From Hogwarts to Sturhaven

Ivy glanced at him and continued what she hadn't finished saying: "...and, Slytherin's most valued ambition."

Hearing this, Malfoy wanted to object, but ultimately just pursed his lips. Ivy greeted him, "Good afternoon, Draco. And these two are..."

Ivy looked at the two chubby little boys behind him.

“Oh, this is Crabbe, and this is Goyle.” Malfoy’s tone was casual, then he gestured with his chin toward the others in the cubicle. “Looks like you have some new friends too. Introduce them to us.”

"The one with black hair is Harry Potter, the one with red hair is Ron Weasley, the lady next to me is Hermione Granger, and standing behind Crabbe and Goyle is Neville Longbottom," Ivy said, listing the names one by one.

The young wizards in the crowded cubicles nodded to each other, while Ron and Malfoy looked at each other with considerable disdain.

“Harry Potter,” Malfoy read slowly. “A name that’s been passed down through the ages. Everyone says you’re in this carriage… But you should be careful, whether it’s about the house or… friends (Malfoy glanced cautiously at Ivy at this point), you always have better options.”

"Hmph!" Ron expressed his dissatisfaction with a nasal sound. "Are you talking about yourself or Slytherin? Come on, everyone knows which house the Mystic is from."

"Voldemort is Slytherin?" Harry asked, and as soon as he uttered the name, almost everyone in the cubicle gasped.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, puzzled.

Ron exclaimed, "You said that name! Everyone usually refers to him as 'The Mysterious Man'! I knew it... only you had the guts!"

"People believe that the name of the Mystic is shrouded in evil dark magic, and that anyone who utters his name will be cursed. That's why he's called 'Mystic'," Hermione kindly explained to Harry.

“Harry! You’re definitely going to be sorted into Gryffindor!” Ron continued. “Ivy just said it: courage, that’s the quality Gryffindor values ​​most!”

"Just because he said Voldemort's name?" Harry thought it sounded a bit ridiculous.

“In fact, I must clarify something,” Ivy interrupted. “There is no superiority or inferiority among the four houses, and regardless of which house we belong to, we are all members of Hogwarts. Slytherin is not universally hated just because it produced a notorious dark wizard. Moreover, I was a member of Slytherin more than a hundred years ago.”

Ivy pulled out his wand and tapped his shoulder, and his T-shirt transformed once again into the magnificent Slytherin relic robe.

The appearance of the long robe caused a great deal of gasps.

"You didn't chant a spell!" Hermione noticed the mistake. "Is this also ancient magic?"

"No, these are the magical effects of this robe I'm wearing: automatic cleaning, maintaining body temperature, and suit transformation." Ivy spun around, demonstrating every aspect of the robe.

"Wait! You're saying you were a member of Slytherin a hundred years ago?" Malfoy noticed Ivy's words.

"Ha! You probably don't know, do you? Ivy is an ancient wizard who studied at Hogwarts more than a hundred years ago!" Ron immediately jumped in to attack Malfoy.

"Idiot!" Malfoy simply cursed him without lingering on the matter, then looked at Ivy and asked, "Then you must know how the Sorting Ceremony works, right? I have to get into Slytherin! If I'm sorted into Gryffindor, I'll drop out immediately and go to Durmstrang!"

"Give me a break! Gryffindor wouldn't accept an arrogant and narrow-minded fool like you!" Ron retorted. "But if I knew the exam questions beforehand, maybe I could have been sorted into Gryffindor... George and Fred actually said we'd have to fight a troll!"

“I think this is cheating! You shouldn’t tell them.” Hermione wanted to eliminate cheating on the exam and tried to stop Ivy from revealing the Sorting exam questions.

"Come on, Miss Bunnytooth, nobody's asking for your opinion here!" Malfoy didn't have time to respond to Ron's provocation, so he could only spray venom at Hermione, who was the last to speak.

“I mean… if I can guarantee I won’t be expelled from Hogwarts…” Harry seemed a little hesitant. Having lived in the Muggle world all his life, his biggest fear was being forced to leave this new and exciting world. Which house he would be sorted into was not yet on his mind.

