Looking at the feast spread across the table, Erwin's appetite surged.
Though he'd eaten plenty of snacks on the train, he was still in his growth phase and was hungry again.
The house-elves at Hogwarts truly had skill; every common English delicacy was prepared to perfection, bursting with color and flavor.
Grilled steak, pork chops, lamb ribs, mashed potatoes, chips, hot dogs, Yorkshire pudding, peas, Bolognese sauce, French onion soup, the variety was staggering.
Erwin seized a piece of steak directly, filled a bowl with meat sauce, and began eating heartily.
Cho smiled warmly as she watched him enjoy the meal.
When her own hunger subsided, she simply began helping Erwin with his food, selecting choice pieces and placing them within easy reach.
Slowly, Cho discovered the unexpected joy of feeding someone.
Suddenly, Erwin, who'd been happily accepting Cho's offerings, noticed an intensely resentful gaze fixed upon him.
Looking up, he spotted an older student not far away, watching them with obvious envy.
When the senior realized Erwin had noticed him, he showed no embarrassment.
Instead, he looked at Erwin with genuine admiration.
"Hello, my name is Roger Davies. I'm a fourth year. You're incredible. On your very first day, you've already caught the attention of Ravenclaw's most beautiful girl. Can you teach me your secret?"
Cho's face flushed at the compliment, though she didn't refute it.
Erwin replied with a teasing grin, "If you can be as handsome as me, you might manage it. Though you'd probably need to conjure a phoenix with your wand as well."
Cho's blush deepened at Erwin's joke.
She reached out and pinched his waist lightly in retaliation, but remembering that day at Ollivander's, she couldn't help laughing.
Watching the playful exchange between the two, Roger Davies felt his heart twist painfully.
'I asked him to teach me how to pursue girls, not watch him show off his relationship.'
****
As everyone finished eating, the leftover food vanished from the tables.
"Now, before everyone retires for the evening, let's sing the school song together." Dumbledore waved his wand lightly, and golden characters appeared floating in the air, forming the lyrics.
Then he used his wand as a conductor's baton.
"Ready? Sing!"
Following Dumbledore's command, all the teachers and students began singing to their own tunes, each person following whatever melody they preferred.
At the Gryffindor table, the Weasley twins sang with great solemnity to the tune of a funeral march, making Erwin's eyebrows twitch involuntarily.
After the song concluded, Dumbledore wiped tears from the corners of his eyes, mentioned several important precautions, and instructed the prefects to escort the students of their respective houses back to their dormitories.
Ravenclaw's male prefect was Dietrich Wiggins, a sixth year.
He led the group out of the Great Hall, up the marble staircases, taking several shortcuts until they reached the tower entrance.
There, they encountered the common room door.
An eagle-shaped bronze door knocker rested quietly upon the surface.
Prefect Dietrich stepped forward and tapped the eagle lightly.
Immediately, the bronze eagle seemed to come alive and posed its question:
"To describe an ugly girl as beautiful, what kind of language is most suitable?"
Dietrich didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at the first years behind him with interest.
"You're welcome to try answering. We Ravenclaws are unique; we have no fixed password. As long as you possess wisdom, Ravenclaw welcomes anyone to visit."
"However, if you can't answer the question, even Ravenclaw students must wait for someone else to open the door. But anyone who answers correctly receives a private dormitory."
Several first years whispered among themselves, but no one stepped forward to answer.
Erwin was very interested in the prospect of a private room.
He had so many secrets to keep; having his own space where no one could discover them would be ideal.
Stepping forward, Erwin spoke clearly:
"Deception."
The moment the word left his lips, the door responded: "Correct."
The door slowly swung open.
The other young Ravenclaws looked at him enviously; they all wanted private dormitories too. Dietrich smiled and led them through the common room to show them the sleeping quarters, finally escorting Erwin to a smaller, separate room.
Entering the bedroom, Erwin looked around with satisfaction.
The space suited him perfectly.
A four-poster bed stood in the center of the room.
On the right was a large desk. On the left stood a wardrobe and another door, which led to a private bathroom.
Following the prefect's instructions, Erwin placed the slip of paper with his name in the drawer beside his bed. Within moments, his luggage materialized in his room.
Erwin couldn't help but marvel at the convenience.
A house-elf must have sensed his presence and Apparated his belongings directly here.
At that moment, the system's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
Ding. [Detected that the host has successfully entered school. Daily task section activated. Completing daily tasks awards 100 gold coins. There is no penalty for failure.]
After hearing this, Erwin opened his system interface and carefully examined the new function.
This was currently his only method for repeatedly earning gold coins.
Daily tasks, as the name suggested, refreshed three objectives every day.
Completing any two would grant full rewards. Today's tasks read:
[Use Summoning Charm 0/10]
[Read The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1), pages 0/30]
[Play with Velora for 0/10 minutes]
Seeing these requirements, Erwin smiled.
The daily tasks seemed quite manageable for now; at least they didn't demand him to duel Voldemort.
After organizing his luggage properly, Erwin snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, flames materialized in the air as Velora appeared.
She flew directly to Erwin's side and pecked his hand lightly with her beak, expressing displeasure at not being summoned all day.
"Alright, alright, my fault. I was worried you'd frighten the first years." Originally, Erwin hadn't planned to summon Velora to Hogwarts in the immediate future.
After all, having a phoenix appear unexpectedly would certainly startle roommates at the beginning of term.
He'd originally intended to wait until he knew his roommates better before introducing Velora.
As luck would have it, he'd been assigned a private dormitory, eliminating that concern entirely.
After playing with Velora for a while and practicing the [Summoning Charm] ten times, he successfully completed today's tasks.
Erwin opened his personal status panel.
**
Host: Erwin Gaunt
Age: 11 years old
Status: Hogwarts First Year
Bloodline: Wizard Bloodline (Awakened, will strengthen with increased power until fully awakened)
Magic Power: 8.5
Magic Items: Guardian Necklace (can resist Auror-level attacks three times, professor-level twice, quasi-legendary level once, cooldown 24 hours), Felix Felicis x1, Elixir of Inspiration x3, Instant Mana Potion x3
Charms Talent: 5 (Outstanding)
Defense Against the Dark Arts: 5 (Outstanding)
Dark Arts Affinity: 9 (The Dark Lord Descends)
Spells: [Summoning Charm], [Protego], [Sectumsempra], and others
Gold Coins: 1,300
**
Looking at his own panel, Erwin noted that his magic power had already surpassed that of many adult wizards, and he'd mastered numerous spells.
Next, he only needed to save enough for a guaranteed pull and draw more character cards to improve his talents.
His future prospects were limitless.
After appreciating the strength he'd worked so hard to acquire, Erwin showered, then collapsed onto his bed and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Tomorrow would mark a brand-new beginning.