Chapter 4: Hello, Hogwarts

After emphasizing the important matters of the term, Dumbledore seemed to transform back into the somewhat eccentric and kindly headmaster, wearing a slightly crooked wizard's hat. He raised his voice and said cheerfully, "Before we retire for the night, let's sing the school song together!"

As soon as Dumbledore finished speaking, Ivan clearly noticed the change in the expressions of the professors on stage, and several older students looked as though they were struggling with constipation. Meanwhile, Dumbledore was happily waving his wand, from which a long golden ribbon floated out, twisting like a snake and forming words. The wand acted like a conductor's baton, and under Dumbledore's guidance, the entire school began singing the Hogwarts school song, filling the hall with their voices.

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hogwarts, teach us your ways, whether we're old or bald, or young men with foolish legs, our heads can still be filled with strange and wonderful things."

Various versions and melodies mixed together in a chaotic medley, which the mischievous Weasley twins attempted to disrupt. Ivan, somewhat caught up in the confusion, also sang along a few lines. Afterward, surprisingly, he found that the mishmash of melodies sounded quite pleasant.

Ivan couldn't help but wonder if his taste in music was going awry. Fortunately, Dumbledore seemed to share his feelings. The esteemed white wizard was so moved by the music that tears were welling up in his eyes. It took him a while to break free from the melody, wiping his eyes as he reminded everyone that it was time for all the house heads to leave.

Ivan followed the stream of new Gryffindor students up the spiral staircase to the highest floor. At the end of the hallway, Percy stopped at a wall with a painting of the Fat Lady. Before anyone could ask, the Fat Lady herself moved, changing her posture and solemnly asked, "What's the password?"

"Dragon dung," Percy replied.

The Fat Lady nodded, stepped aside, and revealed a circular hole in the wall. Ivan recognized that this was the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.

Once inside, Ivan realized it was much larger than he had imagined. The crimson lion banner representing Gryffindor hung in midair. The spacious common room had several long tables, each with comfortable armchairs beneath them. On the left side of the room, a large fireplace blazed warmly, its fire both illuminating the room and warding off the chill of the night.

The Gryffindor dormitories consisted of rooms for five students each. The spacious room contained five four-poster beds, with luggage neatly stacked beside them. Ivan couldn't even recognize his own suitcase or bed, due to the lack of memories.

Just as Ivan was about to wait for his roommates to pick their beds, a gray-white owl suddenly flew from the railing on the west side and landed on Ivan's shoulder, affectionately pecking at his face a few times.

"Macaw?" Ivan blinked in surprise, then the name popped into his mind out of nowhere.

"Whoo-hoo~" the gray-white owl seemed to respond.

"Whether it's you or not, I'll call you Macaw from now on." Ivan reached up to gently scratch the owl's neck, and Macaw relaxed, squinting his eyes contentedly.

With Macaw's guidance, Ivan quickly confirmed that the bed by the wall on the west side was his own. It was sparsely furnished, with only bedding, a pillow, some clothes, a few personal items, and a few textbooks that needed to be carried.

Notably, Ivan found a small sign next to his bed, which thoughtfully engraved his name: Ivan Hals. Other beds had similar signs, but Ivan hadn't noticed them earlier.

Ivan hadn't been in the dorm long when the sound of a door opening reached his ears, followed by a somewhat familiar voice.

"I didn't expect the Sorting Hat ceremony was just putting on a hat. I thought I'd have to wrestle a troll. I knew I shouldn't have believed George's nonsense," a red-headed young wizard with freckles on his nose grumbled as he entered, followed by a thin boy wearing glasses.

Harry? Ron?

Ivan was somewhat surprised to find himself in the same dorm as the famous Harry Potter, what a coincidence.

"Hey, I'm Ivan Hals!" Ivan stepped forward to greet them.

"Hey, I'm Ron Weasley." Ron finally noticed Ivan's presence.

"Hello, I'm Harry Potter." Harry extended his hand as well.

Ivan shook Harry's hand and then smiled at Ron. "Earlier in the hall, your brothers George and Fred mentioned you to me."

"Oh, damn, I can't believe they said anything good about me." Ron thought of all the pranks George and Fred usually played on him and got a little upset.

Harry, on the other hand, was pleased by Ivan's attitude, which was different from the usual reactions he got. Since entering the wizarding world, Harry had encountered many wizards who were either overly shocked or obsessed with the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. Harry found such behavior utterly foolish.

Friendships among young wizards can often form quickly, and since Ivan knew both of them well from reading the original story, he naturally became fast friends with Harry and Ron. They spent the evening chatting about the unfair treatment Harry had faced before coming to the wizarding world, while Ron shared a couple of amusing stories about the pranks the Weasley twins had played on him. Before long, Neville and another dorm mate joined in, and they chatted late into the night before heading to bed.

The series of events that night left Ivan feeling exhausted. As soon as he touched the bed, his body just melted into it, and he couldn't get back up. His plans to explore the system were forgotten as he drifted off to sleep.

In the dim light, he could faintly hear Ron grumbling about "ratty spots," and Ivan glanced up before pulling the covers over his head, mouthing silently, "Hello, Hogwarts!"

The next morning, Ivan awoke suddenly, feeling disoriented as he looked around. After a while, he realized he had to go to class. Suddenly being moved from his bed to the classroom was a bit much for Ivan to adjust to.

However, he had no intention of being late for his first class at Hogwarts. Despite it being early, Ivan knew about the troublesome staircases at Hogwarts, so he decided to leave early.

Of course, he didn't forget to wake up Ron and Harry, who were still lazing in bed. Whether it was the effect of Harry's "chosen one" status or just Ivan's bad luck, they encountered two missing steps on their way down, and poor Ron even bumped into a wall disguised as a door! Luckily, Ron's example saved Ivan and Harry from the same fate.