Even the three chubby kids, Neville, Goyle, and Crabbe, who hadn't gotten a word in edgewise, were looking at Ivy with expectant eyes.

Ivy sighed, "Well... I have to say, it's a memory I really don't want to recall..." He shook his head, "But due to regulations, I can't tell you the specifics... However, I can assure you that it will cause great harm to some of us!"

"It's happening again!" Malfoy pouted in dissatisfaction. "Nobody who knows the truth will tell me! Mom just shakes her head, and Dad tells me not to pry!"

"Are we really going to have to fight the troll one-on-one?" Rondo hoped Ivy would say "no".

"That's impossible!" Unfortunately, these words came from Hermione's mouth. "It must be an exam! They'll use the results to determine where we junior wizards will go!"

“But Ivy said that there is no superior or inferior among the four houses. If we rank them by grades, how can we guarantee that you will go to the house you want?” Harry, who attended primary school at a Muggle school, asked.

"Perhaps those with higher grades have the freedom to choose? And those with lower grades can only passively accept it?" Hermione shook her head. "Although it was a pleasant chat with you, I have to go study. I need to make sure I get into Gryffindor or Ravenclaw."

Out of respect for the academic genius, Goyle and Crabbe, who were blocking the doorway, carefully made way for her, which allowed Hermione to see Neville, who had been waiting outside the door.

“Oh! Neville! We’re here to help you find the toad!” Hermione exclaimed in surprise, recalling her purpose. “...Perhaps we can...no, let’s look around some more.”

Hermione hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to help her friend over studying.

But Neville refused her offer: "Reverie is on the train...he'll be back eventually. Studying is more important...if you'd allow me to watch over him..."

"Great! I'll help you with your revision!" Hermione's joy was palpable, and she pulled Neville towards their cubicle.

Before leaving, she turned back and said, "We don't have much time left. I think it's more important for you to change into your school uniforms as soon as possible, so you don't end up in a rush."

Chapter 14 Before Sorting

“Tell me she’s not telling the truth, Ivy!” Ron seemed worried, Hermione’s attitude somewhat convincing him. “I haven’t even glanced at the textbook!”

Hearing this, Harry felt much more at ease. Because the day he returned from Diagon Alley, Harry had skimmed through his textbooks; although he hadn't memorized much, he should be doing a little better than Ron, right?

“Don’t worry. I’ve hardly seen any either,” Harry reassured him. “But Hermione’s right, maybe we should change into our robes.”

“So…” Malfoy hesitated, “Rabbit Teeth…is Granger telling the truth? Ivy? About the part about the Sorting by Exam?”

“Hmm…” Ivy shrugged. “I have to say, reading more books won’t hurt you.”

“Damn it…” Malfoy frowned. “I should have studied harder at home… I don’t know if I’ll make it in time, but we should go back, Crabbe, Goyle. Anyway, thank you, Ivy.” Malfoy clearly took Ivy’s words as a veiled piece of advice.

After the Malfoy trio left, Ron and Harry busied themselves rummaging through their luggage, pulling out their textbooks and school uniforms.

After hurriedly changing into their school uniforms, only the two of them remained in the cubicle, silently reading. Ron was reading "A History of Magic," and Harry was reading "Potions and Magical Dispensers."

The soft chanting hadn't lasted long before the voice began to grow low and hoarse—Ron fell asleep.

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"The train will arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train, and we will take it to the school for you."

An announcement, seemingly coming from nowhere, began to echo through the carriage, waking Ron and Harry from their sleep.

"Oh no... I fell asleep!" Ron muttered in frustration. "Now I'm doomed!"

“Me too…” Harry felt his stomach churning at the thought of the upcoming exams, but he still managed to comfort Ron, “It looks like we’ll have to be sorted into the same house.”

Although these words sounded somewhat pessimistic, sharing the burden always halved the pain, and color began to return to Ron's pale face.

