Hogwarts: What are the four great masters doing?

This year's sorting ceremony went smoothly. Most of the time, the Sorting Hat could determine the house to which the young wizard should belong in a very short time.

As expected by Ryan, Ginny was assigned to Gryffindor, and Luna was assigned to Ravenclaw.

After the sorting ceremony, it was time for Dumbledore to speak.

"children."

The old wizard stood up. "It's nice to see some familiar faces again in the new school year, and of course - some brand new ones."

He smiled gently, "I must tell you, Hogwarts will be your home."

“No matter how stormy and cloudy the outside world is at school, home is always a place that can shelter us from the wind and rain.”

He said this with emotion.

Especially when he mentioned the word "home", his voice seemed to carry a hint of sadness.

But then he raised his hand and pointed to the side: "Besides that, I believe many people may have heard that the school will be attracting two professors this year... What's special is that they will be teaching the same subject."

"Professor Barty Crouch and Professor Gilderoy Lockhart... They will teach students from different grades on a weekly basis. I believe this unprecedented combination will be a novel experience."

As they spoke, both Old Barty and Lockhart stood up.

Among them, when old Barty bowed, Percy's shouts almost echoed throughout the auditorium.

And when Lockhart bowed, the little witches screamed just as loudly.

"Also, Professor Barty Crouch brought a request from the Ministry of Magic – this semester, for some reason… all wizards in the school need to undergo regular examinations."

Dumbledore said casually, "The inspection includes checks for the Imperius Curse, the Oblivion Curse, and various dangerous items. This is done every two weeks and is supervised by professors."

"I believe this will greatly improve your safety... In fact, although I don't want to admit it, there have been some bad things happening in school."

Dumbledore spoke with a serious expression, which made all the young wizards a little nervous.

Even Ryan was stunned for a moment - what was Dumbledore going to do?

But the next moment, everyone heard Dumbledore change the subject.

"For example, my candy boxes - they were stolen last semester, and more than once... I believe that regular security checks can solve this problem and perhaps help me find the missing candy..."

As a result, the originally nervous little wizards were stunned.

Then, laughter and joy filled the auditorium again.

Only Ryan narrowed his eyes and realized that things were not simple.

"they?"

It looks like the old wizard has a hidden candy box!

"very good..."

After the banquet officially began, Ryan enjoyed the delicious food provided while whispering in his heart - he thought it was time to send his two candy thieves out again.

"Apparently, General Friday the White Cat secretly went to the Sorting Hat to find out what was going on. After confirming the location, he sent General Snape the Bat to take advantage of the opportunity... hehehe!"

However, just as the 'Sweet Devil' Elias was formulating his evil plan to steal the old man's candy.

"Ryan!"

The call made him turn his head.

Then he saw Harry, Seamus, Dean, Ron and Neville coming over after they finished their meal.

They were obviously going back to the dormitory together.

But at this moment...

"Are you Mr. Ryan Elias?"

Ryan noticed that there was a little wizard following behind Harry.

He was short and thin, with light hair and big eyes that showed clear passion.

"It's me—you're... Colin Creevey?"

Ryan also recognized him - he was a little wizard who had just been sorted into Gryffindor.

At this moment, he was trotting excitedly behind Harry, holding a camera in his hand.

"Yes! Mr. Elias, it's me!"

Colin held the camera and took a few photos of Ryan.

"What are you..."

Ryan was a little confused.

"He's a Harry Potter fan - he said he wanted to capture the greatest moments from Harry's Hogwarts years..."

Ron said from the side.

His voice was a little weak. "It's obvious that he thinks the moment Harry meets you is very memorable... well, at least more memorable than me, Seamus and the others."

"Don't say that. You are Mr. Potter's friends, so I took pictures of you."

But after hearing this, Colin argued with reason.

His teeth seemed to be undergoing a tooth change, which made his speech a little lisp and seemed quite childish.

"But he is Ryan Elias, the heir of Hufflepuff who is destined to be great... Of course, his greatness is still not as great as Mr. Potter, but it is enough... Mmm!"

He was halfway through his words when Harry covered his mouth.

"Oh, come on, Colin, stop talking... stop talking..."

Harry was so ashamed that he almost wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

That's right, when it comes to fame in the British wizarding world, 'The Boy Who Lived' is still on par with Ryan even today.

But when it comes to achievements and future - Harry himself is of course very clear that he and Ryan are completely incomparable.

No... To be exact, all the little wizards in Hogwarts, and even all the little wizards in the entire wizarding world are not comparable to Ryan!

"Oh, actually—Colin, I think Harry has a promising future, too."

But Ryan naturally didn't care after hearing this.

He just said it with a smile.

“Right!?”

Colin struggled out of Harry's 'blockade' and said.

"Yeah, speaking of which...your camera, have you modified it?"

"Renovation?"

Colin scratched his head after hearing this. "No - it's just an ordinary Muggle camera... It has a timer function and is very useful. I plan to use it to take pictures of every corner of Hogwarts, especially the places Mr. Harry has been..."

He spoke of his grand vision, which made Harry blush even more.

"That sounds great."

But Ryan praised it highly: "When Harry and I graduate, can you give me a copy of the photo?"

He said this, which made Harry's eyes widen and he looked at Ryan with a 'what do you want to do' look.

"Oh! I want one too!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Give me one too!"

Ron, Seamus and the others became excited instantly when they heard this.

The dissatisfaction in his heart caused by being despised and ignored disappeared instantly, and was replaced by the desire to find something to hold against his friend.

"No problem at all!"

Colin, on the other hand, completely ignored his idol's opinions and was happy to share.

But soon, the lively little wizard was called away by the prefect - as a new wizard, he had to follow the prefect back to the dormitory as soon as possible.

"Oh, Ryan...you really are my 'good friend'."

After seeing him leave, Harry spoke with gritted teeth.

"Thanks for the compliment, Harry, I felt the same way."

Ryan, as thick-skinned as ever, said, "Come to think of it, if you don't go back to the dormitory, what do you want from me?"

"It's not me looking for you, it's Neville!"

Harry waved his hand and said, "He wants to see you."

So Ryan looked at Neville with a puzzled look.

"Is it about your parents?"

Ryan asked, "Has their situation changed?"

Ever since the treatment plan was finalized, he had been committed to advancing the research on the 'Soul Radiance Potion' with Snape, while the care of the Longbottoms was handed over to St. Mungo's.

Of course, this kind of care was different from before—everyone knew that when the Soul Radiance Potion was successfully developed, the Longbottoms might have hope of waking up.

"Do not."

Neville shook his head: "The staff at St. Mungo's took good care of them - although they don't have Hufflepuff magic like you do..."

After he said this, he began to talk about looking for Ryan.

"It's Dean Olivia. She asked me to bring you a message."

"Dean Olivia?"

Ryan was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening - he hadn't seen the vampire dean for quite some time.

"What did she ask you to tell me?"

"She said she went back to her hometown to do some research on the matter you asked her about, and she's gotten some results... If it's convenient for you..."

"convenient!"

Before he could finish his words, Ryan responded immediately.

His eyes were shining at this moment.

That's right.