A Certain Magical Hogwarts

As Dumbledore sat down, the tables filled with a magnificent array of food.

"Is he… a bit crazy?" a girl asked, glancing at William.

The girl, Lisa Turpin, was a new Ravenclaw.

"Crazy?" William chuckled. "Professor Dumbledore never hides his eccentricity! To be honest, he should have been sorted into Ravenclaw instead of Gryffindor!"

Everyone burst into laughter, with many Ravenclaws nodding in agreement.

"What did he mean by what he just said?" Lisa asked, curious.

William flicked his wand, and a line of glowing golden words appeared in midair:

Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

"These four words each represent how the different houses view the world," William explained. 

"Ravenclaws tend to believe they're the smartest, so they see others as 'nitwits.' Gryffindors are brave and athletic, so they sometimes view others as 'blubber'—a bit soft around the edges. Slytherins value pure blood and often see Muggle-borns as 'oddments.' And Hufflepuffs are known for their loyalty and hard work, so they might think the other houses are just a bit 'tweaked' or complicated."

The students listened thoughtfully, with even students from other tables glancing over with interest.

Dumbledore had a penchant for dark humor, William thought with a smile.

With another wave of his wand, the golden letters exploded into a burst of tiny fireworks over the Ravenclaw table, fading before they could touch down.

The Ravenclaws applauded.

Across the hall, Lavender Brown, seated beside Percy, pointed at William. "Can everyone do magic like that?"

"Oh," Percy stammered, "I… think with enough practice, maybe…"

"Better not try to compete with the Ravenclaw prodigy," Nearly Headless Nick called out.

He was in the middle of his usual show, tugging his left ear so that his head tilted off his neck, dangling like it was on a hinge.

"Why do you say that?" Seamus Finnigan asked, puzzled.

Nick straightened his head and cleared his throat. "William's a true talent. The last student I saw as brilliant as he is was young Dumbledore himself. 

"Last year, he alone earned more points for Ravenclaw than the total points some houses managed by the end of the year."

Turning to the Gryffindor first-years, he added, "I expect you all to earn plenty of points to help Gryffindor win the House Cup this year, alright? It's been far too long since Gryffindor held the cup!"

Hermione glanced over at William, who was talking to Lisa at the Ravenclaw table. Clenching her fists, she made a silent vow: "I'll help Gryffindor win the cup, just you wait!"

Everyone enjoyed their meal immensely, and as the feast drew to a close, Professor Dumbledore stood up again, quieting the hall.

"Oh, now that everyone's well-fed and well-watered, I have a few more announcements to make."

"First, let us welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher—Professor Quirrell!"

Sparse clapping followed, lacking the enthusiasm of last year's applause for Tywin. Quirrell fell short of Tywin in looks, presence, and even attire.

Dumbledore, unfazed, continued cheerfully, "As the new term begins, I'd like to remind you all of a few rules. First-year students should note that the Forbidden Forest is strictly off-limits to all students, and some of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Dumbledore's twinkling gaze swept over to the Weasleys and William.

"Also, Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you all not to use magic in the corridors between classes."

"Tryouts for the Quidditch teams will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in joining their house teams should contact Madam Hooch."

"And finally, a word of caution: anyone not wishing to encounter certain death and painful suffering would do well to avoid the third-floor corridor on the right."

William and Cho exchanged curious glances.

Dumbledore's forbidden areas usually came with a clear explanation, like the Forbidden Forest, which was home to many dangerous magical creatures. But this vague warning seemed almost like an invitation for the overly curious students to explore the third floor.

"And now, before you head to bed, let us all sing the school song!"

Dumbledore's eyes sparkled with excitement; this was clearly one of his favorite parts of the year.

The other teachers' smiles seemed to freeze, especially Professor McGonagall's.

At that moment, Professor Flitwick appeared by the Ravenclaw table, floating in the air with his wand like an orchestra conductor.

Dumbledore, noticing this, smiled and paused to let Ravenclaw prepare.

William waved his wand, transforming the long table into a massive piano.

Several other older students transfigured their goblets into various instruments.

All the Ravenclaws stood up.

The lovely Prefect Penelope Clearwater took a seat at the piano, testing a few notes before nodding in satisfaction to William.

A few more students took their places with both Muggle and magical instruments, flanking Penelope on either side.

Tonight, Professor Flitwick would conduct a full choir, with Penelope on piano, six witches accompanying, and hundreds of voices singing the Hogwarts anthem.

The Grey Lady, Ravenclaw's ghost, floated up through the floor, ready to lead the singing.

This performance had been William's idea before the summer.

In his first year, he'd thought the Hogwarts anthem was chaotic. The power of music lay in its ability to convey emotion, and only unified feeling could truly move people.

Professor Flitwick had quickly agreed with William's suggestion and even recommended asking the Grey Lady to lead. After much persuading, she finally agreed to perform, even providing her own arrangement of the anthem.

As Dumbledore announced the start, Hogwarts was flooded with light.

The majestic music and the unified school song echoed throughout the entire castle.

Students from other houses, witnessing this grandeur for the first time, were left speechless.

The Bloody Baron watched from a shadowy corner, silently observing the Grey Lady's performance, struck by the beauty of her voice.

This was the first and only time Hogwarts' anthem was sung by only one house—Ravenclaw—while the rest of the school simply watched.

The Weasley twins, who had initially planned to sing a version of the Funeral March, joined the Ravenclaw audience instead.

This wasn't just the Hogwarts feast; tonight, it was Ravenclaw's night.

As the song ended, thunderous applause filled the hall.

Dumbledore turned to Professor McGonagall with a smile. "William… he always has a new trick up his sleeve."

The implication was clear.

Hogwarts might be one school, but the four houses were always in competition, especially for the House Cup. 

If one house stood out in such a grand way, the others would feel the impact immediately.

To keep up with Ravenclaw, the other houses would have to bring their own unique contributions next year—or be completely overshadowed by William's influence until he graduated.

And that would mean seven whole years.

Likewise, Ravenclaw's spectacular school song would surely become part of Hogwarts' legacy, remembered for generations to come.

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