Joining Ravenclaw?

Ye Ting and Cho Chang's oblivious exchange left Hermione and Marietta rather dissatisfied, making them feel ignored.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Hermione protested. "Can't you speak in a language everyone can understand?"

"Fine." Ye Ting shrugged and switched to English. "Then, would you like to come in and sit down? There are still empty seats here."

"Of course." Marietta nodded readily, pulling the hesitant Cho Chang inside.

With the two girls joining them, everyone became somewhat reserved. No one spoke, and the atmosphere grew awkward for a moment.

In the end, Marietta broke the ice. She looked at Ye Ting, then at Cho Chang, and asked somewhat unwillingly, "Are all you Easterners so pretty?"

"How can you call a man pretty?" Ye Ting complained.

But in truth, someone as handsome as him could indeed be called pretty. Mrs. Gary had said more than once that if Ye Ting wore women's clothes, he would definitely be cuter than any girl.

Hearing Marietta say that, Hermione and Cho Chang both gave Ye Ting a serious once-over, then looked away shyly at the same time.

The atmosphere became even more awkward.

Helpless, Ye Ting remembered his original goal—getting Hermione into Ravenclaw—so he deliberately asked, "Are you two also new students this year?"

"No, we entered Hogwarts last year. We're already second-years this year." Cho Chang shook her head.

"So you should call me Senior," Marietta added.

"Fine, Senior." Ye Ting rolled his eyes. "Then which house are you in?"

"We're both Ravenclaw students." The two girls exchanged a glance and answered in unison.

"Ah, Ravenclaw." Ye Ting nodded as if in deep thought. "I hope I'll be sorted into Ravenclaw this year. What about you, Hermione?"

"Gryffindor," Hermione replied. "I heard people say Gryffindor is the best."

"Gryffindor isn't the best. Ravenclaw is," Cho Chang retorted.

"That's right." Marietta agreed. "The Gryffindors love promoting their house to everyone else. But really, they're just a bunch of stupid, reckless fools."

"That's prejudice," Hermione pointed out sharply.

"No, I think Ravenclaw is the best too." Ye Ting voiced his support for Cho Chang and Marietta, then explained, "Wizards gain power through knowledge. Ravenclaw represents wisdom and knowledge, which are precisely what wizards should pursue."

He concluded, "Although courage, diligence, and shrewdness are all important to wizards, wisdom and knowledge are their essence."

Marietta and Cho Chang both applauded.

"Well said. You'll definitely become an excellent Ravenclaw."

"Professor Flitwick will certainly be delighted to meet you."

After carefully considering Ye Ting's words, the proud Hermione had no choice but to nod. "I have to admit that what you said makes a lot of sense. Now I hope I'll be sorted into Ravenclaw too." Her cheeks reddened as she spoke.

"Unfortunately, the Sorting Hat decides which house you enter. If you're unlucky, you might still be sorted into another house," Marietta reminded them regretfully.

However, having read the original story, Ye Ting immediately came up with a solution. "I heard there's still a way to influence the Sorting Hat's decision. As long as you keep thinking about which house you want to join, the Sorting Hat will take your opinion into account. You can try it. If it works, we can stay in the same house."

As he said that last sentence, he looked seriously into Hermione's eyes.

Being watched like that by such a handsome boy, Hermione's face turned even redder. She quietly agreed, "All right. I'll do that."

After that, the four of them launched into an enthusiastic discussion about Ravenclaw. Cho Chang and Marietta mostly introduced Ravenclaw House, while Ye Ting and Hermione offered their opinions. Sometimes Cho Chang and Marietta agreed with them, sometimes they argued fiercely, and then they continued their introduction... The four chatted so happily that they did not even notice the train had already departed.

At around twelve thirty, a smiling, dimpled woman pushed a snack trolley past their compartment. All four bought some snacks from her and happily shared them.

Ye Ting refused Marietta's Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans because he did not want to eat some bizarre flavor like booger. Hermione, on the other hand, was quite interested. She boldly ate several in a row, until a Thai chili-flavored Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean left her so spicy that she drank several large cups of water.

What truly interested Ye Ting were the cards included with Chocolate Frogs. Those cards, with their moving figures, gave him a bold idea—using this technology to create a collectible card game similar to Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, or Hearthstone. He knew that the wizarding world had games like Wizard Chess, and collecting Chocolate Frog cards was also extremely popular among wizards. A collectible card game would definitely have a future in the wizarding world, and he might even become rich through it.

He even considered hiring Ravenclaw students to help develop and manufacture the cards. Such technology was not particularly advanced in alchemy, and the students would surely be happy to earn some Galleons in their spare time. Meanwhile, he could use the opportunity to identify truly capable young wizards and formally hire them after they graduated.

I really am a genius. Ye Ting smugly enjoyed himself for a brief moment.

Then, an unexpected incident interrupted his thoughts.