Pureblood Glory

"What crisis?"

Cho Chang spoke up before Ian could.

"The Sorting test, of course."

The aloof girl's gaze swept over the three of them one by one. "There is a special trial at the school that determines the final placement of every student."

"My family told me a few days ago that it is a terrifying experience that no one likes to recall," the girl with a head of blonde hair said, her expression serious and earnest.

"My father told me the same, that it would be a memory I'd never forget. They wouldn't make us fight a dragon, would they?" Cho Chang's eyes widened with worry.

Across from them.

Aurora suddenly looked up.

Her eyes were shining.

She looked eager to try.

"What are you thinking?"

Cho Chang seemed startled by Aurora.

"She wants to fight a dragon."

Ian, who actually knew what the Sorting was really about, saw the anticipation in Aurora's heart. He shook his head and lowered his voice to her, "Don't even think about it. The materials on a dragon's body are far too precious; the school wouldn't be willing to hand them out as a reward."

Upon hearing this.

Aurora's eyes dimmed immediately.

"?????"

"?????"

The two girls sitting opposite them exchanged a glance, both falling into a state of disbelief. Were their peers nowadays really so bold that they couldn't tell the difference between a minor threat and a major one?

That was a dragon!

"Are you two Muggle-born?"

After regaining her composure, the blonde girl couldn't help but retort.

"Does that make a difference?"

Aurora looked at the blonde girl calmly with her heterochromatic eyes.

"I'm guessing you are."

The blonde girl's voice turned much colder. She looked at Ian and Aurora with a look of disdain. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be spouting such nonsense about wanting to fight a dragon."

The girl who had just been aloof now spoke with a condescending attitude.

"It seems you will be a Slytherin," Aurora said, showing no sign of anger.

She simply offered a light, dismissive comment.

"That goes without saying. Remember my name: Daphne Greengrass. My entire family are Slytherins; it is the most excellent house in all of Hogwarts."

"I will surely achieve things in the future that you could never hope to reach."

The blonde girl saw Ian pull a small metal box out of his suitcase.

"What are you doing?"

The girl named Daphne frowned as she watched Ian.

"Please, continue. Don't mind me at all. I'd like to learn more about the school, after all—I'm just an orphan born to Muggles," Ian sighed as he pressed a button on the device.

"So, a Mudblood."

Daphne's voice grew even more contemptuous.

"People like you will never be sorted into Slytherin. This place only gathers the glorious pure-bloods. Perhaps only Hufflepuff would be kind enough to take you in."

Clearly.

She was a pure-blood supremacist, not an uncommon sight in the wizarding world.

"Er... Greengrass, you shouldn't call our classmates that," Cho Chang frowned and tried to persuade her, but Daphne clearly couldn't care less.

"I am merely stating facts. I am not as hypocritical as you, pretending that they are the same kind as us." Daphne's words became increasingly unpleasant.

She even shifted her wand behind her, as if she didn't want Ian and Aurora to touch even a sliver of her light. Cho Chang's expression grew awkward.

"That is just your own opinion."

Cho Chang was also starting to feel annoyed by Daphne's remarks.

"Hmm, we are indeed not the same kind."

Aurora had been listening calmly the entire time. She turned to look at Ian, who was currently watching her hands to see if she was reaching for her wand.

"You need not worry; I am not incapable of tolerating such a situation."

The German girl sighed helplessly.

She felt that her friends likely had many misunderstandings about her.

"Then you are better than me."

Ian put the small machine back into his trunk. Seeing the light source he had been borrowing moved away by Daphne, he had no choice but to pull out his own Elder Wand.

The Black Lake was truly pitch-black at night.

"What are you planning to do?"

Aurora's reaction was even more intense than Ian's; she grabbed the arm Ian was using to hold his wand. Her heterochromatic eyes were filled with a rare hint of nervousness.

"Hah, are you looking for a duel?"

Daphne also stared at the wand in Ian's hand, though her gaze was filled with contempt. Seeing this, Cho Chang hurriedly began to urge the two to stay calm.

"I'm not the one getting carried away with myself, and besides, I have no interest in children's play-acting duels." Ian shook his head, speechless.

He just wanted to illuminate the surroundings.

The tiny bit of light emitted by Daphne's wand was as small as a sesame seed.

"Lumos!"

As Ian chanted the spell.

Light burst forth.

The brilliant white light, with the force of a landslide, crushed the surrounding pinpricks of light. Like a rising sun, it illuminated the majority of the lake surface where the small boats were scattered.

"What's going on over there!?"

"My god! What a bright Lumos!"

"Merlin's beard! I haven't even learned the Levitation Charm yet!"

Voices rose one after another from the various boats. Even Hagrid, who was leading the way, couldn't help but turn his head, looking at Ian's boat with extreme astonishment.

