"Ravenclaw!!!"
This time, it was the Ravenclaw students' turn to applaud and cheer. A new student, previously unheard of, who had made the Sorting Hat deliberate for over ten minutes, was actually one of theirs!
Even some students from other Houses joined in the applause and celebration; after all, they were witnessing history.
Many professors at the staff table turned their eyes toward Lucien, clearly intrigued by the young wizard.
Even Dumbledore no longer simply clapped politely as before. He brought his palms together in a formal round of applause, a hint of surprise and relief glinting behind his half-moon spectacles.
To be honest, after learning of Lucien's astonishing magical talent, Dumbledore had been somewhat worried about him being sorted into Slytherin.
Slytherin House valued talent and ambition above all. It wasn't that every Slytherin turned bad, but it was undeniable that most Dark wizards and Death Eaters had come from Slytherin.
However, Lucien being sorted into Ravenclaw indicated that he leaned more toward study and the pursuit of knowledge.
Lucien returned the Sorting Hat to Professor McGonagall and walked toward the Ravenclaw table.
Seeing him approach, the Ravenclaws' cheers grew even louder.
Ravenclaw was a House where females outnumbered males; the proportion of girls was the highest among the four Houses.
Many Ravenclaw upperclassmen at the table were already smiling brightly.
"I just said this 1st year looked very handsome, and up close, he's even more so!"
"Pfft~ don't smile so strangely, okay? Aren't you afraid of scaring him?"
"…"
Facing the warm welcome from his Ravenclaw classmates, Lucien offered a polite smile and gave a gentle nod.
His dark golden short hair, under the light, gleamed like molten gold.
His deep, ink-green eyes, calm as a still pond, rippled with amusement as he smiled.
That smile was clean yet dazzling, lighting up his handsome face without reservation.
Seeing Lucien's smile, some girls froze, momentarily forgetting how to react, while others quickly lowered their heads to adjust their collars or fiddle with their hair before looking up again to return a bright smile.
A girl with golden hair and silver-rimmed glasses nudged her best friend beside her.
"Hey, Sally, why don't you scoot over a bit and make some space?"
Her friend glanced at her.
"You're graduating next year—what are you still trying to do?"
"…"
Lucien, walking past, pretended not to hear their conversation and quickened his pace slightly.
Finding an empty seat, Lucien sat down.
On his left was a boy with short blond hair, and on his right was a very beautiful Asian girl.
The girl smiled gently at him when he sat down, her smile slightly shy, but she didn't start a conversation.
The short-haired boy, however, was outgoing and immediately began talking to him.
"Hi, Lucien. Let me introduce myself—I'm Terry Boot, also a first-year."
"Hello, Terry, nice to meet you."
Terry grinned and chuckled.
"Haha, mate, your performance was incredible! I just overheard some upperclassmen saying there's never been a student in Hogwarts history who made the Sorting Hat deliberate for so long!"
Lucien and Terry chatted casually, while also keeping an eye on the Sorting Hat, since Harry and Ron would be up soon.
"Perhaps I just have a few more traits, which gave the Sorting Hat choice paralysis."
"Choice paralysis?"
Terry scratched his head. He hadn't heard of such a condition before, but it sounded pretty fitting.
"Oh, well, regardless of any other traits, Lucien, your most outstanding one must be your intelligence!"
Terry puffed out his chest, clearly proud to have been sorted into Ravenclaw as well.
On the other side, the Sorting Hat was already being placed on Harry's head.
The entire hall fell silent again, all eyes fixed on Harry.
Except for Lucien, everyone was filled with curiosity: which House would the Boy Who Lived be sorted into?
The Sorting Hat was quiet for only a moment before announcing:
"Gryffindor!"
At once, the Gryffindor table erupted in loud cheers, the young lions roaring with excitement.
The Weasley twins nearly jumped onto the table, raising their arms and shouting:
"We have Harry!"
"Harry Potter!"
Harry was warmly welcomed by Gryffindor, and several boys immediately pulled him into a seat.
When it was Ron's turn, the Sorting Hat barely touched his fiery red hair before exclaiming:
"Oh, another Weasley! I know exactly where to put you!"
"Gryffindor!"
Ron completed the Sorting Ceremony as if it were nothing more than a formality.
As he walked toward the Gryffindor table, the Weasley twins, Ron's older brothers, gave him only a perfunctory wave.
With none of the enthusiasm they had shown Harry, Ron's mouth turned down as he shuffled over and sat beside him.
Once all the new students had been sorted, Professor McGonagall gently tapped her cup, and a clear sound echoed through the Great Hall.
When the hall fell silent, Dumbledore stood up.
"Welcome, everyone, to Hogwarts. Before the feast, I have a few words to say."
At this, several new students pulled long faces.
It was already quite late by the time they arrived at the school, and after crossing the dark, chilly Black Lake, their stomachs were rumbling.
Dumbledore's voice rang out, booming:
"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
Then he sat down at once, and at the same moment, mountains of food appeared magically on the long tables.
Many of the new students were bewildered—both by not understanding a word of what the Headmaster had just said, and by being dazzled by the feast that had suddenly appeared before their eyes.
The older students, however, were already used to it and immediately began picking out their favorite dishes to feast on.
Among the first-year students, the first to react were, unsurprisingly, the young Hufflepuffs.
Almost as soon as the food appeared, their cheeks puffed up with food.
Their innocent eyes seemed to say: what are you waiting for, eat!
Terry had already stuffed chicken, mashed potatoes, and fried fish into his mouth, speaking indistinctly:
"Lucien, what do you think the Headmaster meant just now?"
Lucien cut his steak with steady precision, his tone relaxed.
"Who knows, but that was the shortest and most commendable leadership speech I've ever heard."
Ugh.. Before I transmigrated, I had to endure countless speeches—like old women's foot bindings, long-winded and suffocating.
Once, we students stood out on the playground, drenched in the rain, while the Principal stood under a canopy, talking endlessly…
"Most commendable leadership speech..? That?"
"Yes. As a Ravenclaw, you must have understood." Lucien said with a straight face and resumed eating.
Terry choked on his food and stopped talking, just nodding vigorously in agreement with Lucien's point.
Meanwhile, at the Gryffindor table, Hermione listlessly poked at her food with a fork.
She turned to look at Ron, who was holding two large drumsticks, and Harry, who was burying his head in his food, and couldn't help but sigh.
"What's wrong with you? Why are you sighing?"
Ron looked at Hermione in confusion, taking another bite of his drumstick as he spoke.
Seeing Ron's expression, Hermione raised her hand to cover her face and sighed heavily again.
"Nothing, just envious of your good appetites."
"Oh!"
Ron went back to battling his drumstick.
Hermione occasionally glanced toward the Ravenclaw table, searching for Lucien.
At the same time, she noticed that many Ravenclaw girls were secretly watching him.
Oh no—some weren't even bothering to hide it, openly admiring Lucien's looks.
Alas, maybe Ravenclaw really is better?
The learning atmosphere there is stronger, and you can even see the starry sky directly from the dormitories…