Chapter 187 Luna Lovegood
Chapter 187 Luna Lovegood
When Phyllis Whitehead came out, several Slytherin boys looked over.
She was a quiet-looking girl with light blonde hair and brown eyes, and her movements were very gentle. She walked to the stool, sat down, and put on her hat.
"Slytherin!"
She stood up, gently straightened her robes, and walked toward the Slytherin table.
She sat down not far from Daphne and nodded to her.
"Hello," Daphne said.
"Hello," Phyllis said.
"What's your name?" Pansy asked, leaning closer.
Phyllis Whitehead.
"Whitehead?" Pansy thought for a moment. "I think I've heard of him."
“My family has been Slytherin,” Phyllis said. “For many years.”
"Then you must know the rules," Pansy said.
Phyllis smiled slightly.
"I know a little."
Several freshmen were successively assigned to various colleges.
Jimmy Perks went to Gryffindor, a smile on his round face, and ran towards the Gryffindor long table. Isaac Weiss went to Hufflepuff and looked quite happy. Cody Gilbert went to Ravenclaw, his expression calm. Ian Clavetton went to Gryffindor and sat with Perks.
Finally, Professor McGonagall read out the last name.
"Luna Lovegood!"
A girl with light blonde hair stepped out of the line.
She was about eleven years old, very thin, with big eyes and light blonde hair that fell to her shoulders.
Her expression was dazed, as if she might drift away at any moment; her gaze was unfocused, and it was unclear what she was looking at.
She wore a pair of strange earrings that looked like carrots. Around her neck hung a necklace with all sorts of random things strung on it—corks, bottle caps, pebbles, and a tooth that she couldn't identify.
She walked to the stool, sat down, and put on her hat.
The auditorium fell silent for a moment as everyone looked at her.
She sat there, her expression still dazed, as if she were in a daze.
"Ravenclaw!" the hat shouted.
Luna took off her hat, still looking dazed, and walked toward the Ravenclaw table.
Her steps were so light, as if she were walking on clouds, that every step made it seem as if she might float away at any moment.
At the Ravenclaw table, several students watched her curiously.
Zhang Qiuchong smiled and pointed to the empty seat next to her.
Luna sat down next to her and gave her a polite smile.
"Hello," Zhang Qiu said.
"Hello," Luna said, her voice ethereal, as if it came from a very far place.
"My name is Zhang Qiu. What's yours?"
"Luna, Luna Lovegood."
"Luna?" Zhang Qiu smiled. "A nice name."
"Your name is also very nice." Luna smiled slightly.
"Thank you," Zhang Qiu said with a smile, pointing to the carrot on Luna's ear. "That—is it an earring?"
"It's a carrot," Luna said matter-of-factly.
"I know it's a carrot," Zhang Qiu said. "Why a carrot?"
Luna thought for a moment: "Because—carrots are edible."
Zhang Qiu was stunned.
"You can't eat the earrings," Luna continued, "but you can eat the carrots. If you're hungry, you can take them off and eat them."
"That makes sense." Zhang Qiu said, both amused and exasperated.
Luna nodded, then continued to stare ahead, her expression becoming dazed again.
Zhang Qiu looked at her, unsure of what to say.
But she thought the girl was quite interesting and that she should be able to get along with Henry.
Or rather, Henry seems to be able to talk to anyone.
Pansy frowned at the Slytherin table.
"That girl—" she said, "isn't she a little strange?"
"The Lovegood family," Draco said. "They're all like that."
"Do you know him?" Pansy asked.
"I've heard of them," Draco said. "The Lovegood family is pure-blooded, but—there's something strange about them."
"What's strange?"
"It's just... believing in weird things," Draco said.
"What strange thing?" Pansy asked.
"I don't know," Draco said. "It's just weird."
Theodore rarely speaks.
"The Lovegood family," he said, "they edit a magazine called 'The Quibbler'."
"Singing a Different Tune?" Pansy was even more confused.
"It's just about publishing some less mainstream opinions," Theodore said. "For example, some people say that the Ministry of Magic is hiding something, some people say that the Void is not actually dead, and some people say that the twelve uses of dragon blood are actually more than twelve, and so on."
"This...this actually makes people believe it?" Pansy's mouth dropped open.
“Some people believe it,” Theodore said. “The Lovegood family does.”
Henry watched the girl sit down at the Ravenclaw table, lost in thought.
Luna Lovegood.
He knew that name.
It wasn't just because her father was the editor-in-chief of "The Quibbler," nor was it just because of her strange remarks.
Rather, it was because he knew that this girl was much smarter than most people imagined.
Although it may seem strange, she is simply seeing the world in her own way.
Professor McGonagall closed the scroll, put on the Sorting Hat, and left.
A round of applause rang out in the auditorium.
Dumbledore stood up and opened his arms.
"Welcome!" he said with a smile. "Welcome back to Hogwarts! I know you're all very hungry, so—let the feast begin!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the golden plate on the table was piled high with food.
Roast chicken, steak, meat pies, roast potatoes, vegetable salad, pumpkin pie, pudding—a dazzling array of delicious food, steaming hot.
The students immediately began to eat heartily, and several people at the Slytherin table also started eating.
Draco cut his steak with elegant grace, his movements as precise as if he'd taken a etiquette class. Pansy picked through her vegetables, setting aside any she didn't like. Daphne sipped her soup slowly and deliberately. Theodore ate his baked potato silently, his expression calm.
Several freshmen sat nearby, a little reserved, but they were quickly caught up in the atmosphere and started eating.
Michael Blaise ate with elegance, almost as much as Draco. Spencer Witton ate heartily, almost as much as Ron. Sean Bowman ate and laughed, chatting with the person next to him. Phyllis Whitehead ate in small bites, occasionally glancing around, mainly stealing glances at Henry.
Pansy leaned closer to Daphne and whispered, "Look over there, that Weasley from Gryffindor is eating again."
Daphne followed her gaze and couldn't help but laugh.
Ron was stuffing honeydew candy into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster. He held a chicken leg in one hand and was chewing on another. Harry was laughing beside him, while Hermione rolled her eyes at him from across the room.
"He seems to really like chicken drumsticks?" Daphne said.
"He seems to like everything," Pansy said. "I just noticed he finished a pumpkin pie."