53: Help me look into something.

The welcoming feast began.

All the students immediately launched into a frenzy of eating.

At this moment.

Countless ghosts emerged from every corner of the castle, startling many of the newly arrived young wizards. Ian cast a few curious glances at these apparitions.

Their bodies were entirely transparent, lacking any vibrant coloration, and they were vastly different from the wandering shades found within the Mirage.

"Little wizards! Eat! Eat! Have some more!"

"Hahahaha! Another crybaby!"

These ghosts enlivened the banquet's atmosphere even further.

Nearly Headless Nick, the Bloody Baron, the Fat Friar... Ian failed to spot Helena Ravenclaw anywhere; perhaps this lady's ghost had not attended a banquet in many years.

He simply lowered his head and focused on devouring his food.

"I am Penelope Clearwater, another Ravenclaw prefect. Welcome to Ravenclaw."

Shortly after the dining commenced, the female Ravenclaw prefect took the initiative to greet Ian, who was seated not far away across the table. She, too, belonged to the clever sort, much like the male prefect, Dietrich.

"Hello, hello, just call me Ian..."

Ian was stuffing a large pork chop into his mouth, his speech rather muffled.

"Alright, Ian. If you need any help, feel free to ask me." Penelope smiled warmly at the young freshman, anticipating the kind of amusement the new term might bring.

"Need help?"

Ian paused for a moment.

"Is that really okay?"

He did, in fact, have a matter that might require the assistance of an upperclassman. These old hands had lingered in the school for years and could accomplish many things that a novice like him could not.

"Of course." Penelope's smile remained unchanged.

Pondering for a moment inwardly, Ian set down the food in his hand.

"Actually, speaking of it so abruptly might seem a bit impolite, but I still want to ask Senior Sister: could you help me inquire whether any student in the school has lost a younger sister?"

Naturally, Ian had not forgotten the promise he once made to a friend.

"Ah?"

Penelope was clearly taken aback.

"Due to some unspeakable reasons, this is very important to me..." Ian watched as the last piece of fried chicken leg on his plate was snatched away by a young wizard sitting nearby.

"No problem. I'll help you ask around."

Penelope did not press further and readily agreed.

"Any useful clues?"

Penelope resumed eating, presumably afraid she would go hungry tonight if she did not fill her stomach.

"The person I'm looking for might be twins, or perhaps not—either way, they're two brothers."

"They unfortunately lost a younger sister in the past. The sister's name should be... Ariana, though I'm not certain." In truth, Ian could not be sure whether Ariana's brothers were still at the school.

No one knew how long Ariana had been dead, nor how many years she had spent in the Mirage after her death, and it was even possible that her name was not the one she had borne in the mortal world.

Much like Penderro.

He had forgotten his former name and given himself a new one within the Mirage; no one could say for certain whether Ariana's situation was similar.

"Since she has a name, that makes things much easier. Leave this matter to me. As long as someone matching the description truly exists in the school, I will definitely find them for you."

The Ravenclaw female prefect gave Ian a solemn and confident guarantee.

"My heartfelt thanks for your help. Having a prefect like Miss Clearwater is our great fortune as young wizards." While offering sincere gratitude, Ian slipped in a modest compliment.

"Small matter."

While eating leisurely, Penelope raised a hand and made an OK gesture toward Ian. A broad smile graced her face, making it clear that she greatly enjoyed Ian's flattery.

"You can call me Senior Sister Penelope. I like people who catch my eye to address me that way."

The banquet continued.

Cho Chang was evidently hungrier than Ian.

From the start of the banquet, she had been entirely dedicated to her meal, not even interrupting Ian and Penelope's conversation, single-mindedly doing battle with the food on her plate.

On Ian's other side sat a young boy who snatched food much faster than Ian did, which resulted in Ian not getting to eat very many french fries and fried chicken pieces.

When everyone was full and satisfied, all the dishes vanished, and desserts were served. However, the watermelon jelly that Ian considered the most delicious was also snatched away first by the sharp-eyed neighbor.

He had no choice but to select a portion of creamy chocolate pudding.

Just as everyone finished enjoying their after-dinner desserts, everything on the long tables disappeared along with the plates, and Dumbledore slowly rose to his feet once more.

"Just a few final words from me."

Signaling for silence, Dumbledore began slowly, "First-year students must note that the Forbidden Forest near the castle is an area strictly off-limits to all year groups."

"We also have many older students who would do well to keep that firmly in mind." His voice boomed loudly, likely amplified by some sort of sound-magnifying magic.

"Are there any other dangerous places near our school?"

Cho Chang seemed to have regained her speech after the meal, her tone laced with worry.

"Dangerous or not, I wouldn't know. I only know that if Dumbledore hadn't mentioned it, none of us would have realized there's a brand-new map out there waiting to be explored."

Ian's perspective was rather novel. He glanced toward the Slytherin table, where his little companion, Miss Grindelwald, was currently keeping her head down and focusing intently on eating with both hands.

"You're even bolder than a Gryffindor."

Cho Chang was still mulling over Ian's train of thought.

At that exact moment.

Dumbledore had already begun assisting the school caretaker, Filch, by reminding the students once more not to practice magic in the corridors, and strictly forbidding anyone from defecating right outside Filch's office door.

A wave of giggles rippled through the young wizards.

As the laughter subsided.

Dumbledore led everyone in the traditional singing of the Hogwarts school song.

Hogwarts,
Hogwarts,
Hogwarts,
Hogwarts,
Teach us something, please...

The lyrics were simple and catchy.

Everyone could choose whatever tune they liked, singing at will in an utterly free and unconstrained manner. Over at the Gryffindor table, some prankster was even using the melody of a funeral march.

Ian chose the musical style of Second-Hand Rose, instantly striking awe into the hearts of the surrounding Ravenclaws, who hastily shifted their footing to stand a bit further away from him.

The joyful time quickly drew to a close.

Ian still felt somewhat unsatisfied when Dumbledore announced that everyone should return to their dormitories to rest. Led by their respective house prefects, the crowd of young wizards began lining up to leave.

Ian raised a hand to wave at Aurora in the distant Slytherin line. After hesitating for a moment, the girl lifted her hand and waved back at Ian in acknowledgment.

The orderly departure continued.

The professors also departed from their seats one by one.

After all the young wizards had filed out of the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall was just preparing to return the Sorting Hat to the headmaster's office when a slender hand suddenly snatched the hat right out of her grasp.

"What are you doing! I am inviolable property of Hogwarts!" Dangled by Snape, the Sorting Hat let out a screech sharper than a marmot's.

"Save me! McGonagall! Save me!"

"Dumbledore! Dumbledore, turn back quickly!"