The Old Ones of Hogwarts

Chapter 49: Pureblood Glory

"What crisis?"

Qiu Zhang spoke up before Ian could.

"Of course, it's the Sorting Test."

The aloof girl's gaze swept over the three of them one by one. "There is a special test in the school that can determine the final fate of each student."

"My family told me a few days ago that this is a terrifying experience that no one wants to recall." The girl with a full head of blonde hair looked serious and earnest.

"My dad also told me that this would be an unforgettable memory for me. They wouldn't let us fight a dragon, would they?" Qiu Zhang asked, her eyes wide with worry.

opposite.

Aurora suddenly looked up.

His eyes were shining.

I am eager to try.

"What do you want to do?"

Qiu Zhang seemed startled by Aurora.

"She wants to fight a dragon."

Ian, who actually knew what the division of labor was all about, could see the expectation in Aurora's heart. He shook his head and said to Aurora in a low voice, "Don't you think about how precious the materials from a dragon's body are? The school is reluctant to take them out and give them away as a benefit."

Upon hearing this...

Aurora's eyes immediately dimmed.

"??????"

"??????"

The two girls sitting opposite each other exchanged a glance, both simultaneously in a state of disbelief. Are all girls their age these days so clueless about who's who?

That's a giant dragon!

"Were you born into a Muggle family?"

After regaining her senses, the blonde girl couldn't help but blurt out her complaint.

"What's the difference?"

Aurora calmly looked at the blonde girl with her heterochromatic eyes.

I guess you are.

The blonde girl's voice was also much colder. She looked at Ian and Aurora with a contemptuous gaze, "Otherwise, she would never have uttered such nonsense as wanting to fight a dragon."

The girl who was just aloof now speaks with a condescending attitude.

"It seems you'll be a Slytherin." Aurora showed no annoyance.

She simply made a casual comment.

"Of course. Remember my name, Daphne Greengrass. My whole family are Slytherins, the finest house in all of Hogwarts."

"I will surely achieve things that you cannot reach in the future."

The blonde girl saw Ian take a small metal box out of his suitcase.

"What are you going to do?"

The girl named Daphne frowned as she looked at Ian.

"You can continue, don't worry about me at all. I also want to learn more about the school, after all, I'm just a Muggle-born orphan." Ian sighed as he pressed the machine button.

"Turns out it was a mud-born."

Daphne's voice became even more contemptuous.

"People like you will never be sorted into Slytherin. This place is only for pure-blooded valor. Perhaps only Hufflepuff would be kind enough to take you in."

obviously.

She is a pureblood, a rarity in the wizarding world.

"Um... Greengrass, you shouldn't address our classmate like that," Qiu Zhang frowned and tried to persuade her, but Daphne clearly ignored him.

"I'm just stating the facts. I'm not as hypocritical as you, thinking they're the same kind of people as us." Daphne's words became increasingly harsh.

She even leaned her wand slightly behind her, as if she didn't want Ian and Aurora to benefit from her fame. Cho Chang's expression also turned awkward.

That's just your own opinion.

Qiu Zhang was also annoyed by Daphne's remarks.

"Yes, we are definitely not the same kind."

Aurora listened calmly the whole time. She turned to look at Ian, who was staring at her hand to see if she had touched her wand.

"You don't need to worry, it's not that I can't tolerate this situation."

The German girl sighed helplessly.

She felt that her friends might have misunderstood her.

"Then you're better than me."

Ian put the small machine back into his suitcase, and seeing that Daphne had moved away the light source he could get his hands on, he had no choice but to take out his elder wand.

The Black Lake was incredibly dark at night.

"What are you planning to do?"

Aurora reacted even more strongly than Ian, grabbing his arm that was holding the wand. Her heterochromatic eyes were filled with a rare hint of tension.

"Heh, do you want a duel?"

Daphne was also staring at the wand in Ian's hand, but her eyes were full of disdain. Seeing this, Cho Chang quickly began to urge the two of them to remain calm.

"I'm not the one getting carried away with my own excitement, and besides, I have no interest in childish duels." Ian shook his head speechlessly.

He just wanted to brighten up the surroundings.

The light emitted by Daphne's wand was as small as a sesame seed.

"Fluorescent lights!"

Ian chanted a spell.

Light suddenly shone forth.

The bright white light, with overwhelming force, crushed the surrounding scattered light sources, like a rising sun illuminating most of the lake surface where the small boats were located.

"What's going on over there!?"

"My goodness! What a bright illumination spell!"

"By Merlin! I haven't even learned the Levitation Charm yet!"

