By the time all the students had taken their seats at the long tables in the Great Hall, everyone was still enthusiastically talking about the flying car.
In this atmosphere, no one paid the slightest attention to the new song the Sorting Hat had carefully prepared for the year, which made it extremely unhappy.
Scott sat with his roommates at the Ravenclaw table.
Eddie was still incredibly excited. He exclaimed, "Did you see that? The car crashed into the Whomping Willow! Oh! Poor Potter and Weasley. I wonder if that angry tree will pound them into meat pies and turn them into filling with that poor car..."
"Hey!" Penelope, sitting opposite him, glared at Eddie and cut him off. "Shut up, Eddie! They'll be fine! If you'd been paying attention, you'd have noticed Professor Snape has already gone to deal with it!"
Eddie shrugged. "Is that so? Then let's pray to Merlin for Potter and Weasley. I hope Professor Snape doesn't boil them in a cauldron out of anger—or turn them into Potions ingredients. Maybe the ingredient for our next Potions class will be the Chosen One's fingernails..."
Just then, Professor McGonagall led this year's first-years into the Great Hall. Scott coughed, urging Eddie to shut his foolish mouth.
Professor McGonagall walked to the front of the High Table and lifted the disgruntled Sorting Hat from its stool. The Sorting Ceremony began.
Scott turned around and happened to see Harry Potter and Ron Weasley standing at the Great Hall's entrance, battered and disheveled, peering inside with their luggage in tow.
They didn't notice at all that Professor Snape, clad in black robes and looking furious, was standing right behind them.
They were soon led away by Professor Snape, who gave them a cold sneer.
Eddie, who was always quick to notice such things, saw it too. He clapped a hand over his mouth and trembled, afraid he might burst out laughing.
The Sorting Ceremony continued. Scott and his classmates enthusiastically applauded every young wizard sorted into Ravenclaw.
As soon as the ceremony ended, a feast appeared on the tables. Everyone began to eat and drink their fill.
Scott noticed Professor Snape entering the Great Hall again. Then Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall left with him.
"Do you think they'll be all right? Could they be expelled?"
A plaintive voice came from beside Scott.
It was Milton Graves. He had long, smooth, light-brown hair and was a sensitive, artistic boy.
Scott sighed to himself. Three years had passed, and he still hadn't gotten used to his roommate's way of speaking.
"Of course they'll be fine, Milton. He's the Chosen One, after all. He'll always get a few little privileges," Roger replied casually from the other side.
"All right. I hope they're both okay," Milton said, gazing mournfully at the starry sky on the Great Hall's ceiling. "Both Potter and Weasley, and that poor Whomping Willow. What Eddie said earlier was awful."
Eddie's face looked as if he were constipated. "Oh, Milton, I thought you knew... I was only joking."
"Really?"
Milton fixed his clear, mint-green eyes on Eddie.
"Yes, of course! I like talking nonsense!"
Eddie promptly gave in. Once Milton looked away, he began gnawing angrily on a chicken leg.
Scott and Roger both smirked. Neither of them was good at dealing with Milton, who seemed to burst into tears whenever the wind changed. Still, they couldn't help enjoying it when Eddie got the worst of it.
Besides, Scott had always wanted to call Milton "the British Lin Daiyu," but no one here would understand the joke, so he could only label him "Daiyu" in his mind.
"By the way, I have some good news to tell you." Milton gently set down his knife and fork. He always ate very little.
Scott and the others stopped eating and turned to look at him.
"Of course, I'm going to wait until we get back to the dormitory to make the announcement properly." Milton smiled bashfully. "I think that would make it feel more ceremonial."
"All right."
Scott and the other two nodded without objection.
Eddie was irritated by Milton's teasing suspense, but he didn't press him.
His countless past experiences had taught him that there was no point trying to change Milton's mind at a time like this. Milton was a romantic, and "a sense of ceremony" was very important to him.
By now, Scott had actually guessed what Milton's good news was.
He had noticed Gideon Crumb, a seventh-year Hufflepuff, looking at Milton encouragingly from the table nearby.
And according to the news Eddie had spread before, Gideon Crumb had become the bagpiper for the famous Wizarding World band The Weird Sisters during the previous school year.
Sure enough, as soon as they'd all eaten their fill and returned to the dormitory, Milton solemnly announced the "good news."
He, Milton Graves, had successfully joined The Weird Sisters as a trainee cellist and was planning to make his formal stage debut someday.
Hearing the news, Scott and Roger applauded enthusiastically to congratulate Milton. Eddie, however, asked curiously, "Milton, don't you like classical music? I thought you were a member of the Hogwarts Classical Music Club. Why join a rock band?"
"Oh, you might not understand, Eddie."
Milton sighed mournfully, and the lively atmosphere in the dormitory turned awkward in an instant.
Milton sat on his bed and gently stroked the blue flannel curtains around its frame. Then, looking somewhat entranced, he said, "Music is a feeling... a way to express yourself... Of course I know the difference between classical and rock music, but Eddie, I love all beautiful music... Do you know... I'm trying to combine classical music with rock... I plan to..."
Eddie was already regretting his question. Milton rambled on about his wild ideas for music, while Eddie only frowned, understanding none of it. He kept sending Scott and Roger pleading looks.
"Oh, sorry, I need to go to the bathroom."
Scott picked up the basket holding his toiletries and change of clothes and hurried to the dormitory door. After opening it, he turned and gave Milton an encouraging look.
"Milton, I didn't know Eddie was getting interested in music too. I think you should let him experience more of its magic."
"Maybe he'll fall in love with music just like you," Roger said, quick on the uptake, following Scott with his own basket.
"Yes, I will!"
Milton said excitedly, his mint-green eyes shining.
"See you later, then."
Scott and Roger left the dormitory as Eddie watched in despair.
"Oh, poor Eddie! I hope he accomplishes great things under Milton's tutelage!"
On the way to the bathroom, Roger dramatically clutched his chest and exclaimed. Scott laughed along with him.
But soon they weren't laughing anymore. When they returned to the dormitory after their baths, Milton's "music lesson" was still going on.
Perhaps encouraged by them, Milton was brimming with enthusiasm, as if he meant to pour out all the love he felt for music.
Eddie sat on the edge of his bed, staring blankly with a vacant expression, mechanically counting his ten fingers over and over.
Scott felt he wouldn't be able to fall asleep in this atmosphere, so he suggested to Milton, "Milton, what you're telling us is all too profound. Maybe you could give us a more direct experience? I know you must have come up with lots of brilliant ideas again! Play them for us. Let us enjoy them properly."
As Scott spoke, he could feel Eddie's resentful gaze on him.
But Roger and Eddie both welcomed the suggestion enthusiastically.
Milton hesitated a little, but with everyone encouraging him so eagerly, he took out his cello.
A mini cello concert began.
Before you continue