The Number and Distribution of Wizards

"Please, come in. There's still room."

Baron looked up, his expression unchanging, and gestured for them to enter. "I am Baron Shafiq, and this is K, who prefers not to disclose his surname. It is a pleasure to be traveling with you."

"Cho Chang. It's a pleasure to meet you both." The Asian girl smiled in greeting before dragging her luggage inside. "What were you two talking about? It didn't seem like a very pleasant conversation."

Baron said earnestly, "We were discussing the current state of Slytherin. We just agreed that some people in Slytherin House have forgotten their former glory. They are merely those blinded by indulgence, wantonly indulging their baser instincts... er..."

He faltered, unable to find the right word to describe those disappointing upperclassmen.

"Assholes."

Avada, standing to the side, picked a fitting word.

"A bit vulgar, but fundamentally correct."

Baron frowned slightly but nodded in acknowledgment. "That is why I told him just now that those people certainly do not represent the true intent of Slytherin, and I asked him not to hold prejudices against the house. If any Slytherin offends him in the future, I am willing to provide help whenever possible and offer an apology in advance."

"The same goes for you, Cho."

"Thank you for your kindness." Cho smiled in gratitude, then asked with some hesitation, "Forgive my presumption, but I feel that the reason Slytherin's reputation is so... unsatisfactory, aside from the factors you mentioned, also has to do with their admission standards, doesn't it? Ambition, the pursuit of power, victory above all else... it's hard to recruit good people, isn't it?"

"You left out the most important one: 'valuing honor'." Baron's expression was solemn. "Moreover, a person's bottom line and conscience are the fundamental factors that determine whether they become a good person; they have nothing to do with ambition or power."

"I don't deny that people with these traits are more likely to lose themselves and abandon their bottom line and conscience, which is why there are more dark wizards from Slytherin. But this does not mean it was the original intent of Salazar Slytherin, nor does it mean there are no upright, kind, and trustworthy people in Slytherin."

"I believe that, and I hope that after you enter Slytherin, you can change others' prejudices against the house."

Avada gently reassured Baron before changing the subject. "Let's talk about something lighter. Cho, you appear to be Asian? It seems rare to see Asian faces in Britain, and even rarer among wizards."

"That's right."

Cho laughed. "My mother is a British-born Chinese, and she also graduated from Hogwarts. According to her, she was the first Chinese wizard admitted to Hogwarts in over a thousand years, and I am very likely the second!"

"Actually, there is something quite curious," Avada said. "Asia is clearly the most populous continent in the world, yet it has the fewest wizards. There is only one magic school in all of Asia, Mahoutokoro, and despite recruiting from the entire continent, it is the smallest of the eleven magic schools."

"I saw a similar question in my family's library," Baron replied. "The mainstream view is that the birth of a wizard seems to be related to the Earth's magnetic field; the closer one is to the magnetic poles, the easier it is for wizards to be born. Europe and North America, being the largest population centers near the magnetic poles, naturally produced the most wizards. Although Asia has the largest population, it is the furthest from the magnetic poles, so the number of wizards is very small."

"The southern tips of Africa and South America are close to the South Magnetic Pole and have significant populations, so the number of wizards there is also considerable. However, due to climate, natural resources, and other factors, the decision was made to establish magic schools in Uganda and Brazil."

Avada was amazed by this perspective; it was a theory he had never encountered while reading the original books.

"That sounds quite reasonable," he exclaimed sincerely.

"However, this view is merely a summary of reality and lacks systematic verification," Baron sighed. "Furthermore, it cannot explain the distribution of magical creatures. Magical creatures are found on every continent in large numbers, which is something that magizoologists have always been puzzled by."

"I thought about this question when I was a child," Cho's eyes lit up. "I believe that the bloodline inheritance of magical creatures is more stable than that of wizards. Therefore, as long as a new magical creature is born, or a species migrates to a new environment, it can continue to propagate, eventually forming large populations after long periods of evolution, without being constrained by geographical environment. The proof is that there has never been a 'Squib' among magical creatures!"

"A quite interesting viewpoint!" Baron was surprised. "Did you really come up with that yourself?"