They picked up their textbooks from the floor, stuffed them haphazardly into their suitcases, and peered out of the cubicle.

The aisle was now packed with people, even though the train hadn't stopped yet. It seemed that everyone, whether they were first-year students or returning students, was eager to get back to Hogwarts.

The vehicle slowly pulled into the station, and the crowd jostled as they disembarked. The chill of the night woke the two well-rested young wizards considerably.

Ivy took a deep breath in the night, the familiar air filling his lungs: "We meet again, Hogwarts."

Then an oil lamp flickered above their heads, its dim light illuminating Hagrid's thick beard: "First-year students! First-year students, come this way! Harry, come this way, are you alright?"

The young wizards on the platform moved closer to Hagrid's towering figure.

After confirming the number of people, Hagrid led them through a narrow path.

Immediately, a vast, black lake appeared before them—the Black Lake, the same path the four founders had taken when they first arrived at Hogwarts.

On the hillside across the lake stands a majestic castle, its spires towering high, and the flickering lights shining through its windows create another starry sky reflected on the black lake.

“No more than four people per boat!” Hagrid pointed out the tools for crossing the Black Lake, and the group began to board the boats together.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville sat together, while Ivy was invited aboard by the Malfoy trio.

Hagrid stood alone on a ship, and after watching all the young wizards board, he immediately directed the fleet to begin moving.

Ivy ran his fingertips across the dark lake surface, and an inexplicable sense of ease and relaxation filled his mind and body.

"I've never traveled this road before. When I enrolled last time, I rode in a flying carriage, and we were attacked by a dragon halfway there."

Malfoy glanced at him. Although he was very interested in the topic of dragons, it was more important for him to keep his knowledge from leaking out at the moment.

"Heads down!" Hagrid's shout echoed across the lake, and everyone lowered their heads, except for Ivy, who remained motionless.

Because he knew very well that only Hagrid, a half-giant, needed to bow his head; how could an underage wizard grow to two and a half meters tall?

The small wooden boat carried them through a curtain of vines to a place resembling a dock.

Ivy knew that this damp, moss-covered hut was Hogwarts' dock, and not many people usually came here because it involved climbing steep, slippery stairs.

However, precisely because of this, it has also become a popular dating spot for some young couples.

After everyone disembarked, Hagrid found Neville's toad inside the wooden boat. Neville shouted "Thank you, Merlin!" and lifted Rafo, marking its first public appearance.

They climbed the stone steps and came to a rectangular corridor. At the end of the corridor was the Great Hall, where Hogwarts held its annual Sorting Ceremony and Opening Ceremony.

The entrance to the auditorium was a huge, thick oak door. Hagrid raised his unusually large fist and knocked on the door, but to Ivy, it looked more like smashing it.

The oak door opened immediately, and a stern-looking witch stepped out. Ivy recognized her; she was the famous cat professor, Minerva McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall led the new students into the foyer and gave a brief introduction to the four houses and the scoring hourglass used to determine the ownership of the House Cup.

"In a few minutes, the college selection ceremony will be held in front of the entire faculty and students. I suggest that you take some time to tidy yourselves up and look your best while you wait."

Professor McGonagall's gaze lingered on Neville's cloak tied below his ears and Ron's nose before finally settling on Ivy's robe, which shimmered with a pale green light.

Ivy noticed Professor McGonagall's gaze, took out her wand and lightly tapped it on her shoulder. Her magnificent robes vanished instantly, replaced by simple black school uniforms, making her look no different from anyone else.

Professor McGonagall's eyes showed a hint of surprise, but it quickly disappeared.

“Very good,” Professor McGonagall said. “I’ll come to pick you up once they’re ready. But please keep quiet.”

The crowd remained silent; everyone looked tense.

Hermione silently memorized knowledge that she was destined to never use in the Sorting House, while Neville watched her longingly, trying to memorize a sentence or two.

Ivy also noticed that Malfoy had quietly approached Hermione, and although he had his back to her, you could tell from his perked-up ears that he was not at peace.