"Weasley?" At the surname, something like a hazy image flashed through Harry's mind. She pondered for a moment, then asked, "How are Arthur Weasley and Molly Weasley related to you?"
Finally hearing a question she could answer, Ron immediately said, "They're my parents. Do you know them?"
Harry shook her head gently, then said coldly, "No. I've only heard of them." With that, she turned to look at the scenery outside the window, as though it were so fascinating that she would not say another word.
Harry had naturally heard about the past from Sirius. Otherwise, she would not have followed him everywhere seeking revenge.
In Sirius's account, Arthur and the other members of the Order of the Phoenix were still the good guys, but they were all bound by foolish, outdated ideas. They had become diehards who clung to Dumbledore's "idiotic ideals," and Sirius considered them no longer worth working with.
Harry had only asked because she had thought of her parents, and of the Order of the Phoenix they had once belonged to.
When Harry suddenly stopped paying attention to her, Ron thought she had said something wrong. Her face instantly turned as red as a ripe tomato, and she stammered like a startled fawn, not knowing what else to say.
She wanted to apologize, but her face only grew redder, and she did not know what she should apologize for.
Seeing this, Herman hurried to smooth things over like a firefighter rushing to the rescue. "It's fine. Harry's just like that. She doesn't usually like talking or chatting, but she's a decent person. She'd never drag a friend into trouble."
At Herman's slightly sarcastic words, Harry turned back again, a glint of mischief flashing in her eyes as she considered what hex to use on him to teach him a lesson.
Although Ron did not understand what Herman meant, she understood that he was saying Harry was nice. She hurriedly nodded like a chick pecking grain. "Mm-hmm, I know. Just like my brother Percy. Mum says he's cold on the outside but warm on the inside."
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm." Although Herman did not know what Percy was like, all he could do now was nod along in agreement like a yes-man, following Ron's lead to start a conversation.
"Is your brother Percy one of those twins from earlier?"
Like a little teacher eager to explain, Ron quickly waved her hands. "No, they're George and Fred. Percy's my third-oldest brother. He's in his fifth year. I have two other brothers, Bill and Charlie. They graduated ages ago."
"You have a lot of family. Any more?" Herman remembered that there should have been a younger sister in the original story, who was also Harry's girlfriend.
"Yes, I have a younger brother too. He won't be able to come to school until next year," Ron answered truthfully.
All right, they've all been gender-swapped. Makes sense.
"What a big family. It must be lively at home."
At the mention of her family, Ron immediately broke into a smile, her eyes shining as though she had thought of something happy. "Yes. George and Fred are always really naughty and often cause trouble, but we're all very happy together."
Seeing that Ron had finally stopped blushing and acting shy, Herman felt as though a weight had lifted from his chest. He breathed a sigh of relief and began chatting casually with her.
Before long, they were discussing the upcoming Sorting Ceremony. Ron looked worried, her brows nearly twisting into little braids. "My brothers all say the Sorting Ceremony is terrifying, and the test changes every year. Last year, you had to defeat a giant spider the size of a troll to get in, or you'd be expelled from Hogwarts."
"It's fine. If Hogwarts won't take you, you can always go to Azkaban to be remolded. All roads lead to Rome," Herman quipped offhandedly.
Hearing this, Harry could not resist a quip of her own. "You really would be saving yourself seven years of detours, maybe even more, and heading straight to Azkaban for further studies."
"Azkaban? Isn't that the wizard prison?" Clearly, little Ron had not gotten the joke from these two Azkaban inmates-in-waiting, and she looked utterly bewildered.
"It's a joke. Who'd want to go to Azkaban?" Herman hurriedly explained to Ron.
Ron did not pursue the subject of Azkaban, continuing instead, "Oh, right. Which house do you want to go to?"
Herman really had not thought about it. In his view, every house was the same: the same professors, the same things to learn, no difference at all. As for competition between houses and conflicts between students, to an adult like Herman, it was all children playing house. None of it could affect his determination to learn magic. When he was already learning magic, who had time to play out school life with a bunch of children?
"Any of them. They're all the same to me."
At Herman's answer, Ron looked astonished, her eyes widening like brass bells. She hurriedly said, "How can they be the same? Gryffindor is brave and fearless, like a blazing fire; Ravenclaw is unrivaled in wisdom, like shining stars; Hufflepuff is loyal and hardworking, like an ox quietly tilling the fields; Slytherin only cares about bloodlines and looks down on everyone else."
Herman countered, "But aren't the professors, textbooks, and things you learn all the same?"
"Well, um..." Faced with Herman's question, Ron did not know how to refute him. After freezing for a moment, she looked toward Harry beside them and asked as though seeking help, "Harry, what about you? You must have a house you want to go to."
After hearing Ron's question, Harry thought for a while before answering, "If I can choose, I want to go to Slytherin."
Before Ron could even react with surprise, Herman froze first, his jaw nearly hitting the floor. You can't just rewrite the script however you like! Harry voluntarily going to Slytherin? What brain-dead fanfic writer came up with this garbage script? This is OOC beyond belief.
"Um, Harry, why do you want to go to Slytherin? Were your parents in Slytherin? The Potter Family?" After recovering from her surprise, Ron asked hesitantly. After all, she could hardly imagine anyone choosing Slytherin unless their parents were pure-bloods.
Harry shook her head. "My mother was Muggle-born. If my father were around, he probably wouldn't let me go to Slytherin either."
"Then why do you want to go to Slytherin, Harry?" Ron asked the very question on Herman's mind.
Harry shrugged like a cold-hearted avenger, her tone icy. "To beat those Slytherin brats black and blue, of course, and interrogate them along the way about where those fugitive relatives of theirs are hiding."
All right, Harry, you haven't disappointed me. If you really get sorted into Slytherin, I'll pray for you.
No, wait. Snape's the Slytherin Head of House. I should pray for those unlucky kids.
A possibility suddenly occurred to Herman. Could Sirius have planned this? Send Harry undercover into Slytherin, have her work her way up to Prefect, and use the next generation of pure-bloods to settle the previous generation's conflicts. That would be a good strategy.
Hearing Harry's outrageous words, Ron did not know what to say for a moment. Once again, the atmosphere went cold as though a Silencing Charm had been cast.
Fortunately, the silence was soon broken. Another sound came from outside the door, but this time there was no knock. Instead, someone pushed it straight open.