to say the words with difficulty. She had just heard what Lin Yue was saying.

It was the contents of the Transfiguration textbook, and she was reciting it exactly, without a single word out of place. The girl had even memorized the page numbers!

Qiuzhang nodded, gathered her courage, and reached out to poke the girl beside her on the shoulder.

"You... Lin Yue, may I call you that?"

Lin Yue stopped reciting and turned to look at Qiuzhang. Her eyes were like still water. "Yes. Hello."

Her voice was beautiful, but her tone was mechanical. Qiuzhang shrank back a little, yet her kind nature still made her ask with concern,

"Would you like to take a break? I mean, it is the feast, after all. You could eat a little more, or have some dessert later?"

Lin Yue turned to look at the food on the Ravenclaw table, then turned back.

"I've finished dinner. The rest of the time is for studying."

"Do you always eat dinner this quickly?" Penelope, the Ravenclaw prefect sitting not far away, couldn't help asking.

Lin Yue turned her gaze to the girl who had spoken and answered calmly,

"Five minutes for dinner. The rest of the time is for studying."

"R-right..." Penelope nodded with a complicated expression, but didn't say anything more.

The Little Eagles of Ravenclaw loved studying. Perhaps this girl simply loved it more than the average Little Eagle.

Seeing that no one else was speaking to her, Lin Yue continued reciting the book from where she had left off, without missing a word.

Qiuzhang and Marietta exchanged a glance, then lowered their heads and continued eating dinner.

At the Teachers' Table, Professor Flitwick had been eating dinner and keeping an eye on the students in his house. He stared in surprise at Lin Yue, who sat bolt upright, muttering to herself.

"Why isn't that girl eating?"

Professor McGonagall, sitting beside him, had just witnessed Lin Yue's "three minutes of madness." Her voice sounded a little dazed as she answered,

"She's already finished."

"That fast!" Professor Flitwick was stunned. "That can't be good for her stomach." He immediately began worrying about his student's health.

"I'll have to find some time to talk to her," Professor Flitwick said, watching Lin Yue.

After Lin Yue finished memorizing the entire Transfiguration textbook, the feast finally came to an end.

Headmaster Dumbledore stood and began telling the new students about some rules.

Most of the first-years listened attentively, but none of them took the rules too seriously. They were all children of that age, after all. Who didn't have a little spirit of adventure?

Lin Yue, however, committed every rule to memory. She mustn't go into the Forbidden Forest. Going to the right side of the Third Floor Corridor would mean death. And magic was forbidden in the corridors.

After memorizing these three pitifully few rules, Lin Yue stood up and sang the school song in an even tone along with everyone else.

When Headmaster Dumbledore announced that the prefects should lead everyone back to their Dormitories to rest, Lin Yue froze.

Her study habits told her that it wasn't time to rest yet. She should be in class or doing evening study.

But Headmaster Dumbledore was the headmaster, so she should obey what he said.

So she made her decision: she would return to the Dormitory and study by herself.

Lin Yue followed the Ravenclaw students back to their Dormitory. Penelope, as the girls' prefect, began leading the first-year girls to their respective Dormitories.

After bringing Lin Yue to the door of a Dormitory, Penelope looked at the expressionless girl with her stiff movements and bent down to meet her eyes.

"This is your Dormitory. I'm sorry, but you were the only one left without a roommate among the new students, so you'll be sharing with Qiuzhang and Marietta. Don't worry, they're both very easy to get along with."

Lin Yue had no objections to following the school's arrangements, so she nodded to Penelope. "All right."

"Get some good rest." Penelope smiled at Lin Yue, then turned and headed to her own Dormitory.

Lin Yue turned, opened the door, and went inside. Qiuzhang and Marietta were busy unpacking their things.

When Qiuzhang saw Lin Yue enter, she waved to her warmly.

"I was wondering who the new student assigned to our Dormitory would be. It's you, Lin Yue."

Lin Yue imitated her and raised a hand to wave. "Hello."

Then she did nothing more, walking over to the only empty bed in the room and beginning to unpack.

Qiuzhang and Marietta glanced at each other. They were both starting to think that Lin Yue was... a little strange.