The door to the Dungeon classroom opened and closed, leaving Professor McGonagall and her two disheveled students alone in the room. Her chest rose and fell heavily as she glared at them, her eyes sharp and intense like an angry hawk's.
Finally, it was Ron who broke the tense silence.
"Professor, was that... a Phoenix?"
"Yes, it was a Phoenix," Professor McGonagall replied tersely, giving only a brief nod before moving on, as if discussing it any further was a waste of time.
"You'd better go to the Hospital Wing, Weasley. Your eyes are swollen."
"It's nothing," Ron muttered, quickly covering his eyes. "Professor, did Headmaster Dumbledore just say the Sorting was over?"
"Yes, he did... just now."
"Then where's my sister!" Ron asked, a touch of nervousness creeping into his voice.
"She's also in Gryffindor," Professor McGonagall replied.
Hearing this, Ron's face lit up. "Oh, that's great," he said, relieved. Although he hadn't seen the Sorting himself, he was thrilled by the result.
But the mention of Gryffindor seemed to jolt Harry's memory. He quickly blurted out, "Professor, since we got into the car before term officially started, we shouldn't lose any points for Gryffindor, right?"
Professor McGonagall gave him a stern look, but Harry noticed that her lips weren't quite as tightly pursed as before.
As it turned out, Harry's words had indeed helped. Professor McGonagall chose not to deduct any points from Gryffindor. Though Harry and Ron were confined to their rooms and had to eat their meals in the Dungeon, it was still a far better outcome than Harry had anticipated.
With the Sorting Ceremony complete, Professor McGonagall soon departed, leaving the boys alone. As the door closed, Ron let out a long whistle.
"Lucky..." he said, grabbing a sandwich that Professor McGonagall had sent over. "Just confinement—way better than expulsion, and no points taken."
"Agreed," said Harry, taking a hearty bite.
"Oh, by the way, how's your wand?"
"That wasn't my wand," Ron replied, biting into a piece of chicken and ham. He pulled a rubber haddock from his pocket and explained, "It's Fred and George's Trick Wand. They must've swapped it to mess with me."
"Good thing they did," Harry said, chuckling.
"Yeah... it nearly broke when we hit that tree," Ron said, slipping the haddock back into his pocket with a slight look of relief. "But we'll need to be more careful from now on."
Harry took a sip of pumpkin juice and sighed. "I wish we could go to the feast..."
"Professor McGonagall doesn't want us flaunting our arrival," Ron replied knowingly. "She doesn't want anyone thinking it's cool to come to school in a flying car."
"But Kyle gets to go to the feast..."
"Not the same. He was carried here by a Phoenix. That's worth bragging about." Ron shrugged. "If it were me, I'd be telling the story for a year... anyone would, really."
"Are Phoenixes rare?" Harry asked.
"Very rare, I'd say. Much rarer than Dragons," Ron said, reaching for a second sandwich. "Most people never even see one. I've only ever seen one once, on the Quidditch pitch, remember? It was during that match that got canceled."
Harry nodded. He remembered it vividly; it had left a strong impression.
While Harry and Ron discussed Phoenixes, Kyle was also making his way into the Great Hall with Dumbledore. As soon as they entered, Kyle eagerly headed toward the Hufflepuff table. Along the way, Snape, looking as miserable as an old, worn-out rag, cast him an uncomfortable look, but Kyle ignored it.
The feast was already in full swing, but Kyle's entrance caused a momentary hush before whispers spread across the room. Kyle, however, was unfazed and made a beeline for the Hufflepuff table, where Cedric helped him to his seat.
Once seated, Kyle immediately asked, "Did you arrive in that flying car with Potter?"
"What flying car?" Kyle replied absentmindedly. "Wish I could say I did."
"It's no joke," said Kanna, frowning. "The car crashed into the Whomping Willow outside the castle. They were nearly flattened, or so they say."
Rumors traveled quickly at Hogwarts, and Harry and Ron's escapades were common knowledge, just varying by house.
"It's all the same..." Kyle muttered. "Whether it's the Whomping Willow or being treated like a Bludger... it's all the same."
"What Bludger..." Cedric scratched his head, confused by Kyle's words. "If you didn't take the car, how did you get here? Fred and George said you weren't even at home on the first day of school."
"It was Fawkes," Kyle explained. "Dumbledore's Phoenix brought me back to Hogwarts from Dorset."
Kyle went on to briefly describe his recent adventures at Newt's place, which left his friends wide-eyed. A surprise visit from a Phoenix, witnessing a Nundu giving birth, and then traveling by Phoenix Apparition to Hogwarts... Kyle's last few days had been far more eventful than most of his friends' entire years.
"A Phoenix..." Cedric said in awe. "That must've been incredible..."
Mikel and Ryan, sitting nearby, nodded eagerly, clearly wishing they could see such a legendary creature up close.
"Believe me, it's not as fun as it sounds," Kyle said, shaking his head. He was still feeling slightly queasy and barely touched the food before him, settling for a bit of pie and ordering a double lemonade.
The House-elves' lemonade was tart, though not quite bitter enough for his taste. It helped, but only a little.
Seeing Kyle's queasy look, Cedric tactfully changed the topic. Pulling out a piece of parchment, he said, "We got your letter over the holidays, and here's the new map we made on the train according to your instructions."
His voice brimmed with excitement. "This version took a lot more work than last year's copy, but it's been really popular. We already have fifty new students signed up to buy it."
"For the pricier custom maps, though, we'll need your help," Cedric added, "since we don't have much experience with those."
"How many do you need?" Kyle asked.
"Twenty-five," Cedric replied with a grin. "We have way more people buying maps this year, and they're all choosing us."
With the prospect of another batch of Galleons coming in, Kyle's mood improved slightly. He glanced over at the high table, where Professor McGonagall had returned and was speaking to the impeccably dressed Gilderoy Lockhart. Yet, her pursed lips and serious expression suggested she wasn't particularly thrilled with the conversation.