Chapter 125: The Sorting Ceremony
Chapter 125: The Sorting Ceremony
"A wizard should never use magic in front of Muggles. Moreover, I don't understand a lot of Muggle jobs, such as accounting or car repair," Lupin wrote. "I also have to take a few days off each month, which makes my boss very unhappy. I'll be fired as soon as they find a replacement for me."
"In any case, everything is getting better now, and the past is no longer an issue," Lupin concluded.
"You live in Hogsmeade, so can't Harry just go directly to school after the summer?" Ved inquired.
"Yes, he could," Lupin acknowledged. "However, Ron invited Harry to stay with the Weasleys these past few days, so they will still be taking the train to Hogwarts."
"Riding the Hogwarts Express across Britain is also a valuable experience for the students," Lupin added.
Upon reading Lupin's reply, Ved wondered: Would Harry once again be blocked by the barrier and have to fly to school?
...
September 1st arrived before they knew it.
Ved arrived at King's Cross Station half an hour early, without his parents this time. He carried his luggage and boarded the train on his own.
The Greys had gotten used to saying goodbye like this, as the children would return home for Christmas break anyway. They had become less sentimental, unlike the first time they had seen their son off.
Ved found his compartment, and soon enough, Michael, Theo, and Ryan joined him.
As they chatted, Ved kept his eyes fixed on the window, watching for any students rushing through the barrier.
From their compartment, they could see students dashing through the barrier and onto the platform.
It was almost eleven o'clock when the Weasley family finally appeared.
First came Percy, followed by Mr. Weasley, the twins, Ginny, and lastly, Mrs. Weasley...
The smooth rhythm of their departure hit a slight snag.
"Choo-choo—"
The train let out a long whistle, spewing white steam as it began to move slowly.
A few seconds later, Lupin appeared, with an arm around Harry's shoulder, alongside Ron.
"Hurry up and get on the train!" Lupin called out. "I'll make sure your luggage gets to the school."
Without another word, Harry and Ron took off, sprinting after the gradually accelerating train.
Students all along the platform, bidding farewell to their parents, watched them in amazement.
The Weasley twins stood at the door of one of the compartments, reaching out and pulling the duo onto the train. The four of them tumbled into the carriage together.
Ryan heaved a sigh of relief and remarked, "They should have left earlier. That was too close."
Michael, peering out the window next to Ved, replied, "No way. The whole platform is full of wizards. They wouldn't let them fall, would they?"
On the platform, Lupin also breathed a sigh of relief. Spotting Ved, he smiled and waved at him.
It seemed that even though Harry had departed with the Weasleys, Lupin had still come to the station to see Harry off, just like the other parents.
In doing so, they had inadvertently avoided the trap set by Dobby, the house-elf of the Malfoy family.
In the original storyline, Dobby would have blocked the barrier at this point, intending to prevent Harry from attending school and get him expelled from Hogwarts.
However, the simple-minded elf failed to understand that as Britain's savior in the wizarding world, Harry couldn't be expelled even if he wanted to skip classes for an entire semester.
Dobby's actions would only result in the person he wanted to protect receiving unwarranted punishment and ostracism.
...
The train rattled along the tracks, arriving at Hogwarts after dark, just as it had the year before. Then came the Sorting ceremony.
Ved spotted a few familiar names—
Colin Creevey was overjoyed to be sorted into Gryffindor. He took a long detour to shake Harry's hand.
The enthusiastic yet timid boy said, "Harry Potter, I... I really admire you... Can we take a picture together later? I have a camera."
"Um..." Harry glanced at his friends for help, but they were all watching with amused expressions, so he reluctantly replied, "I guess so..."
Last semester, Ved had also asked everyone to take a few pictures, and some of them were now displayed on Harry's desk.
In the past, Dudley had plenty of photos, but Harry didn't have any.
But now he had quite a collection... It was just that the look in this boy's eyes always made him feel like avoiding him...
The last person who had made him feel this awkward was Gilderoy Lockhart.
Harry looked towards the staff table.
Gilderoy Lockhart, clad in a water-green robe and sparkling with a gleam in his eye, suddenly turned his head as if he had eyes in the back of his head, causing Harry to quickly avert his gaze.
"Great!"
Colin almost jumped up in excitement. "I know a lot of books with your name on them, and I know everything about you..."
Harry watched his mouth flap and quickly pushed him towards the nearby seat.
"Stop talking, they're still sorting! Professor McGonagall is coming over." Harry said.
Colin turned to look and met the stern gaze of the Gryffindor head. He shrunk his neck and finally closed his mouth.
"Luna Lovegood!" Professor McGonagall announced.
"Ravenclaw!"
A girl with a wand tucked behind her ear and a dreamy expression walked towards the Ravenclaw table. The applause gradually faded and soon stopped.
Everyone looked at the blonde girl, feeling that she seemed a bit odd.
She had a similar air of eccentricity to Dumbledore.
The girl, as if unaware of the strange looks, spoke in a detached tone, "It's nice to meet you all... Do you read The Quibbler?"
The Ravenclaw prefect, who was shaking her hand, looked awkward. "The Quibbler?"
"Yes, it's a magazine my dad publishes." Luna said.
"Oh... I'll be sure to read it when I get the chance." The female prefect asked, "What kind of topics does it cover?"
"Well... mostly about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks and such."
"Crumple-Horned Snorkacks? I don't recall reading about those fantastic beasts in any books."
"They live in Sweden." Luna said, "When I grow up, I'll go to Sweden to search for these fantastic beasts."
"Oh..." The female prefect's smile was a bit strained as she desperately tried to recall if she had missed something in the books.
"Don't bother." The other prefect whispered to her, "They're made-up creatures."
"They're not made-up." Luna had sharp ears, and she emphasized seriously, "My dad says they exist."
Both prefects struggled to maintain their smiles.
Next was Rolf Scamander.
He was sorted into Hufflepuff, but instead of going to his own house, he ran to the Ravenclaw table first.
"Ved, we're finally at the same school! I'll come find you tomorrow to hang out..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the Hufflepuff prefect pulled him away with a stern look.
"This year's freshmen are quite interesting, aren't they?" Michael said to Ved with a smile.
"Yeah, they are." Ved nodded, watching the last student being sorted.
Ginny Weasley.
She looked to be in good spirits.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
