Dear Mom and Dad,
Even though I've only just left home, I already miss you both. I hope you're both healthy and happy.
Yesterday, we arrived at Hogwarts aboard a deep red steam train. The school is a magnificent castle, surrounded by grasslands, forests, and a lake. I must say, the morning views here are absolutely enchanting.
It was already evening when we reached the school, and the first thing we did was the Sorting. I'm sure you know that Hogwarts is divided into four Houses—the brave and daring Gryffindor, the loyal and just Hufflepuff, the wise and learned Ravenclaw, and the ambitious Slytherin...
Wade's pen paused slightly here.
He suddenly realised that among the four Houses, three valued students' qualities for admission, while only Ravenclaw prioritised ability.
So... smart and brave people might go to Gryffindor, like Dumbledore and Hermione; smart and loyal people were admitted to Hufflepuff, like Scamander (the protagonist of the Fantastic Beasts series) and Cedric; and the smart and ambitious went to Slytherin, like Voldemort and Snape.
What about the "smart people" who remained in Ravenclaw? Perhaps they were intelligent and quick-witted, but clever people were often better at seeking advantages and avoiding harm, and were more likely to shrink back from difficulties and dangers, choosing easier paths that benefited themselves.
To achieve something, besides intellect, character was the core driving force—whether it was courage to forge ahead, unwavering perseverance, or boundless ambition. Smart people who indulged in their own worlds and acted on their own whims often became eccentrics in others' eyes.
That's why, in the story, Ravenclaw was the least prominent of the four Hogwarts Houses. The Ravenclaw members who appeared—whether current students or graduates—were all somewhat neurotic, with the sole exception of Cho Chang.
Thinking of the Sorting Hat saying he was best suited for Ravenclaw, Wade frowned slightly in displeasure. Then he thought—who he was wasn't something a hat could decide. Besides, the Sorting Hat had misjudged more than once or twice, for example, it had sorted the cowardly Peter Pettigrew into Gryffindor.
Wade paused for a moment, then continued writing:
A talking hat sorted me into Ravenclaw, and I think this is the best acknowledgment of my intellect. I do plan to learn as much as possible during my seven years here, as I've heard there's nowhere in all of Britain with a richer collection of books than Hogwarts. I must say, the wizarding world is far less foresighted than the Muggle government in this regard; there are no public libraries here, and precious books are either hidden in the school or kept in the private studies of certain old families.
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore is a rather peculiar man. He has long silver hair and a silver beard, and his demeanour is exactly what one imagines a mysterious wizard to be, almost like a living Merlin. Can you imagine? His speech at the opening ceremony was: "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" Probably no one knew what it meant. But although I didn't understand it, it was certainly better than a long and boring speech. Because after he finished speaking, many delicious foods suddenly appeared on our tables (yes, they just appeared, magic is truly amazing), and by then, we were all very hungry.
While a bit eccentric, this professor is also very humorous, benevolent, and gentle. He is also the greatest wizard of our time. A classmate from a wizarding family told me that because Dumbledore is here, Hogwarts is also widely considered the safest place in the world. So you don't have to worry about me encountering any dangers at school, and the students here don't just cast dark curses on others for no reason; they're no different from children in regular schools.
Additionally, my House, Ravenclaw, has its own separate tower, located on the west side of the castle. After dinner, the House prefect led us to the tower. We had to answer the knocker's riddle correctly to enter the common room. The common room is a very spacious circular room, with a dark blue domed ceiling painted with many stars, and the thick carpet is also covered with stars, making it appear serene and elegant. There are many arched windows around, with bronze silk drapes hanging down. Through the windows, one can see distant mountains and wilderness, as well as the Quidditch pitch within the school grounds.
The dormitories are in the turret next to the tower—I must say, getting back to the dormitory involves climbing a lot of stairs. However, the older students say that the school's staircases are generally quite friendly to Ravenclaw students; they don't move around to trick us, and sometimes they even create a shortcut, saving at least half the journey—perhaps because the castle's ever-changing staircases were designed by the House's founder, Madam Ravenclaw.
Ravenclaw has the fewest students among the four Houses, and the dormitories are double rooms. However, there was one extra boy, so... you've probably guessed it, I seized the opportunity to quickly apply and was lucky enough to get a single room.
The dormitory has warm beds, wardrobes, desks, and bookshelves, as well as a private washroom. All daily necessities are already provided. We don't need to wash clothes or clean our rooms; there's a group of invisible little helpers in the castle. When you wake up, everything is neatly tidied. My trunk was probably delivered to my dormitory by them too, thank goodness, I don't have to carry my trunk up the spiral staircase myself.
My classmates in the House are all very easy to get along with, and Prefect West takes good care of the first-years. Because he was worried some students might get lost, he waited in the common room bright and early this morning to take us to the Great Hall for breakfast. He also gave us this term's timetable—I must say, the coursework is arranged very lightly; that's the least of our worries.
After breakfast, Prefect West also took us on a tour of the school, showing us where each class was held, which areas of the school were forbidden, and shortcuts to places like the library, the hospital wing, and the Quidditch pitch.
Soon, we'll even have flying lessons. I'll ride a flying broomstick for the first time—exciting, isn't it? I never thought we humans could soar through the sky like birds—of course, I'll follow the professor's instructions, be careful, and avoid getting hurt.
Finally, I want to say that Hogwarts is a truly wonderful school! I really like it here.
Love,Wade Gray
Being reborn twice, Wade wasn't as carefree as an ordinary child. He knew very well how worried loving parents would be when their child left home. Therefore, Wade took advantage of a little free time before classes to meticulously write down all the big and small things that had happened since he arrived at school, even including a hand-drawn simple diagram of the school's layout within the letter. After finishing the letter, Wade re-read it, and changed "ambitious" Slytherin to "shrewd and proud."
It wasn't to praise Slytherin House; he just didn't want his parents to detect any potential conflicts between the Houses from his choice of words and start worrying about his situation. This was because the Grays' impression of the wizarding world was still stuck in the period when the Dark Lord ran rampant. After Wade received his Hogwarts acceptance letter, they had secretly felt guilty and anxious about being Squibs.
Wade wanted to tell them—it's alright, the war is over, blood purity isn't the mainstream, everything at Hogwarts is good now, his background isn't an obstacle, and his parents aren't a burden.
He was always grateful to be their child.