"Find out your second house?"
Harry stood before the noticeboard in the common room, reading its contents under his breath.
"Where? Where?" Ron ran over excitedly, his voice so loud that he sounded as though he were making an announcement.
"To strengthen cohesion and a sense of belonging at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, help first-year students break the ice, and enrich extracurricular life at Hogwarts, we are holding an extracurricular event: 'Find out your second house.' Anyone interested may visit the lawn by the Black Lake this weekend. The event will run all day, with no time restrictions."
"Four separate house-themed challenge zones will be set up at the event. Students may visit the zones for houses other than their own to take on challenges and earn points. The challenges are: a courage challenge, a logic quiz, a food contest, and a traveling merchant simulation, corresponding to Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin respectively. At the end of the event, the three highest-scoring students in each house's challenge will receive mystery gifts."
"There will also be an evening chat session lasting until curfew, complete with exquisite refreshments. Check in with students from other houses for a chance to draw lovely prizes."
Only a handful of people had originally been standing before the noticeboard, but now it was packed solid.
"An evening chat session lasting until curfew?" Ron's eyes lit up instantly. He grabbed Harry's arm excitedly, lowering his voice but unable to hide his delight. "Harry, did you hear that? We won't have to hide from Filch! We can wander around outside openly! And there are mystery gifts, too. Those medals Director Lorne gave out last time can sell for twenty Knuts to the older students. Gryffindor has to take part. Even just for the rewards, we've got to go and get full points in the other three zones!"
Lively discussion erupted in the crowd. Gryffindor students had always been keen on challenges full of the unknown and excitement.
Even a mild-mannered first-year like Neville blushed and murmured "evening chat session" with anticipation in his eyes, clearly looking forward to chatting freely with students from other houses.
Unlike the excitement among the Gryffindors, the discussion at the Ravenclaw Table was restrained and thoroughly academic.
"Find out your second house... From the perspective of magical sociology, this is indeed an effective intervention for breaking down house stereotypes and promoting identification across groups," a Ravenclaw girl wearing round glasses analyzed calmly, pushing her glasses up her nose. "But why aren't students allowed to take part in their own house's challenge? I'm going to raise this with Director Lorne. We can be excluded from our own house's leaderboard, but wherever knowledge is being tested, Ravenclaw must be there."
Meanwhile, near the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room, the atmosphere was as warm as a freshly baked pumpkin pasty.
"A food contest?" Hannah Abbott picked out exactly what she wanted to see from the mass of text.
Those few words alone made all the little badgers who had barely been paying attention to the noticeboard prick up their ears.
"Only first-years are allowed to take part? That's not fair! I'm going to raise this with Director Lorne. Never mind the welcome packages for new students, but now even the events are off-limits to older students? Aren't we people too?"
By contrast, the reaction in the Slytherin Common Room was far more reserved and restrained.
"The three highest-scoring students in each house's challenge will receive mystery gifts..." Draco Malfoy raised his chin slightly, a cold, confident smirk curling his lips. "It seems the school has finally realized that true worth must be demonstrated through competition. Slytherins will not fall behind in any zone."
"A traveling merchant simulation, plus the social networking at the evening chat session..." Crabbe whispered to Draco, a pretended shrewdness in his eyes. "This isn't just a game. It's a perfect opportunity to build connections across houses. Those stupid Gryffindors will cheer over a few biscuits, while we're going to get the highest scores and that mystery gift."
For a time, discussions of the weekend event became all the rage. Students gathered in twos and threes, guessing what exactly the challenges would involve.
Lorne received quite a bit of feedback, too.
Some students wrote that they hoped to take part in their own house's challenge as well, but Lorne worried that if a student scored lower than students from other houses, they might begin to question whether the Sorting Hat's original decision had been right.
As for the joint feedback from some older students, Lorne said that space was limited and time was short, so he could only prioritize the first-years for now. He would gradually extend it to all years later.
The weekend finally arrived.
Harry had asked Wood, his upperclassman on the Quidditch team, for leave well in advance. Only after Harry repeatedly promised that this would be the last time did Wood reluctantly agree.
The sunshine outside was just right. Beams slipped through the gaps in the curtains into the dormitory, as though coating the floor in glaze.
He shook the still-sleeping Ron awake.
"Don't bite my clothes, Scabbers." Ron did not even open his eyes. His messy red hair looked as though it had been subjected to an Engorgement Charm.
Ignoring his protests, Harry whipped off his covers.
"Hurry up, Ron. Seamus and Neville have already left." Harry patted Ron's body. "Have you forgotten what day it is? I even made a point of asking for leave."
Ron's eyes gradually focused as he struggled with all his might to lift his eyelids. "I remember, I remember... Oh, blimey, the event's today!"
Ron was instantly wide awake. He leaped out of bed. "Hurry up, Harry! Get changed! We can't let those Slytherin bastards get there first."
About fifteen minutes later, the two of them rushed out of the castle in a fluster.
On the grass beside the Black Lake, there was a wizard's robe almost every few steps. Harry noticed that quite a few older students had come to take part as well.
Four areas were particularly crowded, and Harry led Ron toward the nearest one.
Even from a long way off, Harry could hear someone explaining the rules.
"This challenge is very interesting, but I'm sorry, older students. Professor Lorne told me that only first-years can earn points by taking part. Everyone is welcome at tonight's evening chat session, though."
"Now I'll explain the rules of the Gryffindor courage challenge. What I'm holding is a Beast Ball. As I throw it toward you, it will turn into the animal you fear most. You can call stop at any point, and the Beast Ball will stop immediately. The closer it is to you when it stops, the higher your score."
"What if I close my eyes and let it hit me in the face?"
"If the Beast Ball touches you, you can only get zero points."
The more Harry listened, the more familiar the voice sounded. He squeezed through the crowd to the front, and his jaw dropped when he saw who was holding the Beast Ball.
"Wood?"