"Of course!"

Cho nodded proudly. "I was thinking that once I learn more, I'll refine this theory and write a paper to submit to the Daily Prophet. Maybe it would even be worth an Order of Merlin, Second Class?"

"You will definitely be an excellent Ravenclaw," he praised.

"Thank you for the compliment; that is also what my mother expects of me," Cho said with a sweet smile.

Avada, a Muggle-born whose knowledge of the wizarding world was limited to the original books and a few magic textbooks he had just finished reading, listened with a blank expression.

Isn't the wizarding world just Avada Kedavra and Expelliarmus?

"Woo--"

Just then, with the blast of a whistle, the Hogwarts Express slowly started, heading toward the ancient and mysterious Hogwarts. Sunlight spilled in from the train windows, followed by the sight of forests and grasslands rushing backward.

"Speaking of which, we've been talking about me and Cho the whole time. K, you haven't introduced yourself yet."

On the speeding train, Baron bought some Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans to share with the two of them while asking Avada.

"Me?"

Avada thought for a moment and realized he didn't really have anything worth highlighting. "I'm Muggle-born, I have no parents, and I grew up in an orphanage. Honestly, when the Hogwarts acceptance letter was thrown onto my table by an owl, I was quite startled."

After limited observation and reading, Avada discovered that other wizards didn't seem to be able to perceive magic directly like he could, so he stopped mentioning his magical senses to others.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Baron expressed his apologies and then asked, "But what exactly is the deal with your name? It actually required Professor Dumbledore to come and handle it personally?"

"Professor Dumbledore?!" Cho was surprised; she hadn't heard the initial conversation between Avada and Baron.

"I'm not sure either."

Avada lied without batting an eye. "After Professor Dumbledore arrived, he showed me a few spells, explained the wizarding world to me, and then took me to a place called the Ministry of Magic. He talked to the people there for a long time about things I couldn't understand, then gave me compensation because of my name, and even made a special trip to Gringotts to open a vault for me..."

Baron and Cho were even more surprised—what kind of name could alarm both Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic, and why would the Ministry pay K compensation?

And the amount of this compensation was enough to open a vault at Gringotts!

"There might be big trouble behind your name," Cho said, her brows furrowed. "Professor Dumbledore is one of the most prestigious wizards in the entire wizarding world. If even he warned you not to reveal your name to others, it must mean there is a major problem—perhaps something even Professor Dumbledore might not be able to solve!"

Baron also warned, "And try not to tell others about the compensation. You might not know this yet, but having a vault at Gringotts means your wealth already exceeds that of most wizards in the wizarding world. Plus, you are Muggle-born and still very young; it's easy to become a target."

"I understand, thank you for the reminder," Avada felt a slight warmth in his heart and thanked them both sincerely.

"But you seem to know quite a bit about the wizarding world. Voldemort (Cho shuddered slightly), Slytherin, and things about other magic schools—you know them all. When we were talking earlier, I didn't even realize you were Muggle-born," Baron asked curiously.

"Reading," Avada smiled slightly. "In Diagon Alley, besides my textbooks, I bought quite a few books about the wizarding world. I've learned just about everything I need to know in this past month."

As the scenery outside the window retreated rapidly, the sunlight gradually turned dim and yellow. After the three of them had been chatting and laughing in the compartment for the better part of the day, the train's speed finally began to slow down.

"The train will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be delivered to your dormitories by designated personnel!"

"The 'designated personnel' here refers to house-elves," Baron explained to the two of them while tidying his clothes. "They are creatures that specifically serve wizards, and they are the ones responsible for the Hogwarts kitchens. If anyone is lucky enough to be sorted into Hufflepuff, you should be able to see them quite often."

When the train finally came to a halt in front of a small platform, the sky had turned completely dark, and it was quite cold, making Avada shiver. Then, a rough, booming male voice could be heard shouting:

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

Note: Chinese people did not begin to settle in the UK until the 19th century, and large-scale waves of Chinese immigration only appeared after the end of World War II, with the population accounting for a very small percentage of the total British population. Therefore, the setting that Cho's mother is the first ethnic Chinese witch should be considered reasonable, right?