Chapter 1: Sorting Ceremony
Chapter 1: Sorting Ceremony
"Susan Bones, hufflepuff!"
"Justin Finch-Fletchley, hufflepuff!"
In the elaborately decorated Great Hall, a crumpled hat with a large mouth that had split from the edges was singing and moving restlessly, occasionally being pinched by a few mischievous young wizards, causing it to emit strange laughter.
As the names of the students and their assigned houses were announced by the Sorting Hat, the young wizards in the audience clapped their hands, some enthusiastically and others half-heartedly.
At least during this welcoming ceremony, even the Gryffindors and Slytherins, who usually couldn't stand each other, maintained a relatively harmonious atmosphere.
The young wizards waiting to be sorted watched nervously or eagerly as their peers put on the Sorting Hat, and then walked to the corresponding house seats, accompanied by the hat's quirky commentary.
However, among the new students, there was one thin boy who looked bewildered, gazing at the lavish and antique decorations, and the strange candles floating in mid-air. The bright, star-like flames illuminated the Great Hall, and translucent ghosts could be seen flying around, making the boy feel a bit overwhelmed. After a while, he murmured to himself.
"Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?"
"Strange, wasn't I about to die on a hospital bed?" Just as the boy was feeling both familiar and unfamiliar with his surroundings, a high-pitched female voice echoed through the Great Hall.
"Ivan Hals!"
Professor Minerva Mcgonagall stood by the four-legged table where the Sorting Hat was placed, looking at the parchment scroll in her hand. After waiting for a while and seeing no response, she frowned and called out again.
"Ivan Hals!"
When no one responded even after a long time, Dumbledore also cast a puzzled glance, and the older students began to whisper among themselves.
"Who? Who's Ivan? How brave!"
"Did he get lost and miss the Sorting Ceremony?"
"This is going to be interesting."
At this moment, the remaining new students, under the watchful eyes of the professors and older students, took a few steps back, leaving the blond boy with black eyes standing alone, looking completely out of place.
"Ivan Hals, please come up to the platform!" Professor Mcgonagall repeated again.
"Me?" Ivan pointed at himself, feeling a sense of unfamiliarity mixed with an unexpected familiarity.
"Yes, please come up quickly. Others need to be sorted as well", Professor Mcgonagall said, perhaps understanding that Ivan was a new student and not angry at all, though she thought he might be a bit nervous.
"Good, child, come over here", Professor Mcgonagall stepped forward, put her hand on Ivan's shoulder, and guided him to sit on the chair. She then placed the Sorting Hat on his head.
The Sorting Hat wriggled restlessly on Ivan's head and spoke in a rather playful tone.
"Hey, kid, don't be too shy. You're not the first one to feel nervous in this place. Believe me, just close your eyes and it'll be over in no time. It won't hurt a bit!"
Ivan rolled his eyes. After spending some time among the new students, he had started to form some guesses about the situation, but he still found it hard to believe.
But is this really Hogwarts, the magical place where they teach magic? But that's not possible...
Just as Ivan was about to continue his thoughts, the Sorting Hat's voice rang in his ear.
"Yes, of course, this is Hogwarts! You're not dreaming. I'm one hundred percent sure!"
"I guess you must be from a Muggle family, right? Every few years, there are a few new little wizards who don't believe magic is real. They say it's all tricks and always want to pull a long-eared rabbit out of my body. I tell them there's nothing in the hat, but they just don't believe it."
The Sorting Hat rambled on with its cold jokes, its large mouth almost extending to the brim of the hat.
The Sorting Hat's ability to read memories made Ivan suddenly hesitant, and he quickly gathered his thoughts.
But perhaps due to the influence of the Sorting Hat, Ivan's mind was filled with fragmented memories like a slideshow. They were disordered, and even Ivan himself couldn't piece them together. It seemed to be a witch teaching him magic.
The witch in the memory was around thirty, with beautiful long blonde hair, and her mouth was moving, saying something. Then, Ivan felt a wave of fear wash over him.
The Sorting Hat also complained that it was the first time it had encountered a wizard with such scattered thoughts. It was also surprised that Ivan was not from a Muggle family, as it was unusual for a wizard from a magical family not to know about Hogwarts.
A cold sweat broke out on Ivan's forehead. Although the various thoughts and memories read by the Sorting Hat belonged to the original owner, he didn't know what important secrets the hat might uncover. Ivan could only try to think of trivial things.
"Cough, cough." Seeing that the Sorting Hat seemed to have no end, Professor Mcgonagall coughed lightly, reminding the hat on the stage to get on with its job.
The Sorting Hat finally stopped talking, and Ivan let out a sigh of relief. However, he was also curious about which house he would be sorted into.
"Hmm, let me see. Optimistic, clever, and prone to wild thoughts", the Sorting Hat drawled, then lowered its voice. "And you know a bit of Dark Magic."
"I know Dark Magic?" Ivan was puzzled, recalling the memory from earlier.
"Oh, yes, an ancient and rare form of Dark Magic." The Sorting Hat whispered to Ivan, as if sharing a secret.
"Of course, to me, it's an interesting form of Dark Magic. It always makes people see things they don't want to see. Someone once used it for pranks; maybe you can try it too."
"Although Dumbledore would certainly not want anyone to do that", the Sorting Hat added, self-deprecatingly.
"Where should I go? Slytherin?" Ivan was curious about his knowledge of Dark Magic, but the most pressing issue was the sorting.
Once he was sorted, he could finally remove this damned, memory-reading hat.
At Hogwarts, entering Gryffindor requires enough bravery (or recklessness), Ravenclaw seeks wisdom or a thirst for knowledge.
Slytherin corresponds to cunning and sinister traits along with exceptional magical talent.
As for Hufflepuff, it is the kindest and most inclusive house, especially skilled in food-related Spells, making it the best choice for food lovers.
The Sorting Hat's mention of learning Dark Magic fit the standards of Slytherin House, but it was also possible that he could be sorted into Ravenclaw due to his optimism and intelligence.
Ivan thought a bit narcissistically.
"No, no, no, not at all." The Sorting Hat's tone suddenly turned humorous. "Though it might disappoint you, Slytherin usually only selects talented young wizards, so..."
"Gryffindor!" The Sorting Hat changed from its whispering tone to a loud voice that echoed through the entire hall.
"Gryffindor?" Ivan removed the Sorting Hat from his head, somewhat surprised and not yet ready to comment on the hat's assessment of his talent.
"Yes, yes, you belong there!" The Sorting Hat said confidently. "I have never been wrong, and you have the right qualities!"
(End of Chapter)
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