Chapter 289 "Luna Lovegood and Colin Creevey"

Luna's unexpected move left everyone in the compartment momentarily stunned. Cassandra's expression turned somber, and she questioned, "Luna, what do you mean by this?"

Seated calmly next to Wentworth, Luna responded cheerfully, "Well, didn't you say I could come to you when I'm in trouble? Since I couldn't find a seat, I thought I'd join you all!"

"I was worried you might not agree, so I was about to leave. But you guys are so friendly and chatty; it made my heart beat faster when I see you guys chatting like that! I decided I wanted to join you chatting."

After her explanation, Luna beamed with a smile, leaving Cassandra momentarily speechless.

Cassandra could be seen turning her head toward Wentworth; she was feeling lost on how to react to Luna's randomness.

For the remainder of the journey, Luna sat beside Wentworth, occasionally humming tunes that remained unintelligible to everyone.

On the other side of Wentworth, Cassandra also sat, periodically humming, all the while shooting him stern glances.

Despite having a young and attractive girl beside him, Wentworth found himself caught between the two, unable to move.

Besides offering an awkward but polite smile, he felt a growing headache.

"I am sorry, but excuse me for a while. I believe I saw some of my friends there, wait! Hello, how have you guys been?" Eventually, Cedric, unable to endure the situation, excused himself under the pretext of chatting with friends, freeing up a seat for Luna.

Later, as the Hogwarts Express made a stop at Hogsmeade Village again, Wentworth bid a quick farewell to Luna and boarded the Thestral carriage bound for Hogwarts.

Upon entering the Hogwarts auditorium, Wentworth and his companions immediately spotted Lockhart seated in the teacher's chair, engaged in lively conversation with other Hogwarts professors.

Simultaneously, Lockhart sensed Wentworth's gaze, and the two exchanged a nod before Wentworth took his place on the Hufflepuff bench.

Even though Wentworth is his student, their hierarchy is entirely switched outside of Hogwarts.

As the first-year students arrived by boat, the Hogwarts Hall buzzed with excitement once more.

As expected, the eagerly anticipated sorting ceremony followed, and Luna found her place in Ravenclaw House.

However, upon Professor McGonagall removing the Sorting Hat, Luna surprised everyone by heading straight to the Hufflepuff table.

A hushed silence fell over the entire Hogwarts Great Hall as all eyes turned to Luna.

Observing Luna's unexpected move, Wentworth felt an ominous premonition creep over him.

True to his intuition, Luna disregarded the customary path to Ravenclaw and confidently took a seat at the Hufflepuff table, directly across from Wentworth.

The Hogwarts auditorium erupted into a buzz of discussion as students reacted to Luna's unconventional choice.

After coughing to restore order, the sorting ceremony stopped, and Professor McGonagall addressed Luna, "Miss Luna Lovegood, your assigned house is Ravenclaw, and there is a place for you at the Hufflepuff table."

Unfazed by the reminder, Luna nodded and calmly replied, "I understand, Professor McGonagall, but do Hogwarts rules prohibit Ravenclaw students from sitting here?"

"In this auditorium, those rules seem unfamiliar to me," Luna added, pointing to Wentworth, Green, and Cedric opposite her. The three exchanged awkward yet polite smiles in response.

After contemplating for a moment, Luna stood up once again, pointing towards the darkened face of Cassandra not far away, and suggested, "How about I sit over there?"

Hearing Luna's proposal, Professor McGonagall couldn't help but cover her forehead, exclaiming, "That's Slytherin over there! Oh my God, why is there yet another problematic student? What has become of Hogwarts in recent years?"

As Professor McGonagall sighed in dismay, Wentworth unexpectedly interjected, "Luna, aside from us, don't you know anyone else here?" With her large eyes, Luna glanced at Wentworth and nodded in affirmation.

Seizing the opportunity, Wentworth continued, "So, you can't sit with me! If you only stick with us, you'll only have a handful of friends in your life. You should learn to make more friends; plenty of people are here. It's not like Otery Saint Catchipol– the outside world is vast and wonderful!"

Upon hearing Wentworth's advice, Luna nodded thoughtfully. "I see. I should make more friends so my life would be more cheerful. Thanks for the advice, Wentworth!"

She then stood up, prepared to head to the long table assigned to Ravenclaw House.

"Good safe, Wentworth." Observing this, Professor McGonagall breathed a sigh of relief.

Unexpectedly, Luna, already taking a step, turned her head and addressed Wentworth once again, "I think you're right, Wentworth! It's just that my father told me before I left to spend more time with you, so I wouldn't be deceived or bullied by others."

"In my father's words: Stick with that kid – you'll be the only one doing the bullying, not the other way around!"

With those words, Luna joyfully hopped off the Hufflepuff long table, leaving Wentworth alone. He smiled awkwardly but politely, inwardly gritting his teeth at Xenophilius' influence.

This little incident eventually passed, and Professor McGonagall announced the continuation of the sorting ceremony.

As Wentworth settled back into his seat, a faint voice from behind reached him, "Congratulations, Wentworth, you've gained the most enthusiastic supporter at Hogwarts."

Upon hearing Cassandra's voice, Wentworth swiftly turned around, ready to explain, only to find that Cassandra had already averted her gaze.

However, Cassandra soon realized her mistake when she saw that someone else had claimed the title of Hogwarts' most ardent supporter.

Colin Creevey, newly sorted into Gryffindor by Professor McGonagall, erupted into cheers that resonated throughout the auditorium, startling even Professor McGonagall herself. Witnessing Colin's exuberance, Wentworth observed as he leaped up and eagerly rushed to join Gryffindor's ranks.

Seeing this scene, Professor McGonagall was just taken aback, but with Luna's lessons learned just now, Professor McGonagall felt that this was the response of a good Hogwarts student, loving his house!

Especially when Colin is a student of Gryffindor! As Head of Gryffindor, Professor McGonagall felt very comfortable.

However, Colin, who then ran to Gryffindor, took out a camera from nowhere, and then ran to Harry Potter with an excited look on his face. Looking at Harry Potter, he said, "Hi Harry, you are someone that I look up to! I am so happy to be in the same house with you! Excuse me, can I take a picture with you?!"

Seeing this, the Hogwarts auditorium became noisy again, and Harry glanced at Professor McGonagall, whose brows had been wrinkled, and then at Colin, who had a fiery face in front of him.

Harry had to use the fastest speed. Speaking fast, Saying, "Yes, but please hurry up. Everyone is still waiting for dinner!"