When the strong wind gradually subsided, the twenty-odd people in the house finally came out. It was already getting dark, and they ran back to the Castle with their day's harvest, inevitably being grumbled at by Pringle, who was almost frozen into an icicle.
As Gary passed by, he took out three or four soft candies from his bag and handed them to Pringle to warm him up.
Pringle's eyes were so crinkled with joy that he could barely see. Usually, other students ignored him, but now there was actually a young man who was so thoughtful.
"You have a future!" He patted Gary's shoulder. "I'm retiring next year, and I'm letting my nephew, Argus Filch, take my place."
He pointed to the strong man beside him now. This strong man, whose height was even less than Gary's, was holding that scrawny cat in his arms and nodded to Gary.
Gary took out two more candies and handed them to Filch.
"Hurry into the Castle, I need to lock up too," Pringle said with a chuckle.
Alfrina and Gary were almost the last to arrive at the Great Hall. It was already full of people, and the clinking of knives and forks stimulated their taste buds, making their hunger even more intense.
The two snuck to the end of the Ravenclaw long table, where Howard and Kona were already sitting, chatting and enjoying their dinner.
"You guys!" Alfrina and Gary had waited for a long time at The Three Broomsticks, only to be stood up by these two. Now that they met, Alfrina's anger flared up, and she grabbed Kona's ponytail. "How dare you trick me!"
"We waited for you two for over an hour, and you two lied and just left!" Alfrina held Kona's braid with one hand and put her other hand on her hip.
"Ow… I'm sorry, I'm sorry, is that enough?" Kona quickly smiled apologetically. She was holding a chicken leg in her hand, her eyes fixed on the meat.
Howard also quickly put down his food to comfort Alfrina. Alfrina's stomach rumbled, but fortunately, the Great Hall was noisy enough that only she heard the sound.
She glared at Kona and Howard, then huffily sat next to Kona and picked up her knife and fork to eat.
Gary had already taken his seat and scooped a portion of stew onto his plate. He didn't sit next to Howard; that seat was occupied by a little girl. Her hair color was similar to Alfrina's, and she had swept her long hair behind her ears, revealing a soft-featured face. She was currently reaching out with her chubby little hand to grab the fried fish on the table. Gary remembered her name was Pandora.
"What did you all buy?" Howard asked Gary while forking fries.
"Um… just some small trinkets and such." Gary quickly buried his head and stammered evasively. That teapot he bought couldn't be for nothing; it would definitely come in handy.
The naive Howard didn't sense anything amiss and happily chatted with Pandora next to him.
The little girl clearly didn't want to talk to him; she was wrestling with a fried fish and a lamb chop on her plate, her slightly chubby face concentrating on the dinner plate, her cheeks puffing in and out.
With no one to talk to him, Gary was able to observe his surroundings while eating. He actually discovered that their seventh-year Prefect, Nance, was at the Gryffindor table!
Nance was sitting next to Sunny—she was the Gryffindor Seeker. The two were chatting and laughing, completely disregarding the gazes of the surrounding Gryffindor students.
Gary estimated that the two had developed feelings for each other after that Quidditch match, and their passion had ignited uncontrollably.
His gaze shifted from Nance to James and Sirius nearby. The two were whispering with their heads bowed, and Sirius's expression was a bit off.
In the past two years, the relationship between Sirius and the Black family showed no signs of easing. Every Christmas, he would return to school with a deathly pale face, only cheering up when he saw James and Lupin.
Originally, the bond between Alfrina, Gary, James, and Sirius had gradually faded. Alfrina and James were no longer as close. Gary still remembered when James flew to London to help Alfrina deliver a letter to him; their relationship was much closer then.
Sometimes, the house divisions at Hogwarts truly changed a person's life, from their social circle to their daily habits, changing everything thoroughly.
Social groups can subtly change a person. For example, in Gryffindor, Peter didn't seem like the type of student who enjoyed exploring, but after being sorted into the same dormitory as James and Sirius, he more or less followed them and became familiar with Hogwarts' secret passages.
Another example is the change in living habits. Howard alone could motivate an entire year of Ravenclaw students to constantly run to the kitchen, always eating a late-night snack before bed. In Howard's own words, "If you don't eat well before bed, you'll have nightmares."
Everyone's personality and lifestyle are constantly changed by their surroundings. Some students initially didn't have strong house characteristics, but after spending time with students from the same house, they would naturally shift towards that type of personality.
Gary felt that each house was like a prison. You passed the Sorting Hat's test and entered the house, and an imprint was carved upon you. This imprint naturally carried prejudice. Hogwarts students wouldn't exclaim how studious a student with a Ravenclaw badge was, nor would they tell a Gryffindor student how brave and adventurous he was; everything was taken for granted.
When everyone in the school saw each other's robes, prejudice had already formed. Gryffindor people never walked with Slytherin people (except Lily and Snape), Hufflepuff people liked to gossip, and Ravenclaw students were quiet. This imprint was like a label on a product, stating what kind of person you were.
But was everyone like this from the beginning?
Gary silently shoved a mouthful of cauliflower into his mouth. Take Sirius Black, for example. Gary didn't think he was so much like a Gryffindor when he first entered. He was certainly rebellious, and defying his parents was commonplace.
Does that prove he's a Gryffindor? In Gary's opinion, this rebellion was far less influential on the Sorting Hat than the Black family's Pure-blood genes. Gary still remembered the question the Sorting Hat asked when he put it on.
It was Sirius Black himself who requested it; he wanted to go to Gryffindor.
This was the Sorting Hat's answer.
He wanted to go. Wasn't that a struggle? Wasn't that a desire?
Aren't those the qualities Slytherin needs?
The more he thought about it, the more he felt he was going down a dead end. He couldn't figure out how the Sorting Hat truly judged a person, and the subsequent impact of the sorting on a person was too important, almost determining their entire life.
Sirius's uncle, Alphard, also opposed Pure-blood rhetoric and had a personality very similar to Sirius, but why was Alphard sorted into Slytherin?
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