At the dining table, Roy wolfed down all kinds of food. Now that he had seen the quality of Hogwarts' meals, Roy felt he had definitely chosen the right school.
Cedric ate much more elegantly beside him. As he placed a sizzling pork chop on his plate, Cedric glanced at Roy, who looked as though he wished he could pour the food straight down his throat, and could not help asking about the Sword of Gryffindor.
"You took so long during the Sorting. What did the Sorting Hat say to you? Why did it hit you with that sword?"
The many young wizards at the Hufflepuff table who were busy eating also stopped in unison when they heard Cedric's question, turning curious eyes toward Roy.
Suddenly stared at by so many pairs of eyes, Roy stopped his frantic eating. He looked around at the students and shrugged.
"Nothing much. The Sorting Hat asked where I wanted to go, and I said Hufflepuff. Then it asked why. I said Cedric and I were good brothers, so of course I wanted to be in the same house as Cedric. And that was it."
Cedric was somewhat touched by Roy's words and was just about to say something when two mischievous voices sounded from behind them.
Turning around, they saw that the Weasley twins had somehow come over. Fred spoke to Roy in an extremely disappointed tone.
"Honestly, how ungrateful. We were the ones who saved you from Knockturn Alley. What, aren't we your good brothers too?"
"Exactly. And you still haven't said why the Sorting Hat hit you on the head with Gryffindor's sword," George chimed in.
"Of course it was because the Sorting Hat saw that I possessed extraordinary courage, so it wanted to give me Gryffindor's sword."
Roy raised his head and explained proudly to everyone around him.
"I think it was because you were too evil inside, and the Sorting Hat decided to punish you with Gryffindor's sword."
Watching Roy boast about himself, Fred teased him.
Fred's words made everyone laugh, while Roy nonchalantly continued stuffing all sorts of food into his mouth.
No one took it too seriously. After all, Dumbledore had said it was merely a joke by the Sorting Hat.
The atmosphere at the table was lively. The young Hufflepuffs were all very friendly, and quite a few younger witches in particular were drawn to Cedric's good looks and kept striking up conversations with him.
The many enthusiastic young witches left Cedric a little overwhelmed. Seeing the innocent young man blush shyly, Roy mercilessly teased Cedric.
"Look, our handsome fellow has attracted so many followers the moment he started school."
Cedric blushed and lowered his head, repeatedly poking the mashed potatoes on his plate with his fork. Roy wore a wicked grin when he saw it.
Once all the young wizards had filled their stomachs with the plentiful food and slumped weakly against their chair backs, the food piled across the tables suddenly vanished, replaced by all kinds of desserts.
Most of the young wizards could not eat another bite. Though the desserts looked exquisitely made, Roy forced himself to eat a slice of cake.
At last, the Great Hall grew much quieter. The Hufflepuff students all had round bellies and leaned back in their chairs, savoring the splendid meal. When the desserts vanished from the tables as well, Dumbledore rose to conclude the start-of-term feast.
"It seems everyone has eaten well. But before you return to your dormitories, I must emphasize a few more things."
"First-year students, take note: the forest on the school grounds is strictly forbidden to all students. Some of our older students would do well to remember that too."
"Also, Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to remind everyone not to use magic in the corridors between classes."
"Quidditch tryouts will be held during the second week of this term. Any students interested in joining their House team should contact Madam Hooch."
"Finally, allow me to introduce this term's Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Elias Thorne, who has only just arrived due to travel difficulties."
A middle-aged wizard in his forties rose from the end of the staff table. Tall and straight-backed, he wore a gray-black traveling robe. He removed his top hat, revealing gray-black hair, and smiled warmly from his somewhat weathered face before offering a salute to all the students and staff.
Roy noticed that the seat had been empty when the feast began.
Sparse applause rang out through the Great Hall as Dumbledore continued introducing Professor Thorne's achievements to the students.
"Elias is an elite Auror from the American Ministry of Magic, with extensive experience combating the Dark Arts. It is an honor for all our students and staff to have such an outstanding wizard serving as our Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Unfortunately, Professor Thorne will teach this subject for only one term. Next year, he will return to America to continue serving as an Auror."
After introducing the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Dumbledore drew his wand. A long golden ribbon streamed from the tip of the Elder Wand, twisting and coiling like a snake high above the tables to form lines of words.
"Finally, it is time to sing the school song. Ready, sing!"
Dumbledore started them off, leading all the students and staff in a loud rendition of the school song. Every start-of-term feast had to include this noisy tradition.
Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hogwarts,
Please teach us something, please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're
Before you continue