……

The sounds rose and fell from the various small boats, and even Hagrid, the leader, couldn't help but turn around and look at the small boat where Ian and the others were with great surprise.

"How is that possible! A mere mud-blooded creature!!"

Daphne was blinded by the sudden light. She raised her hand to shield her eyes and gasped in disbelief.

"Nothing is impossible, just practice more." When Ian sat back down, he noticed that Aurora had turned her head towards the outside of the boat at some point.

The light did not blind her.

"How can you possess such powerful magic!"

Qiu Zhang, struggling to adapt to the bright light, was clearly surprised in ways that differed from those of ordinary people.

She was more concerned with the strength of the spell.

"Of course, it's because the four giants just bestowed upon me their baptism."

Ian started spouting nonsense with a straight face again.

"..."

Qiu Zhang was speechless.

Daphne, sitting next to her, looked unpleasant, but dared not utter any more provocative words. She was indeed a pureblood, but she wasn't a fool who would lose her mind when she got carried away.

"He's just a mudblood who secretly studies! After school starts, I'll surpass him in no time!" Of course, Daphne's heart was still filled with resentment.

The little incident made the atmosphere on the ship a bit awkward.

Once you get used to the shimmering light on Ian's wand, it no longer feels too dazzling.

Ian and Cho Chang occasionally chatted, but compared to Aurora, who remained silent and leisurely, gazing at the lake, Daphne seemed to be living a life of endless days.

"Why aren't we at school yet!"

In her heartfelt anticipation.

The small boat finally reached the other side of Black Lake.

"Everyone, follow me!"

Hagrid continued to lead the way, carrying an oil lamp. The gravel path wound its way to the castle gate, and he led the group of young wizards up the stone steps in front of the castle.

"That illumination spell just now came from their ship."

"Is it that handsome guy?"

"I think it's Daphne Greengrass. My dad says she's amazing."

……

Although freed from the constraints of the small boat, Daphne Greengrass's torment clearly continued; the surrounding chatter made her want to turn around and go home.

"Professor Snape, what brings you here?" Hagrid knocked on the door with his red umbrella, only to find that the person waiting inside was not Professor McGonagall as usual.

"Do you think I'm not qualified to welcome new students?" The black-robed man with greasy black hair and a hooked nose sneered. His gloomy appearance made many of the young wizards dare not continue whispering.

"Of course not. Well then, I'll leave these first-year wizards in your care." Hagrid scratched his head, looking puzzled, and turned to leave the castle, glancing back every few steps.

"If you don't want to pack your bags and go back to your own homes right now, you'd better shut up and follow me." Snape's gaze lingered on Ian and Aurora for about three seconds.

immediately.

He coldly issued orders to the group of young wizards.

Perhaps it was Snape's repressive aura that was so intimidating that when he walked in front, none of the young wizards following behind dared to speak.

Everyone was tense and anxious.

Even Aurora seemed a little awkward—after all, she was still just a little girl.

Perhaps only Ian, who was spoiled by J.K. Rowling and knew exactly what the Sorting Ceremony was, had the inclination to curiously examine the decorations of the legendary Hogwarts castle.

Everywhere is marked by the passage of time.

It's also clear that countless students once studied and played here.

Torches were burning brightly all over the castle's stone walls, and as they ventured deeper into the castle, the warmth from those torches dispelled the chill from the young wizards' bodies.

"Crunch~"

As Snape pushed open the doors of the Great Hall.

A magnificent hall then came into view of the young wizards. Thousands of candles floated in mid-air, making the entire hall as bright as day.

The flags representing the four colleges fluttered gently in the air. The plates and goblets on the long tables gleamed in the brilliant firelight.

The most eye-catching feature was the dome of the auditorium, with starlight twinkling on the black velvet ceiling, just like the incredibly realistic sky curtain above the Black Lake.

"very beautiful."

Aurora looked up at the dome, staring intently.

"This place has been enchanted with extremely advanced magic, so it has a synchronized visual effect with the sky outside..." Ian felt as if something was missing at this moment.

"Hmm, I've read other people's readings of 'Hogwarts: A History of the School.'" Okay, that's right. Feeling more comfortable, Ian turned his gaze to the high platform at the front. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick... many professors sat upright at the dining table on the platform, welcoming the new students.

For these professors.

Ian was filled with curiosity.

however.

What intrigued him most was the pointed wizard's hat on that unremarkable four-cornered stool, which looked somewhat tattered and was now largely unnoticed.

Sorting cap.

A history spanning a thousand years.

It is the witness.

So many stories... began from here.