"How is this possible! A mere Mudblood!!"

Daphne was blinded by the sudden flare of light. As she raised her hand to shield her eyes, she let out a cry of disbelief.

"Nothing is impossible; if you're bad, just practice more." When Ian sat back down, he noticed that Aurora had turned her head toward the outside of the boat at some point.

The light hadn't dazzled her eyes.

"How could you have such powerful magic!"

Cho Chang, struggling to adapt to the intense light, clearly had a different focus than the others.

She was more concerned with the strength of the spell.

"Naturally, it's because the Four Founders just bestowed their baptism upon me."

Ian began his solemn nonsense again.

"..."

Cho Chang was speechless.

Daphne, sitting next to her, had an ugly expression, but she didn't dare to shout any more provocative words. It was true that she was a pure-blood supremacist, but she wasn't a fool who would lose her mind just because she was worked up.

Just a Mudblood who studies in secret! After school starts! I'll surpass him soon enough! Of course, Daphne's heart was still filled with resentment.

The small interlude made the atmosphere on the boat somewhat subtle.

Once they adapted to the light shining from Ian's wand, it no longer felt quite so piercing.

Ian and Cho Chang conversed from time to time, but compared to the silent and relaxed Aurora, who kept watching the scenery in the lake, Daphne felt like she was living through years in a single day.

"Why aren't we at the school yet!"

In her fervent anticipation.

The small boat finally reached the opposite side of the Black Lake.

"Follow me, everyone!"

Hagrid continued to lead the way, holding his lantern. A gravel path wound its way toward the castle gates, and he led the group of young wizards up the stone steps in front of the castle.

"That Lumos from earlier, it came from their boat."

"Is it that handsome boy?"

"I think it's Daphne Greengrass; my father said she's very powerful."

Although she was freed from the confinement of the small boat, Daphne Greengrass's ordeal was clearly continuing. The surrounding whispers made her want to turn around and go home.

"Professor Snape, why are you here?" Hagrid knocked on the door with his red umbrella, only to find that the person waiting inside was not the usual Professor McGonagall.

"Do you think I am unqualified to welcome the new students?" The black-robed man with greasy black hair and a hooked nose sneered. His gloomy image made many of the young wizards afraid to continue whispering.

"Of course not. Then, these first-year students are in your hands." Hagrid scratched his head, looking a bit strange, and turned to leave the castle, looking back every few steps with a face full of confusion.

"If you don't want to pack your things and crawl back home right now, then keep your mouths shut and follow behind me." Snape's gaze lingered on Ian and Aurora for about three seconds.

Immediately.

He began barking cold, ruthless orders at the group of young wizards.

Perhaps it was the oppressive aura Snape exuded that was truly intimidating, but as he strode ahead, not a single one of the young wizards following behind dared to speak.

Everyone felt tense and anxious.

Even Aurora looked slightly uneasy—after all, she was still just a little girl.

Perhaps only Ian, having been spoiled by J.K. Rowling and knowing exactly what the Sorting Ceremony entailed, had the presence of mind to curiously examine the decor of the legendary Hogwarts castle.

Everywhere was etched with the marks of time.

One could also see where countless students had once studied and played.

The stone walls of the castle were lined with blazing torches, and as they ventured deeper into the castle, the heat from those torches chased away the chill from the young wizards' bodies.

"Creeeak~"

As Snape pushed open the doors to the Great Hall.

The magnificent, opulent hall was instantly revealed to the eyes of the young wizards. Thousands upon thousands of candles floated in mid-air, illuminating the entire hall as if it were broad daylight.

Banners representing the four houses fluttered gently in the air. The plates and goblets on the long tables shimmered with a luster under the brilliant firelight.

What drew everyone's attention most, however, was the ceiling of the hall; the black, velvet-like surface was dotted with starlight, exactly like the incredibly realistic curtain of the sky they had seen over the Black Lake earlier.

"It's beautiful."

Aurora tilted her head, staring fixedly at the ceiling.

"It's been enchanted with highly advanced magic, so it synchronizes with the sky outside..." Ian couldn't help but feel like something was missing at that moment.

"Mhm, I've seen others reading Hogwarts: A History." Good, the vibe was right; feeling satisfied, Ian cast his gaze toward the dais at the very front. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick... many professors were sitting upright at the table on the dais, awaiting the arrival of the first-years.

Regarding these professors.

Ian was filled with curiosity about them all.

However.

What he was most curious about was the pointed wizard's hat resting on an unremarkable four-legged stool—it looked rather tattered, and for now, not many people had noticed it.

The Sorting Hat.

A thousand years of history.

Witnessed by it.

So many stories... also began right here.