The Old Ones of Hogwarts

Chapter 53: Help me find out something

The dinner began.

All the students went into overeating mode.

at this time.

Countless ghosts emerged from every corner of the castle, startling many of the newly enrolled young wizards. Ian also looked at the ghosts with some surprise.

Each of them was a transparent body, devoid of vibrant colors, and quite different from the dead in the hazy illusion.

"Little wizards! Eat! Eat! Eat more!"

"Hahaha! Another crybaby!"

These ghosts added to the lively atmosphere of the dinner party.

Nick, who was almost headless, Barrow the Blood Man, the Fat Monk... Ian couldn't find Helena Ravenclaw. Perhaps the ghost of this lady hadn't attended the dinner party for many years.

He continued to bury himself in his work as a laborer.

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

Shortly after the meal began, the Ravenclaw prefect greeted Ian, who was sitting at the opposite table. She was as intelligent as the prefect, Dietrich.

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

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

"Okay, Ian, please feel free to ask me if you need any help." Penelope looked at her junior with a smile, somewhat looking forward to the fun that might happen in the new semester.

"What kind of help do you need?"

Ian paused for a moment.

"Is it really possible?"

He does have one thing he might need help with from older students. Those seasoned veterans have been around the school for years and can do many things that a freshman like him can't.

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

After a moment's thought, Ian put down the food in his hand.

"It might seem a bit rude of me to bring this up suddenly, but I'd like to ask you if you could help me find out if any students at school have lost their younger sisters?"

Ian certainly hadn't forgotten the promise he'd made to his friend.

"what?"

Penelope was visibly taken aback.

"For some embarrassing reasons, this is very important to me..." Ian watched as the last piece of fried chicken on his plate was snatched away by the little wizard next to him.

"No problem, I'll look into it for you."

Penelope didn't ask any further questions and readily agreed.

"Any useful clues?"

Penelope started eating again, probably because she was afraid she would go hungry tonight if she hadn't eaten enough.

"The people I'm looking for might be twins, or they might not, but they're definitely two brothers."

"They tragically lost a sister in the past, and her name was... Ariana, but I'm not sure." Ian wasn't even sure if Ariana's brothers were still in school.

No one knows how long Ariana has been dead, or how many years she spent in the Dreamlike Realm after her death. Even her name may not be her earthly name.

Just like Pandelbrot.

He simply forgot his original name and then gave himself a new one in the dreamlike realm. No one can say for sure if Ariana is in a similar situation.

"Since you have a name, that makes things easier. Leave this to me. As long as there is someone in the school who meets the criteria, I will definitely be able to find them for you."

The Ravenclaw prefect made a solemn promise to Ian.

"Thank you so much for your help. It's our good fortune to have a prefect like you, Miss Crevat." Ian said sincerely while giving her a little flattery.

"A minor issue."

Penelope ate her meal slowly, raising her hand to give Ian an OK sign with a broad smile, clearly enjoying the compliment.

"You can call me Senior Penelope. I like people who find me pleasing to the eye to call me that."

The dinner continued.

Cho Chang was clearly hungrier than Ian.

Because from the start of the dinner, she had been focused solely on eating, not even interrupting Ian and Penelope's conversation, concentrating entirely on battling the food on her plate.

On Ian's other side sat a young black guy who was much faster at grabbing food than Ian, which meant Ian didn't get to eat much fried chicken and fries.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill and all the food was gone, dessert was served. However, the watermelon jelly that Ian thought was the most delicious was snatched away first by the quick-eyed and nimble-fingered Nicholas.

He could only choose a creamy chocolate pudding.

Just after everyone had enjoyed dessert, everything on the long table, along with the plates, disappeared, and Dumbledore slowly stood up again.

"Let me say a few last words."

After gesturing for silence, Dumbledore began slowly, "First-year students, please take note: the Forbidden Forest near the castle is an area off-limits to all students."

"Many of our older students, we also hope they will continue to keep this in mind." His voice was very loud, perhaps due to some kind of amplification magic.

Are there any dangerous places near our school?

Qiu Zhang seemed to have regained her ability to speak after the meal, and her tone was worried.

"I don't know if it's dangerous or not. I only know that if Dumbledore hadn't told us, we probably wouldn't have realized that there's a new map nearby that we can explore."

Ian's perspective was quite novel. He looked towards the Slytherin table, where his friend, Miss Grindelwald, was also engrossed in eating with both hands.

"You're bolder than Gryffindor."

Qiu Zhang was still savoring Ian's wild idea.

Just at this time.

Dumbledore had once again helped the school administrator, Filch, warn the students not to cast spells in the corridors, and especially not to defecate in front of Filch's dormitory.

The young wizards began to laugh.

Wait until the sound gradually subsides.

Dumbledore then led everyone in singing the Hogwarts school song, as was customary.

Hogwarts

Hogwarts

Hogwarts

Hogwarts.

Please teach us some knowledge.

……

The lyrics are simple and catchy.

Everyone can choose different tunes, freely embracing a sense of freedom and unrestraint. There's even a lively character at the Gryffindor dinner table playing the tune of a funeral march.

Ian chose the tune of Second Hand Rose, and the Ravenclaws around him were immediately amazed by him, all moving to stand a little further away from him.

The happy time came to an end quickly.

Ian was still somewhat reluctant to leave when Dumbledore announced that everyone should return to their dormitories to rest. Led by their prefects, the young wizards began to line up to leave.

Ian raised his hand and waved to Aurora, who was in the Slytherin line not far away. Aurora hesitated for a moment, but then raised her hand and waved back to Ian in response.

Everyone was leaving in an orderly fashion.

The professors also left their seats one after another.

After all the young wizards had left the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall was preparing 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 the inviolable property of Hogwarts!" The Sorting Hat, held in Snape's hand, let out a shriek sharper than a groundhog's.

"Help me! McGonagall! Help me!"

"Dumbledore! Dumbledore, turn around!"