Chapter 509: The early years

"Well done, Ivan!" Professor McGonagall, who received the news, ran out of the Great Hall.

She slipped on the wet floor and grabbed a student around the neck to keep him from falling. She straightened her pointed hat, and said sternly to the waterlogged crowd. "I'll take care of the rest. Move along, to the Great Hall, let's go!"

Along with the crowd, Ivan, Harry, Ron and Hermione slipped down the hall and through the double doors on the right, Ron muttering furiously under his breath as he brushed his hair out of his face.

The Great Hall looked splendid as always, decorated for the start of the season's feast.

Golden plates and goblets glittered in the light of hundreds of candles, floating above the tables in the air.

The four long house tables were filled with chattering students.

At the top of the hall, the staff sat along one side of a fifth table, facing their students.

Ivan, Harry, Ron and Hermione walked past the Slytherins, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, and sat with the rest of the Gryffindors at the opposite end of the hall, next to Nick Nearly Decapitated, the Gryffindor ghost.

Pearly white and semi-transparent, Nick was dressed tonight in his usual doublet but with a particularly large collar, which served the dual purpose of looking extra-festive, and ensuring that his head didn't wobble too much on his partially severed neck.

"Good evening," he said, smiling, "how was your summer vacation?!"

"Not bad." Ivan replied, lightly tapping his school clothes with his wand. The water on them evaporated in an instant, and his clothes dried again.

"I've seen the latest issue of Hogwarts magic - you've done a great job, Ivan!" Nick said proudly. "Many ghosts have asked me about you. They know I have the best relationship with you."

For Hogwarts Magic, Ivan needed Nick's help with many things. News sources provided by ghosts in various parts of Britain had become the biggest feature of this newspaper and were very popular.

There were also many opportunities for contact between Ivan and Nick. Among all the young wizards in the school, the relationship between the two was also the best.

They had just said a few words, and Colin dragged his robe between them.

"Ivan, you're already inside, it's pouring rain," Colin said, taking off his shoes and emptying them of water. "I stood in the hallway for a while, trying to see my brother cross the lake. But I couldn't see anything in the dark. "

His younger brother, Dennis Creevey, was on the train just now, and Ivan had met him.

The little boy had brown hair and looked smaller than Colin, but more energetic.

Colin had obviously already told him a lot about Hogwarts, and had praised Ivan highly in front of him. As soon as the little boy saw Ivan, he was so excited that he almost lost his breath as he recounted his great exploits.

That seemed like a replica of what had happened when Colin met Harry earlier.

"I hope they rush to qualify, I can't wait!" said Colin, practically bouncing in his seat. "I just hope they sort him for Gryffindor! Ivan, can you pray for him with me? Keep your fingers crossed, eh, Harry?"

"No problem!" Ivan nodded his head.

Harry agreed as well, and the topic for everyone was whether brothers and sisters used to go to the same houses.

Judging by the Weasleys, that was the case, and all seven of their children had been put in Gryffindor.

But this was not always true. Hermione cited the example of Parvati Patil. She was in Gryffindor, and her twin, Padma, was in Ravenclaw; although they were identical. Even from a personality perspective, there was no difference.

There was also the case of Sirius. All members of the Black family were assigned to Slytherin, but he was the only one assigned to Gryffindor.

This made Colin nervous, and he kept his hands folded, praying that Dennis would be assigned to Gryffindor.

Ivan's eyes darted to the center of the Great Hall. Since he had entered the school, he had not seen the selection ceremony there due to many accidents. It looked like at least this year he wasn't going to miss it.

At the staff table, there seemed to be more empty seats than usual.

Hagrid, of course, was still struggling to cross the lake with the first years. Professor McGonagall was in the foyer to supervise the drying of her apartment and prevent Peeves from causing any more trouble. Professor Snape was not there.

Only Dumbledore sat there as usual, his silver hair and beard shining in the candlelight, his magnificent dark green robes embroidered with many stars and moons. The tips of Dumbledore's long, slender fingers were clasped together and he rested his chin on them, looking up at the ceiling through his half-moon spectacles as if lost in thought.

For a long time, he seemed to perceive Ivan's gaze. He lowered his head, smiled at him and winked his blue eyes.

Next to Dumbledore, little Professor Flitwick was sitting on a large pile of cushions, sipping a red drink.

He was next to Professor Sprout, the herbology teacher, whose hat was askew over her gray hair. She was talking to Professor Sinistra of the Astronomy Department.

After a while, just before the ceremony began, Snape appeared, with a yellowish face, hooked nose, and greasy hair.

He entered the Great Hall in his dark robes, his footsteps making no sound.

Snape seemed to have an invisible aura, which made all the young witches and wizards unconsciously shut their mouths as he passed.

His hateful cold eyes stopped briefly on Ivan and Harry, and then he walked quickly away.

"Look at the teachers' table, there's still an empty chair," Harry said, following Snape's footsteps to the teachers' table. "That's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, why isn't he here yet? I don't know who it's going to be."

They had never had a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who had lasted more than a year, and that position was cursed.

Ivan knew that this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was going to be Mad-Eye Moody.

To be precise, it was a fake Moody, personified by Batty Crouch Jr. He didn't know what he was doing, and he hadn't shown up yet.

"I don't know who that is, but I wish they'd hurry up, I'm starving," Ron said.

The words were out of his mouth as soon as the doors to the Great Hall opened and there was e silence.

Professor McGonagall was leading a long line of first year students to the top of the hall, where they all looked on.

If Ivan, Harry, Ron and Hermione were wet before, it was nothing compared to how these first-years looked. They looked like they had swum across the lake rather than sailed.

They stood at the staff table and stopped in a line in front of the rest of the school.

Everyone was shivering with cold and nerves, except for the smallest.

It was Colin's younger brother, Dennis, and the little boy was wrapped in Hagrid's moleskin coat. The coat was so big for him that it looked as if he were wrapped in a furious black circus tent. His little face was sticking out of the collar, he looked almost painfully excited.

When he had lined up with his terrified-looking companions, he looked Colin and Ivan in the eye, gave him a double thumbs-up and said, "I fell in the lake!" He looked positively delighted about it!