The feast began.
All the students switched to frenzy eating mode.
At this moment.
Countless ghosts also emerged from every corner of the castle, startling quite a few new little wizards. Ian was somewhat amazed as he glanced at these ghosts several times.
Each had a transparent body, no longer possessing vivid colors, differing greatly from those dead in the Misty Illusion Realm.
"Little wizards! Eat! Eat! Eat more!"
"Hahaha! Another crybaby!"
These ghosts made the feast atmosphere a bit more lively.
Nearly Headless Nicolas, Bloodman Barrow, Fat Monk... Ian couldn't find Helena Ravenclaw's figure; perhaps this lady ghost hadn't attended the feast for many years.
He continued to bury his head, becoming a dedicated eater.
"I'm Penelope Criwatt, another Prefect of Ravenclaw, welcome to Ravenclaw."
The female Prefect of Ravenclaw greeted Ian not long after starting to eat. She was, like the male Prefect Ditrik, one of the smart ones.
"Hello, hello, just call me Ian..."
Ian mumbled, stuffing a big pork chop into his mouth.
"Alright, Ian, if you need any help, feel free to ask." Penelope looked happily at the young junior, somewhat anticipating the fun that might occur in the new semester.
"Need any help?"
Ian was momentarily stunned.
"Really?"
He indeed had something that might require the help of an upperclassman. The old-hands had been in the school for years, achieving things that he, as a newbie, couldn't.
"Of course." Penelope's smile stayed on.
After pondering for a moment internally, Ian also put down the food in his hand.
"Actually, suddenly to say this might seem a bit rude, but I still want to ask Senior Sister if she could help me find out whether any students here have lost a sister?"
Ian certainly hadn't forgotten the promise he'd 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 the little wizard next to him.
"No problem, I'll help you find out."
Penelope didn't ask much, readily agreeing.
"Any useful clues?"
Penelope resumed eating, presumably worried she might be hungry if she didn't eat enough tonight.
"The person I'm looking for might be twins, or maybe not; anyway, they're two brothers."
"Unfortunately, in the past, they lost a sister named... Ariana, but I'm not sure." Ian wasn't certain if Ariana's brothers were still in the school.
No one knew how long Ariana had been dead, nor how many years she had spent in the Misty Illusion Realm after her death, and even her name might not be a name from the mortal world.
Just like Pandro.
He forgot his original name and gave himself a new one in the Misty Illusion Realm; no one knew if Ariana was in a similar situation.
"Since we have a name, it will be easier, I'll handle this for you. If someone fitting the conditions is indeed at the school, I will definitely help you find them."
Ravenclaw's female Prefect gave Ian a guarantee with utmost confidence.
"Heartfelt thanks for your help; having a Prefect like Miss Criwatt is indeed a blessing for us little wizards." Ian expressed his sincere thanks while slightly flattering her.
"Small issue."
Penelope slowly ate while raising an OK gesture to Ian with a smile, clearly pleased with his compliment.
"You can call me Senior Sister Penelope; I like being called that by people I find pleasing to the eye."
The feast continued.
Qiu Zhang evidently felt hungrier than Ian.
Since the feast began, she had focused solely on eating without even joining Ian and Penelope's conversation, wholeheartedly battling the food on her plate.
Beside Ian sat a little wizard who snatched food faster than Ian, preventing him from having much fried chicken and fries.
As everyone finished eating, all the food disappeared, and desserts were placed out. However, the watermelon jelly, which Ian thought was the most delicious, was also snatched first by the swift little wizard.
He opted for a portion of cream chocolate pudding.
After everyone enjoyed their post-meal desserts, everything on the long tables, including the plates, vanished. Dumbledore slowly rose once more.
"Let me say a few words at last."
After signaling everyone to be quiet, Dumbledore slowly spoke, "All freshman year students should note that the Forbidden Forest near the castle is an area prohibited for all grades."
"Many of our upperclassmen should continue to remember this." His voice was very loud, possibly amplified by some magical spell.
"Are there other dangerous places near our school?"
Qiu Zhang seemed to regain her ability to speak after the meal, her tone filled with worry.
"I don't know whether it's dangerous, I just know that if Dumbledore doesn't mention it, we might never realize there's a new map nearby to explore."
Ian's perspective was quite unique. He glanced in the direction of Slytherin's long table, where his partner Miss Grindelwald was also focused on eating.
"You're braver than a Gryffindor."
Qiu Zhang was still pondering Ian's imagination.
At this moment.
Dumbledore had helped the school's administrator Filch once again, warning students not to cast magic in the corridors and definitely not to poop in front of Filch's dorm."
A burst of laughter erupted from the little wizards.
As the laughter died down.
Following tradition, Dumbledore led everyone in singing the Hogwarts school song.
Hogwarts,
Hogwarts,
Hogwarts,
Hogwarts.
Please teach us some knowledge.
...
The lyrics were simple and catchy.
Everyone could choose different melodies, free and unrestricted, some of the jokers at Gryffindor's table even used the tune of a funeral march.
Ian chose the tune of Secondhand Rose, and the surrounding Ravenclaws were amazed, moving their steps further away from him.
The joyful times soon ended.
Ian was still somewhat nostalgic when Dumbledore announced that everyone should return to their dormitories to rest. Led by Prefects from each House, numerous little wizards began lining up to leave.
Ian raised his hand to wave at Aurora in the nearby Slytherin line, and after hesitating for a moment, Aurora raised her hand to wave back in response to Ian.
Everyone continued leaving orderly.
The professors also left the table.
As all the little wizards had walked out of the hall, Professor McGonagall was about to return the Sorting Hat to the Headmaster's Office when a slender hand suddenly snatched it from her grasp.
"What are you doing! I am Hogwarts' untouchable property!" The Sorting Hat, held by Snape, let out a shrieking sound sharper than a groundhog.
"Help me! McGonagall! Help me!"
"Dumbledore! Dumbledore, turn back!"