Simultaneously traversing: the pinnacle of all realms

Xavier smiled, nodded, and sat down.

His gaze swept across the Great Hall, landing on Harry Potter being enthusiastically patted on the shoulder by George and Fred at the Gryffindor table. Ron sat beside Harry, his face flushed with excitement. Hermione, meanwhile, sat a little further away, engrossed in a book.

The trio has not yet truly come together.

But Xavier knew that they would soon become an inseparable trio.

He was just one of hundreds of students at Hogwarts, an ordinary Hufflepuff freshman, a boy who wanted to quietly learn magic, train his body, and improve himself.

This is enough.

After all the new students had been sorted into their respective houses, Headmaster Dumbledore stood up, said a few brief words, and then announced the start of the banquet. Suddenly, golden platters were piled high with food—roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, meat pies, vegetable salad… Xavier, who was starving, unceremoniously ladled out a large piece of steak for himself.

Sitting across from him, Ernie McMillan (also a freshman) struck up a conversation with him enthusiastically: "Hey, are you Muggle-born? I've never heard of the Xavier name in wizarding families."

"Yes, my parents are both Muggles," Xavier readily admitted.

"Oh! That's cool!" Ernie lacked the arrogance typical of pure-blood individuals. "My mom's a wizard, and my dad's a Muggle. I grew up in a wizarding environment, but I'm also quite interested in the Muggle world. We can learn from each other in the future!"

Hannah Abbott chimed in, "I'm mixed race too! By the way, don't you think the castle is huge? I'm worried I'll get lost in class tomorrow..."

Susan Burns nodded vigorously: "Me too! I heard Peeves plays pranks..."

As Xavier ate, he listened to his classmates' casual conversation and thought that the atmosphere in Hufflepuff was indeed very comfortable.

-

After the banquet, the heads of each college led the new students to the common lounge.

Hufflepuff's prefect is a fifth-year boy named Gabriel Truman.

He smiled and told the new students, "Stay close to me, don't get lost. Our Hufflepuff common room is on the lower level of the castle."

"Underground?!" Several freshmen exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

Gabriel blinked. "Yes, and we're closest to the kitchen. If you know the password, you can always go get some snacks."

But don't go too far, or Professor Sprout will have a talk with you.

Upon hearing this, Xavier knew he had come to the right place.

Gabriel led the new students through the foyer, down the stone steps, and through a low corridor. Every few meters along the corridor, torches were lit, and portraits in framed paintings on the walls would occasionally peek out curiously at them.

Finally, the entrance was hidden in a pile of large wooden barrels in the right corner of the corridor.

Gabriel then reminded the freshmen to pay attention to his movements.

In the pile of barrels, find the second barrel from the left or right in the second row from the bottom. Use your wand to gently tap the bottom of that barrel in the rhythm of "Helga Hufflepuff".

"Dear freshmen, if you knock on the wrong spot or at the wrong rhythm, this bucket lid will not only fail to open, but it will explode and pour the entire bucket of vinegar over you as punishment for the intruder."

So you need to remember this rhythm if you don't want to be thoroughly pickled in vinegar.

Hufflepuff's common lounge is a circular, nature-filled underground space.

The ceiling was low, but it was enchanted, making it look like a meadow full of wildflowers.

The round windows are actually fake, but they project the appearance of sunlight and wind.

The room was bathed in golden light and had a warm fireplace. Brass-colored decorations were everywhere, and tapestries depicting Helga Hufflepuff, the founder of Hufflepuff School, hung on the walls. The sofas and armchairs were soft, earthy yellow with black stripes, making you never want to get up once you sat down.

"The boys' dormitory is on the left corridor, and the girls' is on the right," Gabriel pointed to the two forks in the road.

"Your luggage has been delivered to your rooms. Get up early tomorrow morning, remember to have breakfast, and the class schedule is posted on the back of your dorm door. Good night!"

Xavier walked into the boys' dormitory corridor, found his room, pushed open the door, and entered. The room was small, but cozy.

Several four-poster beds with yellow and black curtains were placed against the wall, each with a small desk and a wardrobe next to it. In the center of the room stood a vintage brass chandelier, emitting a warm yellow light.

Xavier's bed was the one by the window—though the window was fake, it offered a projected view of the garden. He opened the wardrobe, where clothes were already neatly hung, along with a Hufflepuff yellow and black striped scarf.

His suitcase lay quietly at the foot of the bed, the old suitcase looking especially familiar under the warm light.

The roommates came in one after another. Ernie McMillan, Justin Finley, and Zacharys Smith (a blond boy who looked a bit arrogant).

The group bickered and joked, and in less than a night, they had become quite familiar with each other.

Xavier made the bed, took the book "Standard Spells: Beginner" from the box, and turned to tomorrow's chapter. Professor Flitwick's Spells class was one of his most anticipated courses, because he had a lot of questions to ask.

-

The schedule for first-year students at Hogwarts is fixed and includes the following each week:

Charms (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings), Transfiguration (Tuesday and Thursday mornings), Potions (Monday and Wednesday afternoons), Herbalism (Tuesday and Friday afternoons), History of Magic (the last period on Wednesday mornings), Defense Against the Dark Arts (Thursday afternoons), Astronomy (Wednesday midnight, but first-year students usually start in the second week), and Flying (Thursday mornings, but only Gryffindor and Slytherin attend together, while Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw attend together, at different times).

In addition, there are weekly arithmetic divination and ancient magic script electives (only offered in the third year; the first year only has basic courses).

-

The Charms class was held at the end of the corridor on the third floor of the castle, and the classroom was filled with soft cushions—to prevent students from falling and getting injured if they made a mistake while casting a spell.

Professor Flitwick was short, standing atop a thick stack of books. But his voice was high-pitched and clear, full of enthusiasm.

"Welcome, welcome, children!" Professor Flitwick said, clapping his hands.

"Today we will learn our first magic spell - 'Yugadimleviosa', which is the levitation spell."

Can anyone tell me the function of this spell?

……

In the next classroom exercise, Xavier waved his wand and flicked it, and the feather was the first to float steadily in mid-air.

As Professor Flitwick passed by, he raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Excellent, Mr. Xavier! Five points for Hufflepuff."

Xavier was not smug; instead, he stayed after class.

"Professor Flitwick, may I ask you some questions?"

Professor Flitwick jumped down from the pile of books and looked up at Xavier—though Xavier was only eleven years old, the professor was far too young.

"Of course, Mr. Soren! I like eager students. Please speak."