"What are you thinking about?" Alfrina seemed to recover her spirits after taking two big bites of food. Seeing Gary staring distractedly at the Gryffindor table, she asked.
"Ah, nothing." Gary pulled himself out of his swirling thoughts.
Alfrina eyed him suspiciously, about to say something more, when Kona leaned over and whispered in her ear.
"Hehehe..." The two girls cackled like old hens, crowing madly.
Gary felt like he couldn't eat anymore. He packed his bag, left his seat, and headed towards the Tower.
The Ravenclaw Tower was very quiet in the evening. Most people were dining in the Great Hall downstairs, and only a few ghosts floated about in the Tower.
Gary stepped aside to let a ghostly gentleman whose head was almost separated from his neck pass, then climbed to the fifth floor of the Ravenclaw Tower.
Each floor of the Tower had a railing, allowing students to lean against it and enjoy the view.
At this time, the sun had set, and darkness appeared unrestrained. It seized the entire continent like a man-eating demon, enveloping all of Hogwarts.
"Sizzle," Gary saw the candles on the platform's candle holders ignite, illuminating the platform.
All the candles in the Castle were enchanted; they would automatically light up when darkness completely covered the Castle and extinguish when the sun rose and sunlight filled the Castle.
Gary looked down at his shadow, then looked up at the sky. He emptied his mind, not thinking about the Sorting; his thoughts had reached a dead end, and expending any more energy would be futile.
He exhaled a turbid breath towards the sky outside. "Trouble on your mind?" A ethereal voice suddenly came from beside him.
Gary turned and saw Lovegood, a fifth-year. He had a Prefect badge pinned to his robe, though while others wore theirs on their chest, his was almost at his collar.
"Just a question I can't figure out."
"What question?" Lovegood seemed to turn into a curious child, asking until he got to the bottom of it.
"Why did the Sorting Hat sort you into Ravenclaw?" Gary didn't answer, but instead asked him.
"...The Sorting Hat said my soul was very compatible with Ravenclaw, so it sorted me here." Lovegood walked to his side, resting his hands on the railing, looking at the dark night outside the window.
"Were you stumped by that question just now?" He asked again. Gary didn't answer, and Lovegood continued.
"The Sorting Hat is actually fate..."
Gary turned his head in confusion. "You, of all people, would say something like that?"
"Otherwise?"
"I thought you'd say there's a pervert inside the Sorting Hat." Gary quipped.
Lovegood laughed heartily. "That does sound like something I'd say."
"Which house you go to is already decided by fate. The Sorting Hat merely tells you the result of that decision." Lovegood's silver hair swayed slightly in the cold wind.
"...Is that all?" Gary murmured. "Then why does the Sorting Hat also respect people's choices?"
"Sometimes you think it's your own choice, but that's not always the case," Lovegood turned to face him, with a sharpness in his gaze Gary had never seen before.
"Like Black from Gryffindor, do you think the Sorting Hat respected his decision?"
Gary was startled, meeting Lovegood's eyes. He felt all his secrets had nowhere to hide.
"Even if Black hadn't said anything, he would have gone to Gryffindor. The Sorting Hat just guided him to speak what was in his heart." Lovegood's words were astonishing.
"You mean the Sorting Hat had already made its decision?" Gary felt like he was grasping the key to the problem amidst a haze.
"The moment you put it on, everything becomes unchangeable."
Gary fell silent. He thought of another person, Alfrina. She was sorted into Ravenclaw as soon as she put on the Sorting Hat.
When she first started, was she really like a Ravenclaw?
Gary felt she was more like James, just not as fond of playing, and with more outstanding leadership abilities.
She didn't even communicate with the Sorting Hat; she was just directly sorted into Ravenclaw.
"With all due respect, you don't need to think about these things at all," Lovegood said. "Everything has already been settled; even if you figure it out, you can't change it."
"You'd be better off catching a Bubble-Headed Slug to play with if you have time." He looked at Gary with a playful smile.
Gary looked at Lovegood, knowing that his usual eccentric demeanor was not his true self.
"I'm leaving now, your friend is coming up." Lovegood glanced behind him, said goodbye, and went upstairs.
Gary saw Alfrina slowly coming up, unhurriedly, carrying a shopping bag, with a little sweat on her forehead.
Gary's face softened and relaxed.
"I've been looking for you for ages. I thought you went to the Library." Alfrina walked over and slapped Gary on the arm.
"Tell me, what's bothering you again, Mr. Shafiq?" Alfrina leaned on the railing, her slender body gracefully flipping over, sitting on the edge of the Tower, her long legs dangling in mid-air.
Gary was stunned for a moment, then mimicked her posture, flipping over and sitting beside her.
The wind was stronger at the edge of the Tower; Alfrina's golden hair could even blow onto Gary's face with the wind.
Alfrina hesitated for a moment, then reached out and put her arm around Gary's shoulder. "Just tell me if anything's bothering you, I'll help you sort it out!"
Gary felt the pressure on his shoulder was a bit light, and he saw some tension and unease hidden beneath Alfrina's radiant smile.
Gary's heart felt as if it had been struck by Howard's punch, a bitter feeling sweeping through him.
"You care about me that much?" Gary dangled his legs a couple of times, turning his face to look at the rippling Black Lake in the darkness, trying hard not to look at her.
"Hmm..." Alfrina's shoulders hunched, as if she was cold. "After all, you helped me a lot when we were little... Isn't it right for me to look out for you now?"
Gary pulled out his wand and cast a warming charm on Alfrina. "Just because of that?"
"Then what else?" Alfrina said fiercely. "I thought something had happened to you. Turns out I worried for nothing."
"Did the Sorting Hat say anything to you during the Sorting?" Gary asked. Two years had passed, and Gary's memory was already blurry. Although Lovegood had advised him, Gary still wanted to figure out this question.
"The Sorting Hat?" Alfrina hadn't expected Gary to ask this question and paused for a moment before thinking, biting her fair finger lightly. "...I've forgotten already. It seems like it didn't say anything."
She was a bit unsure of her answer. "Why do you ask?"
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