https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-31-First-Glimpse-of-Hogwarts-Castle/13457104/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-33-An-Unexpected-Twist-at-the-Sorting-Ceremony/13457107/
Chapter 32: It Turns Out to Be a World from a Book
Chapter 32: It Turns Out to Be a World from a Book
“Hermione, don’t worry, you’re so talented, the Sorting will be no problem for you!”
Jerry noticed that Hermione, after Professor Mcgonagall left, had been repeatedly reciting the fourteen spells from the textbook, looking extremely nervous. He sighed and whispered words of reassurance.
He knew that the so-called Sorting Ceremony had nothing to do with magic or spells. It was simply a matter of putting on the hat, which would then determine which house you belonged to based on your personality and bloodline.
If you had characteristics fitting multiple houses, you could even have a chat with the hat and choose the one you liked best.
Just like in the movies, Harry fit both Gryffindor and Slytherin, but he ultimately chose Gryffindor, and that’s where he was sorted.
However, he couldn’t tell Hermione this, as he had no way to explain how he knew the details of the Sorting Ceremony.
“How can they accurately sort us into the right houses?”
“I suppose there must be some kind of test. Fred said it could be harmful, but I think he’s just joking.”
At that moment, Jerry overheard Harry and Ron’s conversation from the other side of the room.
He glanced around and noticed that among the forty or so young wizards, most, like Hermione, were extremely anxious. Only a few, like Draco Malfoy, who came from pure-blood families, seemed more relaxed.
Most of the young wizards, like Hermione, assumed that the Sorting Ceremony would involve a test of their magical abilities.
However, unlike Hermione, most of the young wizards, including Harry and Ron, couldn’t even cast a single spell successfully yet.
Even the children from pure-blood wizard families, who might have been exposed to magic earlier than those from Muggle families, didn’t have significantly higher magical skills.
According to a video Jerry had seen in his previous life on a certain social media platform, it seemed that a young wizard’s magical bloodline only stabilized at the age of eleven, allowing them to start learning and casting spells.
Moreover, wizard children were no different in personality from ordinary children. At this age, only a few, like Hermione, had the interest and patience to study the complex and difficult magical knowledge.
Wasn’t flying on a broomstick more appealing? Or enjoying magical snacks? Or going shopping in Diagon Alley?
However, children from wizard families did have broader horizons. At least, a few, like Draco Malfoy, knew what the Sorting Ceremony was all about.
But they found the panic and anxiety of the Muggle-born young wizards to be a rather amusing sight, so why would they bother to explain the truth?
As for Ron and Neville, who were also from wizard families, Ron had two mischievous older brothers, Fred and George, while Neville had a poor memory. Even if his grandmother had mentioned it, he might not have remembered.
“Ah! Ah! Ah!”
Just as the young wizards were immersed in their anxiety about the Sorting, a few shrill screams broke the tense silence in the room.
Jerry turned his head toward the source of the noise.
It turned out that over twenty semi-transparent ghosts had floated through the walls, flying around the heads of the young wizards and waving at them.
“Alright, everyone, line up and follow me. The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin!”
At that moment, Professor Mcgonagall reappeared at the door of the room, and the ghosts, one by one, drifted back through the walls and disappeared.
……
"This is truly a magical scene!"
Jerry and the young wizards followed Professor Mcgonagall in line into the grand Great Hall, and the sight before them elicited another sigh of wonder.
Perhaps because it was an important opening feast and Sorting Ceremony, the Great Hall was adorned with exceptional splendor.
Tens of thousands of candles, enchanted with the Levitation Charm, floated in the air, replacing the magical chandeliers and illuminating the entire Great Hall brightly.
At the four long tables filled with young wizards, golden plates and silver goblets shimmered under the candlelight.
But what Jerry found most magical was the ceiling of the Great Hall.
If you didn't look closely, you might think the ceiling was open to the sky, as the brilliant starry heavens hung above, captivating and beautiful.
Standing between the four house tables and the teachers' table, Jerry saw Professor Mcgonagall first bring a four-legged stool and place it on the podium.
Then she brought a patched, well-worn, and extremely dirty hat.
"This must be the ancient Sorting Hat, as old as Hogwarts itself!"
The Sorting Hat was originally an ordinary hat belonging to Hogwarts founder Godric Gryffindor. Later, the four founders used magic to imbue it with a mind, giving it the ability to help choose houses based on the characteristics of young wizards.
The ability to give a lifeless object an independent mind and personality sometimes made Jerry feel that the magic of the Harry Potter world was truly powerful.
Its power wasn't in its ability to cause massive destruction but in its sheer metaphysical nature, with no scientific basis—really, it was very magical!
"You may think I'm not much to look at,
But don't judge a book by its cover,
If you can find a more beautiful hat,
I'll eat myself.
The hat wriggled on the stool, then split open a wide seam like a mouth, and began to sing its own Sorting Song loudly.
Even more bizarrely, after finishing the song, the hat saw the enthusiastic applause from the young wizards and, very gentlemanly, stood up and bowed elegantly.
Have you ever seen a hat bow to you?
Probably not, and Jerry had never seen this in the movies either, even in his past life.
"I will now call out names. When I call your name, come forward, put on the hat, and sit on the stool for Sorting."
Professor Mcgonagall stepped forward with a parchment, slowly unrolled it, and read out:
"Hannah Abbott!"
A rosy-cheeked girl with two golden braids stumbled out of the line.
"Steadfast Hannah!"
Watching the girl with the Sorting Hat seated on the four-legged stool, Jerry finally realized what had been bothering him.
This wasn't the Harry Potter world from the movies, but the one from the books.
He remembered clearly that in the movies, the first to be sorted was Hermione Granger, while in the books, it was Hannah Abbott.
In his past life, he had seen the "Steadfast Hannah" meme in many videos.
But the key was that he had only watched the movies on TV and hadn't specifically sought out the books.
The differences between the movies and the books shouldn't be too significant, right?
Right!
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
